CHAPTER 14 - SO NEAR

It was exactly noon when she entered the palace yesterday along with nine other girls. She was fully prepared before she came but they were still asked to undress in front of the Head of the Servants, Miss Emma Whitaker.

From what she learned, the woman with eyeglasses and always had a strict face was around thirty years old. She was a werewolf but still had no mate so she dedicated herself in serving the House of Lagerfeld.

She didn't notice the disgusted look of the other new servants when she took off her clothes. Despite Helena's pretty face and bewitching aura, her body had scars including those in the stomach and chest. The unhealed wound on her neck was also unsightly.

Emma walked closer to her, checking her from head to toe.

"Are you Helena St. Claire?"

She nodded. "Yes, my lady."

Emma sighed and waved her right hand to one of the maids.

"This is Maria. She'll tell you everything you have to do. But first, we have to make sure your wounds and scars will not be seen by the royal family."

She was nervous to be kicked out because of her scarred body but relieved when Emma uttered those words.

"But isn't it forbidden for the servants of the palace to have scars?" One of the newcomers asked.

Emma raised an eyebrow and slowly walked toward the girl. Her footsteps sounded eerie, making your body feel cold.

"A werewolf's courage and power are measured with their scars. Remember, werewolves are not mere humans. We fight as we evolve. Indeed, Miss St.Claire has a scarred body, but it only shows her strength and she struggled to survive. The reason we cover our scars is so no one would ask about our personal lives." Emma explained.

The girl bowed her head and couldn't look at Emma. She wanted to laugh, but she tried her best not to. Jolene's warning kept repeating in her mind that she should be kind to everyone in the palace.

"So how's your first night?" Maria asked her.

She smiled. "It's fine. I thought I would have trouble sleeping, but I actually fell asleep once I laid on the bed."

She lied. She couldn't fall asleep and almost finished the whole book of the Sun and the Moon again. She felt like someone would sneak into her room and kill her. It didn't happen when she was at the inn. Maybe because she was in the werewolf territory so she felt unsafe. She thought to herself.

"Then that's great. Miss Emma said you'll be assigned to the kitchen for now. You'll clean the dining room once the pack members leave. You'll wash the used plates and utensils."

Everything went blank. She was looking at Maria as she told her about her assignments. But she could only see the woman's mouth move.

"Did you get everything?" Maria asked.

She just nodded and followed her to the kitchen. Maria introduced her to the other servants working in that part of the castle. There were fourteen of them assigned to different tasks.

When she was Amelia, she only came to the kitchen once when she wanted to bake a cake for her mother's birthday. But in the end, the chef made it for her.

She was told that after the pack members finished their breakfast, they would go to the dining room to get the plates. They would have to wait for them to leave before cleaning the area.

"So the pack members eat their meals here with the royal family?" She asked one of the old servants.

"No. Only the ones that have a higher rank in the pack. They don't eat with the king. They were always joined by the crown prince though." The servant answered.

Elias was so near. She thought inwardly. But she had to find a way for them to meet. She had to make it look like a coincidence so he wouldn't suspect anything.

As she was in that thought, Elias was in the dining room, three floors from where she was.

"Did they find anything?" Elias asked Triton.

"They'll be here any minute now," Triton answered.

Then Stephen and Ali arrived, followed by Blue. As werewolves, they could run and move quickly to search for someone. It would be faster if only Elias had something that belongs to Helena so they could just follow her scent, but he had nothing.

"Alpha, I found the inn in Moongrove but she wasn't there anymore. The woman said she was asked by her sister to take care of the inn for three months. She was unsure if her sister left with a girl, but she said it's possible." Blue started.

"Why?" He asked.

"Because one of the rooms was previously occupied and it has a scent of a woman. Her sister mentioned in her letter that she will have to go to Pria."

He nodded. Then he turned to Stephen and Ali.

"Well, we found the inspector and he said the woman had a different and unique aura. Her beauty was breathtaking and they were immediately charmed. She came here to Elysium with Baroness Page, a widower from Moongrove." Stephen glanced at Ali.

Elias frowned. "What? Tell me!"

He almost yelled using his Alpha voice. He knew he was being impatient. But knowing that the woman he met was not at Moongrove anymore, he suddenly felt restless.

"She's here, Elias. She's a leverage to the Lagerfeld house to work here as a servant." Ali revealed.

He couldn't believe what he just heard. A servant? Why would she work here? Did she know that he was here? That he was the crown prince? He thought to himself.

"What do you want to do, Elias? Give us an order. You know we won't tell anyone about her." Triton said.

He nodded. "I have to find her." He whispered.

The men looked at each other. They had never seen their future Alpha so messed up. He was a powerful Lycan, considered more powerful than the first Lycan. But because of a woman who he once met and maybe not his fated one, he became uncomposed.

"Why don't we ask the head of the servants? If she's a newcomer, then maybe she was assigned to serve the pack members and not the royal family." Stephen commented.