King Killian sniffed the air as he walked into the room, trying to catch Elena's scent, but it was faint, almost like it wasn't there. He groaned. Elena was without her wolf…her identity. And the further she was away from her wolf, the more difficult it would be to sniff her out. This meant that others would not be able to sniff her aside King Killian because he was her mate.
King Killian growled again as he raked his fingers through his hair in annoyance. When he got into this, he never expected he would start babysitting a grown-up. "Where could she have gone?" He thought to himself.
The palace was big, finding Elena would be like searching for a pin at the bottom of an ocean. Especially since she literally has no scent.
"My wife is not in her room. Search the entire perimeter and bring her to me." King Killlin commanded his warriors through the mindlink before walking out of the room to go search for his wife.
All these just had to happen on their wedding day. How convenient.
King Killian searched the rooms in the hall, but did not find Elena in any. He tried calling her out, but got no response. Although he could still feel her fear and sadness, the feeling would not do anything in finding her.
Leaving the guards to search inside, King Killin decided to look for her outside, but he still did not find her there. Besides, if she had gone outside, one of the many guards out there would have seen her.
An hour later, and still no sign of Elena. This angered Killian as he was not in the mood for playing hide and seek.
"My King, we could not find the Queen." A warrior who was coincidentally checking the same perimeter with the King announced. "Could she have run away in fear?" He added.
"I'm sorry, my King." The warrior immediately apologized, bowing his head in respect after King Killian gave him the warning growl.
"Get out." King Killian ordered, and the warrior scrambled off.
King Killian could not help but pinch the bridge of his nose as he wondered where Elena could be. He was annoyed, not because of what Elena did, but by how it was making him feel. He was not supposed to be searching everywhere for her. He should have let her be, allowed her to get tired, then come out on her own. Searching everywhere for her might make people think that he cared, and he hated it.
Anyways, he is only following a script, nothing more.
Meanwhile, Elena was at the very depth of the library, curled up in a ball, crying her eyes out. Her body trembled uncontrollably as she was made to relive the darkest time of her life. A time dark enough, it felt like the memories could strangle her.
Almost getting killed on her wedding day triggered a memory Elena thought she had buried. It was the day her parents died, the day she got accused of murdering them.
The memories weren't very clear, as Elena was still a child when it happened. However, she remembered one thing. She recalled how they were slain with a sword by a strange man—a powerful man, to be precise. She was hiding in a corner when she witnessed everything unfold, and despite her efforts to remain silent, the man still managed to sniff her out.
"Pretty little thing, we'll meet again soon." The man had said, ruffling Elena's hair before disappearing. She fainted after he left, and when she woke up, her uncle became Alpha. All the evidence somehow pointed to her, and she was reduced to an omega. This happened a long time ago, so Elena could not remember the face of the man. All she could recall was what the man did to her. How he ruined her life
King Killian was walking through the empty halls when he caught a stronger scent of Elena. "Why did I not think about this?" He muttered to himself before heading toward the library.
"Elena, you can come out now. The hide and seek game is over." King Killian voiced as he walked deeper into the library. He followed the scent, although faint, until he found her curled up.
King Killian heaved a deep sigh as he crouched down to her level, then he said in a calm tone, "Come on, wife, let's get you inside."
The moment Elena looked up at King Killian with those innocent, teary eyes, he felt his heart crack…a very strange feeling that he quickly brushed aside. "Come on, let's go." He said again, stretching his hand forward.
However, all of a sudden, Elena slapped his hand off, screaming. "Let go of me, you murderer! You killed my parents! Leave me alone! Leave me alone, please! I don't want to die!" She kept yelling, her wails loud and piercing.
King Killian moved back, a little startled. He could tell she was hallucinating, but he was still shocked by her action. It struck a chord. He sighed before stepping closer again, more gently this time. "Elena… you're safe now. No one's going to hurt you." His voice was low, almost pleading, as he reached out slowly, careful not to startle her again.
She whimpered, still trembling, but her screams had quieted to broken sobs.
"I won't let anything happen to you," he whispered, brushing a strand of hair from her face.
Then, with steady hands, he scooped her into his arms in a gentle bridal carry, holding her close against his chest. She didn't resist this time—just cried softly, her fingers clutching his tunic.
By the time King Killian reached the room, Elena was already fast asleep in his arms, breathing softly against his chest. He sighed in distress before laying her gently on the bed. Thankfully, Irene had helped take off her dress earlier, so she was now in a comfortable two piece.
King Killian mindlinked his warriors to stop the search before taking off his cloak and lying next to Elena. He didn't touch her—just lay there, staring at the ceiling, listening to the soft rhythm of her breathing. How could he promise not to let anything happen to her when he was planning to kill her?
He should not have made such a promise.
He was the death god, the reason for her trauma!