Chapter 61

Soren

The sand is hot beneath my feet, the sun blazing from high up in the bright blue sky. I gather my belongings and turn back to face the house, all of my worries slipping away and into the sea.

The walk back to the house is peaceful. I look around as birds fly around in the sky while they sing and chirp their happy songs. Strangely enough, I feel the safest I have ever been.

It is just me, Celia, and the two soldiers. Nobody else is here to attack us or bring us any type of harm. This may be my own kind of wishful thinking, but I hope this peace is not ruined and can stay for just a few more days before everything eventually turns into shit.

The seaside villa comes into view and I instantly spot the soldier inside the house. He has the phone to his ear and paces around the house.

Anxiety begins to form inside my stomach. My feet slow and bury themselves into the hot sand, my grip on my towel and water bottle tightening. I raise an eyebrow and cautiously approach the home.

Maybe things are okay and he is just talking with one of his loved ones instead of anything bad that has happened. We did not strip the soldiers of their own communication with their family, so that has to be it, right?

I push open the door and set my belongings onto the nearby table. The solider comes into view once again and looks at me, immediately bowing his head before turning his attention back to the phone. I begin to walk towards my bedroom to shower when his voice catches my attention.

“Should I alert the Alpha King of this?” he speaks into the phone, narrowing his eyes at something inside the kitchen.

What would they need to alert me of? What has happened? Is Celia okay? Did Bianca somehow manage to find us?

We were so careful. My Beta and I came up with the most ingenious plan to evade her prying eyes as well as those who have tried to follow us.

How could this have happened?

“Alert me of what, soldier?” I ask him, my voice stern and demanding, fulling the Alpha King role with a blink of an eye. I step towards him and cross my arms over my chest, narrowing my eyes at him.

“Sir, the princess was followed inside the grocery story by an assailant dressed in all black. We tried to intercept him but he got away. They are on their way back now and should be here at any minute.”

Chills creep down my spine. I now my head and turn my face away, grimacing at the fact that we have been found so soon.

I know that when Celia comes back that she will inform me of what she has seen and from there we can form a plan together as a team. I just hope that she is okay and still feels safe under my protection.

The front door of the seaside villa bursts open. My head snaps to the sound and I round the corner to see Celia fleeing inside of the home. As soon as our eyes meet, she immediately angles her body in my direction with tears in her eyes.

My heart shatters into a million little pieces at the sight of her. It aches and twists and turns inside my chest, the heartbeats turning into desperate thumps that echo inside my ears.

“Celia,” I breathe her name out like it is a prayer that I am desperate to recite, “are you okay? Are you hurt?”

She completely ignores my questions. Her body collides into mine, arms wrapping around my torso, with her head gently resting on my chest. My breath hitches in my throat and my body freezes.

I look down at the top of her head and gulp. Slowly, I wrap my arms around her small frame and pull her closer into my chest, closing my eyes as I rest my chin on the top of her head.

“Celia…what’s wrong?” I quietly ask, fighting through urge to pull away from this embrace so I can look into those beautiful hazel eyes of hers.

Celia shakes her head and mumbles something into my chest. I let out a breath of air and nod, looking around at the soldiers, and give them a gesture to leave us alone just for a little bit. They nod and turn away.

I slowly walk Celia towards the other side of the house and into her bedroom, locking the door behind us. I turn and notice she has already sat on the bed, kicking off her shoes.

There is a distressed look on her face. It breaks my heart at the fact that I have to be the one to witness it.

“Tell me what happened,” I calmly speak to her. I do not want to make her feel even more on edge than she already must be feeling.

“There was a man in the grocery store. He was in all black and had the most twisted smile on his face,” Celia’s voice is just above a whisper. I have to strain my ears just to be able to hear her.

I sit beside her and take her hands into mine. My thumbs graze over her knuckles and she lets out a sigh of relief, leaning into me. I wrap one arm around her waist and pull her closer to me.

It must be one of Bianca’s men. She is either here or is on her way. It may be dangerous if we leave soon. They would be on the lookout for any cars that are leaving while in a hurry and follow them. We need to be careful.

“Would you feel comfortable staying here for the night? I can sleep in the same room as you if it helps you feel better at all about the situation,” I look down at her just as she looks up at me.

“Isn’t it dangerous to stay?” Celia asks, blinking through her tears.

“It’s also dangerous to leave. It’s a gamble I am willing to take,” I reply.

Celia nods and leans into me some more, pulling herself closer and closer. It reminds me of our time together during the contract. She would stick close to me after we had sex and I would let her.

But in my sick and twisted mind, I pretend that she was Bianca instead of Celia, the woman who I now want to lay beside for the rest of my life. Our fated mate bond proves that we belong together.

“I have to tell my Beta about what happened,” I breathe out and stand up from the bed. Celia clings to me but I slip from her grasp, her touch lingering on my skin.

“Promise that you will come back?” Celia asks. I turn and look at her as soon as I reach the door, raising an eyebrow at her. “I - uh - don’t want to be alone.”

I nod. A small smile crosses her face before it disappears. She looks somewhere else in the room and scratches the side of her arm.

“I’ll be back, don’t worry,” I say to her, “just give me a few minutes.”

Celia nods and I quietly leave the room, the door clicking shut behind me.

#Chapter