Chapter 12 - Buried Truths
776 Words
The shift followed her long after she left the training grounds.
It carried through the pack house in quieter conversations and in the way glances lingered a moment longer than before. People moved through their routines, yet something beneath it had changed.
They watched her now.
That awareness stayed with her as she moved through the space, never fully leaving her thoughts.
Her mind brushed against the moment she refused to linger on—the break in his composure and the way he had forced it back into place. There was nothing to gain from replaying it.
He had reacted.
She had not.
That was enough.
By the time she reached the room, the connection remained steady, holding her awareness in place.
She stepped inside.
The space met her with quiet order, every surface untouched, every object placed with intention. Nothing had shifted to accommodate her presence, yet she stood there all the same.
Elara crossed to the window, her gaze drifting outward without settling on anything beyond the glass. Time passed without her tracking it, her thoughts settling into something steadier.
A knock broke the stillness.
It came softly, careful enough to suggest hesitation.
She turned her head slightly. “Come in.”
The door opened, and Seren stepped inside, closing it behind her with quiet restraint. She paused near the entrance, posture reserved, her attention fixed on Elara.
“That was a lot to deal with,” Seren said, her voice gentle. “Being put in front of everyone like that… it doesn’t usually end well.”
Elara watched her without answering.
Seren moved a little further into the room, her hands loosely clasped.
“This pack doesn’t welcome outsiders,” she continued. “Not after everything that’s happened.” Her gaze dipped briefly before lifting again. “They lost people. They remember it.”
Elara’s expression remained steady.
“So did mine.”
Seren held her gaze, then gave a small nod. “I know,” she said quietly. “But here, that history still shapes how people react.”
The quiet stretched between them, present but no longer heavy.
Seren drew in a measured breath.
“When I came here, I didn’t have the strength to stand against them,” she said. “I learned quickly where I stood and how little room there was to move.” Her fingers tightened slightly. “If the former Alpha and Luna hadn’t stepped in, I wouldn’t have stayed.”
That explained more than Seren likely intended.
Elara studied her for a moment before speaking.
“Everyone carries something,” she said. “Some of it weighs more. Some of it is harder to face.”
Understanding passed through Seren’s expression.
The air eased slightly, though the tension didn’t fully disappear.
Elara let the moment settle, her thoughts aligning as pieces began to connect. This pack held history, and it ran deeper than what they showed.
When she spoke again, her tone remained even.
“I need information,” she said. “About what happened between the packs.”
Seren’s attention sharpened immediately.
“Elara…” she said, caution entering her voice. “That isn’t something people here talk about freely.”
“That isn’t what I asked,” Elara replied. “Do you know where the records are kept?”
Seren hesitated, her gaze dropping briefly before lifting again.
“I might,” she said carefully. “But I can’t take you there.” Her voice lowered. “That would mean going against my Alpha.”
There was no uncertainty in that answer.
Elara held her gaze, reading the boundary Seren wouldn’t cross.
“Then you should go,” she said.
The words came quietly, without softness.
Seren’s expression faltered, disappointment slipping through before she could hide it.
“I was trying to help,” she said.
“I know,” Elara replied, her voice steady. “That doesn’t change what I need.”
Seren lingered for a moment, caught between staying and leaving, then gave a small nod.
“I’m here if you need anything,” she said, though the certainty had faded.
Elara didn’t respond.
Seren turned and left, closing the door behind her.
The quiet returned.
Elara remained by the window, her gaze drifting outward again as her thoughts settled into something clearer.
This pack held answers, buried beneath time and choices no one wanted to revisit.
No one would offer them freely.
Her focus steadied as she turned away from the glass.
If the truth lived in the pack’s records, she would find it herself.
And when she did—
she would understand what they were all trying to bury.
- Writer
