Chapter 162
Lynette's POV
Hansen stepped closer. His polished shoes clicked against the concrete floor. The sound echoed in the training space. "Alpha, the council documents require your signature."
Kael nodded once. Sharp. Efficient. "I'll handle them in the study shortly."
I watched them. Really watched. The way Hansen's expression softened when he looked at Kael. The way Kael's shoulders dropped just a fraction. Lost some of that rigid tension he always carried.
This wasn't boss and employee. This was something else.
Family. Or the closest thing to it.
Hansen had raised him. I knew it without anyone saying a word. After Victoria left, this old man had been there. Had filled the gap.
Hansen turned toward us. His gaze swept over Elara and me. Polite interest. Professional curiosity.
Then something shifted in his face.
Oh no.
"And these young ladies are?" His voice was warm now. Almost eager.
Kael's jaw tightened. Just slightly. "Lynette. New combat consultant. Elara, her sister."
Hansen's eyebrows lifted. His whole expression lit up like someone had just told him his favorite team won the championship.
Crap.
"Wonderful!" The word burst out of him. Genuine happiness. "Alpha rarely brings friends home. You must both stay for dinner."
I opened my mouth. Started to say we couldn't.
Kael beat me to it. "Hansen, they're not—"
"I insist." Hansen was already moving toward the exit. His mind clearly made up. "It's been far too long since we had proper guests. I'll have the kitchen prepare something special."
Kael's knuckles went white. He didn't argue though. Just gave this tiny, defeated nod.
I glanced at Elara. Her eyes were wide. Confused.
Yeah. Same.
---
We followed Hansen out of the training building. Kael walked beside the old man. Elara and I trailed a few steps behind.
The path cut through gardens. Actual gardens. With fountains and trimmed hedges and trees that looked older than my entire bloodline.
Everything screamed money. Power. History.
Hansen talked the whole time. His voice animated. Happy.
"Pinehollow Pack's history stretches back to the nineteenth century." He gestured broadly. Like he was showing off a museum exhibit. "The Harrington family was among the first to establish stable territory in Oregon."
I filed it away. Made mental notes. Territory size. Age. Significance.
He pointed toward a stone building in the distance. Gothic arches. Stained glass. "That chapel was built by the first Alpha. Every major pack ceremony for two hundred years has happened there."
Two hundred years. Jesus.
"The pack currently controls roughly a third of northern Oregon's forestland." Hansen's chest puffed out slightly. Proud. "We also hold three seats on the regional council."
Three seats.
My brain stuttered on that number. Most packs had one seat. Maybe two if they were really powerful.
Three was massive.
Pinehollow Pack wasn't just strong. It was a goddamn political powerhouse.
Kael walked in silence. Hands shoved in his pockets. Face blank.
But I saw the tension. The way his shoulders stayed locked. The way his gaze kept flicking to Hansen and then away.
He was uncomfortable. Hated this whole situation.
I almost felt bad for him.
Almost.
---
We reached the main house. It was huge. Victorian architecture. Three stories of stone and ivy and windows that probably cost more than my entire life in the north.
Hansen held the door open. "Please, come in."
The inside matched the outside. High ceilings. Dark wood everywhere. Furniture that looked like it belonged behind velvet ropes in a museum.
We followed Hansen through hallways. Past portraits of stern-faced people. All with the same sharp features. Same amber eyes.
Generations of Harringtons. All staring down at us.
Judging.
Finally we entered a dining room. Long table. Set with china and crystal that probably cost more than a car.
Hansen pulled out a chair. Right across from the head of the table. "Lynette, please sit here."
I sat. The chair was too nice. Too formal.
Elara dropped into the seat beside me. Her hands twisted in her lap.
Kael moved to the head of the table. His spot. Obviously. He sat down with that controlled grace he always had.
Hansen disappeared through a side door. Kitchen probably.
Silence dropped over the room like a blanket.
I looked at the table. At where Hansen had put me. Directly across from Kael. Elara to my right.
This wasn't random.
