Elara
"Rowan?" I whispered again, as if saying his name might make him vanish.
But he didn't.
He stepped forward, and the moment stretched thin between us like a thread pulled tight over years of silence.
"Hey, Glow Girl," he said with a crooked smile that hadn't changed since we were kids.
I stared, stunned. "How…? Where have you—?"
"I'll explain," he cut in gently. "But maybe not in the hallway."
Lucien stood stone-still beside him, jaw clenched, arms folded tight across his chest. His expression was unreadable, but the air around him thrummed with restrained energy.
"Come in," I said softly.
Rowan walked past Lucien and into my room like he'd always belonged here.
Lucien lingered at the door, watching us like a storm cloud watches the sea.
I turned to him. "Are you coming?"
He hesitated a beat, then nodded and stepped inside.
The room suddenly felt too small for the three of us.
Rowan looked around, then met my eyes. "You look the same."
"I've changed," I said.
He gave me a slow once-over. "I can see that."
Lucien made a low sound in his throat.
"Why are you here?" I asked Rowan, needing to cut through the strange haze settling over me.
His smile faded. "I heard whispers. Rumors of an omega with light in her hands. Power in her blood. I knew it had to be you."
"You just… knew?"
He nodded. "We're connected, El. You might've forgotten, but I didn't."
Lucien stepped forward, his voice low and sharp. "You've had your reunion. Now answer the real question—why now?"
Rowan turned to him slowly. "I don't answer to you, Alpha."
The tension snapped taut.
I stepped between them instinctively. "Stop it. Please."
Lucien's jaw flexed, but he stepped back. Barely.
Rowan's eyes softened as he looked at me again. "I came because you're in danger. And because your power… it's calling."
I blinked. "Calling?"
"It's waking up," he said. "And it's loud."
Lucien's voice came again, colder this time. "Who are you, really?"
Rowan glanced at him, then looked at me. "Tell him."
I hesitated, then met Lucien's gaze. "He's the boy from my dreams. From my past. The first one who ever saw me."
Lucien didn't look surprised.
Just... deeply displeased.
Rowan added, "And I'm not just a childhood friend anymore. I'm a Seeker."
Lucien stiffened. "A what?"
Rowan's eyes glinted. "One of the few gifted with the ability to find those tied to prophecy. Especially those like Elara."
"You're a tracker," Lucien said flatly.
"I'm her tracker," Rowan corrected.
The way he said it—possessive, certain—set my nerves on edge. And yet…
My heart tugged.
Lucien took a slow step forward. "She's not a prize to be found."
"No," Rowan agreed. "She's a power that needs to be protected. And I don't think you understand what she's becoming."
I could feel it again—that wild pulse in my chest, the golden light building just beneath my skin.
"I'm not a weapon," I said quietly.
"You're not," Rowan said gently. "But they'll treat you like one if you're not careful."
Lucien's eyes narrowed. "They?"
"The council. The rogue factions. Even those within your own pack. If word spreads that she's the one from the Blood Moon…"
"They'll try to control me," I whispered.
"Or destroy you," Rowan finished.
A cold silence settled.
Lucien's eyes met mine. "Then we don't let the word spread."
Rowan shook his head. "It already has."
---
The next morning, I found Rowan in the garden.
He was sitting beneath the old yew tree, picking at a blade of grass, staring at the sky.
"You always did like trees," I said softly.
He smiled without looking at me. "They listen better than people."
I sat beside him, the silence between us more comfortable now.
"I missed you," I said honestly.
"I missed you too." His tone turned wistful. "You were the only light in that village."
"You left."
"I didn't have a choice. My father was a Seeker too. When the council called him back, I had to go."
I nodded slowly. "Do you work for them now?"
"Not exactly," he said. "I… drift. I find the ones they want before they do."
"You're hiding people?"
"I'm saving them," he said simply. "Most don't even know what they are until it's too late."
"And me?"
"You're different. You've always been different."
I looked down at my hands.
"Your power," he said gently, "it's not meant to be locked away. It's meant to grow."
"I'm scared of it."
"I know. That's why I came."
There was a long pause.
"I'm mated to Lucien," I said.
His expression didn't change. "Are you?"
"I haven't accepted the bond."
"Why not?"
Because I'm afraid. Because I'm not ready. Because part of me still wonders if I can be with someone who holds so much power and yet makes me feel like I'm losing mine.
"I don't know," I said quietly.
Rowan nodded. "Then don't let anyone rush you. Not even him."
---
Later that night, I found Lucien in the war room.
He was standing over a map, hands braced on the table, brows furrowed.
"You're angry," I said.
"I'm focused."
"You're jealous."
He looked up, gaze sharp. "Of a boy who couldn't protect you when you were five?"
I walked over slowly. "You don't like him."
"I don't trust him."
"You don't trust anyone."
"Not true," he said softly. "I trust you."
My heart skipped.
He reached for me then, pulling me close. His scent wrapped around me—cedar, smoke, something warm and dark and safe.
"You're mine," he murmured against my hair.
"I'm not a possession."
"I know," he said. "That's what terrifies me."
I leaned into his chest. "Rowan's here to help. That's all."
"Help how?"
"By teaching me."
Lucien pulled back to look me in the eye. "And what about me?"
"What about you?"
"I've been trying to protect you since the day we met. I've watched you bleed, scream, dream of things you won't tell me. And now he shows up, and suddenly he gets to know everything?"
"That's not fair—"
"No," he said. "It's not. But it's real."
I touched his jaw. "You scare me sometimes."
"Good."
I blinked.
His voice dropped, raw. "Because if I scare you, it means you see the truth. That I'm not perfect. That I'm not some fairytale Alpha. I'm just a man trying not to lose the one thing that makes me feel alive."
My throat closed.
"I don't want to choose between you," I said honestly.
"You won't have to," he said. "Because I won't let you go."
---
The following day, Seris returned.
She brought books, scrolls, and a dark look in her eyes.
"The council knows," she said grimly.
"How?" Lucien asked.
"There's a traitor in your pack. Someone close enough to hear Elara's name and sell it for power."
My stomach dropped.
"Who?" Lucien growled.
"We don't know yet. But they've already sent a Shadow Walker."
Rowan paled. "You're sure?"
Seris nodded. "She'll arrive before the week's end."
I turned to Lucien. "What's a Shadow Walker?"
He answered quietly. "An assassin trained to kill those with prophecy in their blood. They can walk through wards. Silence their steps. Twist your dreams into madness."
"How do we stop her?"
Seris looked at me. "You don't. You survive."
I clenched my fists.
"No," I said. "I don't want to just survive. I want to fight."
Rowan and Lucien exchanged a look.
And for the first time, they both nodded.
Together.