Chapter 8 To Wait For Her

ELENA

I walked back to my quarters with slow steps, the oak doors of the grand reception hall closing behind me. Behind those doors, Nora was still stammering out excuses while my father and the elders looked on in disgust.

In my first life, that scene had gone very differently. I had been the one crying, yelling, and begging people to believe me while Nora stood quietly by our father’s side, looking like a disappointed angel. Everyone had pitied her for having such an unstable older sister.

Not this time.

When I woke up the next morning, the sun was just beginning to peek over the stone walls of the courtyard. I lay in bed for a few minutes, staring at the ceiling, thinking back to how things had unfolded three years ago.

Back then, Nora hadn't just relied on tricks to ruin my reputation. She had played a much smarter game. While I was locked away in my room studying old pack treaties and preparing to become Luna, Nora was out in the territory making friends. She visited the pack elders, brought gifts to their wives, remembered their children's names, and sat with them during evening teas.

By the time Lucian arrived in our territory, Nora already had the backing of half the high council. They thought she was sweet, approachable, and far better suited to lead than her quiet, distant sister. I had handed her those connections on a silver platter because I thought my title as Crown Princess was enough.

I wasn't going to make that mistake again.

I got out of bed, dressed in a simple dark green gown with gold trim along the collar, and walked down to my father’s private dining room.

Alpha Elijah sat at the head of the long table, sipping black tea while reading through morning reports. He looked up when I entered, his dark eyebrows rising in surprise.

"Elena," he said, setting his cup down. "You are up early."

"Good morning, Father," I said, taking a seat to his right. A servant immediately stepped forward to pour me a cup of hot berry tea. "I wanted to ask you about the elders' gathering at the crest house this afternoon."

My father paused, mid-reach for a slice of bread. "The crest house? You want to go?"

"Yes," I replied, taking a small sip of tea. "I know I usually skip those meetings to focus on my study ledgers, but I think it is time I spend more time with the senior pack members."

He stared at me for a moment, clearly caught off guard. In the past, I had complained that the elders' luncheons were boring and full of old men talking about farm boundaries. But after yesterday's disaster with Nora, his eyes held a new flicker of approval.

"I am glad to hear that, Elena," he said, a small smile touching his lips. "Elder Brandon and Elder Vane have been asking when you would take an active interest in council matters. You are welcome to attend."

"Thank you, Father."

By midday, the crest house was filled with the pack's most prominent figures. Heavy oak tables were laden with roasted meats, fresh bread, and fine wines. Senior council members, landholding nobles, and their families moved about the bright room, chatting about trade, weather, and pack territory.

I walked into the room calmly, keeping my posture straight and my hands folded neatly in front of me.

I didn't head straight for the food or sit in a corner as I used to do. Instead, I walked right up to Elder Brandon and Elder Vane, who were standing near the stone fireplace discussing the eastern valley farms.

"Elder Brandon, Elder Vane," I said softly, giving them a respectful nod. "Good afternoon."

Both old wolves turned, surprised to see me. Elder Vane, a grey-haired man with thick eyebrows, smiled warmly. "Princess Elena! We didn't expect to see you at a quiet gathering like this."

"I decided it was time I stopped hiding behind my study doors," I said with a light smile. "I overheard you speaking about the valley farms. Are the autumn harvests coming along well?"

Elder Brandon sighed, shaking his head. "The harvest is fine, Princess, but the mountain streams are drying up earlier than usual this year. We are worried about watering the livestock through the winter."

In my first life, I wouldn't have known what to say to that. But I had spent three years listening to my father stress over these exact issues before he died.

"Have you considered diverting the overflow from the northern spillway?" I asked thoughtfully. "The northern rocks hold water deep into November. If we open the lower gate by two inches, it should supply the valley farms without draining the main reservoir."

Elder Brandon blinked, looking at Elder Vane in utter shock. "The northern spillway? We haven't touched those gates in five years."

"It was built during my grandfather's rule for this exact reason," I explained smoothly. "The records are in the lower archives if you want to verify the water levels from thirty years ago."

Within ten minutes, three more elders had joined our circle. They were listening to me, nodding along as I answered their questions about border supply routes and winter storage with calm confidence.

That was the scene Nora walked into.

