[Elara POV]
After Ethan's departure, a suffocating tension settled over the room. The nobles who had been hoping for a show quickly made their excuses and fled.
Seraphina's uncle, the diplomatic elder, gave Kaelen a long, meaningful look. "I've heard that Lord Ethan also spent some time in the Silvermoon Clan's elite training camp. It's possible he and Miss Elara have known each other for a long time."
The implication was clear. Their connection was far deeper than a simple acquaintance.
Lucian, still rubbing his bruised chest, muttered in disbelief, "There's no way that woman is that capable. A defense system… Ethan has to be bluffing."
"Shut your mouth," Kaelen snarled, his patience gone. "Go to the Temple and have a shaman look at you."
Startled by the rebuke, Lucian scrambled away.
Soon, only Kaelen and Seraphina remained.
Seraphina moved to Kaelen's side, her voice a soft, soothing balm. "Don't listen to him. Everyone has seen what you can do. The Blackwood Pack is what it is today because of you." She paused, then skillfully shifted the topic.
"But if Elara really does understand defense systems, that could be a good thing for us."
"After all, she was once a member of the Blackwood Pack. Even though she's left, everything she designed while she was here should be considered Pack property. You could use it to make the Pack even stronger."
The spark of hope rekindled in Kaelen's dull eyes.
That's right. Elara had worked for the Pack for three years. Every project she touched, every proposal she wrote—it all belonged to the Pack.
————
With Liana's help, I had packed up all my belongings from the Alpha's House. It didn't take long. Just one small suitcase. Three years of being his mate, and I had left barely a trace.
"I thought for sure you'd call that kid Ethan to help you move," Liana teased, heaving my suitcase into the trunk of her flashy red Magi-tech vehicle.
"It's just this. I don't need to bother him," I said calmly.
Ethan had insisted in his message that he was available anytime, but it was just one suitcase. There was no need.
"Right. If he finds out, he'll probably think you've abandoned him again," Liana said, starting the engine. "He might even cry about it."
"Cry?" I arched an eyebrow, a small smile touching my lips. "He's a grown man. Does he still cry?"
"Don't underestimate him," Liana scoffed, glancing at me in the rearview mirror. "When you accepted Kaelen's mark and got the marriage papers, he found out after the fact. We were out for drinks one night, and he got drunk and just… broke down. Crying his eyes out."
"He was sobbing, ranting about how you had no taste, how you could possibly choose a piece of trash like Kaelen."
In that moment, something in my chest softened.
I froze.
In my memory, Ethan had always been a tough little wolf cub. Back in the training camp, no matter how brutal the training, how severe the injury, he never shed a single tear.
And now Liana was telling me he had cried his heart out over my marriage.
"Then again, he wasn't wrong about your taste," Liana said, her eyes meeting mine in the mirror. "Kaelen Blackwood really is a piece of work."
"Just drive," I said, settling into the passenger seat, not wanting to continue the conversation. My plan was to stay with Liana for a few days, handle my affairs, and then take my parents' Hero's Spirit Stones back to the western lands.
"You got it!" Liana chirped, and the vehicle pulled smoothly onto the road.
"By the way, don't you dare tell him I told you about the crying," she suddenly remembered. "He bribed me with some serious blackmail material to keep my mouth shut."
"Oh? What did he give you?" I asked, my curiosity piqued.
"A shirtless photo of his uncle sleeping," Liana said with a grin.
I coughed, choking on my own saliva. "You were interested in his uncle?"
Liana's smile faltered, a flicker of something sad in her eyes. "I was, for a while. Then I realized it was pointless and gave up. There are plenty of males in the world. No need to hang yourself on one tree."
I looked at my friend's profile, at her forced nonchalance, and didn't press. I knew that before I had mated Kaelen, Liana had been head-over-heels for Ethan's uncle, a titan in the legal world. He was a cold, distant man, and it had always been a one-sided pursuit. But then, one day, she had just stopped talking about him.
Just then, my communication crystal vibrated. An unknown number.
I answered, and the respectful, steady voice of Malachi's butler, Alfred, came through the connection.
"Miss Elara, if you wish to return the book, the King is available now."
"The King invites you to join him at the Shadowfire Shooting Range."
The tone was a polite command, not a request.
"A shooting range?" I asked, surprised.
"Yes. The King will be there this afternoon. However, if Miss Elara is unavailable, then we can of course reschedule." His words were courteous, but I got the distinct feeling that if I didn't go today, returning the book would become infinitely more complicated.
"No, I'm free," I said immediately, wanting to be done with this entanglement as quickly as possible. "I'll come now."
"Very well. I will send the address to your crystal."
The call ended, and the address appeared a moment later.
"Liana, can you pull over at the next intersection?" I asked. "I have to go see Malachi about something. Can you take my luggage to your place?"
Liana slammed on the brakes.
"That was Malachi's people? What does that mad king want with you?"
"I'm returning a book," I said simply.