Chapter 3: With greater power comes greater responsibilities

Kieran pov

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Since Father announced my succession, my life had changed drastically, and I hadn’t even been officially appointed as Alpha yet.

Elara and I had spent less and less time together with each passing day.

The council had been breathing down my neck constantly, and my responsibilities seemed to multiply by the hour.

There was always another meeting.

Another decision to make.

Another matter demanding my attention.

And somehow, amidst all of it, Elara was slowly becoming the one thing I barely had time for.

I hated it.

I hated that my responsibilities were beginning to interfere with the relationship I had spent years building with her.

But there was little I could do about it.

My father had told me that Cassian would be returning today and that he would assume the position of Beta and become my new right hand.

Perhaps his return would relieve some of the burden on my shoulders.

At least, I hoped it would.

Still, I wasn’t entirely certain Cassian would actually come back.

He had always despised pack life and everything that came with it—the politics, the hierarchy, the expectations, and the endless obligations.

For years, he had deliberately kept his distance from the pack.

So even though Father had assured me he was returning, a part of me remained skeptical.

---

Later that day, I was in the middle of a discussion with one of the council members regarding the changes that would take place once I was officially inaugurated as the new Alpha.

“The restructuring of the patrol divisions will need to be completed before the ceremony,” the council member explained.

I nodded, listening carefully as he continued.

Then, the grand doors of the mansion opened.

My attention instinctively shifted toward the entrance.

A figure stepped inside.

At first, I couldn’t make out who it was.

But as the figure drew closer, recognition slowly dawned on me.

“Cassian.”

It was him.

Cassian.

He had actually come back.

For several moments, I simply stared at him in disbelief.

Father had told me he was coming, but somehow, I hadn’t truly believed Cassian would follow through.

He had always been unpredictable when it came to the pack.

Yet here he was.

A grin immediately spread across my face.

Cassian walked toward me and pulled me into a warm embrace.

I hugged him back, unable to conceal the excitement that surged through me at seeing my younger brother after so many years.

I had missed him more than I cared to admit.

Unfortunately, I couldn’t properly catch up with him because of the council member standing in front of me.

After a brief conversation, Cassian told me he would come find me once I was free.

Then he left.

A few minutes later, I finally concluded my discussion with the council member and went looking for him.

I eventually spotted him farther down the hallway.

“Cassian!”

He turned at the sound of my voice.

And then I noticed someone standing on the opposite side of the hallway, near the mansion doors.

Elara.

I hadn’t expected her to be here.

Although, perhaps I shouldn’t have been surprised.

I was sure she had missed me just as much as I had missed her. We barely had time to speak anymore, let alone spend any meaningful time together.

“Elara, you remember Cassian right?.”

She looked toward him and nodded.

“Yes, I do.”

“It has been a while we saw“.

Then she walked over and wrapped her arms around him.

For a moment, I watched them embrace.

It had been a long time since the three of us had been together in the same place.

Elara, Cassian and I had grown up together

There was nothing unusual about them hugging.

After a moment, Elara pulled away.

Cassian immediately cleared his throat and made some excuse before abruptly leaving.

I frowned slightly in confusion.

Why had he hurried away like that?

It was strange, but I didn’t think much of it.

My attention shifted back to Elara.

I walked toward her and pulled her into a tight embrace, finally allowing myself to express just how much I had missed her.

“I’m sorry I haven’t been able to see you.”

She pulled away slightly and smiled at me.

And somehow, that smile alone was enough to dissolve every ounce of tension and stress that had accumulated within me.

For a moment, there were no council meetings.

No responsibilities.

No succession ceremony looming over my head.

There was only Elara.

My Elara.

And for the first time in days, I felt like I could finally breathe.

---

Two weeks passed.

Only a few days remained before I would officially become the new Alpha.

The closer the succession ceremony drew, the heavier the weight of my responsibilities seemed to become.

I walked into the kitchen one afternoon and immediately noticed Cassian and Elara.

They were standing together, engaged in what appeared to be an intense conversation.

Neither of them noticed me.

They seemed so engrossed in whatever they were discussing that my entrance went completely unnoticed.

I leaned against the doorway for a moment, watching them.

Then I deliberately cleared my throat loudly.

Both of them turned toward me simultaneously.

I grinned.

“Sorry for interrupting you, lovers.”

It was meant as a joke.

A harmless one.

But instead of laughing, both of their faces seemed to turn cold.

My smile slowly faded.

They looked uneasy.

Elara immediately looked away.

“I—I actually have something I need to do.”

Before I could respond, she hurriedly left the kitchen.

I stared after her, bewildered.

What the hell was that about?

I glanced at Cassian.

He looked equally uncomfortable.

Something wasn’t right.

Both Elara and Cassian had been acting strangely ever since he returned.

At first, I had dismissed it.

Perhaps I was simply overthinking things.

After all, I hadn’t been able to spend nearly enough time with Elara lately. Maybe the distance between us had simply made me more sensitive to her behavior.

I quickly followed after her trying to catch up to her.

“Elara!”

She continued walking.

I quickened my pace, yet she refused to stop.