Chapter 5

After leaving the prison, Elena went straight home with her parents.

Her mother Eleanor prepared her a warm bath. Elena sank herself into the water and cried for a long time.

Too many betrayals and shocks in such a short time. She just didn’t know what to do next. Her head was in such a huge mess. And she couldn’t even talk about it with her parents. What Cory asked her was so humiliating. She couldn’t even say it out of her mouth. And her father might try to murder Cory after hearing it. She didn’t want to risk her parents’ lives for that.

“Then what should we do now?” Nyla asked. “He will push us again, L. I assure you.”

“You tell me,” Elena cried, hugging herself in the water. “I’ve never thought he would do this to me…never…never….” She couldn’t even come up with a full sentence.

They went back to painful silence.

After about an hour, her mother knocked on the door and called her, “Are you finished, sweetie? Jasper is here. Your father wants you to meet him.”

Jasper was Cory’s Beta and best friend, kind of her best friend too. A month ago, he accompanied Cory to the Dragon’s land, which meant he knew about Cory and Lennie the whole time, but he kept it a secret from her.

Elena knew Cory must have ordered Jasper not to, still, she didn’t want to see him. She hated all of them.

“No,” she cried. “Ask him to leave. I don’t want to see him.”

“Your father invited him here, dear,” Eleanor explained to her gently. “We are trying to find out what happened at the Dragons. You want to join us?”

That was something she desperately needed. Elena sat up from the bathtub.

“Yes,” she yelled and then stepped out of the water while wiping her tears.

She didn’t even have the mood to dry her hair or do makeup, just wrapped herself into the bathrobe and went out of the bathroom.

Eleanor gave her a warm bear hug first, then led her to her father’s office downstairs.

Jasper was already there, sitting on the couch. Seeing Elena walk in with such a gaunt complexion, his heart was drowned by shame and guilt.

“L,” he stood up and apologized while staring at her. “I am sorry.”

Elena didn’t want to have any interaction with him. She was too tired and angry to do so. She leaned against her mother, placing her head on her shoulder, and sobbed. Eleanor patted her shoulder and then led her to another side of the room.

There was a comfortable longue under the window. They sat there together.

“Now you can tell me what exactly happened at the Dragons?”

Her father, Orion, was sitting on the couch opposite Jasper across the end table. He asked Jasper in a calm voice. Which helped Jasper feel less nervous.

“Please don’t tell Cory I told you this, Sir,” he swallowed. “He will get angry.”

Orion frowned, “He had the guts to do it, then he should have the guts to bear the consequences too.”

Jasper swallowed again, but he started to talk, “I don’t really know what happened either. I swear. It’s just…on the first day we arrived at Dragons, some male dragons invited us to a club. We saw Lennie there and her friends. Those dragons told us that Lennie is their most precious princess, but she is extremely picky with men; No one had ever successfully asked her out for a date. Cory observed Lennie and said, ‘She doesn't seem that difficult to me.’ Those dragons then dared him to go after Lennie. Cory took the bet and went talking to Lennie… and then…”

“And then what?!” Elena asked from the other side of the room. Her eyes were filled with angry tears.

Jasper pressed his lips uneasily, but he went on with his confession, “That night, I came back to the hotel alone.”

That was basically saying Cory had hooked up with that dragon princess on the very first day he got to the dragon land. Elena couldn’t believe her ears.

Though she had seen Cory’s selfishness and betrayals, all the time, deep inside, she was still trying to find him an excuse. She thought it might be because his father had pushed him, or the dragon Alpha demanded him. She even thought it was because Lennie had applied some kind of spell or potion on him. Dragons are said to be good at that. She never thought it was Cory who made the first move.

“You are lying!!!” She stood up and stormed in front of Jasper. “Cory could never have done that!! He is not that kind of person!!!”

“It must be those dragons!” She raised her voice, eyes turning red because of rage. “They must have slipped some pills into his drink. They must have d/rugged him!! It was a set-up! Cory wouldn’t have done it on his own will!! He is faithful to me!! He loves me!!”

