Chapter 19 - Homecoming
1234 Words
*Elara – pov*
Once my parents arrived, the house didn’t feel empty anymore. I heard my father’s truck before I saw it. Headlights cut through the dark forest while gravel crunched beneath heavy tires.
Relief hit me so hard I nearly cried again, which was becoming embarrassingly common lately.
I opened the front door before they even reached the steps.
Mom rushed toward me first.
“Oh, sweetheart.”
I barely had time to breathe before she wrapped both arms around me tightly.
And suddenly—
I was five years old again after a nightmare. I felt safe, loved. They made this house feel like home just by being here.
Dad stepped up behind her a moment later, his expression grim while his eyes scanned the property automatically.
Assessing threats. I noticed it now. The way he moved. The way he listened.
Like Raiden. Like the wolves.
His gaze settled on the damaged parts of the kitchen visible behind me.
“What happened?”
I opened and closed my mouth.
How exactly did one explain…surprsie, werewolves are real and your daughter apparently has one living in her head?*
Adira rolled her eyes. So dramatic.
Mom saved me by gently touching my arm.
“She knows.”
Silence.
I stared at her while dad sighed heavily beside her. Something seemed to change, not physically, something deeper. Like invisible walls I never noticed before quietly fell away between us.
“You know too?” I whispered.
Mom’s eyes softened instantly.
“Yes, sweetheart.”
My stomach flipped violently.
“Please don’t tell me you both turn into wolves too.”
Dad coughed into his fist and mom looked suspiciously amused.
“Elara—”
“Oh my God.”
“Ours only woke today,” Dad admitted quickly.
“What?”
He stepped inside slowly and closed the door behind them.
“We knew about wolves,” he said carefully. “Knew what you were. Knew what your parents were.”
My pulse quickened.
“But our wolves…” Mom touched her chest lightly. “They were hidden too.”
Adira stirred immediately inside me.
My guardians.
Warmth spread through my chest as I stared at them.
“You’re wolves.”
Dad grimaced slightly.
“Yes.”
I blinked once then laughed. A sharp, slightly hysterical laugh. Honestly at this point why not.
Why not add secret werewolf parents to the list.
Mom guided me gently toward the kitchen while Dad unloaded bags from the truck.
The scent of food filled the kitchen moments later.
Warm bread.
Roasted chicken.
Herbs.
It felt terrifyingly normal.
I suddenly realized how hungry and exhausted I actually was.
We sat together for hours afterward. For the first time in my life pieces began fitting together.
“You are princess Elarielle Thorne…our light guardian” mom said with a slight bow of her head. They told me everything or at least as much as they knew.
Dad had been groundskeeper at Rosewood Estate before the m******e. Mom had worked in the packhouse kitchens under Queen Seraphine herself.
Their voices softened whenever they spoke about her.
“She was such a strong and kind woman,” Mom whispered quietly while staring into her tea. “Not weak-kind. Real kindness. The kind powerful people rarely keep.”
Dad nodded.
“She loved your father fiercely.”
My chest tightened.
They told me about Alpha King Alaric.
The white wolf king. He was fare and protective. An honourable and respected alpha.
My mother was a pureblood witch with foresight powerful enough to terrify enemies.
“She knew danger was coming,” Dad admitted quietly. “Not exactly when. But she knew.”
“She trusted very few people near you after your birth,” Mom added.
A cold feeling settled low in my stomach.
“Because of Lucien.”
Neither answered immediately.
Dad rubbed a tired hand across his jaw.
“Your mother performed powerful magic before the attack.”
“The suppression,” I whispered.
Mom nodded slowly.
“She hid your wolf completely. Buried it deep enough that even wolves couldn’t scent you properly.”
“To protect me.”
“Yes.”
Silence settled heavily.
“She also hid ours.”
I looked up sharply.
“She knew we couldn’t have children. She trusted us completely.”
Mom smiled sadly.
“She said if anything happened… we are to take you and disappear among the humans. ”
My throat tightened painfully.
“She chose you.”
“We would’ve died protecting you,” Dad said simply.
Suddenly I understood something devastating:
I had never been abandoned.
I had been loved enough to survive.
I had been blessed enough to be protected.
Tears burned my eyes again.
Mom reached across the table immediately, squeezing my hand gently.
“You are theirs,” she whispered softly. “But you are ours too.”
A simple sentence that completely destroyed what remained of my emotional control.
---
By the time dinner approached, my brain felt overloaded beyond repair.
Wolves.
Magic.
Mates.
Royal bloodlines.
Suppressed identities.
And now apparently my parents had hidden wolves too.
Adira remained deeply fascinated by everything.
Especially whenever Raiden’s name appeared in conversation.
We like him.
“You like everyone,” I muttered internally.
Not Ethan.
Fair.
A knock sounded against the front door.
Every instinct in the room sharpened instantly.
Dad rose first automatically, alert.
I already knew who stood outside before the door opened.
Raiden.
I felt him.
That strange tether inside me tightened instantly the moment he stepped into the house.
Adira practically purred.
Mate.
My pulse betrayed me immediately.
Raiden’s gaze found mine first.
Always mine. Relief flickered briefly across his face before he masked it again.
“You’re alright.”
Not a question.
I nodded slowly.
“You?”
His eyes darkened slightly.
“We need to talk tomorrow.”
That sounded ominous.
Dad appeared beside him then and studied Raiden carefully.
Something unspoken passed between them instantly.
Assessment.
Recognition.
Trust.
Interesting.
Mom smiled warmly from the kitchen.
“Perfect timing. Sit down before I force-feed you.”
To my complete shock, Raiden actually smiled. “Yes, ma’am.”
Dangerously attractive. Mate is hot.
The next hour passed strangely easily.
Raiden relaxed around my parents in a way I hadn’t seen him relax before.
He was less Alpha and more man. He helped Mom clear dishes afterward despite her protests.
Dad opened whiskey and conversation seemed to flow effortlessly.
For the first time since all of this began, this house - my house, felt alive.
Near midnight, exhaustion finally hit me properly.
I stood slowly from the couch.
“I think my brain is shutting down.”
Raiden’s eyes tracked me instantly. Concern flickering beneath them.
The thought of him leaving suddenly twisted unpleasantly inside my chest.
Adira pushed forward softly.
Ask him to spend the night. She purred and supplied an array of vivid images I wasn’t quite ready for.
“Adira, you have to stop!” I reprimanded her with a smile.
“It is quite late, would you like to stay the night?”
Raiden went completely still.
Heat immediately crept into my face. Not like that. Probably. Maybe.
God.
I cleared my throat awkwardly.
“I just…” I looked away briefly.
The room went very quiet.
Raiden’s expression softened so visibly it almost hurt to look at.
“Ok.”
- Writer
