CHAPTER 14

Elara’s Pov

After the flurry of introductions and tasting nearly every dish in the kitchen, I finally pulled away from the warmth of the hearth. 

My stomach was full, and my heart felt even fuller, but as the crowd settled back into their rhythmic chores, I realized the towering shadow that usually anchored me was gone.

I turned in a slow circle, scanning the courtyard. 

The stone pillar where he had been leaning was empty.

"Looking for the Alpha, Miss Elara?" one of the guards near the heavy iron gates asked. 

He wasn't standing stiffly like the guards at Silver Ridge; he had a relaxed posture and a genuine smile.

"Yes," I said, a slight flush creeping up my neck. "I... I didn't see him leave."

"He headed toward the west wing about twenty minutes ago," the guard replied, gesturing toward the main keep. "He’s in his study. Said he had pack business to attend to now that he’s sure you’re in good hands."

"Thank you," I said, giving him a small nod.

As I walked away, the hushed voices of the kitchen maids drifted after me. 

"I'm so glad we have a calm Luna," one whispered. "She has such a gentle spirit. The Alpha seems so much more at peace since she arrived."

A calm Luna.

They were talking about me. I bit my lip to hide a smile, my feet feeling lighter with every step.

I followed the guard's directions, navigating the sun-drenched hallways. 

The Citadel felt less like a maze today and more like a home waking up for spring. 

I reached the west wing, where the air was quieter, smelling of old parchment and beeswax. 

Standing before a set of massive, dark wood doors, I hesitated. 

At home, interrupting an Alpha in his study was a punishable offense. But Varick had told me I wasn't a prisoner. He had told me I was his mate.

I took a breath and knocked softly.

"Come in," his voice rumbled, deep and focused.

I pushed the door open. 

The study was enormous, lined from floor to ceiling with books, with a massive desk overlooking the jagged peaks of the North. 

Varick was hunched over a map, quill in hand, but the moment he saw me, he set it down.

"Elara," he said, and the tension in his shoulders seemed to vanish. "I thought the kitchen staff might keep you hostage until dinner."

I stepped into the room, hands clasped. "They let me go eventually. I... I wanted to find you."

He leaned back, watching me with that intense, unreadable gaze that always made my pulse quicken. 

"And now that you’ve found me?"

I stood in the center of the room, eyes wide as I took in the scale of his workspace. 

It was larger than the entire common room at Silver Ridge. 

Varick rose, his heavy boots thudding softly on the rug as he walked toward me, his presence filling the space.

"It’s... it’s so large," I whispered. "How do you find anything here?"

"Everything has its place," he rumbled, stopping a few feet away to give me room to explore.

I wandered toward the shelves, my fingers hovering inches from the various curiosities. 

There were carved stones that glowed with a faint inner light, silver compasses, and delicate glass globes filled with what looked like captured starlight.

I moved with agonizing care, tucking my elbows in and holding my breath, making certain I didn't stumble. 

To break something of his... the thought made my heart stutter.

Eventually, I drifted back toward the desk. 

Driven by a newfound curiosity I never would have dared show before, I leaned over, peering at the thick parchment. 

It was covered in sweeping lines and strange symbols.

"What are you doing?" I asked softly.

Varick didn't answer right away. 

When I looked up, he was watching me with quiet fascination. 

"I’m glad you’re finally comfortable enough to ask me things, Elara," he said, his voice dropping an octave.

The words hit me like a splash of icy water. 

The reality of my boldness crashed down. 

I flinched, my shoulders hunching toward my ears as I scrambled backward, putting several feet of distance between us. 

My hand flew to the back of my neck, rubbing the skin nervously.

"Yeah... I... sorry," I stammered, my gaze dropping to my boots.

Varick tilted his head, his icy blue eyes narrowing. 

The silence became heavy, thick enough to choke on. 

I waited for the reprimand, for him to tell me I was being forward, but he remained silent.

"If you don't want to go back to your room just yet," he finally said, breaking the tension, "you could stay here with me. You could sit on the couch and read. There are stories from all over the world on these shelves."

He looked at me closely, waiting for a spark of excitement. He expected me to jump at the chance to get lost in a story. Instead, my gaze dropped further. 

The golden light of the study suddenly felt too bright.

"Elara?" he asked, his voice softening. "What is it?"

I swallowed hard, my fingers twisting in the fabric of my tunic. 

"I... I can't," I whispered, shame burning hot in my chest. "I never learned how to read."

A flicker of surprise crossed Varick’s face, a momentary widening of his eyes, but he masked it almost instantly. But I had seen it. That split second of shock felt like a brand on my skin.

"I... I was always too busy," I whispered, the words tumbling out as I tried to justify my ignorance. 

I looked at the floor, my vision blurring. I kept the rest locked behind my teeth, though the memories clawed at my throat.

‘I wasn't allowed,’ I screamed silently. 

At Silver Ridge, books weren't for people like me. 

My sister had been allowed to sit for hours with tutors, learning histories, laws, and poems. 

I remembered standing in the hallway, the heavy wooden handle of a soapy bucket biting into my palms, listening to the melodic drone of a teacher’s voice from behind the library doors. 

I had been a shadow in the hall, meant only to scrub the floors they walked on.

‘I’m not sure I’d be able to read a single thing even if I tried’, I thought, a hot tear tracking a path down my cheek. ‘I was told my mind wasn't built for it.’

"Elara."