Chapter 4

NORA’S POV “Thank you, Evelyn,” I thanked our house keeper and my personal maid, Evelyn, as she served me breakfast with a smile on her face. She filled my glass with water and bowed politely before she walked out of the room. I stared at the food and lost my appetite instantly. This has been happening repeatedly for days. Don't get me wrong, the meal looks good. The eggs were perfect. The toast was buttered the way I liked it. But I couldn't eat. My stomach felt too tight with guilt. I'm Nora Weston----the only child of Lucian and Elora Weston and the future of the Erelis pack bloodline. My father is proudly the CEO of Weston's company and Alpha of the Erelis pack, which makes my mother Luna of the Erelis pack—well that was before my father found his fated mate or so I heard from the pack members who wouldn't stop gossiping about it. Three years. Three good years. That's how long it had been since I last saw my mother. It didn't bother me at first. Aunt Maya gave me everything I asked for. She braids my hair even when I insisted that i could do it on my own now, buys me new dresses every now and then, and she lets me sleep in her room anytime i want. The feeling was so good that I didn't notice when it all stopped—The calls, the text, even the way my mother sent me gifts. Her morning call ceased like it was never there to start with. But now I noticed it. I had to. Because Aunt Maya became a new person overnight. Now she was always too busy to attend to me, she barely create time to hang out with me, she even told me to stop calling her mama. That has never happened whenever mommy was around. Something started to twist in my chest. Guilt, maybe? Maybe this was my fault. Maybe mommy stopped calling because I treated her badly. I said she never should've come home. I hurt her feelings. And now… How could I be so mean to her when all she did was take care of me and made sure I was okay? I moved the breakfast aside and walked out of my room. I needed to see daddy. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I found him in his study, going through his phone with a frown on his face. “Daddy?” He looked up immediately, his eyes softened as soon as he saw the worry look on my face. “Nora, what's wrong?” I hesitated, my palms damped with sweat out of nervousness. “Did…Any news from mom yet? Did you call her like you promised?” The little smile on his face dropped. He stood up slowly and crouched in front of me. “No, baby,” he said gently. “There’s no message from her.” The tears fought its way out, but I held it in. I caused all this anyway. I had no right to cry. I wanted to tell him it was okay. That I didn't care. That I didn't miss her. That he shouldn't bother calling her. Three years ago, I would have said just that. But the truth was…I miss her. A lot. “Maybe she doesn't want to talk to me,” I whispered. “Because I was mean to her.” I picked up the phone so many times and tried to call her. But each time I did, I ended up not calling her. What if she doesn't pick up? What if she picked up and yelled at me? Those thoughts crossed my mind each time I tried to call her. “Hey,” my dad said, his voice interrupting the little conversation I'd going on in my head. “You were just a kid. You didn't understand everything that was happening. None of this is your fault.” I looked down, fidgeting with my fingers again. “Do you think maybe she'd talk to you instead? If you called her?” “Nora…” “Please dad,” I cut him short, a tear slipped before I could hold it in. “You always promise to call her, but you never tried once.” His eyes searched mine and I could see something shift in them. Sadness? Maybe even regret. I couldn't figure it out. It was gone as soon as it came. Then let out a sigh. “Okay,” he said softly, “I’II call her.” I blinked the tears away, then my face lit up in excitement. “Really? You'll really call her this time?” “Yes,” he nodded. “Maybe it's time I did.” ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ LUCIAN’S POV I hadn't said Elora’s name out loud in over a year. Not once. Not even to myself. It had become a scar I refused to pick at. A box I'd locked shut with its key buried deep. Calling her again was the last thing I thought I'd ever do. But then Nora walked in and everything changed. How could I look into those teary eyes and say No?. “You're sure you're only doing this because of Nora? Just get over yourself and bring her back already.” My wolf, Rowan, snapped for the hundredth time today. He has been restless and would seize any opportunity to blame me ever since Elora left. I mean, he should be happy we found our fated mate. We've been waiting for that for years, and now he suddenly has a problem with Maya being our fated mate. Maybe he wasn't the only one who had issues with her now, Maya has been….distant these days. “Shut the fuck up, Rowan.” “Don't tell me to shut up when you're the one who couldn't keep your dick in your pants and got her pregnant in the first place. Not that I'm complaining though. I love Elora.” I could feel him smirking inside me. Horny bastard. “I heard that, Lucian.” I block him off and cut off the mindlink. I've had enough lectures for today. I made sure Nora went back to her room. Then I stepped out onto the balcony and drowned in my train of thoughts for a while. It's been so long. I wasn't even sure if she still uses the same line. My thumb hovered over the screen. Then I pressed the call button. It rang once. Twice. Then again. I was ready to hang up when it connected. “Hello,” the voice at the other end was hesitant. One I haven't heard in years. The silence stretched between us. I closed my eyes for a minute… Then I said her name. “Elora.” There was a pause at first. Then she said, “Lucian?” It was more like a question, like she was making sure if it was really me. Even hearing her voice stirred something within me. Something old and buried. Something I didn't want to feel. I told myself it's because I'd promised my daughter I'd call her. That I'd broken enough promises to last a lifetime. But is that the only reason? Could Rowan feel something I couldn't feel? Or was my heart starting to beat for another?