Page 10 of Finding Love with the Fae King

Only a few hours later, we arrived at the pack territory. Again, papers were assessed that looked like passports, and with a quick push of a gate, we had entered another territory. We had passed by several areas that had gates and some that had none. Wolves kept their land in line, but there were other shifters besides wolves. Panthers, lions, and even dragons littered the area.

“Welcome, Cousin!” I heard a deep laugh come from the door of the massive mansion. It was made of white brick with large columns and a small girl that stood beside the beast of a man. He was adorned with tattoos and piercings, and the girl next to him was my size. Petite, as Rose would say. Her stomach was enormous, looking to pop with a baby at any given moment.

“Alpha Kane, look at you now!” Elm encountered the other large Alpha.

Alpha Kane easily towered over Elm, and I thought Elm was the tallest I had ever met. The girl beside him patted Alpha Kane on the shoulder and waddled to us.

“Welcome to the Crimson Shadows Pack, Tulip. You look just like the photos your mother sent! You look just as radiant!”

Tulip blushed severely, bowed to the short woman, and muttered a thank you. “Hello, you must be Tulip’s best friend?” She smiled warmly at me. We were easily the same height, and I no longer felt short around these wolves.

“Yes, I am. My name is Melina. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Luna Clara, and thank you for allowing me to be here,” I tried to say politely.

“Oh, none of that. My name is Clara, and you can call me such.”

“T-thank you.”

Clara gave me a knowing smile and led us into the house to our rooms.

We were led to our rooms as the day was about to be completed. I wasn’t sure what to say. Were they really suns, or did they call them something else here? Shaking my head, I opened the door to my room. It was just the size I liked, small and quaint, with a little charm. It was bigger than my bedroom at home but still had the beautiful finishes I liked so much. It was so girly. I loved all the girly things since I could not indulge in them as I grew up.

Running and bouncing onto the comforter, I let out a little squeal of excitement as I rolled around.

“Enjoying yourself?” I heard from the door. Esteban stood there, leaning on the doorway, smirking in my direction.

“Of course, I’m on my very first vacation. Why wouldn’t I?” I straightened myself from the bed and regally went to my suitcase to unpack. I brought little since that was what they preferred. New clothes were being made, so we matched the surrounding areas. Honestly, I was excited to see what we would wear. Tulip mentioned everything made of Elven silk: strong, sturdy, soft, and waterproof.

“You need to let your little wall down, doll. It isn’t a good look on you.” Esteban came by me and flicked my hair as he looked out the window. My window looked out to the east where the Golden Light Kingdom should be. My interest in the fae was growing, and I was hoping to check out the pack library tomorrow.

“I’m doing just fine. No wall here. Now, I think you need to leave. It isn’t appropriate for you to be in my bedroom—people will talk.” I walked to the door to show him out, but he didn’t move. I kept pointing to the door, and he chuckled as he walked by me with his hands in his pockets.

“You are something else, you know that?” Esteban was now standing in the hall, and every bit of my body wanted to slam the door in his face.

I didn’t like the fact he slept with a ton of women and then expected me to forgive and forget and let him be my date. If he had truly cared for me at all during his time in high school, he wouldn’t have done it. Then again, maybe there was no bond to be held, and now he is just growing fond of me because of a bond that I couldn’t even feel. Who wants to fall in love because of a bond, anyway? It should be of my own choosing and nothing more.

“I’ll show you a good time tomorrow, doll. Trust me. I’ll sweep you off your feet, and maybe by the night's end, you will feel it, too.”

“Feel what?” I rolled my eyes.

“My growing love for you.” His finger was coming up to touch my face when Tulip burst through her bedroom door in the adjacent hallway.

“Melina! Come quick! They have crème brulée downstairs!” Tulip grabbed my arm and pulled me down the stairs, leaving Esteban in the dust.

We laughed all the way down until we saw the large dining room. There were hundreds of wolves in this mansion, and all were getting their food in a buffet-style fashion. Several women and men were serving the plates, and the smell finally reached my nose.

“Wow, that smells amazing,” I whispered to Tulip.

Heads perked up from the dining room table on the far side of the room. Not wanting to look over, Tulip led me to the buffet and piled the food on for me. Laughing, I had to remind her I didn’t eat as much as everyone else did.

Sitting down with a large plate of dinner and the famous crème brulée, I was about to take my first bite when three males sat down across from us. Tulip nudged me to say something, so I said the first thing that came to mind. “Hi?”

The men chuckled, and one leaned over the table. He was tan like Esteban. His curly, unruly hair was highlighted with golden blond wisps. His eyes were a brown, earthy color. Even sitting down, he towered over me.

“I hear you are new here.” He leaned in for a smell. I didn’t move and looked at him confusingly. “You smell fantastic.”

Tulip choked on her food and quickly wiped her mouth, holding back a laugh.

“Is that supposed to be some wolf pickup line? Because it just isn’t working for me.” I go to my fork and stick the large piece of meat into my mouth. The boys beside him were smirking.

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