~ELARA~
Who would've thought Saturday afternoon could be this peaceful after I finally decided to take a day off?
No pack duties. No cold stares. No reminders of home. Just this peace.
Gina already gave me a nickname — "Wall clock." Yeah, that's it, because she thinks I work round the clock without stopping. Not my fault though. My dream is to have my own fashion house someday. It's the only thing keeping me alive, really something to hold on to instead of thinking about how worthless I feel every time home crosses my mind.
I'd just settled on the only couch in my room, ice cream on my lap, ready to enjoy this ridiculous movie Gina recommended. She made me promise to watch it because, according to her, she'd be asking questions when she got back.
Then my phone rang.
I didn't even look away from my ice cream. Not until it rang the second time. It was Uncle Jeremy. And just like that, I could already picture seven out of ten reasons he might be calling me for.
And honestly? I wasn't ready to waste my only free day listening to any of them.
Still, Jeremy never gives up. The phone kept vibrating like the world was about to collapse, so of course, I finally gave in and picked up.
"I knew you ignored my calls on purpose," was the first thing he said, flat, calm, but sharp enough to tell me there was no point denying it.
I sighed and shoved another spoon of ice cream into my mouth.
"I believe you can hear me right now, El."
I rolled my eyes. He's the only one who calls me El. And the way he says it with that soft and deep voice, does something to me I can never ever admit to.
I won't lie. He doesn't even have to call my name before my stomach starts doing that weird flip. There's just something about Uncle Jeremy's voice. It's like it quiets every storm in my head… just like now.
"I'm listening," I said quietly, still munching on my ice cream without even turning my gaze from the movie.
"If this is about coming home, you better drop the act, young lady, because we've crossed that part already. Haven't we?"
I smirked. I didn't even need to bother arguing with him. Does he really think saying one or two words and a little preaching to guilt-trip me, would make me crawl back into that hellhole?
Just the thought of meeting my father—the almighty Alpha of the Stone bound Pack—already makes my stomach churn. The man thinks I'm nothing but a stain on his reputation. Not to mention his darling daughter, Enor, who acts like I'm the younger sister and she's the older one, when in reality it's the other way around. Or should I start thinking about her mother, Kimberly, the graceful Luna of the pack, who's nothing but venom wrapped in silk?
Nope. Absolutely nothing good comes from going back to Vale.
I sighed. "We have." I said lightly. "... But I didn't agree, you just assumed I did." I rubbed my temple softly. "Look, uncle, Enor doesn't need me to be at her wedding to be happy. You're the one stressing this. Nobody's even going to notice the unwanted daughter isn't present. I already told you, it's a no for me."
"I've told you to stop calling yourself unwanted." He said calmly but firmly. "Yes, your dad acts like he doesn't care..."
"He doesn't act like it, he actually doesn't." I snapped before he could finish. "I'm not a little girl anymore. I'm an adult, so you really need to step up your game if you're going to keep doing this convincing thing... It's been over five years, Jeremy. Five years." I exhaled sharply trying not to lose my calmness.
"Do you honestly think they'll be happy to see me? That they'll suddenly be proud just because I managed to survive without them? Don't tell me you're imagining Enor jumping into my arms, thanking me for showing up at her wedding, or Father being fascinated by how beautiful I've become over the years…"
"I'd like to see that beautiful face," he cut in, and I almost choked on my ice cream.
I didn't intend to actually say I was beautiful, just being sarcastic but... f*ck, he just took it seriously.
"What?"
"I've missed you, El," he said, his tone dropping lower. "Since you left, I've never stopped thinking about you, those goofy faces you make. All of it. I can still picture your face… though I'm sure you've grown, and perhaps, changed too. If you won't come for Thomas, then come for me. Please. I just want to see you."
His voice… It was quiet, heavy, the kind that makes you forget how to breathe for a moment.
And just like that... God, he got me. He always does. I knew exactly what he was doing, playing the emotional card on me. Which by the way, was working. But there's no way I'm going to admit that.
"What about work?" I asked, trying to sound casual, even though my voice came out smaller than I wanted. I was quietly hoping he'd forget the whole thing.
He chuckled under his breath. "Do you want me to threaten your boss?"
I snorted. "If you try that, you'll end up in cuffs. This isn't Vale where you can just throw your Beta title around and expect everyone to bow."
He laughed softly, that kind of laugh that slipped through the phone and settled somewhere under my skin. For a second, it almost felt like we were back in those old, quiet evenings when everything still made sense.
Then there was silence. The long kind. The kind that says more than words ever could.
"So…" he said finally, his voice low and careful. "Does this mean you're coming?"
I stared at the melting ice cream in my bowl, watching it blur into a soft swirl. "Just one night," I said. "That's it."
"One night's enough," he murmured.
I bit my lower lip, trying to ignore the way my heart started beating a little too fast, when I heard him exhale on the other end, slow, like he'd been holding his breath for years.
"Tomorrow, then," I said quietly.
"Tomorrow," he repeated, softer now.
And before my mind could change, I ended the call. The room went still again, except this time, it wasn't peaceful anymore.
"Yeah. Just one night." I breathed even though my brain kept screaming at me that it was a lie I was still telling myself.
Everywhere didn't feel peaceful anymore. It felt so d*mn… heavy. Like the room had swallowed my whole breath.
I set the phone aside on the throw pillow beside me, and stared blankly at the mute movie still playing on the screen. The more my eyes glued on it, the more it felt even more annoying even though it had nothing to do with my change of mood now.
"Just one night," I muttered under my breath for the second time as if repeating it would ever change the fact that nothing about going back to Vale would ever be just one night.
Not with Jeremy there. And definitely not with everything I left behind.
I sighed and sank deeper into the couch, dropping the bowl of ice cream on the floor. My chest tightened a little, a strange mix of fear and something else I didn't want to name.
It's true Jeremy was the only safe part of my past… He used to be my father's closest friend before, of course, they went separate ways but he never severed his relationship with me.. He was the only person who ever made me feel like I wasn't a mistake. And yet every time he spoke, it was getting harder to ignore the part of me that wanted something more, something I had no right to want.
I pulled the blanket over my legs, forcing myself to focus on the movie again. But my thoughts wouldn't stay still.
I was going back to Vale tomorrow.And I could already feel the storm waiting for me.