Aurelia's POV...

The party was full of chatter and the amount of glares thrown my way made me realise why Aiden insisted on me coming to the party.

But someone other than the Were King seemed to gain attention. It was none other than the birthday girl, Fae Princess herself. The unusually large number of men present indicated that Fae Princess was a catch.

I was being towed here and there—not that Aiden was literally pulling me but the number of people he greeted and chatted with was alarmingly high.

Now I could understand the reason why he craved Grandma's love. If this was the usual setting that he had to go through, any ounce of normality he would get would be a boon.

But he was humble and generous while talking with the other guests—his acquaintances. He was kind to most of them—kind but firm.

He even introduced me to everyone he greeted, but it was a tedious routine. I bowed, and his acquitances stared at me from head to toe, then pretended I was not there.

That behaviour was kind. A few women glared at me and narrowed their eyes at my hand clutched into Aiden's arm.

Well, Aiden's plan was successful. My presence really put off the wolves. No pun intended.

As time passed, Aiden got increasingly tense. I squeezed his arm in question. He leans and whispers lowly in my ears, "You will get to know soon."

Finally, a valet announces the arrival of the Fae king and queen. The crowd parts and makes way for them, leading them all the way to the dance stage.

The King and Queen walk towards the stage and people bow when they pass by. I follow them and bow.

The king smiles at us but the queen just narrows her eyes at us. I hear Aiden sigh but I don't ask. So far, in the evening, Aiden hasn't mindlinked me and even when I ask, he has been tight-lipped saying he'll tell me the reason soon.

Just as the king and queen stand in front of the stage, Maria floats towards them. She emits grace even in her walk and when she reaches them, more sweetness permeates the air.

Aiden's body vibrates and he scrutinizes me, then shrugs off, turning to look at the royals again.

What was all that about? I felt as if Aiden was agitated. The guard/valet who had greeted us in the beginning announces our names and we walk forward towards the Fae Royals.

In a few steps, we are in front of them. I bow again and Aiden just stands beside me, my hand still clutched in his arm. All this while, he hasn't let go of me at all.

"This is my dear friend Aurelia." He introduces me to the Fae Royals.

Both of them, who were earlier focused on Aiden, looked at me. Really looked at me. Straight into my eyes. They sniffed the air for a bit. They stared at me for a while before a smile broke out on their lips.

"We are pleased to see you here," the king addresses me.

I smile politely at him and reply, "Well, the pleasure is all mine, Fae King."

"Nonsense, none of those formalities here; you are like a daughter to us; you are of the same age; you can call me by my name," he insists.

I look at him bewildered, while Aiden also looks at him in shock, his gaze switching between them and me.

"Yes, you are like a daughter, of course." The queen pitches in; earlier she was glaring at me but now she was all hearts and smiles. Even Maria, the fae princess, grins at me.

"Thank you," I say, not knowing what to say.

Another servant approaches from behind us and extends a gift to Aiden. He takes it from him and then turns back towards the Fae royals and extends his arm out with the gift in his hand.

"A birthday gift from both of us," he says to Maria.

She glees in excitement. "Thank you so much."

"Yes, that is quite generous of you but you have already given us a gift," they say to Aiden first but turn to look at me when they say the word gift.

"What?" Aiden asks, confused.

"You will know with time," the queen says mysteriously.

Aiden just gazes at them, frowning while I look at them perplexed. However, another guard announces other names and we head back and the other guests go to greet the royals.

"What was that?" Aiden asks.

"I do not know. I thought you would explain."

"I am as clueless as you are," he sighs as he turns towards me.

"We have a lot to talk about but I'm waiting for the right time, Aurelia."

His gaze is intense and unwavering, and I am lost in his dark eyes. Someone approaching us draws my attention, and both Aiden and I turn to look at the person.

It's Maria, the Fae princess. She comes to stop before us and says, "I know Aurelia is your date but please let me steal her for a while."

He nods at her, freeing his arm from me gently. However, he does not let my hand go entirely; he holds my palm in his for a few moments, gives it a rub and squeezes my hand gently, as if reassuring leaves it.

"I will have to answer to a huge force of destruction if something happens to her, Take care of her." He addresses Princess Maria,

Maria simply raises her brow in question, then intertwines her arm with mine and turns around, with me behind her.

"Is Aiden like this all the time?" she asks.

I just purse my lips and smile sheepishly at her and she laughs in response.

I am really confused. Why steal me from Aiden? Whatever she wants to do, can't it be done in front of Aiden? My anxiety rises with curiosity. My beast reaches out and caresses my mind. She is tired of not being let out, but she understands the burden on our shoulders. The need for secrecy.

Is this the secret she was referring to? Does she know about me?

Maria keeps tugging me inside the castle, into a library. It is huge. Many books line the shelves, some of which appear to be quite old. I would not be surprised if there were books centuries old in this place.

She leaves my arm now and turns to look at me.

