Chapter 230
Lynette's POV
I woke up to the smell of coffee and bacon.
Today was the day before everything changed.
I pulled on jeans and a sweater. Walked downstairs.
The kitchen was warm. Bright. Mom was at the stove, humming. Elara was setting the table. Ethan was leaning against the counter with his phone.
Normal. Peaceful.
I hated that I was about to destroy it.
"Morning, sleepyhead." Mom smiled at me. "Sit down. Breakfast is almost ready."
I slid into my chair. Watched Elara pour orange juice.
"Where's Dad?" I asked.
"He went out early," Mom said. She brought over a plate of eggs. "Said he had something to take care of."
I nodded. Picked up my fork.
Then the front door opened.
Dad walked in. And his face—
I'd never seen him smile like that.
"Kids." He stopped in the doorway. His voice was shaking. "I have news."
We all looked at him.
"I got a job offer yesterday." He cleared his throat. "A small repair shop. They want me as head technician."
The kitchen exploded.
Mom dropped the spatula and ran to him. Threw her arms around his neck. Ethan let out a whoop and punched the air. Elara started crying and laughing at the same time.
I stayed in my seat.
Watched them celebrate.
My chest felt weird. Tight. But not from asthma this time.
Dad walked over. Put his hand on my shoulder. "Lynette. Thank you. For everything you've been doing. For keeping this family going."
I looked up at him.
His eyes were wet.
"Once I get my first paycheck," he said, "we're all going out for a nice dinner. Somewhere fancy. You deserve it."
I forced a smile. "Dad. You earned this. Not me."
But inside, I was calculating.
This job offer wasn't random. The timing was too perfect. Kael must have arranged it. To give me one less thing to worry about before the operation.
Which meant he knew how dangerous tomorrow was going to be.
And if we failed—if I failed—this hope Dad was holding onto would shatter. Again.
I swallowed hard. "That's great, Dad. Really."
---
I left the house an hour later.
Told them I had errands to run. Mom packed me a sandwich. Elara hugged me at the door.
"Be safe," she whispered.
I pulled back. Looked at her. "What?"
Her eyes were serious. Too serious for a seventeen-year-old. "You're going to do something dangerous today. Aren't you?"
Fuck.
I should've known she'd sense it. We'd shared a soul bond. Even now, separated, she could still feel things.
"How do you know?" I asked quietly.
"I just do." She grabbed my hand. Squeezed tight. "Promise me you'll be careful."
I wanted to lie. Tell her everything was fine.
But I couldn't.
"I'll try," I said. "But Elara. Listen to me. No matter what happens—take care of yourself. Take care of them."
Her face went pale. "Lynette—"
"Promise me."
She nodded slowly. "I promise."
I kissed her forehead. Then I left.
---
The factory was loud when I arrived.
I clocked in as Carter again. The foreman waved me over to Station 3.
"You're learning fast, kid," he said. "Keep it up and you'll be full-time by next week."
I nodded. Pulled on work gloves.
Station 3 was running hot. Literally. The control panel was radiating heat. I could smell burning insulation.
I crouched down. Pretended to check the wiring. My fingers traced the cooling system bypass I'd sabotaged yesterday. Three wires reconnected in the wrong sequence. Hidden behind the main circuit breaker where no one would look.
Not a device. Just deliberate incompetence.
One press of the override button on the control panel—something any supervisor could do during high-output runs—and the system would think it was cooling properly. While actually overheating. Catastrophically.
I pulled my hand back. Stood up.
"Looks good," I told the foreman.
He grunted. Moved on to yell at someone else.
I walked to the break room during lunch. Sat in the corner. Pulled out my phone.
The listening device I'd planted in the control room yesterday—tucked behind the panel near Blythe's usual station—was still active.
Static. Then voices.
"—can't keep pushing the equipment like this—"
That was the production manager. He sounded stressed.
"We don't have a choice." Blythe's voice. Sharp. "The Alpha is coming tomorrow morning. He wants to see the doubled output himself."
My heart stopped.
Tomorrow morning.
Kael's father was coming here. To this factory.
"If the equipment breaks down before he arrives—" the manager started.
"Then make sure it doesn't!" Blythe snapped. "Run the lines overnight if you have to. I don't care. Just get it done."
The call ended.
I sat there. Stared at my phone.
This changed everything.
If the equipment failed while the Alpha was here—if he got stuck dealing with a factory crisis instead of returning to the territory core—
This was better than our original plan.
Way better.
But it also meant we had less time.
I stood up. Walked outside. Found a quiet spot behind the loading dock.
Dialed Kael's encrypted number.
He picked up on the first ring. "What's wrong?"
"The plan changed," I said. "Your father's coming to the factory tomorrow morning."
Silence.
Then: "You're sure?"
"I heard Blythe confirm it. He's coming to inspect the doubled output personally."
Kael swore under his breath. "That means—"
"That means we trigger the malfunction tomorrow morning. Right when he's in the middle of his inspection. 7:45. He arrives at 8, we give him fifteen minutes to start the tour, then everything blows."
"That's risky. If the timing's off by even five minutes—"
"That's the point. He needs to be standing right there when it happens. The supervisors always run the override during VIP tours. I just made sure that button press will have... consequences." I kept my voice steady. "If we wait, we miss the window. Your father will come and go. And we'll have lost our chance."
Another pause.
"I'll make the calls," Kael said finally. His voice was tight. "But if this goes wrong—"
"It won't."
"You can't promise that."
"No," I agreed. "But I can promise I'll do everything in my power to make sure it works."
He exhaled. "Be careful tomorrow."
"You too."
I hung up.
Stared at the factory building.
Tomorrow morning, I'd walk in here. Wait for the supervisor to hit the override during the Alpha's tour—they always did when showing off high output. And my sabotaged wiring would do the rest.
And then we'd see if Kael's gamble on his mother's faction paid off.
---
I got home just before dinner.
The house smelled like roasted chicken. I could hear laughter from the kitchen.
I stood in the doorway. Watched them.
Dad was telling some story about his new boss. Mom was laughing. Ethan was stealing food off Elara's plate. She smacked his hand.
Normal. Happy.
I wanted to freeze this moment. Keep it forever.
"Lynette!" Mom saw me. "Come eat!"
I joined them at the table.
Ethan passed me the potatoes. "You look tired, sis."
"Long day," I said.
He studied my face. "You sure that's all?"
I met his eyes.
He knew. Just like Elara knew.
They both knew I was lying.
"Yeah," I said quietly. "That's all."
Dinner continued. I ate. Answered questions. Smiled when I was supposed to.
But my mind was elsewhere.
Running through tomorrow's plan. Over and over.
Enter the factory at 7 AM. Shadow the morning supervisor. When the Alpha's tour reaches Station 3 around 8:15, the supervisor will hit the override to demonstrate peak capacity—standard protocol for VIP visits. My rewired cooling bypass would turn that routine button press into a cascading failure.
Simple.
Except nothing about this was simple.