Chapter 35 - Blood and Truth
1257 Words
*Raiden – POV*
The elders arrived at Rosewood two days later.
Uninvited.
Of course.
The moment Rafe informed me they were waiting in the drawing room, my wolf growled low beneath my skin.
Trouble.
Accurate.
I found Elara curled into one of the oversized library chairs beside the fireplace, one of her mother's journals open across her lap.
She looked peaceful for once. At least as peaceful as someone carrying the weight of a prophecy could look.
Her eyes lifted immediately when I entered.
The bond still startled me sometimes. The way her emotions brushed against mine. The way my entire body settled simply seeing her awake.
"Elara," I said carefully, "the elders are here."
Her expression flattened instantly.
"Wonderful."
I almost smiled.
She sighed and closed the journal.
"I'm guessing they're not here to congratulate me on surviving a magical coma."
"No."
"Annoying old men."
A laugh escaped before I could stop it.
Elara rose and smoothed her sweater nervously.
"I still don't understand why everyone suddenly looks at me like I'm some mythical creature."
Because you are.
Probably not the best thing to say.
Instead, I tucked a loose strand of pale hair behind her ear.
"You don't have to do anything you're uncomfortable with."
Her gaze searched mine.
"You say that now."
"I mean it."
A small smile touched her lips.
Then together we went downstairs.
---
The drawing room felt tense before we entered.
Five elders sat waiting near the fire while Rafe stood nearby looking deeply unimpressed.
Jake looked openly murderous.
Good.
The moment Elara stepped into the room, every elder stood.
Not respect.
Reverence.
The oldest inclined his head.
"Princess."
Elara visibly resisted looking over her shoulder.
I squeezed her hand.
The elder motioned toward the seating area.
"We wished to discuss the future of the pack."
"Elara nearly died three days ago," I said coldly. "This conversation can wait."
"It cannot."
The interruption was sharp enough that my wolf surged immediately.
The elder quickly corrected his tone.
"The appearance of the white wolf changes everything."
Elara stiffened.
"The territories are already whispering," the oldest continued. "They know Lucien disappeared. They know you've awakened."
A low growl escaped Elara's throat.
"What exactly are you asking?" she said.
The elders exchanged glances.
"Tradition requires acknowledgment."
I instantly disliked where this was heading.
"What kind of acknowledgment?"
"A formal mating ceremony."
The room went silent.
Elara blinked.
"I'm sorry... a what?"
The elder sighed heavily.
"The future Luna and Alpha must formally present themselves before the territories."
Display us like breeding stock? Aeron snarled.
"Elara's position must be solidified publicly," another elder added. "Especially now."
Now meaning after Lucien.
After the prophecy.
After the white wolf.
"Elara isn't a symbol," I said sharply.
"No," the oldest agreed quietly. "She is far more dangerous than that."
The room chilled.
I felt Elara's anxiety spike through the bond.
Enough.
"We're done here."
The elders reluctantly stood.
The oldest paused before leaving.
"The territories are changing rapidly, Alpha."
The title still felt strange.
"Soon every supernatural faction will know she exists."
His gaze shifted toward Elara.
"And many will come searching for her."
Then they left.
Silence lingered.
Jake broke it first.
"Well. That was unpleasant."
Rafe folded his arms.
"They're scared."
"They should be."
Elara rubbed her face tiredly.
"I don't want ceremonies."
I stepped closer immediately.
"Then there won't be any until we're ready."
But even as I said it, I knew things were no longer that simple.
---
Later that night I found myself standing outside my father's old office.
The place still smelled like him.
Cedar.
Whiskey.
Control.
Disgust rolled through me.
The room should have been burned down weeks ago.
Instead, I unlocked the door.
Moonlight spilled across dark shelves and leather furniture.
No good memories lived here.
I moved toward the desk and began searching.
Documents.
Property records.
Pack finances.
Nothing.
Then my fingers brushed an uneven edge at the back of a drawer.
A false compartment.
Inside sat several leather journals tied together with faded ribbon.
My chest tightened instantly.
My mother's handwriting.
I sat heavily in Lucien's chair and opened the first journal.
I immediately wished I hadn't.
---
Lucien grows worse every day.
Another rogue disappeared after questioning his authority.
Raiden asked where the wolf went. Lucien told him not to ask questions that keep children awake at night.
---
I turned pages faster.
---
He stares at Seraphine's portraits when he thinks no one notices.
I fear the obsession has become dangerous.
---
Another page.
---
Lucien argued with Alaric again tonight.
He believes packs should be ruled through fear, not loyalty.
---
Then I found the entry.
The one that turned my blood to ice.
---
Seraphine came to me afraid today.
Lucien discovered her visions about the child.
He knows the prophecy.
---
My hands tightened.
No.
The next entry was worse.
---
Lucien swore the royal bloodline would end before the child could rise.
---
I swallowed hard.
Then came the final blow.
---
I think he orchestrated the attack.
Dear Goddess forgive me.
I think Lucien murdered them all.
---
The remaining pages were mostly blank.
Months passed between entries.
Then, near the very end, I found one final note.
The handwriting was shakier.
Fragile.
As though every word cost her something.
---
My dearest Raiden,
If you are reading this, then I am gone.
There are many things I regret, but none more than the example I set for you.
I should have left.
I should have fought harder.
I should have chosen myself.
You may one day wonder why I stayed with Lucien. I was afraid, not of him bur of losing you.
I considered rejecting the bond many times, but every story ended the same way…broken wolves, madness and death.
I was terrified that if I rejected him and he accepted, I would not survive the bond breaking.
And if I died, who would protect my son?
So I stayed, not out of loyalty, but because you deserved protection.
For that, I ask your forgiveness.
A pray for a future where you survive. A future where you become the Alpha you were born to be and lead our pack to greatness.
A future where you find a mate worthy of the enormous heart you try so hard to hide.
Someone extraordinary.
If the Goddess has blessed you with such a mate, do not make the mistakes your father and I made.
Choose love every day.
Fight for it.
Protect it.
Treasure it.
And when she drives you insane from pure stubbornness, love her anyway.
There is one final gift.
It should have been yours long ago.
I pray you one day give it to the woman who owns your heart.
I love you, my son.
Always.
Mom.
---
My vision blurred.
Attached to the final page was a small leather pocket.
Inside rested a ring.
White gold crowned a brilliant blue diamond.
My mother's ring.
The ring she wore in every photograph I owned.
The ring she had saved for me.
For my mate.
For a future she somehow still believed possible.
Emotion lodged painfully in my throat.
For the first time in years, I allowed myself to grieve and sob like a boy. Aeron was howling my mind.
Not for the Luna, not the Alpha's mate, but my mother.
As I closed my hand around the ring, only one face came to mind.
Pale hair.
Ice-blue eyes.
A stubborn mouth that constantly challenged me.
Elara.
Our extraordinary mate.
- Writer
