CHAPTER 5

Stepping into the wide open ground full of countless people chattering here and there with the others inside listening to Hope's father's speech. Her eyes searched the entire field, looking around for Ronan who didn't seem to be in sight. Instead, she spotted his elder sister talking to other women her age, laughing softly and whispering under their breath. Despite being six years older than Ronan was, she almost looked his age with youthful skin and stunning bright golden locks of hair. Hope immediately walked towards Rosette, failing to hold back a smile as she was a very sweet woman with two kids of her own, hardly ten years of age. "Rosette." Hope chimed, instantly grabbing her attention as she shifted her brown gaze towards Hope who grinned the moment their eyes met. "Oh Hope." She smiled brightly. "Congratulations on becoming alpha. I'm sure you'll be a great leader, Hope." She nodded to her own words as the woman beside her smiled back to Hope. "Thank you." Hope bowed slightly before glancing around. "Did you see Ronan by any chance?" She asked and Rosette instantly frowned and glanced away uncomfortably. Hope's grin slowly faded into a frown as she saw Rosettes uncomfortable gaze. "I saw him enter the mansion some minutes ago." One of the other woman chimed out only to have Rosette shove her elbow into her waist, causing her to flinch. "Oh, thank you-" "He's... He's probably busy with all the men that are congratulating him." Rosette chuckled out awkwardly as she shoved some loose strands to her ear. "He'll be free a few hours from now, then I can tell him to find you." "Okay." Hope smiled out and bowed slightly. "Tell him I'm going to be in my room." She chuckled before turning and walking towards the mansion. She clearly wasn't going to just let Rosette's awkwardness get past her. It was clear as broad daylight that she was hiding Ronan from her for an odd reason and she was yet to find out. Either he was angry that his wife was stronger than he was or he was up to something. The moment she stepped into the mansion, she closed the large heavy black coffee colored doors to block Rosettes view of her before running into the large hall way. "Found him yet?" Harley suddenly jumped from living room and into the hallway where he gazed down to Hope who shook her head. Her thick curls bouncing with the slightest movement. "Rosette really didn't want me looking for him right now because he's 'busy' with some men that are congratulating him." She mimicked as she waved her hands slightly similar to what Rosette was doing. "I think he's either really mad that his wife had to become alpha and he didn't, or he's up to something." "Something like what?" Harley asked as Hope began to walk forward, letting him walk beside him to keep pace and view her face. "Maybe a surprise for me, something, I don't know. I'm just so excited all of a sudden. An anxious." She giggled and bit onto her lower lip as she peeped into the next door being the kitchen. He wasn't in the kitchen clearly, just a few chiefs here and there preparing more food for the feast at the dining hall and for all the others scattered around the mansion as well. "A surprise?" Harley chuckled out as he watched Hope cross the floors and peep into countless rooms. Like a child looking desperately for her hidden gifts with a grin spread on her face. "Ronan isn't the kind to give surprises. The last surprise I know from him was him announcing he marked you. I mean, that was a sure shock to me, do you know he was he least person I thought of that would actually be your mate and Ronan wasn't the guy. He does this weird this with his left eye that he can let the right one sit still while rotating the other one. Does he know how creepy that is?" Harley chuckled only to have Hope stop from running around and stared at him with furrowed brows. "You like that eye thing he does?" "I think it's pretty cool." She chuckled with a shrug of her shoulders as she continued her restless search. "Just because you can't do it doesn't mean it's creepy. "It still is. He used to threaten me with it when we were young." He sighed out as he crossed his arms to his chest. "I kept having nightmares about it every single night." "You were such a cry baby." Hope laughed out as she stood in front of him and grinned out. "You used to cry way more than me and I had to be your shoulder to cry on." She laughed out. "Well... I really was a crybaby wasn't I...?" He chuckled and she smiled out with a wink. "A crybaby that became my best friend." She chuckled out and bit onto her lower lip as he glanced to the ground, flushed. "We need to split up to find him before he hides my surprise. You take north and I'll take south. Good luck, text me when you find him!" She grinned as she waved her hand at him, getting him to sigh out heavily. "Alright." He chuckled and turned to his side. A slight frown made its way to his lips as he walked over to the flight of stairs. Hope giggled as she walked down the stairs at the end of the hallway that led to countless spare room and luxurious bathrooms. She began to check each door, clicking and twisting the handles, most of which seemed locked, but she still went on. As she was about to reach to grab the handle of the tenth door she's tried to open since, Roman's voice could be heard behind the door in mummers, but she could tell it was his voice. A grin spread from ear to ear as she grabbed the handle from excitement only to have it die down almost instantly when a woman's voice filled her eyes. She was laughing only to replace it with soft moans from them both. She twisted the knob and opened the door as her heart thud in her chest from the terror building inside her stomach. The sick feeling of fear. She opened the door fully only to gasp loudly at the sight before her. "Ronan...."