Chapter 37 -Eyes In The Shadows
1253 Words
The night before had brought the best sleep Elara had managed since arriving in Draegon.
Pale morning light filtered through the curtains when she opened her eyes. She remained beneath the blankets for a few moments, listening as the territory gradually came to life around her. Voices drifted from somewhere outside. A vehicle started in the distance. Doors opened and closed as pack members began their day. The faint scent of coffee carried through the open window.
As she shifted, something caught her attention.
The pillow barrier.
A small smile appeared when she spotted it crumpled on the floor beside the bed.
At some point during the night, neither of them had bothered putting it back.
The conversation with Thorne returned to her thoughts.
They hadn't reached any conclusions.
If anything, they had uncovered more questions.
Yet she understood him better than she had before.
For the first time, she could see how he had arrived at his version of the past. It didn't mean she agreed with him. It didn't mean she trusted him completely.
Still, the certainty she had arrived with no longer felt quite as solid.
Movement beside her drew her attention.
Thorne was still asleep.
That alone surprised her.
Every morning since arriving, she had woken to an empty room.
Sunlight touched one side of his face. Without the constant pressure of leadership weighing on him, he looked younger. More relaxed.
Less Alpha.
More man.
The thought arrived unexpectedly.
Before he could wake and catch her staring, Elara slipped quietly from the bed and headed toward the bathroom.
Warm water poured over her shoulders while steam gathered against the glass.
Andrea.
The council.
Questions that seemed to multiply every time she found a new lead.
Somewhere during her shower, she heard Thorne moving around the room.
Drawers opening.
Clothing rustling.
The soft thud of boots against the floor.
A few minutes later the bedroom door closed.
Silence followed.
Elara finished washing her hair and stepped back into the room, towel draped around her shoulders.
Then stopped.
Nyra sprawled across the bed as though she had always been there.
One arm rested behind her head while the other lay across her stomach.
Elara pressed a hand against her chest.
"One day you're going to kill me."
Nyra glanced up.
"That would reflect badly on my reputation."
Relief immediately replaced the shock.
She never heard Nyra arrive.
Never caught her scent.
Never noticed a thing until she was suddenly there.
Elara walked toward the wardrobe.
"How long have you been here?"
"Long enough."
"That's barely an answer."
"It answered the question."
A grin accompanied the response.
Elara shook her head and pulled fresh clothes from the wardrobe.
Their friendship stretched back years.
Long before treaties.
Long before bonds.
When Draco decided she would travel to Draegon, he ordered Nyra to accompany her and remain close enough to intervene if necessary.
The assignment changed very little.
Nyra had always watched out for her.
Now she simply had permission to do it openly.
"How are the wolves you took back?"
The amusement disappeared from Nyra's expression.
"They're home."
A knot inside Elara loosened.
Every one of those wolves deserved answers, deserved to be home and reunited with their families.
Knowing they were safe mattered.
"And Draco?"
A laugh escaped Nyra.
"I didn't stay around long enough to find out."
Draco was known for his anger, he often reacted out of instinct rather than sense, when Elara's mom was still alive, she could control his anger but with both Serena and Draven gone, her father aggression and rules reached its peak point.
"Wise."
"I thought so."
Elara pulled a shirt over her head.
Nyra stretched her legs out in front of her.
"I made sure everyone got back safely."
"And then?"
"I came back."
Elara glanced over.
"That quickly?"
Nyra looked at her as though the answer should have been obvious.
"You were still here."
The simple statement carried enough meaning on its own.
Friendship and loyalty.
The fierce protectiveness Nyra rarely put into words.
Elara shook her head.
"I'm fine."
Skepticism immediately appeared on Nyra's face.
"You're living with the Alpha of Draegon."
"I'm managing."
"That still isn't comforting."
Elara rolled her eyes and sat at the desk.
"I need your help."
The teasing vanished immediately.
Nyra sat forward.
Elara trusted very few people completely.
Nyra stood at the very top of that list.
She explained everything.
The council visit.
Andrea.
The missing records.
The gaps in the archives.
By the time she finished, Nyra had crossed to the window.
Morning sunlight illuminated the territory below. Warriors headed toward the training grounds while others climbed into patrol vehicles or disappeared into office buildings. The smell of fresh bread drifted from the kitchens nearby.
"You trust her?"
Elara considered the question.
"No."
"Good."
"What she said made sense."
"That doesn't make it safe."
Andrea's explanation sounded reasonable.
Her concerns appeared genuine.
Yet she had approached someone she barely knew and volunteered information most council members would keep to themselves.
That detail continued to bother her.
"She approached me."
Nyra leaned against the window frame.
"Which means she wanted something."
"She may have uncovered something and doesn't know who she can rely on."
"Maybe."
"She may be exactly who she claims to be."
The look on Nyra's face suggested she wasn't convinced.
Elara folded her arms.
"Or she's guiding me somewhere."
"That's where I'd place my bet."
Suspicion came naturally to Nyra.
The habit had kept both of them alive more than once.
"What do you want me to do?"
Elara already knew.
"Go to the council."
Interest immediately sparked in Nyra's eyes.
"The council."
"Stay hidden."
A slow smile spread across her face.
"Now we're getting to the interesting part."
Elara ignored the comment.
"Find out whatever you can."
"About the records?"
"About everything."
She joined Nyra by the window.
"The archives."
"The years before the war."
"The council."
Nyra waited.
"And Andrea."
A brow lifted.
"The new councilwoman?"
"Keep an eye on her."
Nyra remained quiet for a moment.
"You think she's involved?"
"I think she either stumbled onto something important or wants me to believe she did."
"The timing bothers you."
"She arrived with answers."
For weeks Elara had been chasing fragments and contradictions.
Then suddenly someone stepped forward carrying information.
The coincidence sat badly with her.
"I'll watch her."
The response came without hesitation.
If anyone could move through council territory unnoticed, it was Nyra.
The first night Elara arrived in Draegon, Thorne sensed someone outside.
By the time he went looking, Nyra had vanished.
Few wolves possessed that level of skill.
For her, it seemed as natural as breathing.
Some of the weight eased from Elara's shoulders.
She wasn't carrying this alone anymore.
Nyra moved toward the door.
"That's it?"
Elara blinked.
"What?"
"You send me across territories to investigate a possible conspiracy and don't even offer breakfast."
A laugh escaped her.
"There you are."
"There who is?"
"The real reason you came back."
Nyra looked mildly offended.
The expression lasted only a few seconds before she laughed.
For a brief moment, hidden records, council politics, and unanswered questions faded into the background.
Nyra pulled the door open.
"I'll send word when I learn something."
"Be careful."
Nyra paused.
"Have we met?"
Before Elara could answer, she disappeared into the corridor.
Elara followed a few moments later.
The hallway stood empty.
A smile touched her lips.
After all this time, Nyra still managed to vanish faster than anyone thought possible
- Writer
