Calhoun had a calm expression. He wouldn't want to do anything that could alert any of his enemies. Now that he had woken up, he only needed one thing, and that was to find Diana.
That was his only goal. He had sent so many letters to the same address in Sunshine town and he hoped that she had received them. He did let her know that he knew where she was although he didn't. But he hoped that she would assume he knew and would perhaps out of fear, return to him.
He strolled into his chamber, the vial was still in his hand. There was something off about the way things felt. It was as if he knew something bad was about to happen, but he still had this peace, as if something good will come out of it. He hoped that something good came out of it. If not, he couldn't promise anyone to still be alive.
He took the vial to his lips and sipped the liquid. It was bitter. He smiled. How he loved the taste. He gulped down the remaining ones. His eyes came back to life, the glowing green shone brighter than ever. His fangs were protruding from his mouth and he could almost taste blood.
Where was George anyway? Didn't he ask the man to bring him, Patricia? And what was Thomas telling him about Simon being Patricia's father?
Calhoun knew that his enemies knew who his friends were. If he wanted to beat them at their own game, he had to feign an impression of belief in them. He had been too sloppy before, nearly thoroughly trusting Patricia and she almost got him done.
Now he understood fairer. He wasn't going to trust her, he would just feign to. Well, not her anyway. She had to go in for her offenses. However, the following person that would attend to him would be under his vigilant watch.
Speaking of vigilant watches, he hadn't looked above his kingdom for three weeks. He had been training the soldiers. Hm, the soldiers.
How well did they make it through the war? He desired that they were competent to do much, and if they hadn't, he was going to penalize them for it.
How could they be so ineffective to allow simple Thomas to kill Yara? Did that also mean that his so-called father-in-law would come to be an alpha? Would that be something Diana would love to yield for?
Perhaps he could make the blood pack an underling of the Wisteria pack and then he could make Thomas the alpha. That way, he could still know what was going on there.
That would be for later. He couldn't make any single misstep. If anyone of his adversaries found out what he intended to do, it could cause a massive hazard in his schemes and then it would go awry.
He was feeling too active. Perhaps there was something far more alarming than what they had told him which they were concealing from him. He could just stroll out. But first, he needed to have his bath and change out of his sleepwear. He needed to dress like he was about to be crowned king again.
He recalled the day he was crowned king. Nobody had been in approval. By nobody, he meant his relatives. The Towners didn't tally. They didn't have an option as to who would rule them. They could only obey what he mandated. Calhoun knew very well that times were altering and everyone was slowly coming to be more educated and open-minded.
That also meant that his rule was bound to come to a fate. He didn't care, all he cared for was to ultimately get the woman he had grown to hold dear. If he got her and somehow, she managed to have a child for him as anticipated, he was going to ultimately be complete. The love that was missing in his life would finally return.
He went in to have his bath. He soaked his body in the water, savoring the warmth as it spread across his entire body, making him feel more thirst for blood. He smiled widely, displaying his sharp teeth.
Calhoun soaked for thirty minutes and then he emerged from the water, feeling revived and active. He went into his wardrobe and put on a blue shirt and a darker shade of blue trousers.
He took out his royal robe and wore it over his outfit. His robe was pure black and seemed to gleam in the light. He matched them with black pair of shoes. He took a comb and styled his hair for the first time in years.
Calhoun wasn't someone who was distinct about his looks. So long as he gave off the cruel king's ambiance, he didn't mind. So long as he intimidated people and made them shiver in terror, he was pleased. But now, he combed his hair and styled it suitably.
He applied gloss to his lips. Flawless. Now he looked like a sweet man who was off to catch his woman. Nobody would even presume him to be a predator on the hunt for prey... Particularly one to devour. He grinned even wider.
Once he came out to the outer room of his chamber, he found George and Patricia standing awkwardly, a few feet away from each other. Calhoun stared from person to person, wondering what they were doing in his chamber, and how they got in so quietly. His eyes narrowed barely.
"Patricia." He called. Patricia bowed her head, putting her gaze on the floor. She didn't dare stare into his eyes, she was frightened.
"How sneaky of you," Calhoun said, humming.
Patricia lifted her gaze in defiance. "My king, I did nothing!"
"How fast you are to safeguard yourself, a quality of the blameworthy," Calhoun said. "I was simply directing to how you didn't bother to check up on me. Did you not hear that I came around?"
Patricia could feel flustered. Perhaps she had misplayed her role. She was merely supposed to behave smart and she had made a few missteps. But they were deplorable missteps. The sort that could impact every other step she had taken. How did she not plan this well?
"Oh, my king! Since the day you passed out, I was retained in the dungeon and when I was finally released, I was ordered to stay away from your chamber." Patricia cried out, dropping to her knees. Calhoun gazed into her eyes. She could tell that he wasn't convinced.
Calhoun wanted to make her baffled as to whether he is convinced by her or not. And for someone like Patricia, it was very effortless to do that. He would just let her see his mocking mistrust in his eyes while he would convey his belief.
