Chapter 45
ELARA’S POV
I perched on a bench, watching silently as the drama before me unfolded. Clara was making an attempt to have a conversation with Cael. While he, in turn, looked utterly confused, his usual stoic expression amplified tenfold. Almost as if he was shocked that Clara would talk to him.
Only if he knew.
For almost two months, I’d been privy to Clara’s burgeoning crush on him, a fact I hadn’t fully grasped the extent until this very moment. Her clumsy attempts at flirtation were almost charmingly awkward.
“Okay, bye bye.” She chirped, waving a slightly frantic hand at him as she extricated herself from the conversation and headed towards me.
“That seemed….intense,” I teased, a smirk playing on my lips.
She shrugged, showing an air of nonchalance that didn’t quite mask the blush creeping up her neck. “Well,” she began, her voice a little too high-pitched, “He’s cool,”
I raised an eyebrow, thoroughly amused by her blatant attempt at downplaying her feelings. “Cool?” I repeated her words.
She shrugged again, her gaze now darting towards a tiny wildflower sprouting near the fence. “He’s alright, nothing much,” she mumbled under her breath, her cheeks now a vibrant shade of pink. The attempt at casualness was crumbling.
I rolled my eyes, finding the whole thing adorable. “Yeah, sure. Whatever. Suit yourself.”
She kept quiet, and stayed still, just staring at the wildflower. A barely audible murmur escaped her lips, barely above a whisper. “Do you think he likes me?” Her expression had shifted from playful nonchalance to a vulnerable sadness.
“I don’t know,” I admitted, careful to gauge my response. “Cael….he’s a bit rigid, but I think he enjoys your company. He seems more relaxed around you than anyone else I have seen him interact with. Plus, I think he’s an amazing person too,”
I watched as her face instantly brightened up at my words, a hopeful gleam shining in her eyes. “You think?”
“Yeah,” I nodded, “I hardly ever see him have a proper conversation with anyone..not even Silas - wait a minute,” A sudden realization struck me, forming a cold knot in my stomach.
“Miss Elara?” Clara asked, concern now evident in her tone, “Are you alright?”
“Have you seen Silas lately?” I asked, ignoring her question.
She looked taken back by my sudden question, but quickly composed herself, pressing her lips in a thin line. “No,” she shook her head, “However, I heard he went home..or something? He was Lady Marceline’s personal guard not that long ago, so no one seemed to bother much,”
“He What?!” I gasped, my voice sharp with surprise. “He was her personal guard? Since when?”
She tilted her head, seeming unfazed by my sudden outburst. “I think shortly after your return from the Moonwhite pack or was it before? I’m not sure. But she did picked him personally,”
The pieces began to click into place with a sickening thud. Silas’s strange behavior at the Moonwhite Pack, the shadowy figure I’d glimpsed him conversing with, one that I believed was my stalker. Marcelline? Could she have possibly been behind what had happened there? And probably behind more I don’t know of?”
“Miss Elara?” Clara’s voice pulled me back from the spiraling thoughts. “Are you alright?”
“Yeah yeah,” I said, forcing a smile. The knot in my stomach tightened. “I just need to do something.”
“Shall I follow?” She offered, her brows furrowed with worry. “You seem like you want to be alone…”
“Yeah. So don’t follow, please.”
“Okay,” She pressed her lips into a thin line, “I’ll get going then.”
I didn’t respond and turned on my heels, heading towards the palace. I needed to question Cael about Silas. He was the only one who may know something, Marceline was out of the question, like hell, would she even reveal anything to me and just proceed to make things more complicated.
Cael was my only option, even though I doubt if he knew much.
I couldn’t believe how focused I had been on the turmoil with Kael’s revelation and others. I completely forgot about what happened in the Moonwhite pack. I had also completely missed the crucial detail of Silas absence, something was terribly wrong, and for some reasons I felt it was all connected to Darius.
“He’s coming,” Kael’s words from earlier rang in my head. “He’s going to come, and he won’t stop until he lays his hands on you.”
The weight of it all settled heavily on me. As I stepped into the palace courtyard, I came face to face with Ronan, Cael stood silently beside him.
“Elara?” Ronan’s voiced out in a warm tone. “How are you?” He added.
“I’m alright,” I replied, my eyes fixed on Cael, who looked away almost immediately. “Where’s Silas?” I asked the question directly squarely at Cael although Ronan answered.
“On leave,” Ronan stated, forcing me to turn my attention to him, his brows furrowed as he continued, “He said he needed to visit family. Why? Is anything the matter?”
I shook my head, trying to keep my tone casual, “No, I was just wondering… You know, since he followed me to the Moonwhite pack, I hadn’t really thought about him again until now.”
Ronan raised an eyebrow, a hint of suspicion in his gaze. While Cael remained silent, his expression was still neutral, but I caught a flicker of something in his eyes - a subtle acknowledgement of my unspoken concerns.
“Why would you?” Ronan asked, his voice slightly sharper than usual.
“He guarded me alongside Cael, it only made sense to ask. But since he’s away, it’s nothing. Forget about it.”
“Okay?” Ronan said, the words hung in the air, more like a question than a statement. He looked thoroughly confused, while Cael still looked uncomfortable. He knew something, I wasn’t wrong.
“In that case,” Ronan said, taking my hand, and pulling me gently to his side, “How about we go for a walk?”
“Sure.” I agreed, letting him lead me away. We walked through the gardens, the sun warm on my face. We talked about some stuff, mostly about irrelevant things that made sense in some ways. It was just a conversation Ronan started to probably ease me up. But it did little to help, my mind kept drafting back and forth. About Silas, his disappearance, then to Cael’s sudden change of behavior a few moments ago as I mentioned Silas…and Marceline. Only heaven knows what she had done and the kind of implications her actions must have caused.
“Are you alright?” Ronan asked as he stopped walking. I hadn’t even realized I had stopped walking and stood a few feet away from him.
“Yes, I- “ I started to answer, but my words were cut short when my eyes caught the sight of Kael who was approaching us. His gaze was fixed on me, a chilling intensity in his eyes that made me instinctively move closer to Ronan, who wrapped his hand in mine, entwining our fingers.
“Alpha Ronan,” Kael greeted, his voice calm. However, the casual greeting felt heavy with a hidden meaning.
“Lycan Kael,” Ronan responded, his voice equally neutral.
“Going for a walk?” Kael asked, his gaze briefly swept over me. His gaze lingered on our intertwined hands before he looked away….painfully.
“Yes… As you can see.” Ronan replied.
Kael said nothing and simply offered a smile, one that didn’t quite meet his eyes. His eyes then flickered back to our hands and a frown curled on his lips. “I’ll be on my way then.” He announced as he looked back at us. Ronan simply nodded.
I watched as Kael walked past us, his guards trailing behind him. His departure left a void of unease in its wake but I shook it off.
“Shall we?” Ronan asked, his expression now soft.
“Yes.”