Jasper swallowed again. Now his gazes on Elena were filled with pity.

“Cory indeed loves you, L. I am not saying he doesn’t. It’s just…”

“Just what?!” Elena asked.

“Well,” Jasper pressed his lips hesitantly, then said, “he always admires the dragons’ lifestyle.”

Elena couldn’t understand. “Why do you mean?” she asked. “What about the dragon's lifestyle?”

Jasper cast an inquiring look at Elena’s father. Orion let out a heavy sigh. It was a painful YES.

Jasper went on, “I am talking about the harem, L. You must have heard it. The Kings of Dragons are allowed to have more than one wife. I heard Alpha Aubrey has at least 30 women in his harem. And he replaced them regularly.”

Elena thought she must have heard it wrong. Jasper quickly explained, “I am not saying that Cory wants to sleep with 30 women altogether, L. He is not like that. You know it. It’s just…he once told me, that’s what a king should be like, entitled to all kinds of stuff the others can’t. If he couldn’t have a different life from all others, then there would be no point in being the King. That’s what he always wants.”

“No,” Elena murmured. Her body started shaking.

What Jasper had just said was all too new for her to process. She refused to believe that the man she had been in love with since she was 12, had been dreaming of a whole different kind of life with her all the time.

He had promised she was the only one he could ever love. He had sworn she was the only love of his life numerous times in her ears. No one could ever fake that good. And no one could have faked that for 7 years.

Jasper must be lying. They all were. They all thought she was stupid. They all wanted to break her up with Cory.

Cory couldn’t be that deceptive and cruel. And she couldn’t be that blind and have noticed nothing all the time.

It was just not true. She refused to believe it was the truth.

“Liars!” She screamed, tears rolling down from her hysterical eyes. “You are all liars!!! It’s not true…It can’t be true!!!”

Eleanor walked up and tried to give her a hug. But Elena didn’t let her. She and her husband had vaguely figured out what was happening once they saw Cory with that dragon girl-Cory seemed to be genuinely fulfilled with that girl.

It wasn’t about l/ust or desire, at least that wasn’t the only reason. Cory was aiming for something bigger. It was more about vanity and power. He wanted to be at the top of the world. And he wanted all of it.

“Sweetie, please listen to me,” Eleanor begged regretfully. She and her husband had thought once Elena found out who Cory truly was, she would get over him more easily. But she forgot that lies and greed were only common among adults. Elena had already turned 19, but she was still living in her fairy-tale world, where her prince charming was the most perfect guy in the world and she would live with him happily ever after.

“You are all liars,” she said. “You are all lying to me. Cory’s not like that. Cory loves me. He only wants me. I am his mate, his true love!!! He wants nothing other than me!!”

“Sweetie, Listen-”

“No! No! No! No! No! No! No!” She screamed and ran out of the office, storming towards the front door.

She wanted to find Cory. She wanted to confront him. She was going to question him if he had ever lied to her or not. And she was going to clear it all up.

All those things, the dragon, the cheat, the prison, including that Lennie girl must just be some kind of misunderstanding. She might just be having a nightmare. None of those things had ever happened for real. She was just hallucinating. Once she found Cory and talked with him, everything would be back on the right track.

She would find Lennie had never existed. And she would marry Cory as she was supposed to. She would be his only wife. They would have their own home and live happily ever after.

Yanking the door open, Elena didn’t even realize she was still in her bathrobe and she wasn’t wearing any shoes.

But outside on the porch there he was, her prince. Cory was standing there, just about to knock on the door.

“Cory…” she froze on the spot and tears just streamed down from the corners of her eyes.

Cory was surprised to see her like that. But he knew too well how to make her feel comfortable and happy.

“Hi, baby,” he took a step forward and pulled her into his embrace, and then stroked her back gently while whispering in her ear, “I am right here for you. Don’t worry. There’s nothing for you to worry about.”