"It's alright, I believe you." He said. George gaped in amazement. Patricia was delighted but she couldn't help the sense that inhabited deep in her stomach, unsettling her whole being.
He had just said he believed her, nonetheless, his eyes disparaged her. Should she jubilate? Should she perhaps try to persuade him all the more but in a subtle way?
"My king-"
"You know I find it hard to understand what happened that day." Calhoun unexpectedly said, turning around so quickly. George and Patricia conveyed a peek. What was wrong with the king now?
"I remember feeling the slight pain in my chest and I asked for my special wine," Calhoun said. "It's weird for me to be served any means without wine. It kinda feels like it's a planned thing."
He stroked his chin, humming deeply. "Almost as if you weren't alone in the kitchen."
"I would never suspect you," Calhoun said, turning swiftly to clasp Patricia's chin, raising it just so that her gaze could be on him.
"At least not without making sure there isn't anyone else to suspect."
Patricia shivered. His eyes looked scarier than they used to and she could feel the love she had for him, morph into fear, thorough and utter fear.
Calhoun stared intensely into her eyes and he read her emotions so easily. The girl had so much guilt weighing on her. He smirked. She did know something about the incident and she must feel guilty because she was the one to feed him the poison.
"I heard I won't be able to wolf out for a long time. A month or two." He suddenly said, changing the subject. "I sincerely hope that there will be no attacks or at least, no major ones on the kingdom until I can wolf out."
"Or maybe you both will have to get ready to defend Wisteria if such happens."
"Right?" His smile was terrifying. George couldn't understand what had changed about Calhoun but he didn't like it. He didn't like that it made him afraid and there was a chance that he would never be able to understand what he had changed too.
However, he could not rule out the possibility that the man was traumatized and might be running crazy. That thought calmed him down. A crazy Calhoun who cannot wolf out was just like a regular omega wolf. No matter how driven by anger and hatred they were, they could still be beaten by anyone else.
Calhoun finally let go of her chin. He turned left and right, a serious expression plastered on his face.
"Hm, I love this welcome party. But I want to make certain that my kingdom is in good shape."
"You can leave." He said. The two of them bowed and left him alone. Calhoun did not remain in his room, he followed them out. From the moment he left his chamber, he could sniff the aroma of the food being prepared in the kitchen. He was hungry, but he wasn't trusting anything that came from that kitchen anymore.
Silently, he walked towards the kitchen and stopped at the entrance, watching the woman who made the meal. She wasn't a servant in the castle and she wasn't using any items that had been in the castle, she had bought ingredients from outside and used them to cook.
He watched her for a while, the woman was incognizant of his presence and went about, making the food. She had finished preparing the food and dished it into the plate, put it in a tray with cutleries, and was about to come out.
"I don't eat without wine." Calhoun suddenly said, jolting the woman in fright. He chuckled. "I meant to scare you, so not sorry."
The woman smiled. "It's so good to have you awake, my king. I think the entire Wisteria ought to celebrate you in a banquet."
Calhoun stared expressionlessly. "Banquet? Hm. I never thought about that. That's brilliant!"
"Thank you." She said, smiling shyly. "Where would you like to eat? In the dining room?"
"Yes please," Calhoun said. He turned abruptly and headed to the dining, leaving the woman alone there. The woman didn't hesitate to follow Calhoun behind. She didn't want to be accused of doing anything against the king. She had been afraid when her husband came and told her that she had to prepare something delicious and sumptuous for the king to eat.
Calhoun was approaching the dining room when he heard whispers. He slowed his steps down and waited. When the woman caught up with him, he urged her to go on.
"Are you okay my king?" She asked.
"Yes. Go on, serve the meal at the table. I just want to make a little detour. I will be back shortly." Calhoun answered. The woman offered him a smile and left.
Calhoun stood there, listening as she went through. The whispering stopped when she entered the room, but then it continued again.
"Felix, what's the matter?"
"It's nothing darling, I hope you made the food with the ingredients you bought?"
"Yes, I did." She answered. "I heard you say something about you feeling so human, what's the matter?"
"It's nothing, darling. You can go now." He said. "Evander and I will just sit and await the king."
"Okay. He said he was going to make a detour. I'm going outside to grab a few more ingredients. I suggested to the king to throw a banquet to celebrate his waking up."
"That's good of you. Hurry now so you shan't be late." Felix said.
There was silence until the woman had left, then the whispering continued again.
"So you mean to tell me that when you sat on the king's throne, someone chained you with a special metal that had affected your wolf?"
"Exactly, Evan. And my guess is Simon."
"Come on, he said it was a joke. Besides, he's dead. Even if it was him, there's nothing he can do about it now." Evander said.
"Why would anyone do such a thing to me?" Felix wondered aloud.
"Why would you sit on my throne?" Calhoun asked, interrupting their discussion. "What were you expecting? A warm welcome?"