Chapter 34

Nellie followed Earl to a door in the inner room, she had never imagined such a place existed in his chambers. He opened a tiny door inside the room and it led them to an open place- a mini field! No, a garden. Under the night sky, Nellie had to admit it was the most beautiful place she had ever seen, the field was decorated by different flowers ranging from roses, dahlia, daffodils, sun flowers and every other flower.

She just stood there gawking at the flowers, away from them, in the center of the garden, there was a swing with two seats and a mini resort with a table, a wide umbrella shielding from the sky and four chairs around it. That was supposed to shield people from sunlight or rain during the day time.

"This is too beautiful… what is this place?" Nellie found herself asking.

Earl shrugged, "It's my secret garden"

"Wow, I have never seen anything like it. And it's inside your chamber!" Nellie moved over and touched few flowers, she walked among them swinging her hands and twirling in circles.

Earl chuckled at her childish behavior, he moved over to where she stood and plucked a sunflower. carefully, he tucked few strands if her hair behind her ear and inserted the flower in her hear. He took a step back and watched her intently.

"Thank you" Nellie muttered.

Earl only nodded.

"Did you have your workers build this place or it has always been here?" Nellie couldn't hold her curiosity.

"I built it by myself" Earl chuckled. He suppressed the urge to tell her she was the only person he has ever brought into the garden.

"What? As big as this place is?" Nellie looked around again.

"I started building it as a boy, when my parents and brother were too busy with their royal duties. It was not really easy growing up as the youngest son of the Alpha, you know" Earl looked past her now. He didn't like talking about any part of his life that involved his parents.

"Oh. I understand. It must have been so hard on you" She moved closer to him this time.

"But I managed just fine. I started building this place at the age of five, most times when Ma'am Dodda took me out for a walk I collected different flowers and brought them back here, then when I was expected to nap I would plant them… and water them in the years that followed"

"You are such a builder, Earl. You were a really born to be a ruler" Nellie looked around the garden again, this must have been so tough for a young boy, she thought.

"The swing and the rest, I completed them much later, I completed it at 17. But not without the help of my Beta" Earl smiled at the last part as if recollecting a very precious memory.

"You both have been friends for so long" Nellie envied the relationship between the two men, it made her heart ache for her beat friend. But ofcourse she knew she had known, Bella had made sure of that.

As of reading the hurt in her voice, Earl said gently,"Charlie is more like a brother, Nellie"

Nellie nodded. Some brothers could still betray each other. But with Charlie and Earl, one could see the love and loyalty for each other. They had an unconditional love that she envied.

"Did you get to show your parents? They must have been so proud"

Earl turned away from Nellie immediately, it was something he often wished for. That his parents had lived to see his little garden, the proud look on his father's face would have been second to none. Earl swallowed, "They died before it was completed"

"I am sorry" Nellie muttered again, she hoped she was not asking too many questions.

Earl smiled now and turned around, taking Nellie by the hands he dragged her gently towards yet another hidden door, "Come"

"Where are we going?"

"We wanted to go for a ride in the moonlight, remember?"

Nellie followed Earl to a door in the garden, no one would suspect there was such a thing as a door here. This door was covered in flowers which matted up to the very hinges. Earl opened the door gently and there came outside what looked like a little corridor, this one had a spiral step that led downward. Earl began going down and motioned for Nellie to follow, she followed quietly and before long they were in what looked like a tunnel, just how long could the night get?. This tunnel was wide enough to have them move without bending or crawling.

They came to the end of the tunnel and Earl opened yet another door, this time the door led them outside into the open courtyard of the castle. Nellie dusted her clothes and looked up at Earl, he nodded towards a direction and they ran silently, careful not to wake anyone or attract the attention of the guards. Soon they came to a halt in a stable, Earl moved over to one white horse and patted his back gently, the horse neighed happily.

'I suppose you can ride a horse?' It was in her head! He was speaking inside her head. What did they say about two people who could converse in their head?

'Of course, and don't do that!'

'What?' Through the little light from the moon, Nellie could tell he was grinning.

'Stop speaking in my head!'