"Your beast is strong," she says.

"What?" I stutter as I choke at her words.

I am astounded by her statement. Even Aiden has failed to notice my beast's presence. With the supression shot and scent masking spray, no one could guess. I stand there in front of her, my mouth hanging open in shock.

"Oh, common. Whatever you are using to block it out is not really misleading me." She pauses and laughs. Looking into my eyes, she warns, "You will not be able to hide for long, Aurelia. It is almost time."

I wait for her to elaborate on her last words but she doesn't. Rather, she moves towards a table. A gift box sits on top of it.

She bends down and picks it up. She then drops her hands. The box remains levitating in the air. I stand there even more stunned. I had no idea faeries had magical abilities.

"We, the Fae, have our share of secrets." She gives me a wink before flicking the box in my direction.

The box flies through the air, coming to rest just a few centimetres from me. Within arm's reach. "This will help you, but do not open it here. You will be relieved that you did not open it here. Trust me."

She now gives me a friendly smile and walks towards the door. I am still trying to make sense of what she said.

"Aiden is not the most patient man. Now common, before he worries more."

I reach out my arms, grab the box, and turn to face her.

"Why? This box and the warm treatment." I pause, shrugging one shoulder, hoping she gets my meaning.

"Be patient, Aurelia, and remember that sometimes following your heart is worth taking the risk. Aiden's a good guy."

She flicks her hand again, and the door swings open. I try to calm down, still reeling from her words, and walk forward. She loops her arm with mine again, and we walk toward the party.

....................................

We arrive at the party soon. Aiden is standing there at the entrance. Anxious. His foot is tapping and he is looking around. Glancing back and forth. In front of him is the Fae king. He is talking, which keeps him busy.

"Here they are. See, we, the Fae, pose no harm, unlike the ones you signed a treaty with," the Fae king says to Aiden.

His lips were downturned in a sign of disapproval. Aiden sighs in response.

"You know it was a decision for peace. Many lives will be saved. Were, humans and vampires. this treaty will lead to more cooperation within the supernatural realm."

"Years of hatred won't go away with the signing of a treaty. Be alert and keep your eyes open. And remember to follow your heart, even when your mind opposes," the fae king says, now looking at me.

I frown in confusion. First, the princess. Now the king. Same words to both Aiden and me.

Aiden looks at me and lets out a sigh of relief. He then directs his gaze towards the gift box in my hands and looks at me in question.

"A gift from the fae princess, I mean Maria," I explain.

He then gazes at Maria, frowning at her.

"It's her first time visiting us; I had to give her a gift," Maria explains, dropping her shoulders and pouting.

Aiden just rolls his eyes and then nods at the gift.Aiden takes the gift box and hands it over to an attendant.

"It will be sent to your car, sire," the attendant says and walks away.

Now, Aiden turns back towards me, reaches towards my hand and intertwines his fingers with mine.

Today must be named the day of perpetual confusion. All the people around me are behaving strangely.

"Aiden, you must dance with lovely Aurelia now. The dance floor is open."

Just then, I look towards the dance floor to see people dancing. Maybe they started dancing when I was gone.

Aiden just nods and tugs me towards the dance floor. All this night, he has been silent—not even a word from him. Just gestures. He is more silent than usual.

As soon as we reach the dance floor, he leaves my hand, only to pull me towards him by my waist. His hands curled around my back while his other hand held mine in his. Fingers joined again.

He starts to sway, his gaze locked with mine. It's nothing complicated. Simple dance. Not like the one we had the other night. No turns. No passion. Just a gentle, slow dance.

As I looked into his eyes, I felt as if there was a mask in them. Like a wall stands between us. It felt as if he wanted to convey something but his touch did the job for him.

.............................

The remainder of the evening passes by. Aiden declines to stay for dinner, saying I have an early morning shift.

We walk towards the car but suddenly Aiden growls, his eyes flashing blue. His wolf is coming out. Hair starts to sprout from his neck. His breathing was agitated.

I try to calm him down, rubbing the back of his neck in a smoothing gesture. He looks at me with his wolf in his eyes.

My wolf reacts. I try to stop her but she comes forward, flashing in my eyes. Visible to Aiden.

Somehow, Aiden doesn't ask what he sees. He just gazes at me and then closes his eyes. Taking a deep breath, he opens them again.

Tension goes down a bit. His shoulders drop but he still stays stiff, not completely at ease. My wolf retreats back into my brain. That is strange.

"What's wrong, Aiden?" I ask, concerned.

"Our captive, he..."

........................................

Word Count: 1964

Yay! As promised, an extra chapter update as a celebration of sorts for the Platinum milestone in the challenge and... for crossing the 200 views mark.

I will be updating a chapter tomorrow too, as per my usual schedule of updating!

Now please vote, share, and comment, guys!

P.S. Why was Aiden so agitated?

And Why was Aurelia's beast behaving so strangely?