"Are you ready sis?" Ezra asked Elise, grabbing her bag from her room so he can load it into the car. He had already put his bags in the car and he offered to help his sister.
Elise shook her head, "Nope" She said, popping the 'P' in that word. She doesn't think she will be ever ready to leave the Red Pride.
Ezra chuckled softly, "Come on, you don't want to keep the King waiting," He said, walking out of the room. Elise stared at his retreating figure for a few seconds. She badly wanted to lock the door and stay in her room.
Exhaling sharply, she too walked out of her room and towards the living room where the King was waiting for her. For some reason, her heartbeat accelerated at the thought of seeing him again and she hated that.
Elise ran up to her room right after the Beta of the Red Pride had informed Alpha Christian about the arrival of the King. She wanted to make sure she had everything packed and ready.
And also to stall some time.
Arthur was waiting for his mate patiently to come down from her room. In fact, everyone in the living area was waiting for her. Arthur took the opportunity to thank the Alpha of the Red Pride again and told him that his family can visit the castle at any time to see Elise.
After all, his mate's happiness matters to him. More than anything.
His wolf sensed his mate before he could and his eyes shot up to look at the stairs just in time to see Elise descending it gracefully, keeping her eyes straight ahead. Or in other words, purposefully avoiding his eyes.
But that didn't stop Arthur from scanning her from the top of her head to her tippy toes. Elise picked out a modest dark-colored dress for today and her hair was pulled up in a ponytail, revealing her attractive jawline. She looked effortlessly beautiful.
"Hi, Elise" The King greeted her in a friendly voice and Elise looked up at him, giving him a respectful bow and a nod, "Are you ready to leave?" He asked her, watching her posture turning stiff, just a little but it was noticeable.
Well for him at least. Or it is noticeable because he keeps watching her every second, refusing to take his eyes off her so he notices everything about her. Every little movement to be exact.
Elise looked up at the King and smiled at him tightly, "Yes, your highness" She said her eyes flickering towards her parents who were watching her with a forlorn expression on their faces. Eleanor was not present in the living area and Elise expected that.
Elise's eyes fell on her mother and she had this sudden urge to cry right then and there, "Don't look at me like that" Elise said to her mother, shaking her head. Her voice cracked a little, making Arthur clench his fists.
She sounded so miserable.
Arthur didn't want to watch their tearful farewell, "Say your goodbyes and we will leave right away" He said, his voice had an edge to it. Elise turned her eyes to him again, " I will be in the car" Arthur added before stepping away from her, giving her the space she needs with her family.
If he stands her another minute, he would probably give in to those sorrowful eyes and let her stay here with her family.
Before Elise could say anything, Arthur had already left the living area in a flash. She let out the breath she didn't realize that she was holding and ran towards her parents, pulling them both into a hug at the same time, "I love you both more than anything else" She cried out, tightening her arms around their backs, "Please take care" She said, pulling away from them to look at them.
Alpha Christian stroked Elise's hair, "You too, Elise," He said, his voice was thick with emotions as well.
Soon they were done with their goodbyes and eventually, Elise found herself sitting next to her brother in the luxurious car, facing the King.
For the most part, the car ride was quiet. Elise would sniffle now and then, already missing her family. She could feel the King's eyes on her but she pretended like she didn't notice that. It was good enough that he was silent for most of the ride. Elise couldn't help but be grateful for that.
She wasn't in the mood for meaningless conversations.
The King cleared his throat after an hour when they reached the private airstrip, cutting the comfortable silence, "We're taking the private jet" He informed Ezra and Elise, "It won't take long. We'll be at the castle in less than two hours" He assured them when the car came to a stop.
All of them stepped out of the car at once. Murray had already asked a man to shift the luggage from the car trunk to the private jet so the King ushered Ezra and Elise into the jet, scanning the area around them for a few seconds to check if there is someone out there watching them.
This was the first time for Ezra and Elise to be on a jet. They have never left Ireland even once up until now. Elise was visibly anxious but Ezra tried to hide his worries as best he could, "Relax, Elise" He said as he fumbled with the seatbelt, "It is going to be alright" He assured her.
Arthur couldn't help but smile at the young lad, "May I?" He asked, offering to clasp the seatbelt.
Ezra looked up at the King and nodded his head, relieved to when help is offered by the King. Ezra had no idea how to clasp the seatbelt together and he was honestly one step away from breaking it.
Elise's eyes widened as big as saucers when Ezra moved away from her to give the King the space he needs to help Elise and The King lowered his body a little, using the opportunity to be at such close proximity with his mate well.
Arthur could have snapped the clasps in a second but he took his sweet time. The way Elise holding her breath as he leaned in towards her didn't go unnoticed by him. He slowly put the clasps together and looked down at her flushed face, staring right up at him before straightening his back up.
"It looks like you guys haven't been on a plane before," Arthur said, taking the seat opposite Elise. He really loved the way her cheeks were flushing with the loveliest shade of pink. It was tempting, really.
Elise released a sharp breath and rearranged her features, "Yeah. We never left Ireland even once" She answered him, her eyes flickering towards her brother who was nodding his head at her.
Arthur hummed under his breath thoughtfully as Murray walked into the jet and took a seat, "We will be taking off in a few, my King" Murray informed the King and just when he was done talking, the jet started to move, taking the position to whizz on the runway.
Elise clutched both of her hands to the seat. She tried not to dig her nails into the seat, not wanting to ruin it. She squeezed her eyes shut tightly when the jet started to move at the full speed, oblivious to blue eyes that were watching her in amusement.