'But you are doing the same'

Nellie scoffed, she spotted a beautiful black horse and walked up to it ignoring Earl's annoying laugh. The horse was as black as the night, almost blending with the darkness. Nellie rubbed her hands on the horse's head and it rested his head on her hands, it reminded her of her own horse back at home.

"You love black horses?" Again, Earl stood beside her.

"Yes, it blends with the dark and it is unique in the daylight" She patted the horse gently, the horse wriggled its tail and let out what sounded like a happy whinny.

"That is quite a way to look at it, you can have it then"

"What?" Nellie swung around to face Earl how.

"You can have the horse" He said again.

He wasn't prepared for what Nellie did next because she caught him totally off guard, she jumped on him and wrapped her hands around his neck in a very tight embrace, "Thank you, thank you Earl. I really appreciate, this is my first gift in a long time"

On impulse, Earl wrapped his hands around her too to hold her in place but the wave of current that shot through him reminded him of his wolf's hunger, he gently pushed her off him and when she was steady he sighed, "You are so dramatic for a lady in your position"

Nellie rolled her eyes, "I love the horse! He is so beautiful, does he have a name yet?"

"It's a she and no, you came name her"

"Sparky, I'll call her sparky!"

"That's quite ironic for a black horse, '' Earl remarked.

"For some, black is sparky"

Earl had to agree with her, "Let's go then, take out your horse from the stable and saddle it"

Nellie brought Sparky out of the shade and saddled her, Earl watched her keenly. When she was done, she mounted Sparky without any difficulty and waited for Earl to mount his horse.

Earl mounted his horse and rode off, motioning for Nellie to follow. They rode slowly for a while, side by side, enjoying the feel of the warm night breeze on their skin. Earl signaled for Nellie to speed up and she did. Soon, they were whisking their way between trees and the warm night breeze. It was a silent night, only the chirping of birds could be heard from the distance.

Earl led them to a wetland where the moon met a lake, it was a beautiful sight. Nellie dismounted her horse and walked up to the water. She dipped her hands in the water and scooped a handful, taking it to her nose she inhaled deeply.

"This is a very beautiful place, Earl," Nellie noted as she took a seat on a nearby rock. The scent of fresh water and earth was so refreshing that she inhaled the air deeply. Earl was still mounted on his horse, he just sat there watching Nellie.

"It is," Earl replied. This was the first time he was coming here with anybody apart from Charlie, this was often their favorite spot to unwind.

"Why don't you come down? Are you just going to sit there?"

"I think I prefer the view from here" Or maybe that way I can keep my hands away, he thought. She looked so beautiful sitting there in the moonlight, her dark hair glistering in the moonlight. It was almost like one of those paintings he saw on walls, moonlight, lake and a beautiful woman.

"It's not good to leave a lady sitting all by herself" Nellie pouted.

"Are you scared?"

"Of course not, I can take care of myself. But it's only noble that you sit close"

"Alright then" Earl dismounted, after making sure the two horses were properly hitched to a rail, he took a seat on a rock opposite Nellie.

They sat in silence for a while, watching the lake. Nellie threw stones and tweaks into the distance at intervals, Earl just sat there thinking. They could both hear their heartbeats, slow and steady.

Nellie wondered what was going through Earl's mind, he looked so calm and steady sitting there. Part of his face was illuminated by the moonlight while one part was covered by his thick hair, he had not tied the hair today, part of it was flowing down his shoulders.

Was he bought about what had happened between them earlier? Nellie had heard that sometimes a male wolf may get the urge to bite a female wolf during intimacy but she didn't think that was the case because it was only applicable if they were mate. She was not Earl's mate so whatever happened earlier was totally different, maybe his wolf revolted her? Was that possible?
One thing was certain, Earl had absolutely no idea what had happened to him and deep down she knew he was not lying about it, she had seen the confused look on his face when he found out his canines were elongated.

"Earl, thank you for bringing me here" Nellie said.

"I am glad I did. Apart from Charlie you are the first person I'll be bringing here" He didn't know why he said it but he did.

"Really? You have never brought your wife?"Ina bit her mouth as soon as she said it, why did she say it!

