Chapter 159
Lynette's POV
I stood in front of the mirror in Elara's room—my old room, technically—and tugged at the hem of the black athletic shirt. It fit better now. My body. My actual body. Strong shoulders. Lean muscle. Hands that knew how to kill.
I flexed my fingers. The calluses were back where they belonged.
"You ready?" Elara's voice came from behind me.
I turned. She was leaning against the doorframe, arms crossed. Her face—the one I'd worn for months—looked worried.
"I'm fine," I said.
"You don't look fine." She pushed off the frame and walked closer. "You look like you're about to walk into a war zone."
I almost laughed. "That's exactly what I'm doing."
Elara frowned. "Lynette—"
"I know what I'm doing." I grabbed my jacket off the bed. "This is just a test. Kael wants to see if I'm worth his time. I show him I can fight, and we're one step closer to having real backup against Wild Hunt."
"And if you can't?" Elara's voice was quiet. "If your body isn't ready? You just got back into it yesterday. You're still recovering from—"
"I'll be fine." I cut her off. I didn't want to think about the scars. About how Elara had fought in my body while I was gone. About how she'd survived things I should have been there for.
I shoved my arms into the jacket. "Let's go."
Elara didn't move. "I'm coming with you."
I stopped. "What?"
"I'm not letting you go alone." Her jaw was set. Stubborn. "I don't care what Kael said. You're my sister. I'm not sitting at home while you—"
"Elara—"
"No." She stepped forward. "You don't get to argue. I'm coming."
I stared at her. Part of me wanted to snap at her. Tell her this wasn't her fight. That I'd been handling myself long before she showed up.
But the other part—the part that was still getting used to having a family—felt something warm and uncomfortable in my chest.
"Fine," I said. "But you stay in the car."
Elara's mouth twitched. Almost a smile. "We'll see."
The black SUV was already parked outside when we stepped onto the porch. I froze for half a second before forcing my legs to keep moving. Kael was leaning against the driver's side door, arms crossed, looking like he'd been waiting for hours. He straightened when he saw us.
His eyes went to Elara first, but only for a second. Polite. Distant. Then his gaze shifted to me and stayed.
I watched his face shift—confusion, then something sharper. I could see it in the way his pupils dilated. The way his posture changed.
When he looked back at Elara, it was careful. Controlled. Like he was forcing himself to be courteous.
It shouldn't have stung. But it did.
"You're early," I said.
Kael's gaze slid to me. "I don't like waiting."
"Neither do I." I walked past him toward the passenger side. "Let's get this over with."
"Back seat." His voice was flat. Final.
I stopped. Turned. "Excuse me?"
"Elara rides up front." He opened the passenger door and looked at her. "Unless you have a problem with that."
Elara glanced at me. I could see the apology in her eyes.
I forced myself to shrug. "Fine. Whatever."
I climbed into the back seat and slammed the door harder than necessary.
The drive started in silence. I stared out the window as the town blurred past. Houses gave way to trees. Pavement turned to gravel. The forest pressed in on both sides, thick and dark even in the afternoon light.
I'd seen forests like this before. Hunted in them. Bled in them.
"Where are we going?" Elara's voice broke the quiet.
"My family's territory." Kael's hands were steady on the wheel. "The training grounds."
"How far?"
"Twenty minutes."
I tried to focus on the passing trees, but I could feel Kael's attention. Every few seconds, his eyes flicked to the rearview mirror. Not to check the road. To look at me.
His fingers drummed against the steering wheel. Restless. Like he was trying to figure something out.
"Nervous?" Kael's voice cut through my thoughts.
I opened my eyes. He was watching me in the rearview mirror.
"Should I be?" I kept my voice even.
His mouth curved. Not quite a smile. "Depends. You ever fought an Alpha before?"
"Yes."
"And?"
"I won."
Kael's eyes narrowed. "We'll see."
I held his gaze in the mirror. Didn't blink. Didn't look away. Let him think I was bluffing. Let him underestimate me. It would make winning that much sweeter.
The trees started to thin. I sat up straighter. We turned onto a private road—narrow, unpaved, barely visible unless you knew where to look. The SUV bounced over ruts and rocks.
I scanned the surroundings. Cameras mounted in the trees. Motion sensors half-hidden in the underbrush. Patrol marks on the ground—fresh boot prints, wolf tracks.
This place was locked down tight.
"Wow," Elara breathed. She was staring out the window. "It's so quiet. Like we're in the middle of nowhere."
"We are," Kael said. "That's the point. Privacy. Security. No one gets in without permission."
I caught the edge in his voice. The warning. He wasn't just talking about the territory. He was talking about me.
A checkpoint appeared ahead. Two men stepped out of the shadows—both massive, both armed. Wolves, obviously. Their eyes glowed faint gold in the dim light.
The SUV stopped. One of the guards approached Kael's window.
Kael rolled it down. Didn't say a word.
The guard took one look at him and straightened. "Alpha."
"They're with me." Kael jerked his chin toward me and Elara. "Let us through."
The guard's eyes flicked to the back seat. Lingered on me for a second too long.
I stared back. Didn't smile. Didn't blink.
He looked away first.
"Yes, Alpha." The guard stepped back and waved us through.
The SUV rolled forward. Elara twisted in her seat to look at me. "That was intense."
"That was nothing," I said quietly.
She frowned. "Lynette—"
"I'm fine." I looked past her, out the windshield. "Just focus on staying out of the way when we get there."
"I'm not going to—"
"Elara." I met her eyes. "Please."
She pressed her lips together. Nodded once.
I turned back to the window. Through the trees, I could see movement. Figures running drills. The clash of weapons. Shouts and snarls.
A training ground.
My pulse kicked up. Not fear. Anticipation. I'd been out of the fight for too long.
The SUV pulled into a clearing and stopped. Kael killed the engine. Got out without a word.
I opened my door and stepped onto packed dirt. The air smelled like sweat and blood and wolf musk. Familiar. Almost comforting.
Elara came around the front of the SUV. Stayed close to my side.
I took in the space. Open field, maybe two hundred feet across. Weapons racks along one edge—staffs, training blades, padded gloves. An obstacle course in the distance. A raised platform in the center that looked like a fighting ring.
Professional. Military-grade.
Kael walked to the center of the clearing and turned to face me.
"Ready?" he asked.
I met his eyes.
"Yeah," I said. "I'm ready."