Romans & histoires Call Elia

Ela’s small face tightened with worry. “I want Papa,” she said quietly. “Why can’t we all just be happy?” Eli sighed, sounding older than his age. “Mama has been through a lot,” he said. “First Papa fighting. Then that woman coming. And now this.” Ela frowned. “That woman is bad.” “Don’t say it too loud,” Eli warned. “I don’t care,” Ela whispered. “I’m going to investigate.” Eli looked at her. “Investigate what?”

ELSA “What do you mean she has to stay here with us?” I ask as I pace the around the room while Leo soys across from me, his legs crossed and his devilishly handsome face poised with something indescribable. “I'm only going to say this once, Elsa,” he gives me a bored look that makes my heart clench before he concludes his statement, “Sarah has been through a lot and I have to be there for her!”

In two strides he is in front of me, backing me against a pillar, claws clamping my jaw hard enough to bruise. His eyes burn inches from mine. “You should be grateful you still draw breath,” he snarls, low and lethal. “That fire will gutter soon, Elara. And when it does, I will break you into ash and feed what’s left to the dark.” He releases me so suddenly my knees buckle. “Remove her,” he orders Lyriel. She pulls me away as the hall howls for my blood. In the corridor she whispers, “You just declared war on immortality itself. Well done.”

“Permanently.” A pulse of fear shot through my chest, followed by something colder, sharper, steadier. Fine. Let her try. Lucian went to the door and called for Elias, who was already waiting with that quiet, watchful stillness of his. I always liked him. He reminded me of a storm that hadn’t decided whether to pass harmlessly or tear the roof off your house. “We need a delay” “Elias will escort you to the neutral zone,” Lucian said. “You’ll contact Elara from there. Alone.”

Looked like it, acted like it– what was he doing with friends like them? “If you leave, you're done,” Ted announced, trying to scare him into submission. “You know how you want that sponsorship. I can get you that fame. I don't even need you, you need me. You'll be crawling back–” “Good talk, later,” Elijah yanked Finn by the hand and pulled him through the hall and down the stairs. The sound of fucking filled the air as they walked into the living room where his friends had their omega's bent over on the couch, driving relentlessly into their holes.

“Well… it’s actually Mom’s idea, but I think it makes sense. Better than just showing up in front of William and Noah out of nowhere. I need to ease into it.” She throws a look toward Mom. A shared understanding. A plan. A knot forms in my stomach. “I don’t get it,” I say, trying to keep myself steady. “What are you going to do?” Elena tucks a hand through her short hair, smiling like it’s all so clever. “I cut my hair to match yours,” she says. “So I’ll go back to the house, meet Noah and William, stay there a few days… let them get used to me. Then, when the time is right, I’ll tell them I’m alive.”

But now, as the car turned off toward Riverdale and the fork in the road came into view, she reached out and gently placed a hand over Daniella’s. “I’m heading back to the Vault pack,” Elora said softly. “Lucien’s expecting me. I need to be there… but if you need anything, just call me and I will be there.” Daniella shook her head slowly, then looked at Elora with a tired smile. “Thank you. For everything. But this… this I need to face alone.” Elora nodded once, then gave her hand a gentle squeeze before signaling to her driver. The car rolled to a stop at the fork where Vault and Riverdale paths split.

"Either her parents or Lydia. Those are the only people I told Leo is five, or perhaps Charlie, who never bothered to pay attention to anything beyond his own greed." Without taking her eyes off Elena, Elara smoothly tapped her earpiece, giving a brief, silent nod to signal Sarah. In an instant, the giant projector screen above the main stage hummed with activity. The merger contract slides flickered and vanished, replaced immediately by high resolution, certified digital documents.

“Elara, stop.” “Stop what?” I raised my voice, even as my heart pounded. “Stop wanting your attention? Stop trying to connect with you? Stop pretending I’m not hurt?” Heads turned and they judged with their eyes but I didn’t care. I needed him to feel this, to see me, Elara, the woman he once loved, standing here broken. “Okay, you're blowing things out of proportion,” he said, exasperated. “I need you to behave.” I froze and clenched my fists, hands trembling in total disbelief. I had to get out before I broke down completely.

“Here is what we know. Elara controls the Protocol. She controls every government, every bank, every major network, every law enforcement agency in the world. To them, we are criminals. We are enemies of the state. We are dangerous fugitives. If anyone recognizes us, if anyone reports us, we are caught.” He paused, his eyes locking onto mine. “But she does not just want us caught. She wants you back. She wants you to take your place. She will not send regular police or soldiers. She will send people like Elias. People who know us. People who know how we think. People who are loyal only to the legacy.” “Elias…” I said the name softly, pain still fresh in my chest. “I trusted him Kiel. He was