"We are not going to fall, Elise," Murray said, noticing how pale she looked, "Even if something went wrong and we're spiraling towards the ground, The King would save us all," He said, his eyes flickering towards Arthur whose eyes were still glued on Elise's face.
Elise didn't know what Murray had meant by that but at this moment, she didn't care. She was too busy trying not to think of flying in the air in a giant metal box. It was unsettling, for her.
The jet was already traveling up in the air, moving towards the castle at its full speed. "Elise, we are already up in the air," Ezra said softly, nudging his sister to open her eyes.
"What already?" Her eyes flew open and they met with a pair of blue eyes that were staring right back at her. Her cheeks flushed a deeper pink before she turned her head to see out from the window.
It was true. They were up in the air, traveling through the clouds.
Arthur cleared his throat to get her attention again, "So, Elise. Tell me how it is like to be a fox" He asked even though he knows pretty well about them. He just wanted to have a conversation with her where only she would be the one who is able to answer him.
Elise looked away from the window, "No big difference with the werewolves. Superhuman speed and heightened senses, your highness," She said, they are different creatures with the same abilities. Only, a fox can run faster than the werewolves in the fox form.
That reminded her about something, "But I was curious about how you moved so fast the other day. I never met someone who moves like that" She narrowed her eyes on the King almost in suspicion.
Arthur smiled at her, "It's one of the gifts from the moon goddess" He answered her smoothly, "I am a pureblood after all. Purebloods have special powers" He said, glancing at Murray, "Murray can control the weather," He said, glancing at his beta, "He is a pureblood as well" He added before looking back at the pair of siblings.
"You're an elemental as well" Elise smiled, eyeing the Beta of the Betas with a smile on her face. For a moment, she felt like she wasn't alone in this. They might possess different powers but still, she felt connected.
Murray nodded his head at the Luna Queen, his eyes were soft. Little did she know, Murray used to join hands with Eliza in the past to make the most of their powers when it comes to saving the kingdom from unwanted troops.
"So you two are eternal" Ezra was the one to speak now, "How old are you, your highness?" He asked, looking at the King curiously.
"Old enough to be called as an ancient" Arthur answered him, his eyes never leaving Elise even for a second.
That information baffled Ezra, "Wow" He gasped, lost for words, "You must have seen a lot in your life" Ezra mused, leaning his back against the comfortable seat. How could it have been to experience the evolution as the world progressed towards technology? Ezra could only imagine.
Elise nodded her head at her brother in agreement, "Yeah and it must have been lonely as well" She blurted out without thinking only to realize what she had said a second later, "Pardon me for being blatant, your highness" She apologized right away, bowing her head in front of her.
She keeps forgetting that she is speaking with a royal.
Arthur's expression hardened, "No, you're right," He said, agreeing with her, "It is lonely to live a thousand or two years without a mate by my side" He continued, his voice was vacant of any emotions.
Emily looked up at him and found his stoic face staring at her back, "I heard you haven't found your mate yet, your highness" She stated softly. Both Murray and Arthur are the ones who yet to find a mate. Most werewolves find their mates before hitting thirty.
And yet, it took Arthur centuries to find his mate.
Arthur didn't say anything to Elise's statement. He continued to watch her with those captivating eyes, holding her as a prisoner in his gaze. They both were too captivated by each other to acknowledge the fact that they experienced some turbulence.
"I think I have to use the restroom for a bit" Ezra hissed, his face went green. He quickly undid the clasps and ran towards the restroom.
And that snapped Elise out from the staring session with the King. She looked at her brother until he vanished from the line of her sight, "He told me to relax and now he is the one who is puking in the toilet" She said, shaking her head to herself.
She felt better now, knowing that Murray would probably use his powers to sweep the clouds away from the jet if things get complicated.
"Your brother adores you," Arthur said conversationally.
Elise looked up at the mighty king again and smiled, "Yeah, he does" She agreed with a nod of her head. The love Ezra has for his sister is very obvious."I love him" She added, looking away from those blue eyes that made butterflies flutter in her stomach.
Arthur knew he had to use this opportunity to ask her about her personal matters, "Love, huh?" He asked, Alpha Christian, told him that Elise never dated anyone because she didn't want to develop feelings for someone else's mate but still, Arthur needs to hear it from herself, "Have you ever been in love, Elise?" He asked, nonchalantly.
Elise shook her head, still looking at clouds from the window, "Nope. Have you?" She asked.
Arthur didn't expect to fall into the trap that he had set for her, "Yes, I was in love a long time ago" He admitted after a few seconds of internal debate.
Elise's eyes widened at that, "But you told me you haven't found your mate-" She started, prying her eyes from the window to look at the hard face of the King. Her words died in her throat, she knew right away that it is a sore spot for the King.
Arthur tried to smile at her, "Can we not talk about this anymore for today?" He asked her, keeping his tone gentle.
At the same time, Ezra came back from the restroom, looking a little tired. "Are you okay, brother?" She asked him, momentarily forgetting about what they were talking about.
"Yeah" Ezra sat on his seat and leaned his back to the seat, "I think I should just sleep the entire journey" Ezra moaned, massaging the sides of his head.
"Yeah, I think I shall do the same" Elise said, her eyes flickering towards the King again before her eyes fluttered close. She didn't want to talk about anything so the best way to avoid talking is to probably pretend to sleep.
Eventually, Elise did end up sleeping for real and the Alpha King watched her as she surrendered into the slumber, all the way to home again.