Chapter 22 - An Alpha’s Kindness

Eloise’s POV



I stomped away from Xavier’s study in frustration. I knew that Xavier had no real desire to help the Wisdoms but a part of me still believed he wasn’t as cold as he made others believe.



Maybe I was foolish to think that a silly little marriage contract would be enough to lift the feud between our two families.



Still, there was no denying that I had been right in the things I said during the meeting. Even if Xavier didn’t want to admit that my plan was smart, he could at least admit that the plan was of benefit to him.



That’s the only way it would’ve made sense to him anyway–if I explained it to him in a way that made it obvious it would benefit him. What a selfish man Xavier is!



I wandered throughout Noah Castle like a bird who had lost its way. I nodded at the servants who greeted me but just continued to walk away. I needed to be left alone.



After I had found my way outside, I walked to one of the gardens and sat down behind some large rose bushes. After looking around to make sure no one could see me, I pulled out my mirror and summoned Mona.



“You called?” There was a smile on Mona’s lips.



“Mona, I have to find a way to get back to Witches Land so I can help my family.”



Mona frowned. “You know that you can’t take on Douglas… Not in your current state.”



“I know but—”



“Do I need to remind you that it’s an entire army of werewolves? Returning to Witches Land is going to guarantee nothing other than your death and you know that.” Mona shook her head at me.



I sighed. “But there has to be some other way!”



Mona tapped her finger against her cheek. “Well, you know that you can’t ask the vampires for help since you canceled your engagement to Prince Adam… Your only choice is Xavier. He’s the only one strong enough to be able to stand a chance against Douglas anyway.”



I rolled my eyes and placed my head in between my knees. The power gap between Xavier was way larger than I realized. He was the lord of an entire country and the Alpha to a large tribe of werewolves. Not only that, he had a huge amount of wealth and raw strength at his disposal.



I was nothing more than a little witch who had barely awakened her own talent.



Damn, I feel so powerless… Am I really destined to change the future?



Mona and I spent the rest of the afternoon discussing how we could save the Wisdom family but ultimately, we failed to come to a real solution.



Great… Now I really have to beg Xavier to help… I thought helplessly.



I hurried back to the castle after having lost track of time. As soon as I got back to the room, Nora rushed to my side with a worried expression on her face.



“Lady Eloise! I’m so glad you’re finally back. Where did you go? Where have you been? You missed lunch again today!”



I ignored her questions. “Have you seen Lord Xavier? Why isn’t he back yet?”



“You haven’t heard? Lord Xavier left the city this afternoon with a large army behind him!”



My eyebrows shot up. “What? Where did he go?” I was suddenly so excited that I didn’t realize I had grabbed Nora’s shoulders until she placed her hands on mine.



“I-I’m sorry but I have no idea where he went… I only saw Lord Xavier leaving the city but haven’t heard anything since.” Nora smiled nervously.



I gave Nora a small smile and let go of her before sitting at the table. I needed to gather my thoughts.



Xavier obviously didn’t agree to my request but he left with a large army this afternoon? Did he change his mind? Will he go save my family?



I pressed my hands together. Well, the only thing I can do is pray that he did.



————



“You need to eat something, Lady Eloise.” Nora placed her hands on her hips.



“I really don’t have an appetite…” I replied to her restlessly.



Nora sighed and placed the food on the cart to have it sent back to the kitchen. This was the fourth dish I’ve declined so far. Ever since Xavier left, I’ve been filled with too much worry to think about eating food or drinking anything.



It’s been two days since he left with his army. Douglas was about to reach Witches Land and since no one had heard from him, I could only assume that my family was still in grave danger.



Either he’ll get there in time or my whole family will die…



I hated that I had to depend on one man to save my family. Not only that, it was the man that I saw in the prophecy who was destined to kill my family. For all I know, he could’ve just gone to Witches Landing in place of Douglas to wipe out the Wisdoms himself.



And if he did that… Well, no one would stop him.



I groaned as I laid my head on the table.



“A letter!” Nora rushed through the door and interrupted my sulking.



“Give it to me now!” I stood up and snatched the letter from Nora.



I felt my heart drop into the pit of my stomach as I held the paper in my hands. Not knowing what the outcome could be filled me with a sense of dread.



What if Xavier wasn’t successful? No! He’s the strongest Alpha in all of Lowell. He knows how to take care of himself and his army.



What if he was successful? Then that means my family was saved!



But what if he went and killed them instead…



I took a deep breath and opened the envelope.



“Dear Eloise,” I began to read out loud. It was a letter from one of the Wisdom messengers. “Douglas and his family have retreated!”



Nora squealed with excitement. “That’s amazing news! What happened?”



I continued to read the rest of the letter. “The Leonards launched an attack on the Royal City because of Douglas’s absence. They broke through their weakened defenses, seized their supplies, and even captured prisoners of the Royal Guard!”



The rest of the letter detailed how Douglas had to cancel his attack against the Wisdoms and retreat back to the Royal City after he got word of Xavier’s assault. Because of the severity of the damages, we knew that Douglas was going to need a lot of time to repair and regain the strength of the men he lost.



