Chapter 120 Kaden's POV
I arrived home late in the afternoon, exhausted from another day of coordinating border defenses and interrogating uncooperative prisoners.
The moment I walked into the pack house, I noticed something was different.
The entrance hall looked... better cleaner, more organized. Fresh flowers in vases that had been empty for months polished the floors to a shine.
And the servants were wearing new uniforms. Professionals clean nothing like the mismatched, worn clothing they had been wearing before.
"Good afternoon, Alpha," One of the maids said, bowing slightly as she passed.
Her tone was respectful but not fearful. Confidence.
What has changed?
I walked further into the house and saw more improvements everywhere I looked. Paintings that had been crooked were now straight. Clutter that had accumulated in corners was gone. Everything felt more... intentional. Like someone who actually cared about the space was managing it.
Elara this had to be Elara's doing. I went looking for her, checking her quarters first. Empty.
"Where's Elara?" I asked a passing servant.
"In the back gardens, Alpha is working on the memorial site."
The memorial site is my mother's garden.
I walked through the pack house and out the back entrance. Followed the path toward where my mother's memorial garden had been before it was burned.
And stopped when I saw it.
Elara was there, kneeling on the ground despite her pregnant belly. She was surrounded by servants, at least a dozen of them. They were clearing away the burnt debris, turning soil, preparing to replant.
"No, the roses go here," Elara was saying, pointing to a specific spot.
"According to the original design Elder Miriam showed me and the lavender forms a border along this edge."
"Are you sure you should be kneeling like that, Miss?" One servant asked. "In your condition?"
"I'm fine, just hand me that trowel."
I watched as she worked alongside the servants. Not directing from a distance. Actually working getting dirt on her hands and clothes.
Rebuilding what had been destroyed. Restoring my mother's memory, something in my chest cracked.
All these years, I had left the garden as it was after the fire. Couldn't bring myself to rebuild it, couldn't face the reminder of another thing I'd failed to protect.
But Elara had taken it upon herself to fix to make it beautiful again. I stood there watching until one of the servants noticed me and whispered to Elara.
She turned, saw me, and smiled. "You are home early."
"I wanted to see you but I see you are busy."
"Just finishing up." She stood carefully, one hand on her back. "What do you think? We are trying to recreate the original design as closely as possible."
"It's perfect thank you."
"Elder Miriam helped her remember exactly how your mother wanted it."
Elara walked toward me, brushing dirt from her hands. "It should be fully replanted by next week. Then we just have to wait for everything to grow."
I pulled her into my arms, not caring about the dirt or the audience of servants. "Thank you for everything."
"You are welcome."
We were walking back to the house together when Selena appeared. She looked terrible. Her hair was disheveled, her makeup smeared from crying, her clothes wrinkled.
And she was furious.
"Kaden!" She practically shrieked. "Finally! Do you know what she did to me?"
"What did you?"
"Her!" Selena pointed at Elara.
"Your so-called Luna! She locked me in a room full of spiders! For hours! I was screaming and no one would let me out!"
I looked at Elara and she met my eyes calmly, not denying it.
"Is this true?" I asked.
"Yes."
"Why?"
"Because she needed to learn that actions have consequences. And because I'm done being the bigger person while she terrorizes this household."
Selena was practically vibrating with rage. "She can't do that! She has no authority to lock me in a room! I want her punished! I want-"
"Enough," I said. "Go to your quarters, I will deal with this."
Selena looked triumphant. "Finally, finally you're taking my side. I knew you would see reason eventually-"
"I said go to your quarters now."
She left, shooting Elara a victorious look. I turned to a nearby servant. "Find Elara and bring her... wait, you're already here."
Elara raised an eyebrow. "I'm right here."
"Right. Of course." I looked at another servant. "Find Ethan and tell him to come here immediately."
Ethan arrived within minutes. "What's wrong?"
"I need you to organize a team. I want Selena's belongings moved out of the guest quarters."
"Moved where?"
"To the servant quarters the smallest room available near the back of the building."
Selena, who had apparently been listening from around the corner, came running back. "What? You can't do that! I'm a guest! The elders said-"
"The elders said you could remain on pack lands as a regular pack member. Regular pack members don't get private guest quarters. They get basic accommodations."
I looked at Ethan. "Make it happen today."
"With pleasure," Ethan said, grinning.
"You can't do this!" Selena was crying now.
Real tears.
"Kaden, please! I'm sorry! I will behave! I will stay away from Elara! Just don't make me live in the servant quarters!"
"You should have thought of that before you broke into my room naked. Before you spread lies about my mate.”
“Before you made everyone in this household miserable with your presence."
I gestured to the guards. "Escort her to her new quarters to make sure she doesn't take anything that doesn't belong to her."
They dragged her away, still screaming protests. When the noise finally faded, I turned to Elara.
She was watching me with an unreadable expression.
"You locked her in a room full of spiders." I said.
"Yes."
"That's cruel."
"Yes."
"I'm proud of you."
She blinked. "What?"
"I'm proud of you for finally standing up to her. For taking control of the household. For not letting her walk all over you anymore." I took her hands. "You are becoming exactly the Luna this pack needs."
"I slapped her too before the spiders."
"Even better."
She actually laughed. "You are supposed to be the one who tells me I went too far."
"You didn't go too far. If anything, you showed restraint. I would have done much worse." I paused. "Actually, there's something I want to ask you. A request."
"What kind of request?"
"I want you to move into my quarters. Permanently not just sleeping there, occasionally actually living there sharing the space sharing our lives completely."
She was quiet for a moment. "That's a big step."
"I know but we are having a child together. We're mates, we love each other. It's time to stop pretending we're not building a life together."
"What about the ceremony? The official Luna recognition?"
"We will do that when you're ready but this living together, being partners that can start now."
She looked down at her dirt-covered clothes. At her pregnant belly then back at me.
"Okay."
"Okay?"
"Yes I will move into your quarters. Permanently. We will build this life together."
She smiled. "But I'm keeping my own closet space. I've seen how much room your clothes take up."
I pulled her close and kissed her not caring that we were in the middle of the hallway where anyone could see.
When we broke apart, she was breathless. "When do you want me to move my things?" She asked.
"Tonight right now I don't want to spend another night without you beside me."
"Alright but you are helping me pack."
"Deal."
We walked to her quarters together to start gathering her belongings. And for the first time in longer than I could remember, I felt like things might actually be okay.
The pack was stabilizing and the household was running smoothly. Selena was finally facing consequences.
And Elara was moving in with me.
It wasn't perfect we still had Erebus to deal with. Still had traitors to find. Still had my sister's ghost appearing and mysterious notes threatening doom.
But we'd face all of it together in our shared quarters.
As true partners as it should have been from the beginning