119 Chapter 118: My little wolf

She was feeling beautiful in the dress. Unlike the other day at the party, this time, she was confident in her skin. Elize found that after her shift, things had changed in her- not just her body, but her level of confidence skyrocketed too. When Irina and Lloyd told her their plan for tonight, she was quite shocked and impressed at the same time. Her friends had come up with a plan to clear her name. Although the news of her killing a human boy hadn't spread much, it was gaining popularity at lightning speed. The two wanted to curb the negative influences of the rumor to its maximum, and hence their plan. 

It was Lloyd who suggested that if she publicly announced it from her perspective, then the damage would be less and people would even sympathize with her. After all, it was not unknown for wolves who shifted earlier to get out of control. Currently, the rumor had spread in a way that accused Elize of consciously murdering someone. Since she was the Chosen One, the school administration took a keen interest in the case, letting the Kelpie throw a party at his place for the purpose. Although Elize was slightly disappointed at the fact that the initiative was not altogether from Lloyd's part, she tried her best not to let it bother her. She didn't even know why it was popping up in her head constantly. After all, the kelpie was only doing this for her good.

"Ahh, darling!" Lloyd exclaimed, coming towards her with his arms wide open, "You look absolutely delicious. I want to bite you." He whispered, leaning in.

Elize laughed at the statement. "Thank you, and please don't." She said, playfully pushing him away. 

She twirled and twirled until she reached Agatha. For some reason, she felt quite happy tonight. Zack was supposed to come home, and she was getting a lavish birthday party thrown for her. Administration's initiative or not, she was planning on having fun. She grabbed Agatha's hand and twirled her around too. The girls' laughter echoed in the prince's guest bedroom. Lloyd watched them play with a warm smile adorning his face.

"I want to sign up for this puberty hit too. You're a hundred out of ten right now- if that's even possible." Agatha said, beaming. 

Elize laughed, shaking her head. Feeling her head spin from all the twirling, she sat down on the edge of the bed, right next to the kelpie.

"It's not puberty darling, it's wolf hormones," Lloyd said, looking appreciatively at Elize. 

Agatha cleared her throat, giving her a suspicious look. Elize got up from the bed and walked towards the door, ignoring the witch. Lloyd was standing on the balcony, leaning against the railing, gazing at the decorated hall downstairs. As she walked towards him, she could hear the murmur of the guests downstairs. She looked at the setting in awe, standing next to him. 

The decoration was beyond breathtaking. There were wreaths of flowers and wild vines hanging from the ceiling, with fairy lights woven through them. All the furniture on the lower floor was removed to make space for the guests. The couch that she had slept on a few days ago was now nowhere to be seen. Guards were standing on every entrance and exit, with many standing guard to the door to the garden where the Zouyu was sleeping peacefully. There were magical orbs of different colors floating through the air, adding much funk to the decor. She could see that the hall was already filled with guests- way too many guests.

"I don't think that I know half the people out there." She said, casting an accusatory glance at Lloyd.

"Too chicken to address a few students darling?" Lloyd teased, poking her arm.

Elize stuck her tongue out at him. She turned to Agatha for support.

"Don't you think that all this is a bit too much?" She asked, raising her brows.

Although she had agreed to the event, she didn't know that so many people would turn up tonight. It made her feel slightly overwhelmed. She was never good at dealing with crowds. But Nina had talked her into it, saying that now that she'd turned, she had to start preparing to be the next Luna, which meant that she had to overcome her fear of being in the spotlight. The she-wolf had said that, as soon as they found a good time, they were planning on making it official. 

Agatha shook her head, looking at the scene appreciatively. "This is perfect." She said with a happy sigh. "The last party was horrible. I'd like to enjoy this one." 

"Traitor." Elize accused, pouting in protest.

Suddenly she heard footsteps approaching. Elize turned towards her right with a smile, recognizing the sound. Although it has been only three days since her shift, she was able to recognize the footsteps and breathing patterns of all her friends without having to confirm it visually. No one could sneak up on her anymore without getting flipped on to their back. Agatha had fallen prey to her quick reflexes at least thrice so far, much to the witch's annoyance. 

