I was frozen.
Had those words really just come out of Elijah's mouth? Words I didn't think I'd ever hear. Words that almost didn't seem to make sense. This should be good news, right? So why did my mate look so...unsure? If my parents were dead, why wouldn't he just say they were dead?
What the hell was going on?
"What?" I finally spoke. Part of me wanted to scream, but my emotions were so overwhelming that it came out as a numb whisper.
Elijah sighed, "Ryder found your parents in Dark Root."
"You basically already said that! What the hell is going on? Are they okay? What did he tell you?" I snapped, rambling off question after question.
"Dean supposedly had no knowledge of this, and it was all Archie's doing, although Ryder knows that Dean is lacking credibility now days, so he's going to thoroughly investigate that situation as well. They're okay, but severely malnourished. Ryder fears they could have suffered some psychological damage as well," Elijah explained.
"Those motherfuckers!" I yelled, rage finally taking over.
I should've known. What else could I expect from men as evil as Dean and Archie?
Elijah grabbed me and pulled me tightly to his chest in an attempt to control my oncoming rampage, "We're going to take care of them Lena. Ryder is bringing them here as we speak. They're going to be okay, I promise."
"I barely remember them Elijah. What am I going to say to them?" I asked frantically, lowering my voice a bit. Too many thoughts were flying around in my mind, and Elijah was the only one who could slow them down.
"We don't need to worry about that right now. I'm sure they'll be thrilled to be reunited with their daughter," Elijah assured me, stroking the back of my hair lightly.
He refused to let me go, and instead continued to stand at the side of his desk, hugging me against his chest as if he feared I may break out like a wild animal at any moment. I didn't mind though. I needed him. Elijah calmed me – he was the only one who could.
I let out a long sigh, forcing myself to calm down for Elijah's sake.
"When do you think they will arrive?" I asked.
Elijah leaned down and placed a soft, warm kiss on my forehead, "Either late tonight or early in the morning."
I sighed again and nodded. Nothing could prepare me for a moment like the one to come. I could barely remember my childhood or anything about my parents. I couldn't even clearly picture what they looked like. What was I supposed to say? How were we supposed to catch up? I wanted to believe that seeing them again would bring back my memories, but I didn't want to get my hopes up. After all, Elijah and I had been friends as children, and I still had no memory of him.
"Where will they be staying?" I asked, pulling myself from the thought of my memories.
"We'll need to keep them in the infirmary for a few days at least to help them regain strength and check for any major health problems. We'll want to evaluate their mental health as well," Elijah answered. It made sense, and I wanted my parents to get whatever help they may need, but that didn't keep me from worrying about how life would be with parents who were batshit crazy.
"Why don't you go find Daphne for an early dinner? She missed you," Elijah suggested, desperate to get my mind off of things.
"Dinner?" I questioned, raising an eyebrow at him.
Elijah chuckled and shook his head at me, revealing his signature smirk for the first time today, "All of the travelling through different time zones really got to you. You slept for quite a while. It's nearly five."
My eyes widened, and almost as if on cue, my stomach rumbled.
"Go, Daphne should be in the dining hall already," Elijah said as he nudged me towards the door.
I quickly spun around and wrapped my arms around his neck before planting a kiss right on his lips. Elijah seemed a bit stun at my fast maneuver, but responded instantly by kissing me back and running his fingers through my hair. I took a moment to savor the sparks of our mate bond as they zapped between us, pulling me into a cocoon of love and comfort.
I pulled out of the kiss ever so slightly, leaving only a couple centimeters of space between our lips, "Would you like me to bring you anything?"
Elijah smirked, flashing his pearly white teeth with a sly expression, "I'll try to join you two here in a little while."
I smiled and nodded before gently slipping out of his embrace and making my way towards the door.
Once I was back in the hallway, I quietly shut Elijah's office door behind me and wasted no time walking to the stairs and down to the dining hall. It was good to be home again. More than good, really, but I couldn't think of another term to describe the feeling without sounding completely cheesy to both myself and my wolf.
Upon entering the large room, I was faced with the sight of many pack members – both familiar and unfamiliar to me. Several groups of people approached me with handshakes and a chorus of 'welcome backs.' I had to fight myself not to blush. I still haven't been officially initiated as Polar Moon's Luna, but the pack still saw me as just that.
After the crowd dispersed and made their way to their seats, I spotted Daphne across the room, shooting me a toothy grin. Her bright red hair was impossible to miss amongst the rest of the pack, and even without her gorgeous looks, she radiated the power of an Alpha's child.
"Lena!!" Daphne squealed, standing from her seat and running across the room to meet me.
She quickly pulled me into a hug, nearly strangling me, before pulling away to look me up and down, "Thank Goddess you're okay! Don't you ever get kidnapped again, do you hear me?!" she scolded.
I chuckled and nodded, only for her to give me a stern look.
"I'm serious! I finally got a sister, so I don't intend to lose you, understand?"
"Yes, Daphne. Now, can we eat? I'm starved," I told her with an amused smile.
"Of course! How cruel of me. You probably haven't been fed properly in days!" Daphne rambled as she pulled me towards the serving line.
The pack's omegas graciously served me my dinner, uttering kind words here and there as I made my way down the line. I nodded and smiled to each one, truly appreciating the warm welcome. Once mine and Daphne's plates were filled, we made our way back to the table at the front of the dining hall that was always reserved for the Alpha and his family.
I dug into my steak and potatoes, feeling a bit greedy but not really giving a fuck, and chatted with Daphne in-between bites. She asked me what the Dark Root pack was like and what happened while I was there, and I truly didn't mind filling her in. It kept me distracted from the thought of seeing my parents at some point in the very near future.
"My parents will be here tonight," I finally spoke up, desperate to get it off my chest to someone besides Elijah.
Daphne's eyes widened to the size of golf balls, "What?!"
I nodded, "I know. It's crazy...and they might be crazy. Ugh."
"My brother doesn't tell me anything," Daphne huffed, crossing her arms along her chest.
Almost as if he knew he was being talked about, Elijah strode into the room and right up to our table, pulling me into a sweet kiss before patting his sister on the head like a child.
"Please tell me you two saved enough food for me," he teased.
Daphne scoffed, "Never."
Elijah chuckled and walked over to the serving line to get his dinner. I watched as the omegas each bowed their heads to their Alpha as he made his way down the line, and I smiled when I noticed Elijah smiling and nodding to each of them, just as I had done earlier.
Once Elijah's plate was piled high enough to suit him, he came back to the table and took his seat at the head. Only a few minutes after he began eating, I heard his phone vibrating in his pocket. He grumbled as he pulled it out and answered the call, clearly not happy with someone interrupting his meal.
"Yes, Ryder?" Elijah asked.
I paused, turning my attention to him and his phone call.
"Mhm," Elijah said, not giving much away.
After listening over the phone for a few seconds more and adding an 'okay,' Elijah hung up the phone.
"Ryder will be arriving with your parents within the hour."
Hello again! Hope you all enjoyed this chapter, even though not much happens. I had to build some anticipation for Lena's parents arriving, right??!?!? How do you all think that's going to go?
Please continue to read, vote, comment, and follow! Thank you all so much for getting Lena to 4K views! You're seriously amazing. I have more surprises in the near future, and I'm really trying to update as much as possible! (Even if it means making chapters a wee bit shorter!)
xoxo -V