She entered the crest house dressed in a bright yellow dress, looking refreshed and eager to put yesterday's embarrassment behind her. She had probably spent an hour preparing her fake smile, expecting to find me sitting alone in a corner where she could come 'console' me and make herself look like the bigger person.

Instead, she stopped dead in her tracks near the entrance.

A crowd of six high council members was gathered around me, laughing and listening intently to what I was saying.

Nora’s eyes widened. She swallowed hard, quickly adjusting her face into a sweet expression before gliding across the room toward us.

"Elena!" Nora chimed in, trying to force her way into the circle. "Oh, sister, I am so glad you came out today! You usually find these meetings so dull."

The elders paused, looking at her. The memory of her wild behavior in the council room yesterday was still fresh in their minds, and their expressions cooled immediately.

I didn't glare at her, nor did I roll my eyes. That would make me look childish. Instead, I turned to her with a polite, neutral expression, treating her like any other guest in the room.

"Good afternoon, Nora," I said simply. Then, without giving her room to take over the conversation, I turned right back to Elder Vane. "As I was saying, Elder Vane, the southern border sentries need better coverage during the shift changes."

Nora stood there, her mouth slightly open. She couldn't accuse me of being rude because I had greeted her politely. But I hadn't invited her into the conversation either. She was completely left out, standing on the edge of the circle like an uninvited spectator.

"Speaking of the southern border," Elder Vane said, scratching his chin. "The rogues have been slipping past our patrols near the rocky pass lately. We don't have enough warriors to guard every mile of that mountain."

I remembered this problem clearly from my first life. Two months from now, a rogue raid would destroy three farmhouses near that exact pass because the guards were looking in the wrong place.

"They aren't climbing over the mountain pass, Elder Vane," I said, keeping my voice low and steady.

The elders leaned in closer. "What do you mean, Princess?"

"The rogues are using the dried-up underground drainage tunnels beneath the riverbed," I revealed. "The water drops every autumn. A small group can walk straight under our mountain sentries without triggering a single warning ward."

Elder Brandon hit his fist against his palm. "By the Goddess... the old drainage tunnels! We completely forgot about them!"

"Send two guards to check the tunnel exits before sunset," I advised. "I suspect you will find tracks already."

"Brilliant," Elder Vane declared, looking at me with genuine admiration. "Absolutely brilliant, Princess. Your father must be very proud."

Nora’s face paled. She took a step back, realizing she had completely lost control of the room. She couldn't compete with tactical advice, and no one was paying attention to her dress or her sweet smiles.

As the elders rushed off to draft an order for the border guards, I turned around to grab a glass of water from a passing servant's tray.

Standing less than five feet away, leaning against a wooden pillar, was Lucian.

He was watching me. His sharp grey eyes were narrowed slightly, a faint, unreadable smirk resting on his lips. He had seen the entire exchange and how I had handled the elders, how I had sidelined Nora, how I had solved a border problem in less than two minutes.

He stepped away from the pillar, walking slowly toward me until he was standing right in front of my table.

"Underground drainage tunnels," Lucian said, his voice smooth and low. "That was impressive, Crown Princess."

"It is simply my duty to know our territory, Alpha Lucian," I replied, taking a sip of my water without looking directly at him.

"You continue to surprise me," he said, taking a half-step closer. "Every time I think I have you figured out, you show me a completely different side of yourself. You handle these old wolves better than most Alphas I know."

"Thank you," I said, keeping my voice completely flat. "If you will excuse me, I should speak with the other guests."

I turned to walk away, but Lucian moved slightly, blocking my path with his broad frame.

"Are you planning to avoid me forever, Elena?" he asked softly, a trace of amusement in his tone. "Or do I have to commit a crime to get a proper conversation with you?"

I stopped and finally looked up, meeting his grey eyes with a look of utter indifference.

"I don't need to avoid you, Alpha Lucian," I said, my voice cold and calm. "I simply have far more important things to worry about than entertaining guests."

Lucian didn't look offended. In fact, his smirk widened into a slow, dark smile that made the skin on my neck prickle.

"More important things," he repeated softly, stepping aside to let me pass. "Fair enough, Princess. Then I suppose I will just have to wait until you consider me important enough to speak to."

I brushed past him without another word, walking toward the terrace doors where Julian was waiting for me. I could feel his eyes on my back the entire way, but I didn't turn around once.