Hellbound Heart

"Where is Snow?" Elle asked Lucas as they walked along the corridor. She had forgotten to mention Snow to Sebastian a while ago!

When Lucas did not respond to her question, Elle paused and turned to look at him. She had a niggling feeling that something was not quite right. It was unusual for this man not to respond to her like this. Usually, when she asks him anything, he would respond quite immediately.

"Lucas? Where is Snow?" She asked him again.

The man's eyes darted sideways and then he slipped his hand inside his pocket before pulling his phone out. "Give me a moment, princess."

While he was making a call, Elle waited patiently. She had initially planned to tell Sebastian that she was planning to take Snow along with her. Apart from the fact that she was really missing her pet, she believed that taking Snow with her could also be another solid proof that she was truly leaving the castle for good. Leaving her beloved pet behind might make someone see it as a sign that their separation might be a farce, even though the divorce was real.

"We'll wait for Rion in the courtyard, Princess." Lucas said upon ending the call and then continued walking. However, there was no response about the matter of where Snow was at the moment.

After just a few minutes of waiting in the car, Elle saw Rion arrive. However, there was no Snow with him.

Elle got out of the car and Rion immediately bowed his head to her. Though he had yet to say anything, Elle could clearly feel that this was a bow of apology.

"Forgive me, princess, but... Snow has been missing." Rion reported apologetically. "We don't know how he managed to escape from his cage. But he's been missing ever since the night of your birthday party. We initially thought that he might have been hiding somewhere in the castle. But..." His words trailed off with a guilty look flashing across his face.

Wordless, Elle simply looked at him with a shocked look on her face.

"I've been searching for him since we realised that he was missing. I've tried to look for him in the forest as well but... I couldn't find even a trace of him." Rion added, looking so disappointed in himself. "I'm so sorry, princess."

Despite the worry and sadness Elle felt when receiving the news, she forced herself to smile. "I... I see. It's not your fault, Rion. I believe that Snow should be fine wherever he is right now. Maybe he had returned to his pack already. He should be alright since his wound has fully healed." Trying her best not to show her emotions, Elle then climbed into the car again.

She clearly knew and again reminded herself that wolves could not possibly be domesticated. Though Snow had been very different and seemed very tame, she thought that perhaps, the wolf was like that merely because of his injury. Still, she could not help but feel sad to part with him. She wished she could at least have hugged him one last time before he left.

Taking a deep breath, Elle told herself that it was alright because Snow might have felt really lonely being caged alone with no one to play with and entertain him. The wolf would be much happier now in the forest, running free, rather than being tied up.

"We have someone to continue keeping a lookout for him, princess. So please be rest assured that once he is found, I'll definitely inform you as soon as possible." Rion said as he climbed into the driver's seat.

Elle just nodded, thankful at how thoughtful the man was. "Thank you, Rion. Please tell them not to capture him if they do see him running free in the forest."

Rion whirled around in surprise. "Are you sure, Princess?" Rion knew how much the princess loved the wolf when it was still around.

"Yes," Elle looked out the window, staring longingly at the direction where Sebastian's study was situated. "As long as he's alright, I don't want them to capture him. He might want to be free again. That might be why he escaped. So, please tell them to let him be... all I want is to ensure that he's alright and is not hurt." A gentle yet rueful smile curled her lips.

A short silence followed her statement as Rion looked intently at Elle to identify that she was serious with her orders before he finally nodded. "I understand, Princess. I'll forward your message to them ASAP."

As the car left the Reigns castle, Elle continued staring out the window. Prince Kyle was again accompanying her along with Lucas. Only this time, there was the additional Rion that had tagged along as their driver.

Prince Kyle did not say anything to her apart from the small greeting nod he gave her while entering the car a while ago. She honestly did not mind the silence as she understood they must be on high alert. But for some reason, Elle felt a little bothered about something concerning Prince Kyle. She felt as though there was something off with his presence. Or perhaps it might be his aura?

She was not that certain, but she just felt like the air around Prince Kyle right now was a little heavy and... kind of darker. It was very much unlike the calm and light air that he had around him just yesterday.

Elle tried not to think too much into it and just told herself that perhaps, the prince might just be having a bad day today.

By the time the airport was finally visible in Elle's view, an insanely fast car zoomed past their car that was already travelling at a fast speed.

However, Elle did not feel worried when the car swerved dangerously in front of them because she thought that the driver must be Alexander. However, to her surprise, Rion cursed under his breath as if he was angry at the overtaking car. Did Rion not know about Alexander coming to get her?

She then looked at Prince Kyle and Lucas to get a better bearing. But the look on their faces had her unable to help but spiral into worry.

The next thing she knew, the deafening sound of screeching tires filled her ears.