Over the days, Elijah figured out the place of where the curse begin, the place where Stephan Sven had taken Alexandria's powers. It wasn't in their estate, but the court, where his throne was a hundred years ago.

"Grandfather was frustrated with her during the time, and he didn't want her to take the throne, but at the end of the day, she was going to," Elijah explained to me while pacing back and forth and recalling the past he had nearly forgotten. "She was the first one in line. The court couldn't give it to anyone but her."

"So, instead, he took away her magic?"

"Most of it," He slipped his hand under his chin and then shrugged. "Or maybe all of it. I haven't seen my mother practice any sort of magic since then. She made every one do the work for her and for the longest time, I thought it was simply because she was lazy and weak to do any magic."

I bit the inside of my cheek. Alexandria was the greatest queen we all knew about. She ruled with an iron fist, and kept everything in order.

"We'll need to be in the throne room to break the curse."

Callan nodded, his face drawn with concern. "The throne room is heavily guarded, and getting in there without being noticed will be like trying to sneak a herd of elephants past a sleeping cat."

I chuckled at the sound of it and then lined my lips straight. "There should be a way, shouldn't it?" I glanced at either of them. "We just need to be in there for a few minutes—it will only take a few minutes and the link to the curse will break."

"I'll figure out a way."

"We should." I concluded.

We planned out the last few details, on what needed to be done in order to break the curse before the anniversary of the gone king. It was a daring mission, one that was going against the court and the queen. She could kill us for it, especially me. Probably me.

The only part that remained uncertain was the blood of the last marked one, whose name Elijah still didn't share with me. The thought of being connected to a serial killer was meant to sent shivers down my spine, but how could I be terrified when everyone in this room had killed someone or the other.

I stood near to the balcony, letting the evening breeze brush over my face and hair. As I gazed at the horizon, I noticed the dark clouds brewing in the distance, threatening a storm over the next few days. The skies reflected the emotions swirling within me, a mix of fear, excitement and uncertainty.

The wind picked up, rustling the leaves of the trees in the woods outside. I remained lost in my thoughts for several minutes until Callan approached me. His presence a warm comfort amidst all the chaos.

He leaned against the balcony railing beside me, and asked, "Are you alright?"

"I don't know. It feels like I'm walking on a tightrope, and one misstep could send me spiraling into chaos." I responded while staring at the skies.

He looped his arm around me, and pulled me closer to himself. "It will be okay. It's only a matter of a few weeks more—"

I interrupted him before he could finished and asked, "Can you take me to my mother? Even if it's just for a few minutes."

Callan grew silent for a moment, and then nodded, "Not tonight, but maybe tomorrow in the evening. I'll have to return to court and keep up with my presence there. Otherwise, the queen's going to know there's something wrong."

I agreed with him, "You should."

He had told me about what she wanted—to capture me alive and bring me to her.

His hand slipped behind my back and he leaned in closer. "Is there something else you want while I'm gone?"

"No," I shook my head and trailed my hand down his chest. "Just be careful. I wouldn't want her to do anything to you."

"She can't reach me." He smiled, showing me his sharp canines.

Callan and Dion soon returned to court to keep up with their appearances and also to figure out a way into the throne room. Meanwhile, I stayed here, away from all of it, in secrecy, with Elijah.

The only thing that kept me going was my mother and the thought of seeing her tomorrow in the evening. I hoped I could.

Taking the last inhale of the stormy air, I stepped back and turned to leave the balcony. It was getting awfully quiet inside here, but it wasn't like I had any other option but to stay here.

Behind, I found Elijah, near the doorway.

"Stalking me again?"

"In your dreams," His gaze spread over me before he continued, "Wear something nice and come down."

"Why?"

"Because I said so."

My brows furrowed, "I thought I couldn't leave from here." I reminded him, of his own words.

"I changed my mind. I feel suffocated with you."

"Oh, am I that breathtaking? I'll try to be less stunning next time." My mouth curled into a cruel grin as I rolled my eyes at him.

Elijah smirked, clearly amused by. "You're insufferable," he said, shaking his head in mock exasperation. "But tonight, you can come with me. We'll leave the city, and it would be good, for both of us, to get out for a while. Just be on your best behaviour, alright?"

I raised an eyebrow, intrigued by the sudden change of plans. "Are you sure about that? Isn't your mother going to trail us?"

"No magic can trail us. Neither can any of my mother wolves as your scent is concealed after you had taken Dion's mark. Where we're going, no will recognize you, or even me."

He turned around and left after that. The silence grew quiet inside the room as I began to shuffle between my clothes, finding something nice to wear. I settled on a dark pink dress that I could find deep inside the duffle bag, the fabric was velvet with a deep neck. It was one of the dresses I remembered bringing from home and taking it to court.

It had been a while since I had dressed up for an occasion. The last one, the mating one, was weeks ago, and dress I wore was trashed after it was soaked in my blood.

My spirits lifted as I stepped down the stairs and found Elijah waiting for me at the bottom. He looked presentable. The ragged part was simply his personality. Some thing's couldn't be changed.

"Where are you going to take me?" I asked while sitting inside the car.

The engine made a loud, cackling sound before Elijah drove away. "Somewhere. Are you getting scared?"

I scoffed and slipped my hand underneath my chin before looking outside. The skies were growing darker and there was light rain all over. "You should be more worried about me causing trouble, not getting scared."

Elijah laughed, a sound that was surprisingly comforting in the growing darkness. "I'll take my chances," he said with a grin. "Besides, I think you'll like where we are going."

We drove in silence for a while, the rain tapping gently against the car windows, creating a soothing rhythm. The city slowly disappeared behind us, and we found ourselves on a winding road, surrounded by a dense forest. He drove for few more miles and I enjoyed the quietness, and listening to the sound of the wind whistling outside and the rain pouring from the skies.

A short while later, we entered a rural town. The town was small and charming, with cobblestone streets weaving like ribbons between quaint buildings, which stood huddled together like old friends sharing secrets. Gas lanterns lit up the streets as Elijah drove through them for another minute or so before stopping near an entrance.

"What is this?" I looked ahead at the gates that were wrapped with vines and flowers, giving off an air of enhancement and mystery.

"This," Elijah said, a hint of excitement covering his voice. "It's the entrance to the Midnight Garden. If you have roamed with mortals, you must know about the stoner spots."

"You bought me here to get high?" My eyes widened and I dashed my head around.

"Yes, and no. They don't sell drugs, but it's a place where flowers bloom under the moonlight and these flowers have aphrodisiac properties, and they are intoxicating," He stepped out of the car without a warning and killed the engine. My lips parted and I hurried out with him. His arms spread in the air, "I was losing my mind in there and I need something to relax. I thought you might need it too. So, welcome to the Midnight Garden."

A deep breath fled my throat, "What if someone finds out about me?"

"There's no one here that knows my mother, or you. Don't worry—"

"Callan will kill me if gets to know that I got high."

Elijah's finger went over my mouth, and he silenced me. "What he doesn't knows isn't going to harm him. Neither of them are going to return until tomorrow morning. We've plenty of time to get high and regain sobriety before anyone has to see us."

"But I haven't done anything as this before—"

"Okay, princess, wrap it up," He interjected with a teasing smirk. "You've faced my mother, and gotten stabbed but you're nervous about some enchanting flowers? Trust me, you'll be fine. You might even enjoy it a little."

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