Chapter 3
Chapter 3: Sleepless Nights.
Sleep refused to come.
Moonlight spilled across Elara's bedroom, illuminating everything exactly as she remembered. The bookshelf Rowan had built for her still stood beside the window. The faded photographs on the dresser hadn't moved. Even the curtains were the same pale blue her mother had chosen years ago.
The room had waited for her.
But she wasn't the same girl who had left.
Three years at Cambridge had changed her. She had earned a degree, traveled alone, and convinced herself she had buried feelings that never should have existed.
Yet one hug from Rowan had undone years of careful lies.
His scent still lingered in her mind—cedarwood, rain, and the unmistakable scent of an Alpha.
She buried her face in the pillow with a groan.
"Get yourself together, Elara."
He was still Rowan.
Still the man she had spent years trying to forget.
Unable to lie still any longer, she slipped from bed, pulled on a light cardigan over her satin nightdress, and quietly opened her bedroom door.
The manor slept in silence.
Only one room remained lit.
His study.
She hesitated outside the half-open door.
Rowan sat behind his desk, sleeves rolled to his forearms, several files spread before him. The laptop screen glowed against his tired face, but his attention wasn't on the paperwork.
He looked... exhausted.
As though the burden of leading an entire pack rested on his shoulders alone.
She tapped gently on the door.
He looked up immediately, surprise flashing across his face before softening into a smile.
“Couldn't sleep?”
Elara smiled sheepishly. “I guess jet lag finally caught up with me.”
He leaned back in his chair. “Come in.”
She stepped inside, her eyes wandering over the familiar office. Nothing had changed.
Even the framed family photo still stood on the shelf. Her mother smiled from the picture between them.
A knot tightened in Elara's throat.
“I'm sorry for disturbing you,” she said quietly.
“You never could.” The words escaped Rowan before he seemed to realize what he'd said.
Silence settled between them.
He cleared his throat. “I mean... you're not disturbing me.”
She laughed softly, easing the awkwardness.
“I wanted some water,” she admitted. “Then I saw your light.”
“You were checking on me?”
“A little.”
Something warm flickered across Rowan's face before disappearing just as quickly.
He gestured toward the sofa. “Sit for a while.”
Elara curled into one corner while Rowan closed the laptop.
For several quiet minutes, neither of them spoke.
Oddly...
The silence didn't feel uncomfortable.
It felt peaceful.
Finally, Elara looked at him. “Thank you.”
He frowned. “For what?”
“For staying.” Her voice was barely above a whisper. “You didn't have to look after Mom... or me.”
Rowan stared at her for a long moment before shaking his head. “I never stayed because I had to.”
His voice carried a quiet certainty. “I stayed because there wasn't anywhere else I wanted to be.”
Heat rose to Elara's cheeks.
She quickly looked away.
She wondered if those words were meant for her or for her Mom…
Outside, the wind rustled through the trees surrounding the Alpha manor.
Hidden among the darkness, a pair of golden eyes watched every movement inside the room before disappearing silently into the night.