Chapter 33- Between Moments
1354 Words
The office door clicked shut behind Elara.
She remained in the corridor for a moment, staring at the stone floor beneath her feet while Rowan’s refusal lingered in her thoughts.
Finding Thorne would be easy.
Convincing him to answer her questions would be the difficult part.
Walking into his office and demanding explanations seemed like an excellent way to end a conversation before it even started.
She could already picture the look he would give her, the same one that somehow managed to be patient and irritating at the same time.
Going through his files again wasn't an option either.
She had already pushed her luck once, and even if she managed to get into his office again, she doubted what she was searching for would be sitting neatly inside a folder waiting to be found.
The truth felt far more complicated than that.
Maybe Nyra would have an idea when she returned.
The thought eased some of her frustration.
For now, there wasn't much she could do.
Elara pushed the problem aside and continued down the corridor.
Voices drifted toward her before she reached the common room.
The large space occupied the heart of the pack house. Wolves gathered there between duties, shared meals, argued over games, or simply enjoyed a rare moment away from responsibilities.
Conversation blended with occasional laughter while the scent of food lingered in the air.
Several wolves occupied tables scattered throughout the room. Others sat near the windows where sunlight spilled across the wooden floors.
For the first time since arriving in Draegon, the sight felt familiar rather than foreign.
Her gaze moved across the room and immediately landed on Rafe.
He occupied an armchair near the fireplace as though he personally owned it. One arm rested across the back while his legs stretched comfortably in front of him.
Seren sat nearby with a book resting open across her lap.
The contrast between them almost made Elara smile.
Seren noticed her first.
A gentle smile appeared on her face.
“Elara.”
Rafe looked up.
“Where have you been?”
His eyebrows wiggled suggestively.
Elara frowned at him.
“I was with Rowan in his office, calling home.”
Rafe's expression immediately turned sympathetic.
“Oh.”
“What?”
“Did you get a Rowan talk?”
Elara blinked.
“A what?”
Seren closed her book.
“Don't encourage him.”
“It’s a real thing.”
“It isn’t.”
Rafe pointed between them.
“It absolutely is.”
Elara sat down in the empty chair beside them.
“What exactly is a Rowan talk?”
Rafe leaned forward as though sharing valuable survival information.
“It starts with a simple question.”
Seren sighed.
“Rafe.”
“I’m serious.”
He looked back at Elara.
“You ask Rowan one thing. One thing.”
“And then?”
“And then suddenly you're thirty minutes into a conversation you never meant to have.”
A smile tugged at Elara's mouth.
“That sounds exaggerated.”
“I once asked him where a report was.”
Seren immediately covered her face.
“You did.”
“I only wanted the report.”
Rafe pointed dramatically toward the ceiling.
“Instead, I got a detailed explanation about filing systems, record keeping, and why organization is important for pack efficiency.”
Elara laughed.
“And?”
“I found the report three days later.”
Seren lowered her hand.
“Because you never listened to the answer.”
“That is entirely beside the point.”
“It is the point.”
“It isn't.”
“It is.”
Rafe looked toward Elara.
“See what I deal with?”
“You create most of it yourself.”
“That sounds like speculation.”
The easy rhythm of their conversation eased something inside her.
Around Rafe and Seren, conversation came naturally. There were no hidden expectations and no sense that every word would be examined afterward.
They simply treated her like she belonged there.
The conversation drifted on.
Rafe launched into a story involving a training exercise that had apparently gone wrong several years earlier. Seren interrupted often enough to correct his version of events that Elara quickly realized the truth probably sat somewhere between the two accounts.
“You fell into the river,” Seren said.
“I strategically entered the river.”
“You slipped.”
“There was mud.”
“You slipped.”
Rafe pointed at her.
“Details matter.”
“They do.”
“Excellent. Then you agree there was mud.”
Seren looked entirely unimpressed.
Elara smiled.
Halfway through another story involving a missing boot and a very determined goat, she realized her attention had wandered.
Her thoughts had circled back to Thorne.
Rowan had made one thing clear.
Whatever she was searching for wasn't hidden in a forgotten report or buried inside a filing cabinet.
The information lived with the wolves who had survived those years.
Unfortunately, the wolf most likely to know something was also the one she trusted least.
“Elara.”
She blinked.
Rafe was watching her.
“You disappeared again.”
“I was listening.”
“No, you weren't.”
His grin widened.
“You were thinking.”
“I can do both.”
“Not from what I just witnessed.”
Seren hid a smile behind her cup.
Elara rolled her eyes.
“What was the story about?”
Rafe leaned back.
“Exactly.”
“I heard most of it.”
“You heard enough to know the goat was innocent.”
“The goat stole your boot.”
“That is an accusation.”
“A correct accusation.”
Rafe placed a hand against his chest.
“The betrayal.”
Seren shook her head.
“You walked directly into that one.”
The conversation drifted toward family after that.
Rafe mentioned his younger sister first.
Apparently she possessed a talent for creating chaos wherever she went.
“She once painted my bedroom wall.”
Elara raised an eyebrow.
“Why?”
“According to her, it lacked personality.”
Seren smiled.
“How old was she?”
“Twelve.”
“That explains it.”
“It explains nothing.”
Rafe looked personally offended by the memory.
“She used three different colours.”
“Tragic.”
“Thank you for understanding.”
Elara laughed.
“You miss her.”
Rafe's expression softened briefly.
“Yeah. More than I expected.”
A thoughtful silence followed.
“I have a younger sister too,” Elara said.
Both of them looked toward her.
“Lyria.”
A smile touched her lips.
“She’s five years younger than me.”
Seren's expression softened.
“You must miss her.”
“I do.”
“She's probably worried.”
“That sounds like younger sisters.”
Elara smiled.
“She worries about everyone.”
Rafe nodded knowingly.
“Mine does too. She just disguises it by being annoying.”
“That sounds deliberate.”
“It probably is.”
Seren laughed quietly.
The sound drew both their attention.
A faint blush appeared on her cheeks.
“You're both impossible.”
“That's fair,” Rafe admitted.
“Surprisingly self-aware.”
“I have my moments.”
The conversation continued from there.
Seren spoke about growing up in the Alpha household after being taken in as a child. Rafe contributed commentary whenever possible, most of it entirely unnecessary.
The common room slowly filled around them.
A card game near the far wall dissolved into an argument over the rules. Accusations of cheating followed shortly afterward. The accused denied everything. Nobody appeared convinced.
Near the windows, several warriors debated training schedules while another group discussed an upcoming patrol.
Life continued around her with a familiar rhythm.
For years, Draegon had existed in her mind as a rival pack on the other side of a border.
Sitting here now, surrounded by ordinary conversations and familiar frustrations, it became harder to see it that way.
The change should have made things simpler.
Instead, it complicated everything.
- Writer
