Alpha's replacement bride is destined mate-Chapter 99 Strange Feelings

Klaus drove slowly towards the outskirts of the mall where Emily had mentioned meeting. He scanned the area but couldn’t spot Emily’s familiar figure. Feeling a growing unease in his chest, Klaus quickly dialed Emily’s cell phone, but after several consecutive calls, there was no answer. A sense of foreboding settled over him like a dense fog.

Without hesitation, he pushed open the car door and eagerly stepped into the bustling crowd, starting a meticulous search for Emily’s scent. Using his keen sense of smell, he followed the trail, step by step, deeper into the mall. The scent of Emily grew stronger in his memory, but simultaneously, the scent of another male werewolf seeped into his nostrils. Klaus froze, focused on trying to decipher the strange scent’s origin.

It was an aura of extreme cold, intertwined with the smell of blood, which, combined, was eerily reminiscent of something he had once smelled on the battlefield. The potent odor, like a heavy veil over Emily’s scent, forced him to halt his search. So, instead, he tried to locate Emily with his voice.

"Emily," Klaus called out, standing in the mall’s hallway, his voice echoing with anxiety and concern.

Suddenly, a dark figure flashed like a ghost, disappearing in an instant at the bottom of the stairs. Klaus’s heart lurched. Could it be Elijah? No, it couldn’t be. How could he be here? Just as he was about to give chase, Emily’s voice reached him like a heavenly beacon.

"Klaus."

Klaus whipped his head around to see Emily darting out of an open door in the corner and throwing herself into his arms.

Klaus gently cupped Emily’s face, scrutinizing her intently. After confirming her safety, he asked, "Why didn’t you answer the phone?"

"Sorry, my phone’s on silent, so I can’t hear the ringtone," Emily replied softly, a hint of apology in her tone.

Klaus frowned slightly and said sternly, "You’re not allowed to mute your phone anymore." He then glanced over Emily’s shoulder and inquired, "How did you manage to get out just now?"

"I wanted to go to the bathroom, but I accidentally wandered into the utility room," Emily slurred, her eyes drooping uncontrollably. This subtle change immediately aroused Klaus’s suspicions.

"Don’t lie to me," Klaus lifted Emily’s chin slightly, staring into her eyes. "Tell me, did you meet someone?"

"No," Emily shook her head vigorously, "I really just went to the wrong room."

Klaus peered intently at Emily, searching for any telltale signs in her eyes and expression. After being satisfied that she wasn’t lying, he slowly let go of her chin.

"Let’s go back," said Klaus, keeping a wary eye on his surroundings as they walked.

He trusted his instincts in this moment; they couldn’t be wrong.

When they returned to the hotel, Klaus escorted Emily to her room and said, "I’m going to talk to Mark about some business, so you can rest in your room first."

"Can I have Dolly accompany me?" Emily asked hesitantly.

"Of course, you can," Klaus replied, sounding irritated. "Don’t think of me as a control freak. I’ve never stopped you from making friends."

Upon hearing this answer, Emily smiled at Klaus and said, "Thank you."

Klaus stared at Emily, wondering if she was right, if sometimes his overbearing concern for her made her think she was in control. He didn’t want their relationship to become as formal as that of strangers.

Klaus was also trying to change himself, and he longed to have a heart-to-heart conversation with Emily about how they could improve their living arrangements, but now wasn’t the time to broach the subject. He still had pressing matters to attend to. 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

He sighed and replied to Emily, "You’re welcome."

After leaving Emily, Klaus strode quickly towards Mark’s room. Reaching the door, he raised his hand and knocked loudly. A few minutes later, the door creaked open, and Mark appeared in the doorway. His eyes were bloodshot, his face etched with exhaustion. Yawning lazily at Klaus, he stepped aside to let him in.

"What’s up?" Mark sat down on the sofa and reached for a cigarette from the case on the coffee table, placing it between his lips.

"Elijah is here," Klaus said, his voice deep and somber. Mark, with a cigarette in his mouth and a silver lighter in his hand, paused mid-action at the mention of Elijah’s name.

