StarShine (Temporarily On Hold)

2

Elara could count on one hand how many times she had been summoned to the Alpha's office. Once, and that was when she was informed of her parents' deaths. 

It's not that she thought of herself as a 'good girl' but Elara always found it easier to keep her nose down and out of trouble. Especially with Everett being the next Beta. The last thing she wanted was to cause him any trouble. He deserved the happiness he had found with Grace and Elara would never take that from him, even inadvertently. 

She couldn't control the flare-up of nerves as she stood outside the Alpha's door. She keeps telling her self that no one is dead this time. Everett and Grace were perfectly fine when she left them moments ago, so this will not be like the last visit to Alpha Gabriel. 

She fights to catch her breath and when she is certain it's under control she knocks on the door three times. 

Don't look the Alpha in the eyes. 

Always answer with 'yes, Alpha' or 'no, Alpha'.

"Come in," The firm baritone of Alpha Gabriel sounds from the other side of the door, pulling Elara out of her mental checklist. 

With one more quick breath, Elara enters the room quickly, not wanting to keep her Alpha waiting. Her eyes skim the office, taking in the same earthy tones that she remembers from being in here last year. 

Elara can remember all too clearly staring out of the floor to ceiling window that sits behind the Alpha's desk. The view of the backwoods has become synonymous with the news that she was now an orphan.  The way the silhouettes of the redwood trees clashed with the darkening sky served as a constant reminder to the dangers that roamed in the darkness outside of pack territory. 

LIfe just isn't fair, she thinks as her eyes land on the aging Alpha, sitting behind his desk. 

His dark hair cut short, but still enough to style with some gel if he wanted to. She always found it interesting that most days, the Alpha was wearing a suit. Of course, she had seen him in more casual attire, but suits seem to be his go-to choice and he wore them well. Luna Elise was very lucky to have a mate so handsome, even as he pushes his forties. 

As soon as his eyes lift to hers, she startles not wanting to be caught staring and drops her gaze to the hardwood floors. The apology she had been working on, flooding to her mind and tumbling out of her mouth before she can even take a full breath. 

"I'm so sorry, Alpha. I didn't realize I had my walls up. It -" Elara tilted her head and showed her neck in submission, but the Alpha interrupted quickly.

"Elara," the Alpha raises his hand indicating for her to stop talking, "it's alright. It happens." 

She couldn't detect any type of anger in his tone so she allowed a small amount of tension in her back release, but she didn't relax completely. She still wasn't sure why she had been asked here and she didn't know how to breach the subject. So she gave a quick bow as a 'Thank you' and waited for the Alpha to speak first.  

"Please sit, Elara." the Alpha gestured towards a chair, before leaning back casually in his black swivel chair, "How are you doing, Elara?"

Her eyebrows scrunched together in confusion, why was the Alpha asking how she was doing? She wasn't anyone of consequence to the Alpha, just another pack member who worked as a maid in the pack house. 

"F-fine, Alpha. Thank you for your concern." the Alpha shook his head at Elara's answer and she worried she said something to upset him, but what type of answer was he expecting. 

"I know all too well the anniversary passed a few days ago, so please, I'll ask again. How are you?" Elara sucked in a sharp breath, her mind flashing between the past and the present as the Alpha mentioned the anniversary of her parents' death. 

But try as Elara might, she couldn't put into words an accurate answer for the Alpha. She couldn't very well tell him that every day was a struggle to accept that she will never hear her mother's voice again. That she cried the other day because Everett hadn't fixed the squeaky cabinet and had her father been alive no one would have had to ask. 

"I miss them dearly, Alpha. I would trade almost anything for another day with them." It's as honest an answer as Elara could think of. 

Alpha Gabriel nodded in what Elara guessed was sympathy. He couldn't possibly understand how she felt because his parents were living just down the road from the pack house. However, she will concede that he knew what loss felt like. Being an Alpha connected him to all the wolves, even her parents when they died. 

"I asked you here for two reasons," Alpha Gabriel spoke after a brief moment of silence, "Firstly, there has been some new information brought to light regarding their death."

Elara felt like the air had been sucked from the room, leaving her gasping for breath like a suffocating fish. A small part of her screamed, I knew it!  She had always questioned some of the circumstances but there was no evidence. Nothing but a feeling deep inside her gut that told her things didn't add up.

"Everett," she whispered, cutting off the Alpha from whatever he had been saying. 

She hadn't realized he was still talking, but she knew if this was about her parents, then Everett should be here too. The Alpha folded his hands and placed them on the desk with a small sigh. 

"Everett was with me when I got the call." Something close to betrayal moves through Elara's veins and tears prick at her eyes. 

Everett knew and he didn't tell her. The thought, bitter in her mind and on her tongue. He was all she had, surely there is a reason he didn't tell her.

"Elara are you still listening?" Her eyes snapped up at her name, before immediately dropping to the Alpha's hands. 

"Yes, Alpha," she hadn't been and guilt flooded her that she had lied to the Alpha. But she couldn't ask him for answers like she could her brother. 

"The pack who provided the information to us is coming here and I need to ask you to make up the guest quarters, as soon as possible please." Elara smiled at the Alpha's request, giving a slight nod in understanding. 

She respected the Alpha for many reasons but one of the biggest is that he never demanded, not really anyway. He always asked and added a please or thank you afterward. It was the smallest sign of appreciation that earned him the respect he had within the pack.  

"Yes, Alpha. I'll do it right away." Elara hadn't been excused from the Alpha's office, but she stood and bowed, waiting for the dismissal. 

"Elara," the Alpha sighed, walking around the desk to stand in front of her. 

His black, shiny shoes entered her line of sight first before she felt his hands on her shoulders. Elara straightens her posture but doesn't meet the Alpha's eyes until he demands it of her. His cool blue eyes, crinkled in the corner from age, looked concerned as he spoke.

"Everett didn't want to tell you until we had more answers, but you deserved to know. If you need anything, you can come to me or Luna Elise." his voice was sincere and Elara couldn't help but give him a small smile as he moved to open the office door for her. 

"Thank you, Alpha." 

<3 <3 <3 <3 

Thanks for reading and just so you know, I did add a disclaimer to the beginning of the story. So if you get the notification of that, I just thought it a good idea to add to anyone who joins the story moving forward