"It's okay, I mean, everyone has the freedom of speech" Kai said, smiling.
of the pack member looked at one another, making eye contacts which indicated they were surprised.
Kai, The lycan alpha was smiling after hearing about the allegations that were made about him not being able to choose a mate?
They literally called him impotent!
Although, Kai hadn't been with any woman and rumors like that spread all over Archview, he still cared as it wasn't to be heard that an alpha didn't have a mate.
Usually, he'd act like he didn't care, but his expression would change upon hearing such news.
But today, he was smiling!
They did understand that Elise was his mate, but they weren't quite sure he liked her.
He had never liked anybody.
Majority of them had disregarded it as him just finding a mate.
And although, Elise was beautiful, she seemed naive and she was a nobody.
Also, Kai and Elise hadn't spent much time together, so they didn't think anything had happened between them.
"Well, I have a mate now, don't I?" Kai said grinning.
"In fact, spread the word all over Archviewthat… I have a mate!"
"My mate is Elise"
He stopped for a moment, placed his hands on his chest with expressions of a child who was given chocolates.
"She's my mate!!…" He shouted in the air, giggling a little.
This act of his sent loud laughters out in the room.
They were all blushing on his behalf.
He must really like her, they thought.
Hearing the laughter in the room brought Kai back to his senses.
His face flushed with embarrassment and shyness.
"My mate in whom I'm well pleased".
The sound of Elise's voice echoed in his head, making his cheeks grow hot once again.
Elise had just woken up from a deep, dreameless sleep.
The kind that only came with true safety.
She had gotten more rest at the pack house than she ever had in her entire life.
"All rest and no work made Jill a dull girl" she thought, stretching lazily.
She couldn't lay in bed all day.
She thought about going to ask Kai for a small job around to relieve her boredom,
But she realized that Kai would refuse to let her lift a finger even if she tried talking to him.
So she decided not to waste her breath trying to convince him on what she already knew the outcome.
So, with nothing else to occupy her, she stepped out for a quiet stroll through the hallways, taking in the quiet beauty that wrapped around the house.
The stillness of the house was comforting, almost like a soft blanket wrapping around her.
As she walked, she let her fingers trail the walls.
Elise could feel eyes following her every footstep.
She still hadn't gotten used to the pack always watching her.
She knew they would,though.
She told herself this would happen that very night Kai declared her his mate.
She totally understood it.
It was the kind of gaze that held a mix of curiosity, admiration, and something else she couldn't quite phantom.
The pack members had watched her transformation from the shy, quiet girl who had caused a scene with their Alpha at the silver moon ball.
The quiet girl who their unapproachable Alpha had rushed to the packhouse infirmary with so much fear and concerns in his eyes than they'd ever seen.
And now, they were watching the quiet girl who had been a stranger to the pack transform into the powerful, respected mate of their Alpha.
So of course, they'd talk.
They weren't talking behind her back to ridicule her, though.
No, this wasn't mockery.
This was different from that and she knew it.
It was respect, maybe even awe.
But to Elise, it felt like a weight pressing on her shoulders.
She had never been one to be in the spotlight.
Had never wanted to be seen or known fully.
She had spent all her life in the shadows of her aunt Thea.
She had even gotten used to it that all she expected when people say her was talks of how kind her aunt Thea was to take her in.
And his ungrateful Elise was to not even have a bit of wolf in her.
"Useless niece!" They spat at her face each time she walked.
She had always felt unseen and unheard.
And now, being the center of attention at a place she never dreamed to enter felt overwhelming.
The spotlight was on her, and she had to get used to it.
Kai who had watched her from afar started walking towards her.
He desired to stay at her back as he couldn't get enough of her through watching her from corridors of the pack house.
"Hi Elise" He tapped her on the shoulder, making her heart jump.
"Hi" she chuckled while slowing her pace to walk alongside him.
His presence was a constant reassurance, and yet, Elise couldn't shake the feeling that something was coming.
Something big.
She just didn't know what it was yet.
"Are you alright?" Kai's voice pulled her from her thoughts.
He was looking down at her with a concerned expression, his hand gently resting on the small of her back.
Elise had noticed that Kai had an uncanny ability to read her, and today, it seemed like he could tell she was lost in her own head.
She forced a smile. "Yeah, I'm just… adjusting, I guess."
Kai gave her a reassuring squeeze on the shoulder.
"You'll get the hang of it. Everyone's been through this, and you're more than capable of handling it." He said, still looking down at her.
She nodded, but deep inside, she wasn't sure she was half as confident as Kai thought she was.
If she wasn't even half as confident as Kai originally thought she was to reassure her like this, what level of confidence roamed around her even?
Elise sighed.
But before she could get too lost in her thoughts again, Lucien appeared in front of them.
His arms were folded across his chest, he had a small smirk on his face.
"Ah, the mate of the Alpha," Lucien teased lightly, his voice filled with amusement.
"How does it feel to be the center of attention?"
Elise couldn't help but blush again.
"It feels… weird," she admitted, glancing down at her shoes.
Lucien chuckled.
"You'll get used to it. We've all been there." He said, his eyes softening slightly.
"You'll find your place here."
The words were meant to comfort her, but they only deepened the weight she already felt.
Finding her place?
What did that even mean?
She wasn't sure she knew what her place was.
In fact, at this point, all Elise knew was that she wasn't the same girl anymore.
She was something else.
Someone the pack respected.
And more than anything else,
The fact that it the Whitemoon pack, terrified her.
Notice how everyone had stared at her when she bumped into Kai at the silver moon ball?
That was because the Whitemoon pack wasn't just any pack.
They were the most powerful in the region.
Known for their legacy, their strength, their history of fierce leadership.
These weren't wolves who gave respect easily.
They didn't bow to weakness, nor did they tolerate uncertainty.
And yet… they had accepted her.
Watched her.
Respected her.
But with that respect came pressure.
Expectations.
A standard she wasn't sure she was ready to meet.
Elise started overthinking.
What if they realized she wasn't enough?
All the respect was because she was Kai's mate.
What if Kai declared he didn't want her anymore?
What would happen then?
Her stomach twisted at the thought.
She shook the thought away.
Trying her best not to let Kai and Lucien notice her discomfort.
But there was even no time to dwell on it, because at that very moment, her phone buzzed in her pocket, snapping her out of her thoughts.
She blinked.
Reaching for it with slow motion.
Her pulse quickened for reasons she didn't understand.
"What was it again?" She thought to herself.
Her feelings were everywhere.
She pulled it out, unlocking it to read the message that appeared.
Just one glance at the sender made her heart stumble in her chest.
Sinking like a stone thrown into the ocean.
Something was wrong.
It was from the school.
Her heart sank.