Earl looked away from her, he had expected her to ask. Nellie was different from Ina in many different aspects, while Ina was stiff-necked andnthe lay back type who would go to any length to get what she want, Nellie was the adventurous type who believed she had to work to get everything she wanted. She was fun to be with, she could keep a conversation going and she had a wide range of knowledge on different aspects, Ina on the other hand believed her charm could get her anywhere and whatever she wanted and most times it worked for her.

"I am sorry" Nellie muttered when Earl did not reply. She felt she had crossed the boundary this time, Earl's countenance often changed each time his wife was mentioned.

"She was not the adventurous type"

"Did you say something?" She had seen his lips move but his voice was barely audible.

"Ina was never the adventurous type, that is why she never knew about my secret garden or this place" Back then Earl often wished he could talk to Ina about things apart from the things she wanted and making love, but she just was never interested. To her, their meetings were often about what she wanted at the moment and satisfying their needs.

"Oh I am sorry about that" Nellie didn't know what to say, Did he like that she was adventurous? Maybe she bothered him too much.

"You don't bother me Nellie, just be yourself" Earl was smiling now.

Oh he had heard her thoughts. She wanted to let him know how rude that was but the look on his face when their eyes met indicated that he knew that already. She scoffed and looked away from him. "Did you love her that much? I understand how much it must hurt, Earl. I loved my best friend too, I still do actually"

Earl shrugged, Ina had been with him for five years. It was a preplanned union by their parents long before he even came of age. Over the years he had grown to love Ina, her parents had left her in his care before their peaceful demise, two years after their marriage. To Nellie, he replied "I guess I did"

He guessed, maybe he didn't love her anymore? Nellie admonished herself that that shouldn't bother her the least bit. "I am sorry" She muttered again.

The loud neigh coming from Earl's horse had him running to him, he patted the horses tail affectionately but it didn't stop, Earl looked around as if looking for someone. Sensing danger, Nellie stood up and stood beside her own horse, the two horses were making loud noises now.

"What is wrong?" Nellie whispered to Earl who was still looking around.

"Shh. I think there is someone around here" Earl returned in the same tone.

Nellie felt her pulse race, "Could it be the Rogues?"

"I doubt. Cavin is very familiar with the Rogues, whatever is scaring him is definitely not the Rogues" Earl reached for his sides and pulled out two knives.

"Do you have other enemies perhaps?" Nellie tried to steady her voice.

"I have a lot of enemies Nellie"

"Then…"

Before Nellie could complete the sentence, a large creature made straight for her, she dodged just in time to draw out her pen knives from her boot. She didn't have time to find out what she was up against because two more charged at her, Nellie skillfully dropped the first one with just a swing of her knife. She took a quick glance at Earl who was faced with three larger wolves, Nellie moved swiftly and aimed for the heart, their attackers were wolves, larger and bigger than she had ever seen.

Before long, Earl and Nellie had successfully killed six of the first attackers, Earl motioned for Nellie to mount her horse. With a swift move, Nellie mounted Sparky, Earl mounted his horse too, they were about to leave when a powerful force had the horses turning in a circular motion. Nellie tried her best to steady Sparky but the horses' loud neigh were deafening.

"Something is compelling them!!" Nellie shouted to Earl who was trying as hard to get his horse to move.

"I guess we have to leave them behind!" Earl shouted back.

That only meant he wanted them to teleport back to the castle without the horses? She didn't like the sound of that, leaving the horses behind would be a very selfish thing to do.

"There's nothing else we can do Nellie! Whatever is compelling these horses is a strong force Nellie! Look around! There are more of those lurking around, I'm sure!"

As much as she hated the thought of leaving Sparky and Cavin behind, Nellie had to admit it made sense to come back during the day for the horses- if whatever was attacking them would spare them.

"Fine! Let's go!!" She nodded to Earl who appeared to be waiting for her.

Earl and Nellie came down from their horses, Earl took her hands and was about to teleport them when he heard a familiar voice, the air became so cold.

"Not so fast, Alpha." The voice was as cold as the air.

Earl looked up to meet the cold eyes of his worst nightmare. Behind Earl, Nellie prepared her knives to attack, asides the speaker who was dressed in a black cloak, there were a dozen more of his kind behind him.

"Remember me?" The voice spoke again.

"Who are they?" Nellie whispered.

"Zinns."