Claimed By My Husband's Enemy novel Chapter 25

Chapter 25

Chapter 25

(Eli)

“Elianna!”

The commotion stopped when the double doors opened, revealing the very stunning princess in her baby blue ball gown. Whispers were heard around us, like the guests couldn’t believe they would see her tonight. She was only looking at my direction as she walked like she was in a hurry to get to me.

I saw the discomfort in her eyes, that’s why I decided to meet her halfway. To my surprise, she embraced me in front of the guests. She was shivering as if being in a public place was causing her extreme anxiety.

“Thank you for coming,” she whispered. “I’m so glad you’re here.”

I softly patted her back and smiled. “Thank you for inviting me, your highness.”

“Please call me Emma.”

“It’ll be a pleasure, Emma.”

“Are you feeling better now?”

“Of course.”

Gold bars helped me recover faster from losing my mother’s gift. There were times when I’d still touched that part of my wrist that once held the bracelet but seeing her through the screen in Creed’s office every night had given me the extra courage I needed. Especially now that mom looked healthier.

“Thank Goddess. I was so worried.”

I winked at her as soon as she let me go. “I’m stronger than you think, Emma. And you? Are you better now?”

She nodded and clutched her bracelet. “As long as I have this, I will be. Would you like to join me in the garden? It’s a little suffocating here.”

“I’d love to.”

I glanced at Creed, quietly asking for his permission. He nodded.

“I will have the servants bring the refreshments in the garden,” the king said. “If you need anything else, Emmanuelle, let me know.”

“Thank you, your majesty,” Emma politely answered and I swore I saw a flash of sadness in her grandpa’s eyes.

Emma led me to the garden. On our way outside the hall, I caught Lizbeth and the girls. They waved at me and bowed at the princess and mouthed that they would follow us later. I waved back before stepping out. I watched how the tension on Emma’s shoulders lessened once we were outside.

“Parties are not really my thing,” she explained as we sat on the metal chair in the rose garden near the fountain. “I wasn’t good at it as you can see. Besides, people there only approach me because of my connection with the king. But you seem used to it.”

“Partying was one of the tasks I had to do to survive back in my world,” I answered as the staff brought the refreshments on our table.

I took a bite of my parmesan bread and hummed. It was good. Everything I’d eaten since the day I came here was all delectable that I’d gained weight.

Emma’s brows furrowed after a while. “Why? Are all humans that cruel?”

“Not all of them. There are some amazing humans out there too. Like my mom.”

“Then you must, have inherited your personality from her. How about your dad?”

I shrugged. “I don’t know. I don’t even know if he’s still alive. I haven’t met him yet. I just heard he disappeared after getting my mother pregnant.”

“We’re alike in many ways. I didn’t meet my dad either. I only saw his pictures. I heard he was a commoner. He was a simple member of a small-town pack.” I didn’t speak, silently encouraging her to tell me more which seemed to be what she needed. “The King didn’t accept him for mom. He wanted her to marry an alpha from the council and so they eloped. It didn’ t work, though. When you have the highest seat in the realm there’s no place you can’t go to. His soldiers brought my mom

back and punished dad for ‘abducting’ a royalt Successfully unlocked! I was born.”

Emma’s eyes watered. “Dad was sentenced to ten years in prison. But a week before his release, a fire broke out because of some alpha war. He died. When mom found out, she was so heartbroken. She left me.”

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Chapter 25

“Where did she go?”

“The servants found her dead in her room. She… took her own life, leaving me with just the bracelet to remember her by.” She wiped away her tears. “That’s why seeing the King hurts. He reminds me of the parents I lost. My mom’s my only true family, my only true friend. The only one who genuinely cared for me in this castle. And I felt like he took her from me.”

I stood and spread my arms. “Want a hug? My arms are not as strong as the people here but they’re still reliable-”

Before I could finish, she rose from her seat and was charging towards me. “I’m sorry. I’m not normally like this.”

“Hush. It’s alright.”

The princess just needed someone to talk to. To listen to her. To see her without the title she possessed. It looked like she had been holding back her sobs for a very long time now. I wouldn’t even be surprised if she didn’t have good friends when some of the people here were judgmental motherfuckers. They even judged her in front of me, and I saw most of the girls her age snickering.

‘There were other people there today, Eli, Lizbeth told me the night we got banned from drinking. ‘They were hiding somewhere. Including the people Her Highness considered as her friends. They saw both of you jump. Not wanting to be involved, they turned their backs. None of them asked for help. If we didn’t come, the soldiers wouldn’t have been contacted. That’s why it was a very big deal for the princess. For all of us. That kid is a little lost, you see. She just wants someone she could connect with, someone who will care. And when you saved her, I think she found ‘that’ someone in you.

“I don’t know why but I feel so comfortable around you, Eli. It’s like I can tell you anything. I also feel better when I’m with you. Can I call you from time to time?”

I was about to answer when I caught a figure standing near the bushes. It was the King, staring at his granddaughter who was still crying in my arms. How long had he been standing there? Did he hear what Emma said about him?

He put a finger over his lips, stopping me from acknowledging his presence. And then he walked away.

“Of course,” I said after a while. “I’ll still be here in a few weeks. Just contact either Dale or Black.”

“You’ll only be here for a few weeks?”

“Yes. I still have to go back to my own realm. But if there’s a way we can communicate, I’ll call you as much as I can.”

And I meant that. I also felt some connection with her. She was like the little sister I never had. Or maybe it was because of our almost similar story, of how much I could relate to her need for someone who would listen to me as well. Like Emma, I felt like nobody ever truly listened to me after mom was hospitalized.

When Emma released me, she looked sadder than before. “As much as I wanted to stay with you longer, my wolf is still unstable. I need to shift to let her out before she becomes aggressive again. I’ll call you, Eli,” she promised and then she ran away, more tensed than before, with her wolf snarling inside her.

I plopped myself back down on the chair, grabbed a pizza roll, and sighed. The King obviously cared for Emma but didn’t seem to know how to close the gap between them. How complicated. I shook my head and focused instead on the current joy of my life: my bread. Nowadays, food was the only thing that wouldn’t betray people.

I was on my second pizza roll when I saw another woman heading my way. Katrice Willers, the woman who captured hearts in this realm for her kind and philanthropic ways. She was every teenagers’ idol and every mother’s wish for their sons. I read about her in the magazine yesterday. An automatic smile curved my lips as I rose to greet her. She was among the very few people I wanted to meet here.

But my smile faltered when I saw her big brown wolf grit its teeth at me. I didn’t know if it was the effect of being in this realm, but the longer I stayed here, the more I was able to see them and hear them inside every person. And right now, her wolf wanted to hurt me. I was sure of that.

The wolf was quiet, but there was a murderous flicker in her golden eyes as Katrice stood in front of me.

Unlike her photos, her face was far from being friendly today.

“Where are your manners? Why aren’t you greeting me properly? Don’t you know who I am?” She lifted her chin. “I am the future luna of Lord Creed’s pack. In short, I am your future master. Bow to me.”

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