Easton rushed in the shower so he wouldn't leave Noelle unattended for too long. Yes, they were in the same room, but he could only go an hour or two before he feels the sudden urge to touch her again. It's a beloved thing. You just have to be around each other to be satisfied. Noelle remained snuggled up on the towel by the sink, the humid air relaxing her nerves of meeting everyone again.

She was extremely anxious. She was scared that they might look at her differently, now that she's bruised and scarred.

What if they think I'm too ugly?

What if they think I'm dirty?

What if they think I'm too weak to be queen?

What if they send me back?

Her invasive thoughts caused her to gasp in horror. She'd do anything to stay here.

She whimpered quietly as she felt her eyes well up with tears.

"What's wrong, love? I can hear your heartbeat from here", Easton asked in a soft, worried tone, as he stepped out of the shower in only a towel which was wrapped around his waist.

Noelle was too scared and upset to even look at him lustfully.

She stood up on her four feet and craned her head upwards to look at Easton. His face softened when he saw her golden, doe eyes tearing up. She hasn't looked sad since coming here, what went wrong?

"Did I spend too much time in the shower?", he asked but she shook her head. He sighed, taking her small face in his hands and rubbing the fur under her eyes. Her mood brightened up slightly once they came into contact, but she still had that fear in her heart.

"I wish I could hear your thoughts, doll. It's killing me, knowing that I can't understand what's making you sad", he spoke through a pained voice. She put on a fake smile to reassure him, but he can tell that it's not genuine.

"Come here", he whispered, picking her and holding her close to his chest.

"I'm going to get changed, and then we're going to go meet everyone, maybe that'll make you happier", he suggested but the fear came to her eyes once again. He noticed that her heartbeat accelerated when he mentioned everyone.

"Are you scared to see everybody?", he asked while scratching behind her ears as he sat on their bed. She nodded, embarrassed. He sighed, placing a gentle peck on her snout.

"It's okay, my love. We don't have to see them all at once. Would it be better if we saw them one at a time?".

She felt selfish, knowing that everyone wanted to see her but she wanted to stay hidden, but she couldn't help how she felt. Easton's recommendation sounded great, so she nodded her head, nuzzling closer to him. He smiled triumphantly when he saw a relaxed expression on her face.

"Perfect. Can I get changed? I don't want anyone else seeing my body", he asked and she reluctantly hopped out of his arms, landing smoothly on the bed. Noelle blushed at his words, feeling flustered.

After a few minutes, he walked out of the closet wearing a basic black T-shirt with black jeans.

She stared up at him in awe, admiring his toned, tall body, although she wished she could see the ink that covered his body. She saw it as an art-form, and she loved staring at them as if they were a painting in a gallery. She wondered if any of them had a meaning behind it. She didn't get enough time to see them all, but once she's in her human form, she'll definitely ask.

"Quit staring, pup, we've got people to see", he teased her, breaking her out of her trance as she looked everywhere but Easton. He chuckled at the response and picked her up gently.

"I'm kidding, love, you can look as much as you want", he whispered as they made their way towards a certain room. Easton had messaged everyone, who knew about Noelle, that they were going to see everyone one by one.

"First, we're going to see your parents, is that okay?", he announced and she nodded eagerly, excited yet nervous. He opened the door slowly and her eyes met with her mama and papa.

Her mama was just as beautiful as she remembered, even with the few wrinkles she possessed, she was stunning. She still had her signature blonde hair and brown eyes. She always felt like her mama was the definition of 'Home'.

Her papa looked over the moon. She couldn't help but feel happy tears form when Easton placed her in her father's lap.

"Our little pup. We finally have you back", he whispered sweetly as tears fell down both his, and Lilah's cheeks. Easton stood by the family, feeling so much life within the castle.

Noelle brought it back alive.

She barked in content, earning a giggle from Lilah.

"I can't wait to see the beautiful woman you've grown into", Lilah spoke quietly, her voice still as melodic, the voice that would lull Noelle to sleep all those years ago.

"We're so sorry, pup. So so sorry", Nate whispered sadly as she lied on his lap and gave him a confused look. "We're sorry we couldn't find you sooner", he continued and she gave them both a reassuring smile, while shaking her head.

It's not your fault! Please don't be sorry! Noelle yelled in her mind.

They smiled down at her, receiving the silent message.

She felt like she could sleep like this, beside the people she loved the most. It reminded her of the times where she'd have sleepovers in her parents room whenever she was too scared to sleep on her own.

Flashback:

It was a stormy night in the Kingdom of Highland, and something you should know about Noelle, is that she is terrified of storms. The sound, the thought, everything about it scared her.

The castle lights had been shut, and everybody was asleep, except for her.

She could her the lightning from her room, and felt her room shake at the volume. She wanted to be a big girl and sleep on her own during the storms for once, but she couldn't do it, even though her room was right beside her parents.

With warm, salty tears running down her face, she stood up from her bed and walked out into the dimly-lit hallway. She wiped away her tears with the back of her shirt and tip-toed to her parents room, which was a few steps away. Twisting the door-knob, she saw her parents peacefully sleeping beside each other, so peaceful that she almost felt bed for waking them up.

"Mama, papa", she whispered while standing at the end of the bed, but they didn't move an inch.

"Mama, papa!", she repeated, this time a little louder but again, they didn't move. She sighed in defeat and turned around.

Maybe Easty will let me sleep with him, she said to herself.

She went to open the door, but this time, it made a loud creaking sound. She cringed at the sound and stood still for a few seconds.

"Elle?", she heard her mother's tired voice and her mood brightened instantly.

"Mama!", she cheered quietly, running over to Lilah's side of the bed.

"Why are you in here?", she asked while rubbing her eyes.

"The storm is scaring me", she whispered, slightly embarrassed. Her mother sighed. "I can go if you don't want me here, I'll sleep next to Easty", she continued, thinking that her parents don't want her beside them.

"No, no, it's okay Elle, hop in", her mother reassured, and Noelle jumped in excitedly, causing Nathaniel to wake up.

"Come here, pup, go to sleep", he whispered while putting her in between himself and Lilah.

"We're like a hot dog, you two are the bread and I'm the sausage", she whispered randomly, earning quiet chuckles from the two. "Okay, I'll shut up now. Goodnight!", she continued, closing her eyes.

"Goodnight, Elle", the couple spoke in unison.

Back to present.

On the other side of Europe:

"Why do we have to sign a contract?", Michael asked Cecelia.

"So I know that you won't back out of this", she responded sternly, placing a piece of paper in front of them.

"The rules are, once I give you your powers back, you'll use them to find Noelle. Once you find her, you can have your cute little reunion or whatever, but then she must instantly move here and marry my son, Nicholas. She will be queen of Araceli. If this doesn't happen, I'll kill you both. Sound good?" Cecelia finished, staring at the two who were looking at each other with fearful expressions on their faces.

They know that this isn't what Noelle would want, marrying a stranger, but they were desperate. It's selfish, they know, but they're willing to risk it all for Noelle's safety.

Noelle may never speak to them after this.

She may hate them.

She may try and run away.

Heck, she might even use her powers to kill everyone.