There was a second wave of warmth that enveloped me. It wasn't similar to the warmth I felt when I imagined my father.
It seems more invasive.
There is an image of a man that I could barely make out. He keeps mouthing the same thing, yet I can't decipher what he's saying.
Right as I thought I was able to distinguish his words, I awoke. The ceiling above is unfamiliar to me. There's also a presence of another being in the room. I looked to the right of me and there is yet again, another strange man. He is less welcoming than the last two and I can sense the hatred radiating off of him.
I slowly slid my back against the headboard, careful not to make any haste movements.
"Who are you?" I said with a hoarse and not so threatening voice.
"I should be asking you the same thing. You were in our woods after all." He definitely wasn't my savior from before. While my hero had a kind and gentle voice, this man is as cold as ice.
"Are you going to respond? Or shall I go ahead and slay you were you lay." His last remark came off more as a threat than anything.
"My death will have already been written in if I were to tell you my identity." I responded with a glare. He stood there apathetic to my words.
I let out a deep sigh knowing I wouldn't win this argument. "I am Princess Elizabeth of-" and just as I predicted. My captor let out a growl before I could even finish.
"I know exactly who you are." His face twisted in anger.
"Now I want to know why a royal is so boldly breaking the treaty and treading on wolf territory."
"I am no longer a princess. I was banished because I was accused of treason by the King. I decided to travel North in order to find safety in other Kingdoms." I tried to gauge his reaction, he showed no satisfaction to my response.
"Believe me I mean no harm. I got caught by a shapeshifting fox and was saved by a different shapeshifter." This conversation reminded me of the wounds the fox inflicted, and how I suddenly cannot feel the pain nor see any open wounds.
"I don't believe you," he vocalized.
"What a coincidence that you stumbled upon our hidden den while walking around aimlessly." He started to approach the bed, anger pooling in his eyes.
"Tell me Princess...why shouldn't I make you our next dinner?" He spat, his face now inches away from mine.
"M-my heartbeat." I responded.
"You didn't hear my heartbeat spike once as I gave you my explanation, nor did the temperature of the room rise. I'm sure you would have pounced the second you felt any uncertainty." I said, trying to settle my pulse.
His eyes scanned mine. He moved away from the bed, defeated. Just as he was about to continue, a woman came barging through the door.
"Olek, baby. Please don't scare another one of our guests." She chirped, glancing over to me.
"More like an intruder," Olek muttered. His once tough attitude is now crumpled to the ground.
"You'll have to excuse him, love. He has no manners." She said, glaring at him.
I nodded slightly, feeling rather anxious at the now tension building up in the room.
"My name is Aiden, by the way. What do I have the pleasure of calling you?" She winked.
I blushed, she definitely is better with people than that grumpy old wolf.
"My name is Elizabeth, but you can call me Ellie," I said faintly.
"Well my dear Ellie, I'm going to take you to my room and freshen you up. Leave it to a pack of males to let a maiden sleep in tattered up clothes." Aiden said sarcastically.
"Aiden, she isn't your dress up doll or some guest of honor. You also know as much as I do that the alphas want to speak to her." Olek snarled.
"And you know as much as I do that I don't care," Aiden smirked.
"Come Ellie," she said as she yanked me from bed.
The hallways have an antique decor similar to the room I was just in. Somehow I got the feeling that Aiden's room wasn't going to match the rest.
My assumptions were correct. Aiden eagerly opened the doors to her chambers, revealing room that looked like it was fit for a queen.
She smiled over at me, "I know it's definitely not the royal palace," she began.
"No, it's much more beautiful Aiden," I interrupted.
"The washroom is to the left," she pointed at a smaller door.
"I need to go deal with the alphas since I technically stole you without permission," her voice trailed off with a nervous chuckle.
I nodded in understanding as she left the room.
The washroom is just as beautiful as the rest of Aiden's room. It truly felt like I was in another castle.
I ran warm water into the bath and sunk my body in. I peered at my shoulder, it's nearly healed. There are impressions of teeth, but it's nothing too gruesome.
The warmth of the water slowly put me to sleep and I am now face to face with the strange man from my earlier dream. This time I can see much more of him. He has soft ginger hair and a welcoming smile.
I could feel myself getting drawn in as he began to mouth words again. Suddenly, sounds of a frantic woman filled the atmosphere.
"Ellie!" The woman screamed, followed by the sounds of pounding wood.
It's Aiden, she was calling out to me. I attempted to find her in the pitch black, but the ginger man reached out and faces me towards him. My attention went back to his parted lips and stretched my arm out towards him. It felt like I was inches away from his face before I was awoken once more.
"Ellie!" This time I woke up unable to breathe and Aiden's arms wrapped around my chest.
I gasped for air realizing that I nearly drowned in the tub.
"Mercy, it's been less than an hour and you're already needing to be rescued," Aiden puffed as she pulled me out.
I looked around and noticed the door had been kicked in and there are towels scattered all over the floor.
"I'm sorry," I whispered, slightly embarrassed.
She wrapped a towel around me and brought me over to her bed. I'm slightly disappointed that my vision ended so abruptly. I'm anxious to find out who this man is that is haunting my dreams and what exactly he is trying to say.
"Elizabeth," Aiden shouted once more.
I looked up to see her holding a piece of silk in front of me.
"You sure so day dream a lot. You should be careful, spacing out like that could get you killed" She said in concern.
