With a jolt, Elvira woke up from the nightmare, gasping for breath. Beads of sweat covered her forehead as she panted heavily. It took her a moment to calm down and focus. As she wiped the sweat from her brow, the unsettling words of the dream still echoed in her mind.
She finally gathered herself, realizing that she had spent the entire day lying in the garden. She looked around and found the house empty. "Huh, where is everyone?"
Then, it struck her that this could be the perfect opportunity to visit the ruins of her old home without anyone knowing her true intentions. Lucien would likely stop her from leaving without a good reason, and she preferred to keep her true motives concealed.
With determination in her stride, Elvira left the house and made her way to the burnt remnants of her former home. Standing before the charred ruins, her chest tightened, and she let out a shaky breath.
Gently, she reached down and touched the ashes, whispering, "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry." Tears welled up in her eyes, but she refused to let them fall.
Instead, she wiped her eyes and chose to cherish the memories of the times she had shared with John.
A bittersweet smile played on her lips as she remembered the moments in the home that was now lost to the ashes.
It was already evening by the time everyone from the pack came back from their weekly hunt. The conversation continued as Lucien, Noah, Kylie, and Layla discussed their recent supernatural hunt. Lucien, however, couldn't help but wonder about the purpose of capturing these supernaturals.
"Have you ever wondered what the king uses the supernaturals we hunt for?" Lucien asked, voicing his uncertainty about their mission.
Kylie speculated, "Maybe as guards or servants?"
Layla chimed in, "That many supernatural beings as servants? Nah, I doubt it. He doesn't have a wife or kids; he's the only one."
Noah tried to offer a practical perspective, "I know you don't like to hunt supernaturals, Lucien, but we don't have a choice."
The conversation shifted to Elvira when Kylie asked if anyone had seen her.
"Hey, have any of you seen Elvira?" Kylie asked, scanning the room.
Layla chimed in, "I haven't seen her since she walked out on me yesterday."
Lucien revealed"She's in my room," and he couldn't help but notice Layla's teasing expression.
Layla, amused by the situation, teased him further, "Your room, huh?"
Kylie joined in on the playful banter, adding, "Seriously, Lucien, you just met the girl, and she's already in your bed?"
Lucien defended himself, explaining, "It's not like that. She passed out again yesterday. I carried her to my room so she could get some rest. I slept in the guest room."
Layla, showing concern, acknowledged, "The effects of the wolfsbane are still hitting her hard, huh?"
Determined to check on Elvira, Lucien stated, "Yeah. I'm gonna go check in on her."
As Lucien walked toward his room, his thoughts raced with questions about Elvira. She was a mysterious presence in his life, having arrived just yesterday, and he knew very little about her. What perplexed him more was his unusual restraint in dealing with her, despite her disrespectful attitude. He found himself trying to keep his anger under control when she was around, and he couldn't understand why.
Upon reaching the door to his room, Lucien hesitated for a moment, considering the potential privacy concerns. He knocked on the door and called out, "Hurricane, it's me. Open the door." But he received no response.
"Come on, quit being stubborn and open the damn door," he demanded. When he got no reply, he decided to take action. "That's it; I'm coming in."
As he entered the room, he was shocked to find it empty. Anger coursed through his veins as he realized that Elvira had left, despite her decision to stay. His frustration was palpable as he stormed out of the room, determined to find out where she had gone.
The tense atmosphere in the room lingered as Lucien stormed out, his anger palpable to the others in the living room. Kylie glanced at Layla, silently questioning what had just happened, but Layla could only shrug in response. They were left to wonder about the intense exchange between Lucien and elvira.
Meanwhile, Lucien's determination to find Elvira waned as he noticed her approaching. He stood his ground, waiting for her to reach him. The moment she arrived, he couldn't contain his frustration any longer.
"Where the hell were you?" Lucien demanded, his voice dripping with anger.
Elvira responded with a sarcastic tone, "I went out."
Lucien's anger grew, his tone sharp as he interrogated her further. "Out where?"
"That's none of your business," Elvira retorted defiantly.
His patience dwindling, Lucien raised his voice. "I don't remember giving you permission to leave this place."
"I can leave whenever I want to. I'm not your prisoner," Elvira yelled back.
Frustration and authority consumed Lucien's voice as he bellowed, "This is my pack, and you'll leave when I give you permission to!"
Elvira glared at him, unyielding. "Look here, you arrogant, egotistical prick. I'm not your damn slave. I do what I want, whenever I want. If I wanna leave, I will, and you won't stop me."
Lucien couldn't contain his rage any longer. "Stop disrespecting me!"
"You don't deserve my respect," Elvira coldly replied before walking away.
Determined not to let her leave, Lucien followed her into the house, his anger propelling him forward. Elvira stormed past Noah, Kylie, and Layla without acknowledging their curious gazes.
Confused by the tension in the air, Layla turned to Noah and asked, "What's up with her?"
Noah replied, equally perplexed, "And what's up with him?"
Elvira stormed into Lucien's room, slamming the door so forcefully that it nearly tore from its hinges. Moments later, Lucien burst through the door in a fit of anger.
"How..." Elvira began, but her sentence was cut off as Lucien pinned her to the bed, preventing her escape.