"Oh boy! There you are- you gorgeous person!." Nina exclaimed, grabbing her hands with a huge smile on her face. Looking around in awe, she remarked, "Zack's going to be soo jealous when he sees this." 

Elize chuckled, shaking her head. Her smile quickly faded as a slight pain started building in the depths of her heart. Her instincts were screaming at her to run around in her wolf form, searching for Zack. But she was able to keep it well under control, seeing that nobody was talking inside her head. The yearning for her mate was becoming more excruciating by the second. If it was not for her friends keeping her in check, she would have run around like a mad wolf, she thought to herself.

"Why isn't he here yet?" Elize asked, casting her glance towards the door longingly. 

"What are you guys waiting for?" Irina asked, suddenly appearing out of nowhere. 

Elize jumped back, startled. She was caught efficiently by the strong arms of a certain prince, landing in an awkward position. If there was one thing that put her wolf senses on the edge, it was teleportation. Since she couldn't hear footsteps, heartbeats, or even breathing of a person before they appeared out of thin air, teleportation was like a blindside to her new self. And her wolf instincts certainly didn't appreciate surprises. 

"Irina, please stop doing that," Elize complained, detaching herself from the Kelpie. 

Irina chuckled, shaking her head. "Come now, it's getting late. Your birthday would be over in exactly one hour."

"Are you sure about this?" Agatha suddenly asked, raising her brow at Lloyd.

"Quite sure. This is the only way to turn things around." Lloyd said, nodding his head. "Irina is right. We should get this started." Putting on a blindingly charming smile, he extended his hand to Elize, saying, "Come little wolf, let's put on a good show." 

Elize looked at his hand and then back at his face. A smile slowly spread on her face as she took his hand. She didn't know whether it was the heat of his palm or the smile on his face that warmed her heart, slowly easing the pain inside her. Lloyd had been such a good friend all along. After her memories of that night came back, she remembered the kind look on his face as he had approached her shocked wolf.

He was not wary around her, even after his eyes had spotted the corpse lying behind her. He was not disgusted at the blood that covered her fur. He was even brave enough to coax the wild side of her to let him hold her in his arms as he slowly lulled her to sleep. Her perception of the kelpie had taken a three-sixty degree turn after everything that he had done for her. Indeed, Lloyd was a good friend to her, and her wolf instincts were never on an edge when she was around him, unlike most of her other friends. Instead, she felt reassured when he was around. 

The group moved forward, with Lloyd and Elize at the head. As they descended the stairs, there were gasps of surprise and awe from all around. Her supernatural hearing picked up a few compliments as well as a few curses- all directed at her for holding the prince's hand. She didn't let that bother her. Although in the morning she had thought that being spotted with the Kelpie was like declaring war with the female section of the academy, she didn't mind it anymore. This was her night, and he was her friend. No matter who told her what, she would never give up the joy of being next to him, Elize thought to herself. And if necessary, she was willing to fight for it. 

"Everyone, please gather around," Lloyd announced, stopping at the wide platform in the middle of the stairs. There was a small table with tall glasses of champagne towards his left. Handing her a glass, he took one for himself. Turning towards the crowd, he said, "Tonight is a very special night for me. My little wolf turned eighteen today."

"Congratulations."

"Congrats!"

Elize smiled back at the crowd politely, as the congratulatory shouts filled the air. 

"I'm not so little." She murmured under her breath.

"You are to me," Lloyd said, turning to her with a wink.

"Ehm. Ehm." Irina cleared the throat, reminding them of the watchful eyes. 

Lloyd laughed, turning back to the crowd, "So tonight, I want you all to have the best time of your life and welcome my little wolf into our big world. This is a new beginning for her, as she learns to take her first steps as a wolf." He turned to look at Elize lovingly, and continued, "As your prince and as your future king, I raise my glass to this beautiful girl standing right next to me. Happy birthday, darling."

"Thank you, Lloyd," Elize replied with a huge smile, clinking her glass with his.

"Cheers! Let the party begin!" Lloyd announced, downing the champagne in one gulp. 

"Cheers!" The crowd replied in unison, raising their glasses in the ai