This was deliberate. Strategic.
Kael caught me staring. His face was carefully blank. But his neck was turning red.
He knew. He knew exactly what Hansen was doing.
My face heated. I looked away.
Damn it.
---
Hansen came back carrying a wine bottle. Expensive-looking label. He poured for Kael first. Then moved to my glass.
"So, Lynette." His tone was casual. Friendly. "May I ask how long you've known Alpha?"
I kept my voice neutral. "Not long. We just met recently."
"I see." His smile dimmed. Just a fraction. Disappointment flickered across his face. "And you, Elara?"
Elara shifted. Her cheeks were pink. "Um. A while. I mean, we've known each other for some time."
Hansen's whole face brightened. Like someone had switched a light back on. "How wonderful! Alpha speaks so rarely of his acquaintances. You must be quite special."
I wanted to disappear. Just sink through the floor and vanish.
Elara had gone completely still. Her face was bright red now.
Kael's grip on his wine glass looked painful. His knuckles were bone white.
This was a disaster.
---
Food started arriving. Course after course. Fancy stuff. The kind of food I'd never eaten in my life.
Hansen kept talking. Asking questions. About our interests. Our families. What we wanted to do with our lives.
It felt like a job interview. Or worse. Like he was vetting us.
I answered carefully. Gave just enough to be polite. Nothing that would give away too much.
Elara did the same. Though she fumbled more. Her nervousness was obvious.
Kael ate in silence. Cut his food with mechanical precision. Didn't look at anyone.
"Alpha was quite isolated as a child." Hansen's voice went softer. Sadder. "After Luna Victoria left, he barely spoke to anyone."
Kael's fork stopped halfway to his mouth.
My chest tightened.
"I watched him grow from a silent, withdrawn boy into the Alpha he is today." Hansen looked at Kael. Real affection in his eyes. "It hasn't been easy."
The temperature dropped. I felt it. The shift in the air.
Kael set his fork down. Very slowly. Very carefully. "Hansen."
Just his name. But it was a warning.
"Of course." Hansen nodded. "Forgive an old man's sentimentality."
But the damage was done. Victoria's name hung in the air between us.
The mother who left. Who abandoned him.
I thought about her in that basement. Terrified. Drowning in guilt. Still running.
And Kael. The way his face had gone blank in the forest when she rejected his help.
My throat felt tight.
---
We kept eating. But the easy atmosphere was gone. Dead.
Hansen tried to bring it back. Talked about pack traditions. Festivals. Random stuff.
It didn't work.
Then Drake appeared in the doorway. He walked straight to Kael. Leaned down. Whispered something.
Kael stood immediately. "Excuse me. There's an urgent matter."
He left. Didn't look back.
The door clicked shut behind him.
---
Hansen sighed. Long and tired. He set down his napkin. Turned to us with an apologetic smile. "I'm afraid Alpha carries a great deal on his shoulders. Leadership can be overwhelming."
I nodded. Didn't trust my voice.
"But I'm glad he has friends like you." Hansen's gaze moved between Elara and me. Serious now. "He needs people who see him as more than just the Alpha."
The words hit hard. Harder than they should have.
Because he was right. Kael was more than his title. More than his power or his territory.
He was just a man. Trying to hold together a broken family. Trying to prove he was enough.
Trying to earn love that had been withheld his whole life.
"There's been tension recently." Hansen's voice dropped. Quieter. "Between Alpha and the old Alpha. They've been at odds over Luna Victoria's situation."
I leaned forward slightly. "What kind of tension?"
Hansen hesitated. Weighing his words. "The old Alpha believes the past should stay buried. That reopening old wounds serves no purpose." He paused. "Alpha disagrees."
Of course he did.
Kael wanted answers. Wanted to understand why his mother left. Why his brother died. Why everything fell apart.
And his father wanted him to let it go.
"Alpha doesn't abandon pursuits once he commits." Hansen said it quietly. Almost sadly. "It's his greatest strength. And perhaps his greatest weakness."