Chapter 58 Elara's POV
I stood still the moment my feet touched the cracked stone floor.
The place smelled old, not dirty, just abandoned. Like people once lived here and left without saying goodbye. The walls were wide, built strong, but time had eaten at them. Parts of the ceiling were broken. The windows were tall, but most of the glass was gone.
“This is the old pack house.” Miriam said quietly.
Her voice echoed mine would have echoed too if I spoke, so I stayed silent.
“This is where Kaden’s family lived,” She continued.
I turned to look at her and Miriam's eyes were wet already. She had not even started telling the story yet, but the pain was already sitting on her face.
“Kaden never comes here,” She said.
“He forbade it years ago but I brought it to you because you deserve to know.”
I swallowed.
The baby inside me shifted gently. I placed my hand on my stomach without thinking. I felt small inside this big broken house.
Elder Miriam walked slowly, her fingers brushing the wall as if she was touching memories.
“Kaden’s father was the Alpha,” She said. “Strong, feared, respected.”
She stopped walking. “But his mate,” She added, her voice lowering, “was an Omega.”
I sucked in a sharp breath. “An Omega?” I asked.
She nodded. “Yes, she was gentle, quiet, and kind. The pack never accepted her fully.”
I clenched my fists.
“They whispered about her,” Miriam continued.
“They said she trapped him, they said she was weak, they said she was unworthy.”
My chest tightened.
“But he loved her,” Miriam said, tears slipping down her face. “He loved her more than the pack more than his duty.”
We moved into what looked like a large sitting room. Broken chairs lay on their sides, dust covered everything.
“They had twins,” Miriam said. “A boy and a girl.”
My heart skipped. “Kaden.” I whispered.
“And his sister,” She said quickly, then stopped herself.
Her jaw tightened. “Kaden ordered that her name must never be spoken,” She said. “Not here, not anywhere.”
I nodded. “I won’t ask.” I said.
Miriam exhaled slowly, like she was holding herself together. “Their mother died young,” She said.
“She was sick for a long time. The pack doctors did what she could, but it was not enough.”
She sat on a bench. “When she died, everything ended.” Miriam said.
I sat across from her. “Kaden’s father lost his mind,” She continued. “Not all at once slowly. Day by day.”
She looked up at the ceiling. “He blamed himself, he blamed the pack, he blamed the world,” She said.
“He stopped leading, he stopped caring.”
My throat burned.
“He stayed in his room,” Miriam said.
“Drank, shouted, broke things, hometimes he cried like a child.”
I could see it without trying. “He ignored his children,” she said.
“Both of them.”
“What about the sister?” I asked carefully.
Miriam’s lips trembled. “She disappeared,” She said. “Not long after their mother’s death.”
My heart dropped. “Disappeared how?” I asked.
“No one knows,” Miriam said. “One day she was there the next day she was gone.”
I held my breath.
“The Alpha did nothing,” She continued. “He did not search, he did not ask questions.”
I felt anger rise inside me. “So Kaden was alone,” I said.
“Yes,” Miriam replied. “He was still too young to carry that weight.”
She stood up again and walked toward a narrow hallway.
“He learned fast,” she said. “He learned that love destroys and caring makes you weak.”
I followed her.
“He took on responsibilities that were never meant for a boy his age,” She said. “He trained harder than anyone, he spoke less, he trusted no one.”
We stopped in front of a closed door. “This was his father’s room,” She said.
She did not open it.
“He watched love break a powerful man,” She said. “So he decided he would never love.”
My chest felt tight.
“He slept with women,” Miriam continued, her voice firm. “He took what he wanted and left them after.”
I looked away.
“He believed feelings were useless,” She said. “That attachment only leads to loss.”
That sounded like the Kaden I knew somehow cold, distant, controlled.
“Then Selena came.” Miriam said.
I stiffened.
“She was different.” Miriam continued. “Smart, ambitious, strong.”
I said nothing.
“She made him believe he could rule without feeling,” Miriam said. “She encouraged his distance and controlled his walls.”
My fingers dug into my palms.
“She never asked him to love,” Miriam said. “Only to conquer.”
That hurt more than I expected.
“Kaden warned everyone,” Miriam said. “No one was allowed to speak of his sister. No one was allowed to remind him of the past.”
She finally turned to me fully.
“And now,” She said softly, “You are here.”
Silence filled the hallway. “I don’t understand why,” I said.
Miriam stepped closer. “Because you see him,” she said. “Not the Alpha, not the weapon the man.”
I shook my head. “He barely talks to me,” I said. “He barely looks at me.”
“But he protects you,” Miriam said. “He listens to you even when he pretends not to.”
Tears filled my eyes. “He is broken,” I whispered.
“Yes,” she said. “And tired.”
She dropped to her knees and suddenly the sound echoed loudly.
I gasped. “ Elder Miriam-”
She grabbed my hands, tears streamed freely down her face now.
“Please.” She sobbed.
“Help him.”
My heart raced.
“Help him believe that love does not always destroy,” She cried. “Help him build the family he never had.”
I couldn’t speak.
“Please,” She begged again, pressing her forehead to my hands. “Before it is too late.”
I looked down, then back at her and I realized this was not just about Kaden anymore.
It was about all of us and I did not know if love would save him
Or break us all.