"Thank you," I smiled. I'm not interested in telling Aiden about my dreams just yet.
The piece of silk is a thin purple gown that pooled down to my feet. I never imagined I would be able to wear such expensive fabric ever again.
"Purple suits you," Aiden said, appearing behind me.
"It's also Olek's favorite color." She winked.
I tilted my head in confusion as she quickly changed the subject.
"I have to take you to the alphas now."
Our moment of womanly bliss ended so abruptly. A wave of nausea washed over me as I walked through the halls of judgment once more.
When we reached a set of wooden doors my heart dropped to my stomach. I know what's on the other side. A pack of wolves ready to attack at any hint of hesitation.
They know who I am, who my family is, and what the war has done to all of our families.
"Ready?" Aiden asked, knowing I really didn't have a choice.
I nodded and let out a deep sigh to try and stay composed.
The doors opened and there are about twenty wolves on the other side.
Detecting the alphas of the pace wasn't the least bit hard. A man and a woman, both radiating the most intense energy.
There was another presence I was able to recognize. A younger man standing next to the woman alpha. Our eyes met and I immediately am able to decipher who he is.
Olek stood beside him, along with another pair of wolves. He of course, isn't too happy to see me.
I shift my gaze back to the alphas and walked along side Aiden.
"Aiden, you're late." The woman hissed.
"Mother, at least I'm here." She sassed back as she took her place beside the male alpha.
Her mother shook her had as she brought her attention back towards me.
"Princess Elizabeth, I am on of the alphas of this pack. We have been made aware of your situation, but I would still like to give you a chance to speak your peace." Her voice warm, but still threatening.
I stood silent for a couple of seconds before letting out a shaky breath.
"I was banished into the Eastern Forest for treason. These accusations are of course false, but the King shows no mercy. I found myself lost and hungry. I figured if I traveled North then I would find a new Kingdom to reside in. It was only a coincidence that I stumbled upon your den. I promise I meant no harm."
I shifted my gaze over to the younger man beside Olek.
"And if it weren't for you, I would have definitely fallen victim to that fox."
"I owe you my life," I said, kneeling on both knees. There was a slight gasp as I hit the floor.
"Young lady there no need to kneel. A princess should never bow down to anyone." The woman alpha proclaimed.
"My lady out of respect for you and your wishes I shall stand. However, I do believe you're wrong." I said as I looked into her eyes.
"I kneel to show that my gratitude comes from a place of truth, not for the sake of status."
"Princess Elizabeth," the alpha male finally spoke.
"I can see that you're pure and I do accept you as a person." He smiled.
"However the decision to let you stay is not one the alphas can make. There is another pack member you must meet before a final decision can be made." He said holding back a sinister smile.
Shivers ran down my spine, I can't help but think of the power this member must hold over two alphas.
I nodded my head and prepared to hold my own. However, when the doors opened once more, and the sounds of nails bouncing off the walls filled my ears, I couldn't help but shut my eyes.
A low growl appeared right behind me and the creature began to circle me. There was a slight moment of silence that made me believe everything was fine.
However I was quickly brought to my back and my eyes opened wide to meet those of the wolf on top of me.
Tears pooled in my eyes as it's mouth grew closer to my face. Thoughts of becoming this beast's dinner swarmed through my mind, but they were quickly drawn back when the sensation of a rough wet tongue covered my cheek.
The alphas began to laugh, "well there you have you have it," they said approvingly.
I became aware of my situation as I looked up to see what I thought was a large wolf actually end up be a pup. I plopped my head to the floor in relief and I felt the pup's wet snout ad he began to nudge my head in curiosity.
"Sorry to frighten you my dear, this is our youngest member. He is also my nephew." The woman alpha said.
Right on cue, his mother ordered him back over.
"Dakota please get off of that poor girl and come here!" The woman beside Olek scolded.
Dakota whimpered as he jumped off my chest. He quickly ran over to his mother and transformed.
"I'm sorry," he whined.
Except his clothes didn't appear and I screeched trying to cover my eyes as fast as possible. A sharp yelp from the pup followed after.
"Olek," the mother shouted.
"What? The kid needs to learn to transform properly." Olek protested.
"He's just a kid, dumb dumb." Aiden's voice suddenly appeared.
Warm hands were placed on top of mine as they peeled them off my face. They belong to the man who had saved me earlier.
"I do apologize for all the chaos you had to go through, Princess Elizabeth." He is definitely the same man from earlier. His voice contained the same warmth from before.
I began to blush at how he held my hands so gently. "Ellie is fine with me," I muttered.
"Princess Ellie," he smiled warmly.
"And now I'm sick," Olek said sarcastically, as he made his way to the doors.
"I'm leaving so I don't have to witness Tobias' weak attempt at flirting."
"You're just jealous, Olek." Aiden argued once more. She stood next to us and pried our arms apart.
"Sorry, big brother, but Ellie's mine until dinner time. Right Ellie?" She said giving me the sad puppy eyes.
"I suppose that's alright," I said slightly disappointed.
"Then I shall see you at dinner time, Princess Ellie." Tobias said following after Olek.
"See, that wasn't too bad right?" Aiden smirked.
"Sure, lets go with that." I chuckled.
I was looking forward to eating again. I wasn't as hungry as before but maybe that was just the anxiety taking.
Still, I knew I couldn't stay here forever. No matter how welcomed I was. I needed to get as far from Coik as possible.