"What's wrong with him?" Atlas wondered, struggling to comprehend the look on the boy's face. "Can he see me?" he mentally questioned, his confusion deepening.
"How?" he growled, his frustration and bewilderment growing with each passing moment.
Atlas's face hardened as he took steady steps towards the trembling boy who took five steps back at every step he took.
"It's true, he can see me," Atlas confirmed.
Eloise's soul almost ran out of her body when she raised her head and saw a masked devil staring at her, she had heard so much about the Alpha but had never gotten to see him but right now she was standing in front of him and staring closely at him, she'd confess that he was worth dreading.
His aura was scary and demonic, and the mask on his face made him look more like an evil spirit or the devil in particular.
Her lips quivered, indicating that she was about to cry, The look in his eyes was scary, and she couldn't help but wonder why he was walking up to her.
She kicked a stone that was lying carelessly, and she fell to the ground, releasing the tears she was holding. She was vulnerable, she accepted, but in this case, anyone would be scared; she couldn't tell if he wanted to kill her or something.
Seeing her fear, Atlas stopped moving to prevent her from passing out. He stood in his position, staring intensely at Eloise, but he could find nothing; he couldn't even track the scent of her wolf, which concluded that there was more to this person than he could see.
He crossed his hands behind him and cleared his throat before he spoke. "Who are you?" The deep sound of his voice made Eloise want to pee in her pants.
She heard from her sisters that he barely speaks; he could have done her the favor and kept shut; his voice was killing her already; beads of sweat appeared on her forehead; his voice was so deep that she imagined the walls shook at the sound of it.
With the way he stared at her, she knew that he was waiting for a response, but God... she couldn't muster enough confidence to speak; even when she tried opening her mouth, it shut again.
Seeing how scared she was, Atlas tried to relax his nerves and make a friendly look, which he failed to get; he couldn't pretend to look good or generous, but it was slightly better than his glaring eyes.
He stretched his hand to help her up, but she didn't accept it. "Take my hand and get up," it was more like an order than a request.
"Listen, Eloise, take his hand, or he will slit your neck," she scolded herself.
Her hand quivered as she slowly raised it and placed it on his palm; he grasped her hand, pulling her up to her feet without breaking eye contact.
Seeing that he was staring at her so intensely, her eyes fell to the ground with her head downcast.
"What's your name?" Alpha Atlas asked, letting go of her little hands.
"El...oi..se," she stuttered helplessly, correcting herself, "E-Eloise."
"Are you a member of this pack?" he asked, and she nodded in response.
Atlas calmed down; it was fine since the lad was from his pack; he'd surely get more information about him.
He knew he had to let him be before he died of fear; he slowly moved away, giving way for Eloise to walk past, and without a second thought, Eloise disappeared, running away without looking back.
"What a shame to the lineage of men," Atlas said with a hint of amusement in his voice.
He was about to shift back to his body when an interesting idea came to his mind; instead of shifting, he headed to his mother's court with plans to kill the soldiers and get his pet back, he had totally lost interest in the ball. He smirked as he headed to his destination.
The ball had ended, and a new day had begun. The sun's bright rays streamed into Atlas's chambers, and he squinted at the harsh light.
Why were his curtains open? His eyes snapped open, revealing a deadly glare, and he growled menacingly when he saw his mother standing before him, her presence unwelcome.
Upon hearing about the mysterious spirit that had slaughtered her soldiers, she had an inkling of who might be responsible, and that infuriating power he possessed, which he must have inherited from his father, only added fuel to the fire.
"What have you done? I won't tolerate it," she spat, her voice dripping with venomous intent.
"I won't tolerate you rolling up the curtains in my chamber," Atlas retorted, attempting to provoke her further.
"I will kill you, I can," she snarled, her eyes blazing with fury.
While Atlas nonchalantly glared at her.
"Did you find anyone last night?" Her question jogged Atlas's memory of the young boy who had been able to see him, a mystery he was yet to unravel.
"I've a question for you," he said, and Yutani rolled her eyes in exasperation.
"What?" she barked.
"Is it possible for someone to see me when I shift, like turn invisible?"
Yutani's expression turned panicked. "No. Why? Did anyone see you last night?"
"None of your business," Atlas sneered, his tone dismissive.
"Atlas, you fool, if anyone had seen you, it simply means that person is a witch, a very powerful witch," Yutani warned.
"There are no witches in my pack, I made sure of that," Atlas said carelessly, his tone laced with indifference.
The knock on the door interrupted their conversation, and they both turned towards the door. After a few seconds, a soldier walked in.
"Alpha, there's a letter for you."
"Really?" Jade asked, her eyes wide with wonder as she stared at her brother.
"Yes, I saw him, didn't you guys see him?" Eloise asked, raising an eyebrow.
"No, that's why Alberta's so disappointed. She spent a small fortune on her outfit and still didn't get to see the Alpha, let alone catch his eye. He never showed up, what a waste," Jade replied, shaking her head.
"So, tell me, what did he look like? What did he say to you? Did he ask about your sisters?" Jared asked, her questions tumbling out in rapid succession as she leaned in, her eyes sparkling with curiosity.
"Calm down, it was like meeting death face-to-face. Not exactly the most pleasant experience," Eloise said dryly, her voice laced with a hint of trauma.
"Yeah, I can imagine. The Alpha's supposed to be really intimidating," Jade said, nodding in understanding.
"But I'm not sure Alberta realizes that. She's always going on about how the Alpha will know she's his fated mate even if he doesn't see her," Jade mimicked her elder sister's voice, and both Eloise and Jade burst out laughing.