Cassy

The next morning, we planned to travel to the lycan kingdom. Elliot refused to travel at night, claiming that it was preferable for us to travel during the day. During the night, the rogues were always more active.

“You are overthinking it,” he tried to console me.

“Let it go,” he said. “Rogues would try to get into your thoughts all the time. What he stated was most likely meaningless.”

I knew he was trying to offer comfort.

I gave him a nod, wanting to trust him. I shouldn’t be concerned over something insignificant. They were rogues. Disobedient and well-known to cause havoc. This wasn’t the first time they had attacked us.

When it was time for us to leave, a large group of pack members gathered around the pack house. I bade everyone goodbye and strolled towards the vehicle that was waiting for us. Our driver was patiently waiting in the car.

We were soon on our way.

I relaxed in the backseat of the Royal carriage and tried to loosen up.

It most probably meant nothing.

I kept chanting in my head, hoping that it would help me relax.

Elliot was engrossed in something on his phone, so I decided to keep myself occupied. The journey was completely mute. Minutes passed, and the automobile ride’s silence began to bore me. I gazed out the window.

We were on a freeway at the time. The woodland trees could be seen in the distance. Other vehicles whizzed by, and I noted how the water body under the bridge glistened in the sunlight.NôvelD(ram)a.ôrg owns this content.

But….wait….

“Izzy, this isn’t the path back to the kingdom, right?” I wanted to make sure I wasn’t mistaken.

I didn’t recall driving on the highway on the way to the pack.

“This isn’t the path that leads back to the throne,” she confirmed.

I frowned. Could it be that the driver made a mistake and took the wrong turn?

“Elliot?” I mumbled, my gaze fixed on the water. “What is this place? I’m not sure why I haven’t noticed that river. This is not the path that leads back to the kingdom. Where are we going?” I inquired.

He suddenly burst out laughing.

“Surprise? I was hoping that you wouldn’t ask. Didn’t you notice when the driver took another turn?” he snorted.

“Huh?”

The creases on my forehead deepened. What was he referring to?

“Aww, come on!” I was planning a surprise trip to a ski resort for you,” he told me, grinning from ear to ear.

“What?” I squealed.”But mom and dad would be expecting us to return shortly.” Concerned, I wrinkled my brows.

“Nope,” he c****d his head and smirked. “I have already spoken to them,” he winked. The corners of my lips twitched.

“I’m guessing they were the ones who proposed it?” A lopsided smile curled on my lips as I inquired.

He nodded, chuckling.

“I should have known,” I muttered something and shook my head.

Izzy chuckled.

“Did you know?” I asked her.

“No. I didn’t know because Rex didn’t tell me. I believe they just love to surprise us,” She shook her head.

I chuckled internally, casting a sideline glance at Elliot. He looked extremely handsome with that boyish grin plastered on his face.

“They could have just advised us to go on a honeymoon and have fun,” I laughed out loud.

“But then I wouldn’t have had this incredible opportunity to surprise you.”

I rolled my eyes and smirked as I stared out of the window

“You’re right. But I found out a bit too soon.”

“Nah! It’s still good,” he responded. “See?” he tilted his phone so that I could see the video he had captured on his phone. I was looking around, confused.

“What! You had been recording the entire time!”

He burst out laughing.

“This will be a good memory. I want to show them when we go back.”

Rolling my eyes, I pulled my lips into a thin line. I slumped back in my seat.

“Oh, we also can have some fun with them,” In my head, Izzy snickered. I held back my laughter.

“That would be fun,” I agreed.

***

We arrived at the resort after a lengthy journey. Elliot had already made arrangements for us to stay in a cabin. I took a look around. It was a lovely location. The high slopes were entirely blanketed in snow. It was a stark contrast to the lush greenery of our kingdom.

“This site is very stunning,” I gasped.

“It is,” he agreed. “Have you ever been to a ski resort before?” As we walked into our cabin, he inquired.

“No,” I said and walked up to the glass door to admire the beauty of the snow-covered landscape. I felt him come up behind me and wrap his arms around my shoulders.

“I love this location,” I mumbled under my breath, “It looks very pure.”

“Hmm…” he muttered as he kissed my cheek.

“We can spend the day here if you like,” he whispered into my ear. A shiver rushed down my spine. Smiling, I tilted my head, allowing him to pepper k****s on the nape of my neck.

“I thought we were here to go skiing,” I managed to utter, despite the waves of pleasure coursing through my body.

“That can wait. Here, we have no duties to attend to. It’s just the two of us.”

My breathing hitched. Didn’t he know that his husky whisper was enough to make my emotions go haywire? I turned around to face him. He didnt waste a moment before devouring my lips in a hungry k**s. I felt like I could melt into his arms as he smothered my lips while exploring my mouth his tongue.

“I need you,” he murmured against my lips.

“Me too,” I mumbled.

