ELIAS'S P.O.V
I reassigned my father to be my assistant. I wanted him in a position that allowed our family to still be able to spend a little quality time with him, unknowingly. I explained that he may run into my mother from time to time, but they would never be put in a compromising position. I still wondered what happened that caused him to become in such a frenzy. But it wasn't my place to know. If I was supposed to know, they would tell me.
"Alpha?" A small voice said from the doorway.
I looked up to see one of my employees standing there.
"What can I do for you, Kam?"
I could hear her whisper under her breath 'Oh my goddess, he knows my name'. Which almost made me smile, almost.
"You said that if any mail came from Zola Harkness, no matter the addressee, it always comes to you first." She replied with an outreached hand. Enclosed in her grip was a white envelope.
My heart pounded against my chest. It has been at least two weeks since she last wrote. I couldn't help but wonder if any of it would be written to me?
I examined the envelope, noticing the special customized stamp. I'd seen this stamp before. But where?
I looked over at my filing cabinet. Normally, I store letters from each state separated by each pack. There were 49 other states, and hundreds of packs within each of those 49 states. It wasn't a colorado stamp. I knew that for sure. I stood to walk over to the filing cabinet calling my name, when a different voice spoke from the doorway.
"Are you ready to start your mating ceremony? Everybody is waiting."
My heart clenched in my chest at what I was about to do. I was given a time limit to choose a she-wolf from a powerful lineage. Meaning that today, I would be finally getting mated. This time, I couldn't weasel my way out of it. I had to take on a chosen mate whether I wanted to or not. I wanted to scream 'BULLSHIT, I am the King. I will mate who I want.' But even the King has to follow rules. Rules that were set in place centuries before me. I knew that they were created for a reason. But those reasons fucking sucked.
"Give me ten more minutes?"
"Eli, all the Elders are seated on stage, the crowd is gathering, and-"
"Mother, please!" I hollered out, interrupting her. "I'm taking a chosen mate, even though I would rather do anything else in this entire world. All I'm asking is for ten more minutes, alone," I finished with a pleading yet demanding voice. One only a select few have ever witnessed.
Her eyes lit with recognition. She knew this was the hardest thing that I'd had to do yet. And I've already faced a lot of shit in my short life.
"The King waits for no one. It will continue in ten minutes, as you've asked."
She turned without either of us saying another word, heading back to the ballroom to most likely stall.
I rarely let myself slip like that. But I was having a really hard time accepting the fact I was about to seal the deal for good. This meant that I could never have Zola again. And I knew it was selfish of me to want her still. I was the one who chose my Kingdom over loving her. She always said we could run away together. But I couldn't. Well, more like I wouldn't. I was born to do this. I was born to be their King. I couldn't let even our love ruin that. I may forever be unhappy mating Shanti. But my happiness was something I was willing to sacrifice for my Kingdom. For my mom.
They say that true love is a man's weakness, even the strongest of them. And if this was the weakness they were referring to, then they were right. A part of me was glad that she was gone. Selfish of me again, I know. But her being here would only make this harder. Not for just me, but for her too.
I released a breath that I was holding deep within my chest and looked down at the envelope again. I didn't have time to search for the lookalike stamp, but I did have time to read this letter.
I ripped open the end and pulled it out. I took a deep breath before unfolding it. There were three pieces of paper within the envelope. On the top portion of each, there were italicized directions.
***
Dear loved ones, the words will only appear if the letter is yours. Breathe onto the paper to reveal its contents.
***
That was new, and I was too nosy not to know what she wrote to the others. Was she revealing to someone confidently where she was?
I shook off my thoughts and blew out carbon dioxide onto the first letter. However, nothing looked back at me, aside from a blank white sheet. I tossed it aside and quickly moved onto the next. But again, nothing. My heart was beating a million beats a minute. Praying internally that she wrote to me. Hoping that I was just as important to her as the rest were. I took another deep breath and looked down at the last and final blank page.
If she didn't write to me, it would be fine, right? I mean, staying in contact would do more harm than good, right?
Not that she would receive a response, this letter also didn't have a return address on it, just like the first.
I still wasn't sure why she didn't want us to know where she had run off to. If she had asked us to let her leave, we would've all respected that request.
'Pff. Liar.'
'I would've let her go.' I replied in a protest to Aslan.
'You're right. But we would've stalked her.'
I wouldn't call it stalking. I would just be checking on her from a distance, that's all.
'Without her knowledge of us. AKA, stalking.' Aslan said cheekily.
I chose to ignore him and look back down at the paper in my hand. I exhaled, trying to prepare myself, not realizing at the time that my exhalation would touch the paper. When ink started seeping out, I hurriedly blew more air onto it, greedily. Once the entire paper lit up black and white, I was winded. But the proof was there. She wrote, I was important to her after all.
***
Elais,
I know leaving after what we shared was wrong. Especially because I left without saying anything to anyone. But I had to. If I stayed, then I would always be seen as your forbidden human mate. I want more for myself than that. And you know you would've done the same thing.
You wouldn't believe the stuff I have already seen since leaving Colorado. I have been hiking recently. ME, hiking. Can you believe it?
I'm happy. Truly. I didn't think that I would ever find happiness away from home. But I found a side of me I never knew existed.
Want to hear something crazy? Remember when I told you about the man in my dreams with purple eyes? Well, guess what? He is real. Can you believe it?
I thought I had gone mad when we met. But it had to have been for a reason. Don't freak, but we decided to figure out how we are connected spiritually and why. I thought we would've found answers by now, but every lead has turned cold.
You'd like Kiren. He is impossibly smart and wise. His wittiness reminds me a lot of you. Maybe that's why we get along so well. Helps that he can hold a conversation, of course.
Enough about me. I checked in on all of you and saw that today is your mating ceremony. Congratulations. I humbly wish you both all the happiness in the world.
I'm going to have to cut this letter short. Kiren and I are setting off on another adventure to hunt down another lead.
Until next time.
Always, Zo.
***
My body was shaking with a mix of emotions. Has she moved on already? Who the hell was Kiren, and why did his name sound so familiar?
"Son." My mother's voice caught my attention. "It's been ten minutes." She then said next.
I was so lost in my mind that I had already forgotten about my own mating ceremony. How was I supposed to stand in front of my entire kingdom and act like I wasn't broken inside? How was I supposed to pretend to be okay when I was in fact the opposite?