Chapter 237
Kael's POV
I couldn't focus worth shit.
Elder Thomas was droning on about territory tax collections. Elder Sarah kept glancing at her notes about the livestock inventory. The numbers blurred together on the paper in front of me.
All I could see was Lynette's face last night. That moment when I'd grabbed her wrist. The way she'd gone completely still.
Not scared-still. Something else.
"Harrington Alpha?"
I blinked. Everyone was staring at me.
"Sorry. Continue."
Elder Thomas cleared his throat. "As I was saying, the northern farms have exceeded their quarterly—"
My wolf growled low in my chest. Restless. It had been like this since I woke up.
Pacing. Whining. Pushing at my control.
I forced myself to sit up straighter. Pay attention.
Drake was reporting now. Something about guard rotations.
"—and we need your confirmation on whether to continue employing Miss Lynette as tactical advisor."
"Yes."
The word came out before I'd even processed the question.
Drake's eyebrow went up. Just slightly.
Fuck.
"I mean—" I tried to sound casual. "Her methods have proven effective. No reason to change what works."
Elder Sarah was watching me with that knowing look older wolves get. Like she could see right through my bullshit.
"You seem tired, Harrington Alpha," she said gently. "Perhaps we should postpone—"
"No." I cut her off harder than I meant to. "Continue with the financial report."
I could feel Drake's eyes on me. That look that said he knew exactly what was going on in my head.
The meeting dragged on for another hour. I nodded at the right times. Signed what needed signing.
But my brain was somewhere else entirely.
The second the last elder left, I slumped back in my chair. My father's chair now. Mine.
The office felt too big. Too quiet.
I closed my eyes. Tried to get my wolf under control.
It snarled at me. Showed me an image so clear it might as well have been a photograph.
Lynette. Standing in moonlight. Her profile sharp and perfect.
"What the hell do you want?" I said out loud.
My wolf's answer was immediate. A feeling more than words.
Her. Want her. Need her.
I pressed my palms against my eyes.
"That night was Elara," I told my wolf. Told myself. "You're confused."
But my wolf wasn't confused. It was absolutely certain.
And that certainty was driving me fucking insane.
I stood up. Started pacing around the desk. The stack of documents Drake had left caught my eye. Routine stuff for my review.
I should work. Focus on something productive.
Instead I grabbed my jacket and headed for the door. My feet were already moving before I'd made a conscious decision about where I was going.
The training grounds. Drake had mentioned this morning that Lynette was scheduled to run a combat training session today. Advanced hand-to-hand for the guard unit.
I told myself I was going to inspect the facilities.
Total lie.
The walk across the territory gave me time to think. Didn't help. My thoughts just went in circles. Lynette's scent from last night. The way she'd looked at me. That flicker of something in her eyes before she shut it down.
By the time I reached the eastern training grounds, my wolf was practically clawing at my ribcage.
I stayed in the shadows at the edge of the field. Watched.
She was in the center of the training ring. Surrounded by a dozen of my biggest guards.
Her voice carried across the space. Calm. Authoritative.
"The goal isn't to overpower someone bigger than you. It's to use their momentum against them."
She gestured to one of the guards. A guy named Marcus. Built like a tank. Easily six-three, two-twenty.
"Attack me."
Marcus hesitated. "Miss Lynette, I don't want to—"
"Do it."
He lunged.
What happened next took maybe three seconds.
Lynette sidestepped. Her hand shot out and grabbed his wrist. She twisted. Used his own forward motion to flip him completely over her shoulder.
Marcus hit the ground hard. The impact made the other guards wince.
Lynette hadn't even broken a sweat.
"See? Momentum. Not strength."
She offered Marcus a hand up. He took it, looking dazed.
My wolf went absolutely wild.
It surged against my control. Howling. Demanding.
I felt my canines extend. Had to grip the fence post to keep from shifting right there.
Because watching her move like that—precise, lethal, completely in control—did something to me.
My blood was running hot. Heart pounding. My skin felt too tight.
This wasn't normal attraction. This was primal.
My wolf recognized a warrior. An equal.
And it wanted her so badly I could barely breathe.
Twenty minutes later, she dismissed the guards. They headed back to their posts, talking among themselves. Impressed.
Lynette grabbed a towel from the bench. Wiped the sweat from her face and neck.
I stepped out of the shadows before I could talk myself out of it.
"Impressive demonstration."
She turned. Her expression didn't change, but I saw her shoulders tense. Like she was preparing for a threat.
"Just basic technique," she said.
I moved closer. Kept some distance. Didn't want to spook her like last night.
She slung the towel over her shoulder. Started to walk past me toward the equipment shed.
My wolf lunged for control.
Before I knew what I was doing, my hand shot out. Grabbed her wrist.
"Wait—"
She went completely still.
I felt it immediately. The strength in that slim wrist. The coiled power just beneath the surface. Muscles like steel cable under soft skin.
Lynette turned her head slowly. Looked at my hand on her wrist. Then up at my face.
Her eyes were flat. Dangerous.
"Sorry. I don't know why I—"
"You just took over an entire territory," she said. Her voice was calm, but there was an edge to it. "You should be handling that. Not out here."
She took a step back. Creating distance.
My chest felt tight. Like something was squeezing my lungs.
"You asked me last night why I believed you'd help me," I said. The words came out rough. "Now I'm asking—why did you choose to help me at all?"
She was quiet for a long moment. Just looked at me with those amber eyes that sometimes seemed way older than they should be.
"Because you deserved it. That's all."
"Bullshit."
Her eyebrow went up.
I took a breath. Tried to organize the chaos in my head.
"I feel like there's something between us. Some kind of connection I can't explain."
Her expression flickered. Just for a second. Something complicated passed through her eyes.
Then it was gone.
"That's your imagination," she said flatly.
She turned and walked away toward the parking area.
I stood there watching her go. My wolf howling in frustration. My hands clenched into fists at my sides.
Every fiber of my being wanted to chase after her. Demand answers.
But I forced myself to stay put. Let her leave.
I needed to think. Figure out what the hell was going on.
The walk back to the main house felt longer than usual. My mind wouldn't shut up. Questions piling on top of questions.
By the time I got back to the office, Drake was already there. Waiting with another stack of files.
"Status reports from the border patrols," he said, dropping them on my desk. "And this."
He held out a single sheet of paper.
I took it. Scanned the text.
Official request for discharge from the Council's Special Operations Unit.
Signed by Elara Grey.
I stared at the signature. Read the whole thing twice.
"When did this come in?"
"This morning."
I set the paper down carefully. My brain was starting to make connections I didn't like.
Elara had joined the special ops unit to protect her family. Went through months of brutal training. I remembered hearing about it. How hard it was. How most recruits washed out.
Her first mission—her only mission—was to Canada. To eliminate the Wild Hunt.
She'd come back with Lynette.
And now she wanted out. Immediately.
"Drake."
"Yeah?"
"Elara's mission to Canada. How long was she gone?"
He thought about it. Leaned against the desk. "Maybe two weeks total. Why?"
"And she came back with her sister."
"Right. Lynette had been missing for years. Elara found her and brought her home."
I tapped the paper against the desk. My wolf was alert now. Watching. Waiting.
"I need to meet with Elara," I said. "Alone."