I let him carry me inside where we could have the ‘us’ time we yearned for.

***

I enjoyed every second of my stay at the ski resort. We spent the first day in the cabin. Elliot seemed to be unable to get enough of me. The second day, on the other hand, was a complete blast. I was able to catch him on video while he was collapsing while attempting to ski.

“Ha! We made awesome memories! Mom and dad would love this!” I laughed as I blurted. The instructors also appeared amused by us.

“We’ll see that,” he rolled his eyes, yet wasn’t able to do anything else.

After having a lot of fun for two days in a row, we decided it was time to go and return to the kingdom. We agreed on taking a shortcut through the woods so that we may arrive at the kingdom sooner.

However, it was a terrible notion. As we entered the depths, several rogues leaped in front of our car, baring their teeth and howling menacingly. The vehicle screeched to a halt, fearful of hitting and injuring them.

“s**t!” Elliot cursed, anxiously gazing around.

My heart hammered in my ribcage. Why, in the world, were these thugs attacking us so frequently? All I knew was that they could live in exile if they didn’t recognise us as their leaders, and we wouldn’t mind. I was baffled as to why they would assault. It was fortunate that all of the doors and windows were electronically protected and couldn’t be opened unless we did. The hooligans began pounding on the doors and windows, attempting to break them open.

“Reverse the gear!” Elliot instructed. The rogues fell for the bait and began following us, clearing the path in front of them.

“Now!” he shouted when the road was clear enough.

Caught off guard, we managed to lose them.

“Izzy, I’m not optimistic about any of these rogue attacks,” I confessed as soon as I could get some alone time in the room. Elliot was in the shower, and I opted to lie down. I needed some time to think.

“It’s the same for me, girl,” she agreed. I took a big gulp of air. It appeared to me that our lives are far from tranquil. Someone was clearly attempting to harm us. The memories of what the rogue had spat at me came flooding back. I couldn’t help but make the connection between the two instances.

Nevertheless, I couldn’t think of anyone who might have turned against me. Could an old family foe be trying to harm us? I pondered.

I needed to speak with my parents.

I was curious about the person who kidnapped me all those years ago. My father was certain that he had gotten rid of him. But…

“Hey. Aren’t you going to shower? Remember, we’re needed in the office,” he reminded me while drying his hair.

I hurriedly prepared myself. I needed to see my parents anyway. I wanted to quiz about the kidnapper. Mom and dad greeted us as we entered the office.

“I hope you had a good time,” Elliot’s father said.

“Yes, we had a lovely time,” he replied.

Mom inquired, “how was the trip?”

“It was fantastic. But, uh…on our way back, we were attacked by rogues,” I informed them.

“Oh really?” My father asked. “Still, they weren’t able to harm you, right?” I studied their features as I nodded. They didn’t appear to be bothered by it.

“Are we thinking too much, Izzy?” I asked my wolf.

“Just ask them about the kidnapper,” she insisted.

“Umm….mom, dad? Could you tell me about the person who kidnapped me in the past?”

“Sure. We were childless, you see. We struggled to conceive for a long time. Despite taking numerous medications, and after years of trying, we gave up hope of ever becoming parents,” mom explained.

“However, we required an heir to the throne. I also had a sibling. It broke her heart when her husband died while she was pregnant. We later discovered that she, too, was terminally ill. She had no fear of dying. But all she wanted was for her son to have a bright future. When her son was about fifteen years old, she died,” my father continued.

“After that, we looked after her son and decided that since we didn’t have a child of our own, he would be the one to inherit the throne, but then your mother became pregnant after about a year,” a sad smile curled on his lips

“We were taken aback when I found out I was pregnant. We had not anticipated becoming pregnant. Yet we did, and we were extremely grateful. However, the problem was that your cousin realised that he wouldn’t be able to become king with you in the picture,” my father pursed his lips.

“We just assumed thag he was fine. he was sixteen after all, and he never showed any signs of depression or anything. He didn’t even say anything. We felt at ease in his presence, but I guess we were mistaken. On the night you were born, I saw him run out of the palace with you. I wouldn’t have believed he had tried to kidnap you if I hadn’t seen him. I believe he was trying to get rid of you so he could return as the good guy. It was fortunate that I came across him,” dad continued.

“Ah, so we do have an enemy,” Izzy murmured.

“Do you believe he might try to harm me again?” I asked.

Shaking his head, “how could he?” he replied. “That night, I had beaten him up so badly. He would not survive. I was so angry that I didn’t wait to see what happened to his corpse. Instead I tried to look for you. But I couldn’t find you anywhere,” dad said.

I bit my lips, as my frown deepened. So he died?

“You are thinking about the rogues, aren’t you?” Elliot stated, interrupting my thoughts.

“I told you, they are rogues, they will try to get in your head. Just relax,” he said.

I sighed and smiled. Maybe he was right. I shouldn’t think too much about them.