Some loves or lack thereof leave gaping wounds in their wake; her father's was one such gash.
Elara lowered her gaze as Hayley Rhysdottir drifted past with her friends, Henna and Penny, in matching outfits, leaving trails of perfume and laughter that seemed designed to irritate her.
Lycans had very sensitive senses, so perfumes weren't allowed. Apparently, it didn't apply to posh lycans.
She only looked up once she was sure the girls were gone. Pursing her lips, Elara pulled her apron down. It angered her that they didn't even recognize the girl they tormented in elementary school.
But they were just the start of misery in her life.
Elara shook off the depressing thoughts, slipping from one task to the next, avoiding attention as much as possible behind the thick, tall pillars.
Today was a special day in the pack.
The 60-acre residence was buzzing with preparations. The desolate residence of sun-worn stone, marble carvings, and ancestral statues was suddenly alive with hurried footsteps and hushed whispers. Her eyes fell on the humongous Lycan Statue about to devour a man in the middle as she scurried to the garden.
Duskbane Alpha's heir was coming home today after a five-year absence. Not just him, his brother, friends, and other heirs from powerful packs were here now that military service was over.
The servants scurried faster than usual, knowing well there could be no mistakes today—
"Marcus!"
A sharp voice sliced through the air, suffocating the breath out of every worker's lungs.
Elara's breath hitched too as her eyes landed on her father, wiping the statue freeze, rag still in his gloved hand. The Luna, Selene Duskbane's heels clicked against the stone path as she stomped toward him with her marble-carved face sculpted in disdain.
"Do you see that?" She pointed at a faint mark on the flagstones, a spit splash drying under the sun. "What is that?"
Her father ran to her, bowing so low his forehead nearly touched the ground, observing the spit. "This... forgive me, Luna Selene. I will do it right now—"
"Of course, you will." Her voice was silk and venom. "But doing it after I tell you kills the purpose, doesn't it?"
He bowed to wipe the spit, but she clicked her tongue, stopping him in his tracks.
"Do it with your hands."
The rag slipped from Marcus's fingers. His shoulders locked, then slowly dropped. He knelt lower than he had to and pressed his bare palm to the wet stone.
"Good." Luna smiled at the petrified servants and gave a nod of satisfaction. "That should serve as a proper reminder."
"Thank you, Luna." Her father followed behind the mistress of the house.
Elara watched with clenched fists, fury boiling up her insides, ready to follow behind them when a hand pulled her back.
She turned to see Lily, looking at her with a mix of sympathy and helplessness. Sighing, she turned around, yanking her sideways into the shadow of the servants' corridor.
Lily's eyes stared into hers as the scent of flour dust and polish filled the air.
Her friend was one of the luckier ones in the pack, with her mother being an OB/GYN and her father a pediatrician for lycan children; naturally, the whole pack loved them. Her father was high on the ladder too, executing Luna Selene's direct commands and, unlucky for her, that made lycans hate and humans avoid them.
For centuries, Elara's family had lived in service to the Lycans. They were called bloodbounds. The inch-long tattoo etched inside her wrist was proof of that oath.
Lily was a Bloodbound, too—every human on these grounds was. Being Bloodbound meant that somewhere in your ancestry, an imbecile fucked up and swore his bloodline to the Lycans for saving his sorry ass. The Lycans saved had their ancestor, and the fact that they wouldn't even exist without that ancient act of 'generosity' was drilled into them from their cradle.
Lycans were entitled and dangerous, and there was nothing she could do about them. Her fists unclenched one by one. She hated how familiar the helpless burn in her chest felt.
Lily's fingers tugged at her sleeve, grounding her back to the world of floors to scrub and smiles to fake.
"What?" Elara huffed out, crashing against the wall with resignation.
"Yes, what?" Lily said sassily, positioning herself opposite her.
"...Stop it." She said with a tired sigh, "The pack is... his whole life."
"And the Duskbanes reward loyalty. I mean, your father is one of the highest-ranking humans in the whole Lycan kingdom—"
"Yet his job entails wiping posh asses."
Lily winced. "At least the asses are posh...?"
"Forget it." Snorting a laugh, Elara waved her hand around. "I'm over it, it's just gonna make me depressed."
If they were quick and quiet, this gig would end peacefully, and once they were paid at the end of it, she could return to her life.
Lily scratched a mark on the wall, "I just didn't realize Madam Selene was so...strict." She sighed. "But, look on the bright side, once you grit through tonight, you can trash-talk Luna Selene in your boyfriend's imported car for the next 4 months, and from the recommendations we get, we can finally apply for the personal staff of Rhysdottir Pack's new Luna!"
