Chapter 110 Chapter 110
LUCIAN’S POV
I was livid when I saw Elara speaking to the elders on my behalf. She stood with the elders as if she belonged among them. It was not enough that she was the reason I cut off my time with Ailsa because she had decided to command my guards in my absence. Because I had let her do it in the past then she decided to do it again.
When Ailsa told me Elara had spoken to her. My heart skipped a bit. Not from fear but because I thought Elara might have said something to offend Ailsa.
“I’ll have to ask you all to leave now”
The expression on the elders faces changed. They were surprised that I was asking them away from my pack
“You can’t do that,Lucian. They are elders” Elara said.
“That is highly disrespectful. You cannot dismiss us so casually. This is a council matter” one of the elders said.
“I don’t care. You all should just leave before I do something”
“Lucian, don’t do that” Ailsa said softly. Her hands tightened in mine. I could feel her tension through the bond, her pulse flattering.
“You’ve changed to something we can’t recognize and it’s all because of her” another elder said. I ignored that.
“I knew she would cause a division. Elara was a better Luna” the first elder murmured and I moved faster than thought. I didn’t hold back. My hand grabbed him by the throat, lifting him clean off the ground, choking him.
Gasps erupted around us. Ailsa cried out my name. Elara stepped forward.
“Don’t do that, Lucian” Elara cried but I didn’t listen. I choked the elder harder, his skin turned red. My wolf wanted retribution for what he had said. And killing him would have brought satisfaction.
“Please stop it, Lucian. This would cause a big problem. This isn’t you” my vision tunneled red.
“You dare question my authority in my own pack?” I snarled at the elder. His feet kicked uselessly. Fear poured off him in waves.
“Elara would have made a better Luna! She understands tradition…” another elder shouted.
Something in me broke. I slammed the elder against the stone pillar, my grip tug tightening until his face turned purple. My wolf roared, furious at the insult, not just to me but to her.
“Elara!” Someone whispered in panic. “Stop him! Please!”
And then Ailsa me. Her fingers against my arm. It was light. Her touch was what calmed my wolf.
“Lucian” she whispered, her voice pleading.
The world snapped back into place. I left the elders neck. He fell to the ground clutching his neck, coughing violently. The other elders stumbled back, terror written across their faces.
“You have crossed the line today, Lucian”
“Leave!!!” I snarled. Aiden rushed in.
“Make sure they never return” I ordered.
“Yes, Alpha” he bowed. “Elders, you will leave now” he said sharply.
“This is not over!” The elders said before they followed Aiden.
“Why did you do that, Lucian. You know the implications” Ailsa’s voice was strained.
I knew she worried about the consequences but I didn’t care. There was nothing they could do to me. They had no right over me. My wolf was calmer now that he had done something. He would have loved to kill the elder but Ailsa had stopped him.
“This is unlike you, Lucian. You never lose control. What happened?” Elara was the one speaking now.
I turned to Ailsa, cupping her face briefly.
“Go to our room. I’ll come to you later” she sheathed my face, worry etched deep.
“Be careful” she was hesitant but she turned to leave anyways.
Then I turned to Elara.
“Office. Now!”
The door slammed shut behind us. The silence that followed was thick and charged. I rounded on her.
“What did you think you were doing?” She looked up at me slowly.
“I was trying to help” she said gently.
“You were trying to help? By aligning with the elders? By undermining the Luna? Did I ask you for your help?” She stepped closer. Too close.
“I never spoke against her. They came to me” she murmured.
“That’s a lie. The elders don’t know you are here. You purposely showed yourself so they could see. What were you hoping would happen?”
“I was t hoping for anything, Lucian…” I cut her off immediately.
“It’s Alpha to you. I never gave you permission to call me otherwise”
“What’s this really about Lucian. Are you angry at me because of the elders or is it something else? Or are you angry at the fact that you ate still attracted to me” a smile spread across her lips.
My wolf stirred uneasily, a restless pull I didn’t like. I took a step back, forcing distance between us.
“You are on thin ice. One more misstep and you are gone” I warned. Her gaze flicked over me slowly.
“You are angry at the elders for telling you the truth. Can’t you see that she’s causing a division in this pack. You’ve never behaved like this before”
“Stop!”
“That pull earlier you felt it right? We still have a connection. Even the elders know that. They see it too. Stop this madness and let’s work something out” I snarled at her.
“I’ve given you too much liberties and that’s why you think you are now a member of this pack”
“This mark here is a sign that we would always be joined together”
My wolf wanted to tear that mark away from her neck. It reminded us why we couldn’t have Ailsa fully.
“Do not confuse that with familiarity. You and I have nothing holding us together. And as for the elders, this is the last time they would be here. The next time you pull something like this again, you would be leaving with them”
“The storm in your eyes…I miss them. Won’t you ever forgive me for what I did? I was foolish but I’ve realized that now”
“Don’t bring up the past anymore!”
“Why? You never want to speak about it. You won’t even let me properly apologize to you. If you brought another woman just to make me feel bad then it’s working”
“Brought another woman? That woman is my mate”
“No!” She screamed. “I’m your only mate. The goddess doesn’t give two mates”
“Well, the goddess gave me a second chance to fall in love”
“You’re not in love with her. You are just using her to punish me” I slammed my head against the desk.
“I won’t take any slander against my mate! From now henceforth, you are not allowed to freely walk around the pack unless I say otherwise” she continued, ignoring my warning.
“Prove it! Prove to me you don’t love me anymore. Kiss me. If there are no sparks then I’d accept it” she dared.
I looked at her as if she had gone mad.
“What makes you think I’d want to kiss you. I have no feelings for you again. Deal with it” she stepped back at last, her hands lifting in surrender.
“I won’t push” she said sweetly. “Not yet. Soon, you’ll be the one begging to have me back”
I stared at her. My wolf wanted to wring her neck from all the nonsense she was spewing.
“Get out!” I said.
She obeyed this time. But as she reached the door, she paused, glancing back at me.
“You can’t protect her from everything” she said softly. “Not even yourself”
The door closed. And when she left, I thought about everything that happened in the past hour. It was so surprising how everything could change in the blink of any eye. From enjoying a prefect morning to almost wringing an elders neck. Then, there was Elara who still thought I was in love with her.
Where did she even get that absurd idea from?
A knock on the door cut into my thoughts.
“Come in” I said gruffly.
The door opened and Aiden entered.
“Are they gone?” He nodded.
“They won’t be coming back anytime soon after what you’ve done”
“It’s better for them. That was just a warning, the next time I won’t be so lenient”
“What really came over you earlier”
“They were spewing shit about Ailsa. My wolf couldn’t stand it and he attacked. He was already on the edge after you distracted our time at the cabin”
“Forgive me for that, I thought it was best you handle Elara yourself. She was acting out of sorts. I didn’t even know when the elders arrived and she went to meet them”
“I think I made a mistake letting Elara stay here. Have you found out everything you can?”
“Not yet. We are still looking into it. I hope we would be able to get something soon”
“I need this to be done quickly before Elara does something that can’t be undone. I also want her watched. I’ve restricted her movements now. She isn’t allowed outside the pack house”
“I’ll do that. But why did you suddenly change your mind only now?” Aiden was searching my gaze.
“Because she might be a big problem”