My Second Chance Mate is a Barbarian (Sera and Fenris) novel Chapter 506

Elara

Marcas knocked, his knuckles sharp on the wood. Kane's deep voice called from inside, "Come in."

The door swung open and Marcas and Delia stepped through. I slipped in behind them, staying back, my eyes on Kane behind the desk.

He looked up, taking us in, one by one. His gaze lingered on me a beat longer. I knew he was thinking I had called them, and I didn't care.

"Hey there, Kane. How are you holding up?" Marcas asked, his voice smooth as honey. "Pack's doing alright?"

Kane answered with a short nod. "Fine, thanks. Pack's good." His focus was on me.

"We heard it's been a scorcher out there today. I was just saying to Delia, haven't we had some heat waves these past few summers." He cleared his throat. "Speaking of, I think I heard you're planning a little trip up North real soon?"

Kane's expression turned flat. "Yeah, I am." His tone said that was the end of it.

Marcas smiled again, casual as could be. "So, Elara might as well come stay with us while you're away, what do you think?" He kept his voice light, made it sound almost like an afterthought.

Kane leaned back in his chair, his jaw setting. "I'm not changing my mind, Marcas."

A tense beat passed, silence heavy in the air. Then Marcas's smile vanished. His eyes bored into Kane's.

"Come on, Kane. Elara just lost her baby, for Goddess's sake. She's barely been out of bed this last week. You can't really mean to take her all the way North right now, in this state. Let her come home with us while you're gone. It'll do her good, I promise you that." His voice rang with genuine concern, the worried father.

Delia sniffed, her voice breaking through tears. "Oh, Kane, my poor girl. She needs her parents right now. Please, let her come home with us."

I watched Kane's face. He blinked once, slowly, and then his eyes went right back to coldly studying me. Waiting.

"Thank you both for coming," Kane said quietly. "I'm grateful for your concern. But my Luna goes with me."

Marcas didn't miss a beat. "Of course we're concerned, Kane. Elara needs her family right now." His voice carried warmth, but it was thin, transparent. "You know as well as I do how much Blackwater owes us. Let's not forget that, hmm? We're not just any family. Our support isn't something to be taken lightly."

The silence that followed stretched and stretched, so thick I could feel it pressing against my skin.

Kane stood slowly. "I am the Alpha here," he said in the same low, even voice. "My Luna goes where I go. It isn't your call, Marcas. You don't get a say in it."

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