“You stupid, useless arse!” Hagatha spat, throwing the elf on the ground after taking her to a safe place in the jungle.

“I’m sorry,” the elf apologized, quickly standing up. She couldn’t keep her side of the deal, and now she would have to pay for it.

“Sorry? Did I send you to get me a stupid sorry?” Hagatha hissed, restraining herself from putting a curse spell on the elf. She looked at her crow, who nodded and flew into the sky.

“As per the deal, you should compensate me now that you couldn’t fulfill it.” Hagatha smirked, remembering the compensation the elf had promised her.

The crow flew faster than the wind, returning with a rolled-up envelope tied with a red ribbon as a seal. He handed it over to Hagatha. The elf stared at the envelope, swallowing hard, regretting her life decisions. She should never have made this deal.

“As per the deal, I’ll take your beauty.” Hagatha laughed, burning the contract as an act of sealing the deal and ensuring the deal-breaker, the so-called dark elf, would pay the price.

Even if they were called “dark,” dark elves were also known as symbols of unique beauty. They were meticulous beings, filled with allure and greed. This elf had wagered her beauty, confident in her arrogance and pride.

“I’m... I’m sorry. Please give me one more chance. I’ll make it up to you. Please have mercy.” The elf lay at Hagatha’s feet, begging for leniency, unaware that mercy was not what awaited her.

Hagatha, an evil witch without a coven, had no reason to show mercy on a deal-bound, now useless creature. She stood still, reciting incantations in Latin.

“Ribus uero fecit orum Bitis danae arca Convenio hospito fortis mundis”

Reciting the spell, she halted, bending close to the elf’s face. The elf whimpered, her eyes shedding blue tears of pain and pleading. Hagatha grabbed her mouth, forcing her still.

“Consilio!” she shouted, and it was done. An invisible wind blew from the elf, stripping her of her beauty and charms, funneling them into Hagatha, making her look even younger.

With a loud, squeaky shriek, the elf’s soul left her body. She fell to the ground, lifeless, with a thud. Hagatha stood up and chuckled, gazing at the clear black sky.

With a long sigh, she held out her arms, feeling energized, superior to every kind. The elf’s essence would last longer on her than human skin ever would.

“Let’s go, Brennus,” she spoke elegantly, disappearing into the shadows of the trees.

Ashlee changed her clothes for bed. Coming out of the bathroom, her heart raced at the sight of him lying comfortably on his bed, reading something in an odd, unreadable language.

She dried her face and, slowly and carefully, slid under the covers beside him. She hoped he wouldn’t notice her arrival, though it was foolish to think so.

He had been counting the moments since she’d entered the bathroom, watching her had become a daily habit—but only watching Ashlee.

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

He put down his book and turned off the lamp on his side. When he looked over, he saw that she hadn’t turned off her light and had her back to him, which irritated him.

Not knowing if she was awake or asleep, he couldn’t relax. His attempts to determine her status were almost childish.

Finally, she turned around. It felt like an eternity. She was peacefully asleep beside him, her hand resting on his arm. A small smile played on her lips.

He lay down, facing her. Though there was a slight distance between them, he couldn’t resist closing it. He moved closer, careful not to wake her.

Her small, soft smile was adorable. Gently, he brushed a strand of hair behind her ear, chuckling to himself.

“You must be having a nice dream,” he whispered, admiring her beauty. Though she was human, she was a sight to behold.

As he closed his eyes, Ashlee murmured something in her sleep, shivering slightly.

“Ashlee?” Kyle gently tried to wake her. But she continued mumbling as if in pain.

“No... please.” She pleaded, a tear slipping from the corner of her closed eye.

Kyle sat up, embracing her in his arms and wiping away her tears. He kissed her forehead.

“It’s alright,” he whispered in her ear, soothing her. Holding her tightly, he silently promised she would never be alone again.

In the morning, everyone was frantically looking for Kyle. His study was empty, and he was nowhere around the base. Derion and Esyn feared he might have gone off alone to investigate last night’s incident.

“Have you checked his room?” Cassandra asked, stopping Esyn from running around.

“He never goes to his room, Mom,” Heather responded before Esyn could speak. Heather’s attempts to assert her knowledge of Kyle were cheap and irritating.

“Still, you should check. I haven’t seen Ashlee either. Didn’t he take her to his room last night?” Cassandra replied, ignoring Heather, as usual.

In this pack, the only person who took Heather’s side was Kyle, and because he was Alpha, the others had to tolerate her presence.

“Yeah, as if he’d stay with that stinky... woman!” Heather muttered, rolling her eyes and inspecting her nails, unaffected.

“I’ll go check, Mom,” Esyn replied, shaking her head at Heather’s arrogance.

She rushed to Kyle’s room and knocked. No one answered, worrying her further. Even if only Ashlee were there, she should open the door.

Esyn moved to knock again, noticing the door was unlocked. Quietly, she opened it and slipped inside.

“These two love birds!” she sighed, watching how adorable they looked, sleeping peacefully in each other’s arms.

“Wait... why are they sleeping like that?” Esyn’s mind jumped to wild conclusions.

Tiptoeing out, she closed the door and rushed back to where Derion and her mother waited, bubbling with excitement over her misinterpreted discovery.

“Mom!!” she yelled, startling them. They feared something terrible had happened.

“What? What’s wrong? Is Kyle alright? Where’s Ashlee?” Cassandra rushed to Esyn, holding her hands.

“They’re fine. Very fine,” she replied with a wink.

Cassandra, missing her meaning, scolded her, “You nearly gave me a heart attack. I thought something awful had happened.”

“I wouldn’t say it’s awful,” Esyn grinned, flashing another wink.

“Are you serious?” Derion caught on, looking astonished.

“What? What happened?” Cassandra looked between them, baffled, as did others in the room.

“I can’t believe Kyle finally did it!” Esyn squealed, hugging Derion.

“Neither can I,” he replied, his excitement showing. They seemed to understand each other instinctively, as though connected by more than mind links.

“Could you two stop showing off and just tell us?” Heather snapped, visibly annoyed.

“Oh, of course, my dearest Heather. You, of all people, should know this first,” Esyn smirked, thrilled to deliver the news.

“Oh, really?” Heather growled, her claws flexing.

“Kyle mated with his precious mate last night. Sorry to break it to you, but it’s over, sweetheart.” Esyn patted Heather’s shoulder, her empathy dripping with sarcasm.

Heather’s face twisted in rage. “How would you know?” she shouted.

“I just saw them, wrapped in each other, as close as two people can be. Don’t believe me? Go see for yourself.” Esyn shrugged, smug with pride.

Heather stormed off, seething with fury toward Ashlee and Esyn. She didn’t like any of Kyle’s family members, nor did they like her. She refused to accept that she was here only because of a promise Kyle made to her father—not because Kyle loved her.