"Prince Theron, this letter was delivered to you." A guard bowed with his hands extended forward. Theron glanced briefly behind him and noticed Seren was still in the bathroom. He took the letter from the guard, opening it and scanning through the content inside.
A slight frown pressed across his face before he closed the letter and said, "You may leave. Tell Kael I have received his letter and will let Aeron know about it."
The guard nodded and left backward out of the room before the guards outside closed the door. After making sure he was alone in the room, Theron moved towards the window and yanked the curtains aside.
He noticed some elders walking towards the throne room and knew the succession was taking place. He opened the letter and read through the content again.
[The enemies have withdrawn towards their border, but I have a feeling they are setting a trap on us. My men are exhausted from the fight, and some are badly injured. I need some physicians and… also inform Aeron to guard the gates.]
He stared at the last message as the colour slowly drained from his face. [My intel has arrived and they told me the enemy's Alpha is not in the pack. This can only mean one thing… they have infiltrated our borders pretending to be merchants!]
Theron's fingers pressed tightly on his forehead to ease the throbbing headache that was threatening to split his head. The paper crumbled in his hand, and he closed the curtain, turning towards the door to leave the room.
At that moment, the bathroom door pushed open and a fresh scent wafted through his nostrils. He stopped in his tracks and turned his head in that direction.
"My Prince… is there a problem?" she asked in confusion. Her eyes fell on his pale face, and her hand slowly let go of her head. "You're pale… are you ill?"
She quickly moved towards him, but Theron snapped out of his thoughts, shaking his head. "Stay back," he commanded, and her feet slowed down.
He stared at her confused eyes, then said, "I do not want my scent on you. We are about to visit my sister," he said calmly.
Seren's eyes widened slightly, and she moved back, staring at the floor. He had noticed her body usually went into this automatic reaction whenever he spoke to her. Although the elders had their eyes on them over who would be the successor, having them find out they had a human mate would bring more trouble.
"Seren," he called softly, but she didn't lift her head. Her eyes were still fixed on the floor, and her hands were in front of her. "Do not stare at the floor when you are with me. You are our mate now…"
"Our sister, Princess Elowen called to see you."
Seren's eyes shut slightly as the words of her mother played in her head. Even though she had been living slightly well after the marking, hearing the name of the princess brought back the memory of where she truly belonged.
"Okay, Prince Theron," she answered, and Theron's lips twitched slightly.
He sighed helplessly and turned to the door, walking out of the room. Seren brushed the dirt off her dress and quickly followed behind him.
She occasionally stole glances at him and noticed his slightly hunched back, and in his right hand was a letter that was squeezed tightly.
'He seems to be troubled about something,' she thought. She had heard whispering from the bathroom, but when she got out he was the only one in sight.
"We are here." Theron's voice sounded in her ears, followed by a harsh bump on her forehead.
"Ouch!" she cried out, rubbing her temple as she stumbled backwards. Her eyes slowly lifted and she noticed his gaze, but subconsciously her body froze in fear.
'What have I done?' her voice screamed internally when she saw the cold intent in his eyes. Theron's eyes gazed at her for a second before turning warm. "Are you alright?"
He asked, moving towards her. "...your forehead is red."
"I-I… I am fine, Prince Theron," she stuttered, sweat forming on her forehead. She distanced herself from him to make sure she didn't have his scent on her.
Theron, seeing this, stopped and sighed softly. He had been too deep in thought about the letter and had accidentally frightened her.
"I am—" his lips opened to speak, however at that moment his sister's voice sounded behind him.
"What do we have here?" Footsteps sounded behind him, and he turned around to see her walking towards him. She was dressed in a blue dress that showed off her curves and her heavy cleavage.
Even the guards stationed on duty couldn't remove their eyes from her, lips parting as they gulped in awe.
Elowen ignored them and lifted her head pridefully. "Brother," she called.
Theron stared down at her, clasping his hands behind him, hiding the letter. "Elowen, it looks like you were waiting for us."
A soft smile spread on her lips as she said, "I was waiting for your servant."
Seren stiffened at her words and glanced briefly at Elowen before moving her gaze to the floor.
Elowen, however, caught her gaze and a wicked smirk fixed on her lips. "I can see a big change in her… which is very different from what I was expecting."
Seren's hands pressed tightly in front of her as nervousness took over.
'Does she know?' The thought echoed in Seren's mind as Elowen's footsteps closed in on her. Her nails dug into her flesh as her body slowly trembled.
"Hmm… what's that scent?" Elowen sniffed softly. Seren's eyes shut tightly as quickened footsteps sounded in her ears and a hand grabbed her hair, yanking her forehead forward. Seren's eyes snapped open as terror filled her heart.
Elowen's cleavage was in her face, and she was sniffing her forehead. From an outsider's perspective that was very strange, but the playful expression on Elowen's face slowly disappeared and a cold glint flashed through her eyes.
She let go of Seren and slowly turned to her brother. "What have you done?"