"Your... your highness," Josh stuttered the moment his eyes met mine, his jaws on the floor and his heart racing so fast that I could hear it from the jet door, despite how far away he was.
With a smile on my face, I gave him a slight bow as I watched how the expression on his face went from him seeing a literal ghost to him being filled with excitement.
"Lenora!" He yelled out of excitement, like a child seeing his long-term friend. He picked up the pace toward where I was. His disbelief was very much evident in his eyes, but his excitement seemed to have overshadowed it.
"Hey, slow down there," Alaric said, trying to keep him from getting too close to me, but for the first time in my life, Josh ignored Alaric, brushing past Alaric's arm and heading towards me.
"Josh, she's pregnant. Be fucking careful," Alaric grumbled as he regained his balance on his feet after Josh almost made him trip to the ground.
The moment he was close enough, he spread both arms in the air, slowing down his pace as he fell on his knees, holding the hem of the hospital gown that I had grown to love because of its comfort.
"I'm so glad you're back here, in the Serene pack." "I can't tell you how happy I am." He bowed even lower, a sigh leaving his lips.
"I'm so sorry; please forgive me," he begged, resting his head on my feet as I stared at him in confusion. I had no idea what to do in a situation like this.
Even though Josh has been a great friend, I don't think we have ever been this close because he always kept it formal. But now that I am this close to him, watching him plead on his knees with his head touching my feet, I have no idea what to do.
"Forgive me," he added.
"Josh, it's fine." "I'm sure you tried your best to look for me." I said this in an attempt to reassure him and make him calm. It's sad that he has to go through all of this stress just because of me, but I just want him to get up on his feet so as to avoid the heavy amount of eyes that were on us both.
"Josh, that's enough now. Let her breathe. We all tried our best to bring her back home," Alaric said. I turned to look at him, who was beaming the brightest smile. It must be nice to know that everyone anticipated me and is finally happy to have me home.
After Alaric called him, he stood back on his feet, but his head was still bowed, and I could see some dried trails of tears on his face. He tried to smile at me, but he still couldn't bring his face to mine. He must have been feeling really guilty for not finding me. Poor thing.
Suddenly, his aura changed as he sensed another presence behind me.
There was no need for words; his eyes demanded answers from Simon.
"I'm Simon; I'll be living here," Simon said. Josh's aura took a while to settle, as his eyes never left Simon until he was calm.
"He's no threat," I said.
"Can I walk you down the steps, your highness?" he asked, ignoring the discussion about Simon as he stretched out his arm to take mine.
"Sure," I giggled, and with that, he walked me down the step while Alaric watched with his arms folded on his chest like a proud husband.
When Josh reached Alaric, he released my arm from his, and Alaric replaced it with his as we both walked out of the hanger and into the main pack.
Nervousness struck as I found myself regretting my choice of outfit. Alaric had asked if I wanted to change my outfit back at the hospital, but I refused because the hospital gown felt so free on my body. Now I wish I could have just wrapped the gown and worn something else; after all, I'm returning home after 36 weeks of being gone.
"Gather around!" Josh yelled, calling the attention of the pack members in the pack house, as both Alaric and I waited for everyone to gather around us.
"The Devil's Son has returned with his Luna!" Someone's voice echoed from the crowd as screams of joy filled the air. I was unsure of what to feel because, at a certain point, the people in this pack had no interest in me. Why were they so happy that I returned?
I bet Alaric would have put their lives at stake for them to feel this way upon hearing about my return.
"Today there shall be a bountiful feast. Every single member of this pack, from old to young, must attend this feast and celebrate with me because my dear Luna has been found. The soon-to-be Luna of the entire pack in the world has been found," he announced, causing an uproar from the crowd.
They were all happy, but it wouldn't take a blind wolf to see that Alaric had the brightest smile in the room, showing off his perfectly aligned teeth and canines. The moment I put myself to bed, I want to see him dig those canines into my neck and mark me. Only then will I be complete, and that horrific incident won’t repeat itself.
Not only will I share part of Alaric's powers, but my hidden wolf will finally shine and become the biggest and brightest star. I have seen her shine once before, but she's heavily dependent on Alaric. The moment he marks me and we become one, I know she'll shine to be the brightest, and the whole world will marvel at her dangerous beauty.
When the celebration is over, I'll make sure to tell Alaric about the demon prince. He's a big threat to Alaric, and unknown to him, the demon prince had already built a whole underground empire containing people who were all against him. It won't go well if they decide to strike while Alaric is unaware.
I'm sure their plan has failed miserably now that I'm with Alaric and he has all of his potential abilities, but I'm sure they won't stop there. After seeing the way he craved for blood and how the lives of female wolves meant nothing to him,
The memory of that haunted house resurfaced in my head, causing chills down my spine as goosebumps grew on my skin.
"What's wrong, my queen?" Alaric asked, on noticing that I was uneasy.
"Nothing serious; it's the baby," I lied.
"Let's go to the room and rest you; the feast won't take place until you feel better."
"No, I feel good. The feast doesn't have to be put on hold," I interrupted him. I wasn't about to let this feast slide because the thought of my hometown feast made my mouth salivate. I wasn't about to miss this opportunity.
"Hmm, okay then, we can just rest in the room for the meantime. The feast will still hold," he said, winking after finishing his last statement.
With his hands sneaking their way on to my waist, he carefully led me away from the crowd and to the familiar staircase as we climbed up to the passageway for his room.
"You should be careful with these stairs and don't walk on them alone. I'll have someone trustworthy follow you around," Alaric said as we walked.
"You don't have to freak out; I'll be walking on the stairs, not skydiving," I replied with a light chuckle. For some reason, I know that the person who will be assigned to be by my side will be Alaric. He wouldn't want anyone else to be close to me for a very long period of time.
The moment we got to the door of his room, he removed his arms from my waist as he dug them into his pocket. I assumed he was about to bring out his keys, and I was right.
The bundle of silver keys dangled out of his pocket as he reached for the door knob, unlocking it, but the next thing that met my gaze was what I would have never imagined as the hairs on the back of my neck suddenly stood upright, a deep growl escaping my tongue, and my canines growing out of nowhere.
Before me was someone I never wanted to see, and before me was the only person that I had ever suspected from the start, and seeing this awful wench in front of me only confirmed my suspicions. The moment my gaze fell on her, my beast was instantly enraged and wanted nothing more than to inflict deadly pain on the figure before me.
"Why are you here, Jenny?" Alaric asked, noticing the change in my aura and my threatening growls. I had no idea how she could have entered the room when Alaric had locked it and was just about to unlock it, but whatever her reason was, I don't want to hear or see her for another second.
"Your highness…"
"Leave!" I roared, cutting her off from her sentence as my roar echoed across the room. The furniture shook and pieces of the ceiling cracked, causing the ceiling fan to drop on the floor with a thunderous sound. The glasses on the windows immediately broke, and all of this happened in only a few seconds, causing her to instantly bow her head in submission while Alaric turned to look at me with a perplexed look of both amusement and bewilderment.