Chapter 168: Love Trapped in Screens
Elara wiped her hands on a towel and moved to the table instead, dropping into the chair beside Emma. She slipped off her apron and hung it back up.
"Thanks," she murmured.
Emma sat back down, still watching Bernard work.
"Di you care for juice?" she asked, glancing at her.
Elara nodded.
Emma turned slightly. "Bernard... two glasses of moonberry nectar."
"Alright," he said and walked towards the refrigerator. Emma was still surprised and was more surprised because Elara did not notice anything different in his appearance. She ignored him totally and acted as if he did not exit as she engaged her in a conversation. It is quite unlike her. Elara is humble and she doesn’t ignore or look down on my domestic workers. She wondered why she did not like Bernard.
He dropped the drinks on the table and walked towards the induction cooktop to check what Elara put on fire. He turned his back on them, but she noticed he was holding a communication device. He put the device back in his pocket and continued what he was doing.
Elara’s device beeped and she slowly pulled it closer. She read a text that came in, looked in his direction and did not say anything. Her face was quite expressionless. Emma began to decipher her expressionless face. She began to see the reason why she totally ignored Bernard.
She didn’t need anyone to tell her that the text message came from Bernard and if she was mad at him, she wouldn’t hesitate to shout at him before her. Obviously, something was going on under her nose.
She dropped the glass cup she was holding and fixed her eyes on her. She became very uncomfortable.
"He knows you’re here," Emma said, voice low, eyes flicking toward Bernard before drifting away.
"Who?"
"Him."
She rolled her eyes and took a slow sip from her glass.
Silence hung between them. The glass tilted slightly as she set it down, the soft click sharp in the quiet.
"Yes," she said at last, glancing his way for a second before looking away again. "He’s like a sibling to me."
Her mouth lifted, faint and tight, then faded as she raised the glass again.
"I’m not a pup," Emma said softly.
Her fingers tightened around the glass before she placed it down, slower than necessary.
"It’s obvious he feels the same about you. So why hide it from our parents?"
The glass stopped halfway to her lips. She lowered it slowly.
"It won’t matter," she said. "They’ll never accept him. The king would rather die than give his only female pup to an omega."
Her eyes dropped for a moment, then sharpened again.
"He’s not just an omega," she added. "A servant. A stray they picked off the street."
Emma lowered her gaze, then lifted it again.
"Elara, you should at least try."
Elara shook her head fast, fingers curling around the edge of her glass.
"Try and get him in trouble? He’ll lose his job. I can’t live with that."
Emma leaned in slightly.
"You have to tell them."
"No." Elara’s grip tightened. "I won’t. Please... don’t tell my sibling."
A quiet pause. Emma set her glass down and looked at her.
"I won’t—for now," she said. "But I’ll talk to him later. He’s been through something like this. He’ll understand."
Elara let out a short breath through her nose, eyes dropping to the table.
"He noticed how close we were," she said.
"Keep pushing me to make it official."
Her lips pressed together.
"I thought that’s what he meant."
She glanced up, then away again.
"Last winter, I tried to tell Brandon." Her fingers tightened around the glass. "He snapped. Said things... ugly things. Threatened everything."
Her hand loosened.
"I took it back," she said quietly. "Told him I was joking."
When you left him, I was very sad. Bernard noticed and spent the moonfall with me. Lunara found out at moonrise and reported me to him. He encouraged me again to be open. I didn’t try it because I have not forgotten what happened the last time he told me to. He won’t understand, Emma. He is just as protective as my father. They all want me to marry an Alpha king."
Emma bit her lower lips and looked at Bernard who was dishing out food for her.
"Let me see the message he sent to you," she said, and opened her palm. She dropped the device on Emma’s palm after unlocking it and sipped her drink again. She couldn’t scroll up to read their chats. She just read the last one he sent to her. ’You look unhappy my silverheart; what happened?’ she looked at her face after reading the last message. She didn’t notice any change in her face.
"Why are you unhappy, silveheart?"
"I will tell you later; I want to talk to him first."
"Alright. Elara, I won’t allow you to keep wallowing in silence or stick with that silly decision of yours. I will speak for you. You stood by me all along and I’m going to stand by you. I’m going to convince them."
"Emma, I don’t have the strength for this. Don’t start it at all because you will never convince them. Chatting on the device is enough for us and we are comfortable with it.
She didn’t answer right away. Her fingers rested on the table, unmoving, eyes fixed on Elara.
Then she leaned forward slightly.
"No," she said, voice steady. "Chatting on a device isn’t enough. You can’t keep going like this."
Elara’s grip tightened faintly on the glass.
Emma pushed her chair back and stood, the legs brushing softly against the floor.
"You both need each other," she said, stepping closer. "Let me help you. I’ll try my best."
Silence stretched between them. Emma held her gaze on Elara.
"If what you both feel is real..." she added quietly, "then don’t let it stay trapped in a screen."
Elara didn’t look up at first. Her fingers tightened around the glass cup, the juice inside shifting slightly as she held it too still.
Then she let out a short breath and took a slow sip.
"It’s not that simple," she said.
The glass lowered a little, resting against her palm.
Her gaze stayed on it.
"If I open that door... I don’t know what I’ll lose."
Emma didn’t look away from her.
She took a step closer, slow and steady, until she was just beside Elara.
Her hand lifted, then stopped halfway, falling back to her side.
"You’re already losing something," she said quietly.
Her eyes dropped to the glass in Elara’s hand, then lifted again.
"You’re already hurting," she said quietly. "Even without being with him... you still look like this."
They closed their mouths when Bernard began to walk towards them with her meal. He looked at her face again before dropping the food on the table. Emma pretended she didn’t know what was going on.
"Are you eating now, Alpha’s mate?" He asked Emma. She shook her head.
"Alright," he said and left. She felt bad as she wondered why wolves find love in the wrong places.
"Are you sure you don’t want to eat?" Elara asked again.
"I’ll eat with my mate, ." She shrugged and began to eat.
"Please, don’t tell him anything. I don’t want Bernard to lose his job."
"He attended one of the best schools in the territory. He can get another job."
"It is not really about losing his job, but losing his family. This is the only family he has and I don’t want him to lose it."
"Don’t worry, Elara, he won’t lose his family," Emma said, standing up and leaving the cookhouse to give them a chance to talk.
"Emma, don’t."
The words made her stop mid-step. Elara hurried over and caught her arm before she could walk away.
"Please don’t tell him." Her voice came out small. She lowered her eyes, rubbing her fingers together. "That’s what I wanted to talk to you about... I just didn’t know how to say it."
Emma glanced toward the door, then back at her.
"I’m not telling anybody," she said softly. "But I can’t keep pretending nothing’s wrong forever."
She folded her arms, trying to look stern, but the concern in her eyes gave her away.
"You’re stuck with me now." She nudged Elara lightly. "So let me help you."
Elara lowered her gaze to the spoon in her hand, her fingers tightening around it.
"I want you to help," she said softly.
Her breath hitched as she looked away.
"But on second thought... I feel like I’m dragging you into something you don’t need to be part of."
Emma didn’t speak at first.
She reached out, gently taking the spoon from Elara’s hand and setting it down on the tray.
Then she stepped closer, tilting her head slightly.
"You’re not dragging me anywhere," she said. "I chose this."
They both turned at the sound of footsteps.
Paige stood at the door, breath un
even. Her gaze locked on Emma.
"The Alpha wants to see you," she said.
Then she bowed and left.
The door clicked shut.
Emma didn’t blink.
But the air in the cookhouse suddenly felt heavier.