I let out a sigh of relief. Despite what Xavier’s real motives were, the crisis against my family was resolved. Still, I knew that even though we escaped Douglas’s wrath this time, I knew there was a chance that we wouldn’t be so lucky next time.



I knew that in order to change the fate of my family and to make sure the Wisdom bloodline never ends, we needed to become stronger together. Even if I killed Xavier, that would still leave Douglas. And he was still very much a threat to us.



I held the letter tightly against my chest. I promise to improve my strength and revive my family of witches. We’ll be the most powerful family again so we won’t have to live in fear any longer!



After the news spread about Xavier’s expected return to the castle, the residents of Noah gathered outside of the castle. The blankets of winter’s snow had melted away and it was like spring had also come to greet the Alpha’s triumphant return.



The servants swept away the snow while they hung up vibrant ribbons of golds and greens. They even rolled out a massive red carpet leading up to the front of the castle doors.



Crowds of people were squeezed together on the main road from beginning to end. Their faces were lit up in excitement as their chatter filled the streets. They brought flowers and baskets of food while music was being played.



I sat up in the bedroom and watched through the window as Nora began to dress me up for Xavier’s return.



“After being away for battle, a Lord would love to see his Lady all dolled up and beautiful for him.” Nora smiled.



I looked down and saw the rest of the Leonard family who had also come in attendance for Xavier’s return. After Xavier successfully defeated the Royal City’s defenses and caused heavy damage to Douglas’s army, they wanted to celebrate the triumph gained for their family.



Nora braided my soft silver hair into a delicate braid. We both came to realize that it was a favorite hairstyle since it was not only elegant but easy to put up.



“Are you excited, my Lady?”



I nodded my head. “I’m glad that my family will be free of Douglas’s wrath for now.”



“And what of Lord Xavier?” She painted a soft shade of red on my lips.



Before I could get a word in, the trumpets began to play loudly in victory and celebration.



“Lord Xavier has returned!” The crowd shouted.



Nora and I looked out from the window to see Xavier. He sat on top of a white horse as he waved down at his citizens.



I watched as a little boy, with the help of his father, climbed up on the back of Xavier’s horse. For a split second, I thought Xavier was going to fling the child off especially considering how I’d come to know him these past few months.



Instead, Xavier reached into his pocket and pulled out a coin, and handed it to the child. The child was squealing with joy before going back down to his father.



Xavier outstretched his hands to accept a basket of baked sweets and a bouquet from a group of women. Their eyes lit up like fireworks and cheeks were flushed red like a tomato.



Many people came up to offer their own gifts from jewelry to works of art, to handmade clothing and blankets. It got to the point where Xavier’s hands were so full that the soldiers who were behind him helped carry the rest.



It was then that I could feel my heart thudding against my chest as a new warmth settled in my chest. I ran down the castle halls to make sure I could meet Xavier in time to greet him at the castle doors. I couldn’t stop blushing and excitement began to build inside of me.



Xavier was always so handsome and there was no denying that before. Yet when I looked at him this time, his features were more captivating.



Is it possible for a man to get more handsome than he already is?



Maybe it was my eyes playing tricks on me but it was almost like a heavenly light surrounded Xavier as he weaved his through the crowd of people. It made his golden eyes shine much more brightly when he smiled.



With every step he took, the soldiers around Xavier offered to take the armor he had taken off. After days away at battle, it was like he had grown bigger and more muscular. Even the shirt he wore seemed small for his new powerful body.



Before I knew it, Xavier had walked up to the castle. My heart fluttered in my chest.



I shook my head and gathered my senses. “Welcome back, my Lord.” I greeted him with a warm smile. “Thank you for saving my family. You truly are a kind and just lord.”



Xavier’s cheeks blushed. He avoided looking into my eyes and replied in an awkward tone. “Don’t thank me. It was Douglas who foolishly gave me the opportunity to attack his weak defenses. It was only coincidental that I saved the Wisdoms.”



The look of embarrassment on his face was actually kind of cute. Who knew that there was a soft and warm heart under his cold appearance?



Without even thinking, I stood up on my tiptoes and hugged Xavier’s neck. I kissed him softly on the lips and looked into his eyes. “Thank you, Xavier,” I told him sincerely.



Xavier froze for a moment. He looked me in the eyes before he lifted me off my feet and began walking towards the inside of the castle.



I looked at the surrounding soldiers and servants as their jaws dropped to the floor. I couldn’t help but giggle at their expressions.



Just as Xavier was entering the castle, Adrian had jogged up to him and cleared his throat. “My Lord, you have a meeting to attend with your generals.”



Xavier continued to walk through the castle without turning his head to acknowledge Adrian. “The meeting will be rescheduled. Now, give my orders that no one is to bother me for the remainder of the night.”



“Yes, my Lord.”



As we entered the room, Xavier laid me down on the bed with a surprising amount of gentleness. Then he kissed my forehead before he got up to go lock the bedroom door.



He came back to bed and wrapped an arm around my waist. With his other free hand, he used it to stroke his fingers through my hair.



I was starting to get warm under his touch.



“I hope you’re not having second thoughts. It’s your last chance to run.” A smirk spread across his lips.



His teasing words caused my heart to beat rapidly.



“I’m all yours tonight, my Lord.”