Finding Elara

What Leo felt was strange, not because the fragrance was that of a woman, but because it felt familiar. He knew he had been close to that woman once, not just close but intimate.

“Who can that be? Whose fragrance is this?” Leo thought as his eyes scanned the massive crowd.

He was surprised to see a lot of people in the slave market. On a normal market day, only the wealthy and influential people visited the slave market, the rest would be at the food market. The reason was that slaves were expensive, and currently, food is scarce. Only wealthy people could afford to feed extra mouths.

Leo's eyes narrowed, his mind racing with the impossibility of it all. Elara was dead, and he had seen her lifeless body with his own eyes. He had held her in his arms, mourning the loss of the love of his life.

But the scent... was unmistakable. It was the same fragrance that Elara smelled like whenever she was by his side. That was his way of identifying her. That fragrance is the same one that still lingers in his memory…. Why was it here to haunt him again?

Leo's gaze scanned the crowd again, his eyes searching for any sign of the woman who wore Elara's scent. He pushed through the crowd, his long strides eating up the distance.

“Was Elara here to haunt him? Has she come back to him just like she promised she would?” His mind was scattered, and he began to imagine different gory scenarios.

He had utterly forgotten that he had a one-night stand with Vera, and he left his mark imprinted on her. Maybe he hadn't forgotten, maybe he just didn't want to remember any of it. Maybe, just maybe, he was scared that accepting the fact that he was in the same place as Vera would ruin his chances of having the pathetic death he had always fantasized about.

As Leo stood there, frozen in time, his mind was consumed by memories of Elara. He remembered the way she smiled, the way her eyes sparkled in the sunlight, and the way her fragrance filled the air.

But alongside these fond memories, a crushing sense of guilt weighed heavily on his heart. Leo couldn't shake the feeling, that barbaric thought that he was responsible for Elara and William's death. He replayed the events of that fateful day over and over in his mind, wondering if there was anything he could have done differently to save them.

Maybe if William had not shown up, he would still be alive. And as for Elara, he should have pleaded with his life, he should have given up his all for her.’ He thought and smacked his teeth in regret.

The pain of losing Elara was still raw, even after all these decades. Leo had built walls around himself, pushing away anyone who dared to get close. He had punished the Alphas responsible for their death, but he was unable to find the assassin. He even promised a witch his life in return for tracking the assassin, but it was like they had vanished into thin air.

Leo felt immense anger and bitterness at himself for being unable to torture the person who killed his wife and had convinced himself that he didn't deserve to be loved, that he was cursed to live a life of solitude, always thinking about his mistake.

And yet, as he stood there, surrounded by the hustle and bustle of the slave market, Leo felt a spark of something he hadn't felt in years. No, he had felt it a night ago, but he wasn't ready to talk about it. It was a glimmer of hope, a sense that maybe, just maybe, he wasn't alone in this world after all. He would join Elara where she was, and they would both be together, forever.

But as quickly as the spark appeared, it was extinguished by the crushing weight of his guilt. Leo's eyes dropped to the ground, and he whispered a silent apology to Elara's memory.

"I'm sorry, my love," he whispered. "I'll never forgive myself for failing to protect you.”

Patrick, Leo's right-hand man, noticed that his king was trying to find someone. He couldn't explain it, but he saw him stretching his neck and looking around. Unfortunately, the Alphas, Lunas, and people present were making it impossible, as they were ogling over the slaves.

“I doubt they have an interest in buying the slaves. Even if they do, they would end up either maltreating or killing them,” Patrick murmured under his breath and hissed when he saw a man trying to touch one of the female slave's thighs. He felt anger coursing through his veins, it was a type of feeling you have whenever you realize that if not for luck you would probably be in their place.

Yes, you had me right, Patrick was a slave before he was bought and taken care of by Leo. At first, he had heard rumors about how Leo maltreated and molested his slaves. But on getting to the palace, Leo opened the door, giving him the chance to leave. He even offered to give him a generous sum of money. Patrick knew at once that he had found his master, and he vowed to be loyal till death took him. He still gets mad whenever he sees slaves being ill-treated, and that was nice because he hated coming to the slave market. But today was different. He was trying to save his master from inflicting pain on himself, and this seemed like the only possible escape.

At first, when Patrick had seen Leo with a drunk woman, he was shocked. After the dark days, his master had refused to sleep with just any woman. He thought there was a spark, but the next morning, when a message had entered from the senior Alpha and Leo had ordered him to prepare his carriage, Patrick felt sad. He had thought that maybe, just maybe, she was the one who could bring his King back from the brink of destruction.

Patrick's eyes remained fixed on his king, his expression a mixture of concern and curiosity. He had never seen Leo like this before, his usual calm and collected demeanor replaced by a sense of urgency and longing.

Patrick knew that he had to support his King, to help him find the answers he so desperately sought. He took a step forward, his eyes scanning the crowd alongside Leo's. A lot of people hadn't noticed the Alpha King's present, and he brought out his small flute.

‘I will pave the way for you!’ He was determined in his mind and put his soul into blowing the small flute in his hand.

“The Alpha King Arrives!” Patrick announced with a loud shrilling voice, and the market instantly became quiet, a look of horror was on everyone's faces.