"What?" Mark hastily spat out the cigarette and stood up abruptly from the couch. "Are you sure?"

"Yes, I’m quite sure," Klaus replied, convinced by his instincts that the shadowy figure he’d spotted in the mall was indeed Elijah.

"So, what’s your plan?" Mark asked.

"Find him and kill him," Klaus said, his eyes blazing with murderous intent. He hadn’t anticipated encountering his old foe here, and now that Elijah was within reach, how could he let him escape unscathed?

Mark furrowed his brow, deep in thought. "Why would Elijah be in the Southern Capital at this time? Could it be that he has another agenda?"

"I don’t care what his motives are. I’ll kill him regardless," Klaus ordered. "Put our men on high alert and eliminate Elijah as soon as they spot him."

"Wait, Klaus," Mark said, his voice laden with gravity. "Don’t you wonder how Elijah managed to get to the South? He wouldn’t have come alone, and he certainly wasn’t smuggled in. The only logical explanation is that he entered the country with the king’s permission."

"You mean Elijah came south with King James’ blessing?" Klaus’s face darkened as he realized the complexity of the situation.

"Clearly, Elijah couldn’t wait to gain a foothold in the South after hearing we were coming," Mark analyzed. "And the fact that the Southern king allowed him entry indicates that he too seeks benefits from the West."

"That sly old fox," Klaus cursed. "He’s secretly conspiring with the West."

"Klaus, calm down," Mark advised. "We can’t afford to alienate the South until we understand their stance. Besides, they’re holding our spies."

Klaus sneered. "If we eliminate Elijah, won’t that solve our problems?"

"Elijah won’t make it easy for us to find him. He’s most likely under the protection of the Southern king, and we don’t have enough manpower to act rashly."

"And what do you suggest?" Klaus asked.

Mark didn’t speak; he took another cigarette from his cigarette case and lit it with a lighter. He smoked the cigarette while pondering.

Meanwhile, Klaus turned and grabbed a bottle of whisky from the cabinet, poured himself a glass, and both men composed themselves in their own ways.

After a few minutes, Mark exhaled a puff of white smoke and asked, "Where did you find Elijah?"

"In a mall," Klaus replied, sitting on the couch across from Mark, a bottle of whiskey on the table beside him.

"You go shopping at the mall?"

"No, I was going to pick up Emily. Emily told me she was waiting for me at a mall."

"And then?"

"Then I called Emily, but she didn’t answer. Just as I was trying to track Emily’s scent, I noticed that it was overshadowed by another." Before Klaus could finish, Mark interrupted.

"So, you smelled something different and assumed Elijah was in the South?"

"No, I saw a figure," Klaus said, his mind conjuring up the fleeting shadow. "My gut tells me that figure was Elijah. I’ve fought him on the battlefield, and I’m sure I’m not mistaken."

Mark took one last deep puff of his cigarette, extinguished it in the ashtray, and said with finality, "So, you found Elijah while you were looking for Emily. Do you think that’s a coincidence?"

"What do you mean?"

"You don’t think the wolf king of the West would be bored enough to go shopping alone in a mall and then accidentally be discovered by you, do you?" Mark looked at Klaus. "Elijah has always been cautious. How could he easily expose his tracks?"

"So you think I recognized the wrong person?" Klaus asked rhetorically.

"No," Mark shook his head. "As your Beta, I never doubt your instincts."

"So?"

"So, Elijah must be following someone, and that person happens to be in that mall," Mark calmly analyzed. "And the person you’re looking for is also in that mall. So he accidentally let you find out about him."

Klaus was lost in thought.Who, exactly, was Elijah stalking?The question continued to hover in his mind like an insoluble mystery.His eyes grew deep and intense, trying to find a thread in the confusion of his thoughts.

Mark looked at Klaus with a meaning gaze that seemed to contain innumerable speculations and questions."Is there a possibility that you were both looking for the same person, so you happened to meet each other."

Klaus frowned, and the expression of his face grew more and more grave.He was silent for a long time, and the air seemed to freeze around him.Time seemed to have grown incomparably longer at this moment, and only the sound of his heavy breathing resounded through the room.