Chapter 71 Safe with you

Chapter 71 Safe with you
Lara

I didn’t realize how exhausted I was until night finally came.

By the time the village quieted down and the patrol rotations changed for the evening, my body felt heavy from doing absolutely nothing. Well, aside from resuming my lessons with Ian and Ivan who somehow had forgotten everything I taught them in just the short period I wasn’t around. It was strange how emotionally draining peace could be after chaos.

The entire day had passed slowly. Almost carefully.

Elijah spent most of it outside with Axel and Ron discussing patrol routes while I remained around the house trying not to overthink every little thing.

Unfortunately, overthinking was one of my greatest talents. At least I had the kids to keep me distracted till they left.

The moment the front door opened that evening and Elijah stepped inside, I looked up immediately from the couch. And apparently, he noticed because a faint smirk touched his lips as he removed his coat.

“You do realize you stare at me every time I walk into a room now?”

I scoffed quickly. “I was looking at the door.”

“Mhm.”

“You’re becoming annoyingly confident.”

“And you’re becoming a terrible liar.”

Tristan snorted quietly from the chair near the fireplace without looking up from his book.

Traitor.

“Shouldn’t you be at Axel’s?” I asked him and he shrugged before raising his hands in surrender.

“I’ll be off now.” He said.

I playfully glared at him while Elijah walked further into the living room. Snow dusted his dark coat and strands of his hair while cold air followed him inside.

“You’ve been outside all day again,” I muttered.

Elijah shrugged lightly. “Someone has to make sure the guards are doing their jobs.”

“You mean terrorize them.”

“They love me.”

“Ron literally called you unbearable this afternoon.”

“That’s because Ron complains when he breathes.”

Almost on cue, the front door opened again.

Ron stepped inside carrying two sacks over his shoulder while Axel followed behind him.

“I heard my name and immediately felt disrespected,” Ron announced dramatically.

“That’s because your instincts are accurate,” Axel replied.

Ron ignored him entirely before dropping the sacks near the kitchen entrance.

Marissa emerged briefly from the kitchen after hearing the noise. “About time.”

“I was busy risking my life carrying supplies through the freezing cold,” Ron defended.

“You walked across the village.”

“It was traumatic.”

Marissa rolled her eyes before dragging the sacks into the kitchen herself.

I smiled faintly while watching them.

This was another thing I was slowly getting used to. The familiarity. Not forced politeness like Silver Pack. Not people constantly watching what they say around royalty. Everything here felt real.

Messy sometimes. Loud. But real.

Axel walked toward the table where Elijah had already spread out another map.

“You were right about the western blind spot,” he said seriously. “The watchtower barely covers half the route.”

Elijah leaned against the table slightly while studying the map again.

“We’ll move two guards there tonight.”

“You really think Jacob would strike that fast?” Ron asked this time, his tone less playful now.

Elijah was quiet for a moment.

“No,” he admitted eventually. “But if he sends scouts first, I want them seen before they reach the village.”

The room became quieter after that.

Even though nobody openly said it, Jacob’s name changed the atmosphere every single time. It reminded everyone that this peace wasn’t permanent.

My chest tightened slightly. I hated that part of this situation was my fault. If I hadn’t chosen Elijah publicly, maybe things would not have become this tense between the packs. Maybe the brothers would have lived their lives separately.

“No.”

My head snapped toward Elijah. He was looking directly at me now.

“What?”

“You’re doing it again.”

I frowned. “Doing what?”

“Blaming yourself.”

I opened my mouth to deny it before immediately closing it again. I totally forgot about the mind link.

Ron looked between both of us slowly before muttering under his breath, “The mate bond is actually terrifying.”

“Leave us,” Elijah said flatly.

Ron grinned while Axel looked significantly less entertained as he folded the map again.

“The patrol changes are already in effect. I’ll inform the others.”

Elijah nodded once.

The two men eventually headed out with Tristan who was now looking impatient by the doorway, leaving only Elijah and me downstairs near the fireplace.

The silence wasn’t awkward. If anything, it felt heavier lately. Not in a bad way. Just aware.

Every glance lasted a little too long. Every touch lingered slightly. Every silence seemed to say something neither of us fully knew how to express yet.

I curled my legs beneath me on the couch while Elijah remained seated at the table staring absentmindedly at the map.

“You’re still worried,” I said quietly.

His eyes lifted toward me briefly before lowering again.

“I’m thinking.”

“That usually means you’re worried.”

A faint breath escaped him that almost sounded like amusement.

“You should sleep early tonight.”

I narrowed my eyes immediately. “That sounded suspicious.”

“It wasn’t.”

“It definitely was.”

Elijah finally leaned back slightly in his chair. “You barely slept after the coronation yesterday.”

Heat rushed to my face instantly. It was a big lie. I slept all through the journey there and the journey back. You don’t blame me, the distance was a lot!

“What a good day to mock me.”

A chuckle escaped his lips and I rolled my eyes. 

“You didn’t even attempt to enjoy the road trip. The scenery and all of that.” Elijah joked and I frowned.

“Well, you would have woken me up if there was an out-of-this-world place we passed.”

His mouth twitched slightly. Unfortunately, that only made him more distracting. I quickly looked away before my thoughts betrayed me completely. He was very good-looking.

The fire crackled softly between us while the wind brushed lightly against the windows outside. For a moment, everything felt calm again.

Then suddenly, a strange feeling settled over me.

Sharp. Cold. Wrong.

My brows furrowed slightly.

“Elijah.”

His attention returned to me immediately. “What?”

I looked around slowly. Nothing had changed. The fire still burned normally. The house remained quiet.

Yet my chest suddenly felt tight for no reason.

“I don’t know,” I admitted softly. “I just…”

The feeling vanished as quickly as it came. I blinked slowly before rubbing my arm lightly.

“That was weird.”

Elijah was already watching me carefully now.

“What happened?”

“I’m not sure.” I hesitated briefly. “It felt like someone was watching me.”

The words sounded ridiculous the moment they left my mouth.

“You’re tired,” Elijah said after a moment.

Maybe he was right. The past few days had been emotionally exhausting.

I eventually stood from the couch slowly. “I think I’m going to sleep.”

Elijah nodded once before standing as well.

The moment we entered the bedroom upstairs, warmth immediately spread through my chest again. It was ridiculous how simply sharing a room with him already felt natural.

I changed quietly while Elijah extinguished most of the candles except the one near the bed.

The room dimmed instantly.

My heartbeat quickened slightly when he finally climbed into bed beside me.

Moon Goddess help me.

The silence stretched briefly before he spoke again.

“You’re overthinking.”

I turned toward him immediately. “Do you enjoy exposing me?”

“A little.”

I rolled my eyes before shifting slightly closer beneath the blankets.

“You’re annoying.”

“And yet you ran away from your wedding for me.”

“That was one time.”

A quiet laugh escaped him. “Twice but the first time, I basically stole you.”

We both laughed at the memory. The sound calmed my nerves immediately. Eventually, exhaustion finally dragged me under.