Chapter 67: Chapter 67

The look he sent her was priceless and made her double over with laughter. She had tears in her eyes, trying to imagine him with a crown on his head, but it just wouldn’t work. With his piercing gaze, the black hair, and the lip ring, he wouldn’t make a convincing prince. Since when did princes wear leather jackets, anyway?

“I disagree,” he muttered and crossed his arms. “I’m not a fan of Disney movies.”

“Not even Bambi?”

“Never heard of it.”

Elena laughed, reaching for his hand and interlacing their fingers. “I see. Then maybe we should plan a movie night soon.”

“Maybe.”

He was not convinced, and his slightly sour expression only added to her amusement. It was fun to tease her soulmate, especially knowing that he struggled to say no to her. Perhaps he would even watch a children's movie with her if she asked him to…?

The forest lightened in front of them, and they reached a large meadow that was bathed in warm sunlight. The peaceful aura of nature encompassed them, and as Elena gazed around, she noticed something amazing.

“Oh, look. Do you see that?” she squealed and dashed off to a seemingly random spot where she let herself fall on the grass. He followed her and found her staring at a wildflower as if it were a gold bar.

“What’s so special about that one?” he asked and sat down next to her, crossing his legs.

“It’s a diamond bluebell,” she smiled and carefully touched its blossom, sensing its gentle aura. “This flower is so rare, I have never seen it with my own eyes. The blossom looks like a tiny bell. Isn’t it lovely?”

“If it’s rare, why don’t you recreate it with your magic? You could grow it in our garden at home,” he suggested.

Her eyes widened, and she promptly concentrated her magic in the palm of her hand. A green stem appeared, growing and growing until it formed a complete flower, a perfect replica of the one that grew on the meadow.

“Impressive. Have you been practicing?” Ryder asked.

“Yes. It’s much easier now than it used to be in the past,” she smiled.

“Your magic is a miracle. I’ve never met a witch who is capable of giving life,” he whispered as she created another diamond bluebell.

“Green witches are rare,” she nodded and gave the flower in her palm a thoughtful glance. “It’s because so many of us died during the witch hunts in the Middle Ages. Humans were suspicious of our powers, sadly. But some of us survived and passed our powers on to other generations.”

“This type of magic suits you,” he commented.

“Thank you.” Her lips curved into a smile. She relaxed and leaned against his body. He wrapped his arm around her waist, holding her tenderly and watching as she created more pretty flowers. She used them to make a flower crown, weaving the stems with nimble movements. The crown was delicate, and when it was finished, she carefully held it up for him to see.

“Do you like it?”

“Of course, buttercup. It’s perfect,” he whispered, placing a kiss on her forehead. Pink spread over her cheeks.

Unfortunately, they were interrupted without prior warning. The strange howling that Elena had also noticed during the past days echoed through the woods—but now it was as close as never before. Ryder stiffened, scrunching his nose. A filthy smell lingered in the air.

“Get up,” he hissed, pulling her up. She flailed, holding on to his arm.

“What?”

She cut herself off. The sight in front of them stole her breath. A large werewolf stepped out of the forest onto the meadow. He was an alpha with black fur and reddish eyes. A snarl curled his snout. Five more wolves of different sizes and ages accompanied him. One of them was not in his wolf form, which allowed him to speak to the couple.

“What business does a vampire have in our forest? You’re not welcome here.” The hostility simmering in his tone was mirrored by the wolves’ actions. They bared their teeth, raising their hackles.

A threatening growl built in Ryder’s throat, warning them not to get any closer. The wolves tensed, eyeing him warily. They studied him and the woman next to him, searching for weak spots they could exploit. And they found one when they saw him stepping in front of her, shielding her.

“Leave or you’ll regret it,” Ryder snapped. He was prepared for the worst, and he wouldn’t hesitate to kill all of them. Taking risks was not an option when she was with him. He had to eliminate all threats.

“How dare you speak to us like this?” their opponent growled.

Elena frowned, watching as the situation slowly escalated. She couldn’t let it go any further. Being friends with two werewolves, she knew they were usually not hostile unless they felt threatened. And a pureblooded vampire in their forest had to be the worst threat they could face. Especially if said vampire acted as aggressively as Ryder.

She took a deep breath and put her hand on his back, drawing his attention. “Let me handle this,” she whispered to him. He nodded his head in agreement, but it was apparent he did not like to involve her. She stood next to him and glanced at each wolf. It wasn’t hard to see that the animosity in their eyes was caused by fear.

“I’m sorry. We didn’t know this was your territory, and we didn’t mean to intrude,” she said.

“Who are you?” the man asked doubtfully.

“My name is Elena, and this is my soulmate Ryder,” she answered, and to prove her point, she grabbed his hand and held it tightly. “We are on a short vacation, and it wasn’t our intention to provoke you. Please forgive us.”

The wolves’ attitudes changed a little upon hearing her words. The expression of the person she had spoken with softened just a tad. “Soulmates?” he repeated with raised eyebrows. “That’s an unlikely pair.”

“You’re not the first to say that,” she smiled, squeezing Ryder’s hand. She was relieved he let her do the talking. “We planned to leave the forest today, and I promise we won’t cause any harm to you and your pack.”