Chapter 3 The trip to discovery

~Elena~

A lot of rustling of feet made me wake up from my restless sleep and I looked around to see three female servants already in the room.

"You're awake my Lady," one of them said as soon as she noticed my eyes open.

"It's time to get ready for your flight with the Alpha, my Lady," another added with a tray of food on her hands. She dropped it on the table and came to my side.

I groaned softly, dragging myself up from the bed. My gaze drifted to the clock in the nightstand 7:56 a.m. I had barely gotten any sleep. It must have been around 6 a.m when I finally dozed off after tossing and turning all night, haunted by everything Mr. Gray eyes had said.

Now, daylight poured in, but an uneasy feeling clung to me. I couldn't shake the dread settling in my chest about this trip but I had no choice. I needed to remember, anything, everything. Even the smallest memory might be important and beneficial to me.I thought and without any further thinking I let the maids prepare me peacefully.

***

Hours later, gray eyes and i landed at New Orleans and alighted off the plane. The flight had been awfully silent. None of us talked to the other.

As we stepped out of the plane and headed towards the airport exit, a sudden frenzy erupted. Reporters swarmed us out of nowhere, their flashing cameras and shouting voices overwhelming me.

I instinctively crouched down, covering my face with my hands. What's going on? I thought, panicked. But then gray eyes grabbed my hand, shielding me with his jackets as his bodyguards pushed us forward through the chaos.

"First young master of the Burrows family. How does it feel to be back?"

"When will you takeover your father's company?"

"Do you plan to make this lady with you your future wife?"

"Are you finally returning for good. Mr Ralph?"

These questions came fast and loud. But he didn't respond to any of them. Instead, he just led me to a black sleek limousine. I slid into the back seat still shaken and he got in from the other side.

I sat there stiff and trembling, like a lost child as I looked out through the window. Reporters pressed against the windows as the car roared to life and sped away.

"Are you okay? Mira" gray eyes asked gently, placing a reassuring hand on my trembling arm.

"Yeah...sure... I'm fine," I said quietly to him.

Lies.

"Who are you?" I blurted out after I was done arranging my breathing. My gaze serious on him.

He just smiled and gave my hand a soft tap. "I'm your mate." He said casually.

My heart tightened.

"Mate?" I repeated, uncertain.

He nodded. "Yeah."

I was left tongue tied unable to ask any other thing.

Silence filled the space between us, but my thoughts were racing. Something didn't feel right.

We eventually arrived at a place and the gate opened up, giving us access to a magnificent castle that had 2 mansions that surrounded it.

It was already dark but the place was so brightly lit you could mistake it was still mid-day. As the car stopped, I noticed a crowd gathered in a beautifully decorated garden area. My nerves flared again at the sight.

"Shall we?" gray eyes said as the door opened. I hadn't even realized he'd gotten out already because of how the surroundings piqued my interest.

He held out his hand and I took it. Together, we walked the garden path through the crowd, all eyes in us, hot and unblinking.

Ahead of us, four people stood-two ladies and two men, authority radiating off them. One of them a young lady rushed over and threw her hands around gray eyes, kissing his cheek.

"Welcome home, brother," she said happily, then turned to me with a strained smile. "It's nice to see you again." I threw her a soft smile which was never returned.

"It's good to see you back, bro," a younger man amongst the two men in front of me added. "Didn't think you'd ever return to the pack."

I looked at him with keen interest. There was something familiar about his face but I couldn't quite place it.

"Good to see you too, Drake," gray eyes replied coldly then turned to the older man. "Hello uncle Raymond."

The man patted him warmly on the back.

"I'm sorry I couldn't make it to your mating ceremony with Derek," gray eyes told the second woman,whose eyes hadn't left me since we arrived.

"It's fine, Ralph. You had your reasons," she said, adjusting her gown and forcing a smile.

But her stare unsettled me, just like the look from the younger man. Something about the two of them gave me a bad feeling.

"We've waited so long for this day," Drake said excitedly. "Now you can finally mark her as your Luna,"

A chill ran down my spine when his words dropped.

I looked at gray eyes. He was watching me. Ignoring the guy speaking.

Then a deep voice rose above the murmurs. "Now we shall begin the mating ceremony as our Regent Alpha king has returned to the Icy moon pack!"

Cheers erupted.

"The moment has come. Our Alpha King Ralph will now mark his Luna." The announcer announced and my heart tightened.

Is he really going to mark me now? I wondered as he stepped closer reaching for my neck. His fangs began to elongate, his bright gray eyes gleaming under the moonlight.

I shut my eyes awaiting the pain that will follow but it didn't come instead a voice cut through the night loud and hoarse.

"Stop right there. She is cursed and can't be marked by my son."

Gasps and murmurs erupted immediately.

My eyes flashed open at once. Ralph's hand on my neck turned cold. Slowly, he pulled away as I stood frozen, stunned by the sudden interruption and terrified by what it meant.