CHAPTER3
1218 Words
CHAPTER THREE
Elara arrived at Riverfront Pack early the next morning.
The journey had been quiet.
Peaceful.
The only sound accompanying her for hours had been the soft hum of her car engine and the occasional birdsong from the forests surrounding the kingdom.
As she drove through the familiar gates, memories she had buried for ten years threatened to resurface.
The training field.
The watch towers.
The Alpha House.
Everything looked almost exactly the way she remembered it.
Only...
She wasn't the same woman who had left this place ten years ago.
She tightened her grip on the steering wheel before taking a slow breath.
She wasn't here to relive the past.
She wasn't here for closure.
She certainly wasn't here because she wanted to be.
The Royals had given her an assignment she couldn't decline.
Nothing more.
Nothing less.
She parked her car neatly before stepping out.
The cool morning breeze brushed against her face as she looked around the pack one last time.
Before she could even collect her luggage...
"Elara?"
She turned around.
Standing a few feet away was Zendaya.
For a moment...
Neither of them moved.
Ten years.
Ten whole years.
Zendaya's eyes instantly filled with tears before she rushed forward and wrapped Elara in the tightest hug she had ever received.
"You i***t!" Zendaya laughed through her tears. "You disappeared for ten years!"
Elara couldn't help but laugh as she hugged her back.
"I know."
"I was so angry with you."
"I deserved it."
"You did."
Zendaya lightly smacked her arm before laughing again.
"I kept waiting for a letter."
"Then I waited for a message."
"Then I just waited."
Guilt briefly flashed across Elara's face.
"I'm sorry."
"I really am."
Zendaya looked at her for a few seconds before shaking her head.
"You know what?"
"I'm still mad at you."
"But I'm happier that you're standing in front of me."
They both laughed.
Just like that...
It was as though the last ten years had never happened.
Their friendship picked up exactly where it had ended.
A familiar voice interrupted them.
"I was wondering why my mate suddenly abandoned me."
Elara looked up to see Damien walking towards them with two little pups running ahead of him.
Damien smiled warmly.
"It's good to see you again, Elara."
"It's good to see you too."
He pulled her into a brief hug before stepping back.
"You look... different."
"I'll take that as a compliment."
"It is."
Before she could say anything else, one of the pups hid behind Damien's leg while the other stared at her curiously.
She smiled before crouching down to their level.
"So... these are your famous troublemakers?"
"They prefer the title 'future warriors,'" Damien replied proudly.
Zendaya rolled her eyes.
"They're little demons."
The children giggled.
The older pup slowly walked closer.
"Are you really the commander Daddy always talks about?"
Elara smiled.
"I hope he only says nice things."
"He says nobody can beat you."
She laughed softly.
"Your dad exaggerates."
"No, he doesn't," Damien quickly replied.
"You've always been impossible to beat."
The conversation made everyone laugh.
Within minutes, the children had already accepted Elara as though she had always been part of their lives.
After spending a few more minutes catching up, Damien personally showed her to the guest condo prepared for her inside the Pack House.
The condo was simple.
Comfortable.
Bright enough to immediately feel welcoming.
There was a small living area, a bedroom, a neatly arranged kitchen and a balcony overlooking part of the training grounds.
It wasn't home.
But it would do.
She unpacked only the essentials.
A few clothes.
Her training gear.
Her weapons.
A framed photograph of her grandmother was the last thing she placed on the bedside table.
She looked at it for a brief moment before smiling.
"I'm alright, Grandma."
A knock on the door interrupted her thoughts.
A guard stood outside.
"The Alpha and Luna are waiting in the conference room."
She nodded.
"Lead the way."
Taking one deep breath, Elara followed him.
Every step towards the conference room felt heavier than the last.
She had imagined returning to Riverfront countless times over the years.
None of those imaginations ever ended well.
The conference room looked exactly as she remembered.
Only this time...
Everything felt different.
Kael was already seated at the head of the table.
Beside him sat Luna Eliana.
The moment Elara stepped into the room...
The weak mate bond stirred.
It wasn't strong enough to hurt anymore.
But it was still there.
A quiet reminder of everything that had once been.
She hated how familiar it felt.
For the briefest second...
The pain of that rejection returned as though it had happened yesterday.
His words.
The stares.
The humiliation.
The feeling of being unwanted.
She pushed every single emotion back down.
None of it showed on her face.
She bowed politely.
"Alpha Kael."
"Luna Eliana."
Her voice was calm.
Professional.
As though she were greeting complete strangers.
Kael felt something inside him break.
He had imagined this reunion countless times over the years.
Not once had he imagined she would look at him with such indifference.
No anger.
No sadness.
No bitterness.
Nothing.
That somehow hurt more.
They exchanged a few formal greetings before sitting down.
The meeting immediately shifted to business.
Elara spread several training schedules across the table.
She explained the combat drills, endurance exercises, weapon training, defensive formations and leadership sessions she intended to implement during her stay.
Every detail had already been planned.
She answered every question confidently.
Her professionalism impressed even the senior warriors present.
By the time she finished, the room fell silent.
"If there are no objections," she said calmly, "training begins tomorrow morning."
Kael nodded.
"It sounds thorough."
"It is."
Another silence settled between them.
Elara finally broke it.
"I also want to make one thing clear."
"This assignment is nothing more than a royal duty."
"My presence here shouldn't be misunderstood."
"The moment my assignment is complete..."
"I'll be returning home."
The words hit Kael harder than he expected.
To her...
Riverfront was no longer home.
He simply nodded.
"I understand."
The meeting came to an end shortly afterwards.
Zendaya immediately stole Elara away before anyone else could.
The rest of the evening was spent inside Elara's condo.
They laughed.
Shared embarrassing childhood memories.
Talked about marriage.
About Damien.
About life.
The pups quickly made themselves comfortable, treating Elara as though they had known her forever.
For the first time in a long time...
She laughed without forcing herself.
For a few hours...
She forgot why she had dreaded returning.
Meanwhile...
Kael returned to his chambers.
Dinner with Eliana was just as quiet as every other evening.
They exchanged only a few words before retiring for the night.
The silence between them was as heavy as ever.
Lying on his bed, Kael stared at the ceiling.
He closed his eyes.
Only to see Elara walking into the conference room again.
Her calm expression.
Her professional voice.
The way she looked through him instead of at him.
He turned onto his side.
Then onto his back again.
Sleep refused to come.
No matter how hard he tried...
His mind kept drifting back to the woman he had spent ten years trying—and failing—to forget.
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