Elara bit her bottom lip.
Being the personal staff of the Alpha or Luna was the highest position in the pack you could apply for. You were offered the best perks one could imagine, but it was too hard to get accepted.
"First, Alejandro's not my boyfriend..."
"Surrree..." Lily drawled, wriggling her brows.
"... second, I hope Luna Selene trips and falls face-first on her own spit."
"Amen, girl, amen!" Lily chuckled, "By the way, the legal advisor spot is still open. Why don't you apply? Serving a Luna has been our dream forever!"
"Third," Elara chuckled despite the sting in her eyes, "I haven't even graduated yet. Besides, I'll need some years of hands-on experience and a specialization to even get through the first screening."
What she couldn't say was that she had no intention of joining her friends in their dream. Life in the pack... suffocated her.
Before Lily could whine, though, the opposite door creaked open.
"Elara! Lily! I've been looking everywhere for you!" Sally's face peeked in, flushed with excitement. She pressed a finger to her lips. "It's starting. We have to line up for the welcome wagon!"
By the time they reached the entrance hall, the air was electric. The three of them hurried to stand in line.
Wolves filled the wide staircase, their steps echoing against marble. Pack cheers erupted around them. They trained their eyes to the floor as the future Alphas descended with effortless arrogance in their military uniforms, some raising their medals or discharge certificates. The pack cheers got rowdier.
Elara's gaze stayed down till she felt a prickle at the back of her neck, the weight of someone's eyes tracing her.
Who…
She risked a glance, quick as a heartbeat, and her eyes clashed with a vivid, glaring gray.
Her breath hitched as the stare held her hostage, but soon the sea of sharp uniforms and smirking faces blurred together as Selene and the pack members crowded the hallways.
"Come on," Lily whispered, tugging her toward the kitchen.
Sally bounced at their side. The girls slipped into the kitchen. Laughter spilled free the moment they were out of sight. Sally snagged muffins from a cooling tray, slipping down the back stairs.
"Did you see them?" Sally whispered through a mouthful, passing them muffins. "God, I felt like my heart stopped beating!"
Elara bit into her muffin, thinking of the gray eyes...
She chewed slowly at the thought of the eyes she hadn't been able to find the owner of, watching her in that big crowd.
"Yeah, see? That's another perk of living here, where else would you get this much eye-candy to feast?" Lily nudged Elara.
"Did you see the Duskbanes, though?" Sally squealed through a mouthful of crumbs. "God, what do these Lycans eat that makes them so edible?"
They chortled, making Elara snort with a smile.
Lily leaned forward, her eyes gleaming. "I heard Kaelen tore a sentinel apart last year just because he looked at him wrong."
"Really?" Sally gasped, grinning like the exaggeration was gossip-gold. "Imagine him looking at you like that... I'd melt on the spot!"
Elara nibbled at her muffin in silence. Sally was a half-lycan. In these halls, you would not see many lycans doing menial labour except in the service of lycan royals, or like her friend Sally, who just came to accompany them when all of them were urgently summoned for this weekend's event.
Lily waved a hand in front of her. "Earth to Elara. Don't tell me you didn't notice them?"
"I noticed," Elara murmured.
Sally nudged her with a mischievous grin. "So? Damon or Kaelen? Or is your boyfriend too good to even acknowledge all the yang energy in the room?"
Elara rolled her eyes, shaking her head. "Neither. They don't know we exist, and their mothers know we do, and I would rather not risk my pretty face for some supernatural dick. Oh, Alejandro isn't my boyfriend. Thank you!"
All of them burst out laughing at her bow that came in the end.
"Wanna bet if Elara can charm a lycan with that hot bod?" Sally eyed her exceptional rack and rear body with a mischievous glint.
Elara was quick to bind her hands on her chest while moving sideways to get her back out of view. Her figure—the opposite of the lean, tall lycans that made everything look effortless—was her insecurity. She was always painfully aware of it despite her outspoken nature.
"I'll sit this one out. Lycans... scare me."
"Yeah, but that's the fun of it, girl!" Sally winked, biting into her muffin. "Kaelen looks like he'd gently ruin a girl's life, whisper apologies while doing it, and somehow she would say thank you."
"Exactly, Elara, doesn't a pretty face seem worth that supernatural dick?"
Sally chortled. "Yeah, like it scares me, but also gives me a lady boner."
The three of them burst out laughing, unaware of what the night would unfold.