Chapter Two : The Morning After
1247 Words
Elara woke to someone knocking on her bedroom door.
She groaned and pulled the blanket over her head.
“I'm awake.”
The door opened anyway.
“That's not what you said five minutes ago.”
Elara peeked out from beneath the blanket.
Her older brother stood in the doorway, already dressed and looking far too energetic for someone who had attended her birthday celebration until midnight.
“Go away, Adrian.”
“Mother said breakfast.”
“Tell Mother I'm dead.”
Adrian laughed.
“She won't believe me. You ate three plates of dessert last night.”
Elara threw a pillow at him.
He caught it easily.
“Get dressed.”
“I'm not hungry.”
“You're always hungry.”
“Not today.”
Adrian's smile faded slightly.
He studied her face.
“You look tired.”
Elara looked away.
“I didn't sleep well.”
It wasn't entirely a lie.
She had spent most of the night thinking about the black wolf.
About his golden eyes.
The strange warmth of the mate bond.
And the way he had turned around and run.
She still couldn't understand it.
Adrian walked into the room and dropped the pillow back onto the bed.
“Did something happen?”
“No.”
“Elara.”
She sighed.
Her brother had always been annoyingly good at reading her.
“I went for a run.”
“After the celebration?”
“Yes.”
“Alone?”
“Yes.”
His expression immediately became serious.
“You know you're not supposed to go beyond the inner territory alone.”
“I know.”
“What if you encountered a rogue?”
“I didn't.”
“How do you know?”
“Because I can smell a rogue.”
Adrian opened his mouth.
Then closed it.
Elara smiled.
“Exactly.”
He shook his head.
“Just be careful.”
“I am.”
He turned toward the door.
Then stopped.
“Oh, and Father wants to see you.”
Elara's smile disappeared.
“Why?”
“He didn't say.”
“That sounds suspicious.”
“It's probably nothing.”
“That is exactly what people say before something becomes something.”
Adrian laughed.
“Breakfast first.”
He left.
Elara stared at the closed door.
Then she looked down at her hands.
She could still feel it.
That faint pull beneath her skin.
The mate bond hadn't disappeared.
Apparently, rejection didn't make it disappear either.
“Annoying.”
Lira stirred.
You still think about him.
“No.”
Liar.
“I think about the situation.”
You think about his eyes.
Elara rolled her eyes.
“You're supposed to support me.”
I am supporting you.
“You're making fun of me.”
Both can happen.
Elara couldn't help smiling.
That was the problem with having a wolf companion who knew everything she was thinking.
She climbed out of bed.
By the time she reached the dining hall, most of her family was already there.
Her mother looked up immediately.
“There she is.”
Elara smiled.
“Good morning.”
Her mother pulled out the chair beside her.
“Sit. You barely ate last night.”
“I ate plenty.”
“Dessert doesn't count.”
Adrian immediately started laughing.
Elara glared at him.
“Traitor.”
“I said nothing.”
Her father smiled from the other side of the table.
“You've just turned twenty-two. You should enjoy yourself.”
“I am.”
Her younger sister leaned across the table.
“Did you find your mate?”
The room went silent.
Elara nearly choked on her drink.
Her mother looked at her.
Her father raised an eyebrow.
Adrian suddenly looked very interested.
Elara slowly put her glass down.
“Why would you ask that?”
Her sister shrugged.
“Because everyone was talking about it last night.”
Elara sighed.
“No.”
Her sister looked disappointed.
“Really?”
“Really.”
It was easier to lie.
She didn't want to tell them yet.
Not because she didn't trust them.
She did.
But admitting that she had found her mate only to be rejected felt embarrassing.
Her father studied her for a moment.
Then he simply nodded.
“If you ever meet someone, remember that you don't owe them anything simply because the Moon Goddess connects you.”
Elara looked at him.
He continued calmly.
“A bond is important. But your choice matters too.”
Something in her chest loosened.
“Thanks, Dad.”
Her mother smiled.
“Exactly. Whoever he is, if he wants a place in your life, he should earn it.”
Elara smiled.
Maybe she really didn't need to worry.
Maybe she could simply forget about the black wolf.
Unfortunately, fate had other plans.
Later that afternoon, Elara was walking through the eastern training grounds when she heard a familiar voice.
“Again.”
She turned.
One of the pack warriors had just been knocked onto the ground.
A tall man stood over him.
He had dark brown hair, broad shoulders, and a scar running from the edge of his jaw toward his neck.
Elara recognized him immediately.
Ronan Veyne.
Royal Commander.
He had arrived in Mooncrest territory that morning with several royal warriors.
Elara had met him once before.
He wasn't exactly known for being friendly.
The warrior on the ground groaned.
“I need a minute.”
“You'll get thirty seconds.”
Elara frowned.
“That seems unnecessarily cruel.”
Ronan turned.
His eyes landed on her.
For a moment, neither spoke.
Then he walked toward her.
“You're interrupting training.”
Elara raised an eyebrow.
“Your training ground?”
“No.”
“Then I don't see the problem.”
Several warriors suddenly became very interested in their surroundings.
Ronan's expression didn't change.
“You're the Alpha's daughter.”
“And you're the royal commander.”
“I know.”
“Then why did you ask?”
He stared at her.
Elara stared back.
Something strange happened.
Ronan's wolf suddenly went completely silent.
Then—
Mate.
Ronan's breathing stopped.
His fingers curled into fists.
Elara felt it too.
That invisible pull.
Not as strong as the one she'd experienced last night.
But familiar.
Impossible.
Her eyes widened.
Ronan took one step backward.
Elara noticed.
“You're doing that too?”
His expression hardened.
“Doing what?”
“Backing away.”
“I have no idea what you're talking about.”
She studied him.
“You're lying.”
Ronan's jaw tightened.
His wolf was no longer silent.
Mate.
Again.
Louder.
Stronger.
Ronan looked at Elara as though seeing her for the first time.
Then he turned sharply.
“Training is over.”
The warriors exchanged confused looks.
“Commander—”
“I said it's over.”
He walked away.
Elara remained where she stood.
Lira slowly lifted her head inside Elara's mind.
That was strange.
“Very.”
Was he our mate?
Elara stared at Ronan's retreating back.
“I don't know.”
But deep down, she already suspected the answer.
And somewhere far away, another wolf had just awakened.
A prince standing in the royal palace suddenly dropped the documents in his hands.
His wolf lifted its head.
Her.
The prince frowned.
“What?”
Our mate.
For the first time in his life, Kaien Valerius had no clever response.
And he had absolutely no idea who she was.
Yet.
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