Chapter 28 -Visible
1024 Words
Thorne’s eyes said enough before he even spoke.
Elara stepped toward him anyway, irritation still lingering beneath her skin after everything she had seen beneath the prison. The moment she reached him, he turned and waited for her to fall into step beside him.
Instead of heading toward the pack house or his office, Thorne guided her away from the center grounds entirely.
The noise from the courtyard faded gradually behind them as they moved deeper through the territory. Wolves stepped aside instinctively in their path, conversations lowering as they passed, though Elara still caught lingering glances following them across the grounds.
The shift Morna mentioned had already started spreading.
People watched her with curiosity now, weighing her differently than before.
Elara ignored it and focused instead on the territory unfolding around her. The farther they moved from the main grounds, the more Draegon changed. Training fields gave way to healer stations, supply buildings, and smaller housing structures tucked between narrow pathways. Wolves carried crates across the grounds while others sorted herbs outside the healer wing or repaired damaged fencing along the outer territory.
She had spent so much time fighting Draegon that she had barely looked at the lives continuing inside it.
For several moments neither of them spoke.
Then Thorne finally broke the silence.
“I sent trackers after them.”
Elara glanced toward him.
“They couldn’t find the wolves after they left the prison.”
Satisfaction flickered quietly through her chest before she pushed it back down.
Nyra had always been good at disappearing when she needed to.
“They’re more than prisoners,” Elara said after a moment. “They’re wolves with families.”
Thorne slowed before stopping altogether.
When he turned toward her, his expression looked calmer than she expected after everything that happened.
“It was still my call to make.”
Elara rolled her eyes before she could stop herself.
“And that worked out great, didn’t it?”
For a second he simply stared at her.
Then something shifted faintly across his expression, close enough to amusement to catch her off guard.
“Well,” he said slowly, “this is clearly far from over.”
His gaze held hers another moment.
“But we have more pressing matters.”
That slight smirk appeared then, small and dangerous, like he already knew she was going to hate whatever came next.
Before Elara could respond, a raised voice drifted from one of the nearby supply buildings.
“You can’t keep cutting portions every week.”
A younger woman stood near several stacked crates arguing with an older wolf whose patience looked equally worn thin.
“We’re already stretching what we have,” the woman snapped. “The patrols take most of it before it even reaches the healer wing.”
The older wolf dragged a hand across his beard.
“The northern border patrol hasn’t rotated back in days.”
The moment they noticed Thorne approaching, both immediately straightened.
Tension spread through the space almost instantly.
“What’s the issue?” Thorne asked.
“The eastern shipment never arrived,” the older wolf answered quickly. “We’re short on grain again.”
The younger woman crossed her arms tightly.
“And somehow I’m expected to feed everyone with less food every week.”
Thorne’s attention shifted toward Elara without warning.
“She’ll handle it.”
Elara turned toward him sharply.
His expression remained unreadable.
Of course he planned this.
Every wolf near the building looked toward her now, waiting to see what she would do.
Irritation flickered through her again, though this time it mixed with reluctant understanding.
This was what he meant by visible.
“How many patrol wolves?” she asked.
“Twenty-three,” the older wolf answered immediately.
“And how long until the next shipment?”
“Five days if the roads stay clear.”
Elara glanced toward the stacked crates before looking back at them.
“Then stop supplying the northern patrol from one location.”
Confusion crossed both their faces.
“The patrol rotates through central grounds in groups,” she continued. “Half eat here. Half return for meals until supplies stabilize.”
The younger woman blinked first.
“That would stretch the grain another few days.”
“And reduce waste from transport,” the older wolf added slowly.
Elara nodded once.
“Exactly.”
Silence followed briefly before the younger woman dipped her head.
“We can reorganize it.”
As they moved away from the building, Elara shot Thorne an unimpressed look.
“You did that deliberately.”
“You wanted involvement in pack matters.”
“That was public evaluation.”
A faint shift touched the corner of his mouth before disappearing again.
“They needed to see whether you could handle it.”
Elara exhaled softly through her nose.
“And if I failed?”
“Then they would remember that too.”
At least he was honest about it.
They continued through the territory while more wolves openly watched them pass. Word spread quickly inside packs, and she could practically feel it moving through the grounds already.
The Luna who challenged the Alpha.
The Luna who freed Valemere wolves.
Now the Luna making decisions beside him.
“You’ve made it clear you won’t stay out of pack matters,” Thorne said eventually. “So we adjust.”
Elara glanced toward him cautiously.
“You take on the role you were given.”
“And that is?”
“Luna.”
The word carried more weight now than it had before.
Less ceremony.
More responsibility.
“You’ll handle internal disputes, welfare concerns, supply management. You’ll be visible across the territory.”
Elara studied him carefully as understanding clicked into place.
“You’re putting me directly in front of the pack.”
“Yes.”
“So they can decide whether they accept me.”
His gaze met hers steadily.
“They already started.”
The answer lingered between them long after the conversation faded.
Because whether she wanted the role or not, Draegon had already begun looking at her like she belonged inside it.
- Writer
