Chapter 112 Elara's POV
I woke to an empty bed and a note.
‘Let yourself sleep, you need the rest. - K’
I smiled despite my exhaustion. Kaden was trying. Actually trying to be considerate instead of controlling.
My stomach growled loudly. The baby was demanding food and wouldn't be ignored.
I made my way to the kitchen and ate like I'd been starving for days. Eggs, bacon, toast, fruit, pastries. Everything I could reach. The kitchen staff watched with wide eyes as I cleared plate after plate.
"Is everything alright, miss?" One of the cooks asked.
"The baby is hungry, very hungry." I reached for another pastry. "And apparently he has excellent taste."
After I had finally satisfied both my appetite and the baby's demands, I sat there thinking. The servants, the household, the constant chaos and confusion about who was in charge.
It needed to end properly permanently.
I called for Kara.
"I need to organize a meeting," I told her.
"All household staff, everyone who works in the pack house. Kitchen, cleaning, grounds keeping, everyone."
"When?"
"This afternoon. Three o'clock in the main hall."
"What are you going to tell them?"
"Everything that's going to change."
By three o'clock, the main hall was full. Servants packed in, whispering nervously. They knew something was happening but not what.
I stood at the front with Kara beside me for support. My heart was pounding but I kept my voice steady.
"Thank you all for coming. I know you're busy and this is taking time from your duties. But what I have to say is important."
The room quieted.
"There's been a lot of confusion lately about household management about who gives orders about what's expected that ends today."
I pulled out the papers I had spent all morning preparing.
"From now on, all household operations go through me. Not Selena, not anyone else. I'm establishing clear chains of command, clear job descriptions, and clear expectations for everyone."
I went through the new structure systematically. Head positions for each department kitchen, cleaning, grounds. Regular schedules instead of chaotic, last-minute demands fair treatment policies. A process for reporting problems or concerns.
"There will also be changes to uniforms," I continued.
"The current ones are outdated and impractical. I've ordered new ones that are comfortable, professional, and appropriate for the work you do. They will arrive next week."
Some servants were nodding, others looked skeptical.
"I know some of you are worried about Selena. About what she will do when she hears about these changes."
I met their eyes directly. "Selena has no authority over household operations. If she gives you an order that conflicts with what I've established, you follow my instructions. If she threatens you or tries to intimidate you, you report it to me immediately."
"But miss," one of the older servants said hesitantly.
"She's been here longer, she has connections. What if she goes to the elders?"
"Then the elders can take it up with the Alpha. Who has already declared me his Luna and made it clear that I have final authority over household matters."
I softened my tone slightly. "I know change is scary. I know some of you are worried about retaliation. But I promise you I will protect anyone who follows these new guidelines. No one will be punished for doing their job properly."
Kara stepped forward. "I will be helping coordinate the transition. If anyone has questions or concerns, come to me or directly to Elara. We are here to make your lives better, not harder."
We spent the next hour going through specifics. Answering questions clarifying expectations. By the time we finished, the atmosphere had shifted and the servants looked less scared and more hopeful.
"One last thing," I said.
"I know what it is like to be in your position. I worked as a servant in this very house for years. I know what it feels like to be invisible. To be treated like you doesn't matter, that is changing you matter, your work matters and you deserve to be treated with respect."
The meeting ended with cautious optimism. Servants left talking quietly among themselves, some actually smiling.
Kara grinned at me. "You were amazing. Confidence is clear like you were born to do this."
"I was terrified the entire time."
"Well, you didn't show it and now Selena doesn't have a leg to stand on. You have taken control of the entire household operation. She can't undermine you if there's nothing left for her to control."
That evening, my phone rang. Helena.
"Elara," she said warmly. "How are you? How's the baby?"
"We're both fine, how are things at Red Stone?"
"Complicated. That's actually why I'm calling."
She paused. "The survivors from Silver Moon Pack, the ones you met, they've been talking to. about you, about who you are."
"What are they saying?"
"That you're Elena Silvercrest that the Alpha's daughter has returned. And they want..."
She hesitated. "They want you to help them rebuild to reform what's left of the pack."
My stomach dropped. "Helena, I can't. I barely remember anything about being Elena. I don't know anything about pack leadership or-"
"They don't need you to be a perfect leader. They need you to hope to be proof that the Silver Moon Pack still exists in some form."
"But I'm carrying Blue Moon Pack's heir. I'm Kaden's mate. I can't just abandon that to rebuild a pack that was destroyed fifteen years ago."
"I'm not asking you to abandon anything. Just... consider talking to them. Let them know you haven't forgotten them."
Helena's voice was gentle. "You're their last connection to what they lost to some of them, you represent everything they have been grieving for fifteen years."
"I don't know if I can be what they need."
"You're already what they need just by being alive. By surviving by showing them that the Silvercrest line didn't die with the attack."
After we hung up, I sat there feeling overwhelmed.
Reformed the household operations today. Now being asked to reform an entire destroyed pack.
I was pregnant, barely figuring out my own identity dealing with Erebus threats and shadow magic and a mate who was still learning how to trust me.
How was I supposed to be the hope for an entire group of displaced survivors?
"You okay?" Kara asked, noticing my expression.
"Just processing. Helena wants me to meet with the Silver Moon survivors and they want me to help rebuild their pack."
"That's huge."
"That's impossible."
"Is it though? You just reformed an entire household system in one afternoon. Maybe you are more capable than you think."
I wanted to believe her but the weight of expectations felt crushing.
"I need ice cream," I said suddenly.
"Right now. I'm craving ice cream so badly I might cry if I don't get some."
Kara laughed. "Then let's go get ice cream. There's a shop in town that's supposed to be amazing."
We drove into town, just the two of us and two guards following at a discrete distance. The ice cream shop was busy with the afternoon crowd.
I ordered three scoops of chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry and ate them with the single-minded focus of someone satisfying a pregnancy craving.
"This is the best thing I've ever tasted," I said between bites.
"You say that about every food lately."
"Because it's true every time."
We were walking back to the car when I saw him. Damian moved through the crowd quickly. And he was dragging someone with him.
A woman young, maybe early twenties. Dark hair. She was resisting, trying to pull away, but Damian had a firm grip on her arm. The woman suddenly wrenched free of his grip and ran.
Damian cursed and took off after her. I stood there frozen, ice cream forgotten, watching them disappear into the crowd.
What had I just witnessed?
And why did that woman's face seem so hauntingly familiar?