Chapter 239
Lynette's POV
The sandbag exploded under my fist.
Stuffing burst out like guts. The chain groaned. I'd hit it too hard again.
Damn it.
I stepped back, shaking out my hand. My knuckles didn't even hurt. This body—my real body—could take so much more than Elara's ever could.
"Again!" I barked at the trainee squad. "Rotation drill. Faster this time."
They scrambled into position. Good. I needed the noise. Needed the distraction of barked orders and heavy breathing and bodies hitting mats.
Anything to stop thinking about—
My wolf suddenly went rigid inside my chest.
Someone's watching.
I didn't turn around. Kept my eyes on the trainees. But every nerve in my body lit up like I'd been hit with voltage.
The sensation crawled up my spine. Familiar. Dangerous.
I knew exactly who it was before I even looked.
Kael stood at the training ground entrance. Half-hidden in shadow. Those amber eyes locked on me like a predator tracking prey.
My wolf stirred. Not the anxious flutter I'd felt in Elara's body. This was different. Sharper. Like recognizing an equal.
Shit.
I forced myself to look away. Focused on a trainee's sloppy footwork instead.
"Marcus, your stance is garbage. Fix it or sit out."
But I could still feel Kael's stare burning into my back. Could sense his wolf reaching out, trying to... what? Confirm something?
My pulse kicked up. Not fear. Worse than fear.
Recognition.
His wolf knew. Maybe not consciously. But on some primal level, it recognized me. The real me.
I couldn't let this continue.
"Drill's over," I announced abruptly. "Ten minutes early. Hit the showers."
Confused looks. A few protests.
"Now."
They scattered.
I grabbed my water bottle and headed for the exit on the opposite side of the training ground. Didn't look back. Didn't acknowledge Kael's presence.
But I felt his eyes follow me the entire way.
---
The locker room was empty. Thank god.
I turned the shower to cold. Stepped under the spray fully clothed. Let the icy water shock some sense back into my system.
My hands were shaking.
Not from exertion. From the realization that had been building for days now.
Kael's wolf was trying to confirm what his human mind couldn't accept. And every time I was near him—every training session, every briefing, every goddamn accidental encounter—I was giving it more evidence.
My scent. My fighting style. The way I moved. The way I talked.
All of it was triggering his subconscious memory of that night in his car. Of the person who'd actually been there with him.
I pressed my forehead against the cold tile.
I needed distance. Needed to stay away from him for the next few days. Let his suspicions cool. Let his wolf settle.
Before he started asking questions I couldn't answer.
---
When I got home, Elara was sitting at the kitchen table. Staring at her untouched breakfast like it might bite her.
"What's wrong?" I asked, dropping my gym bag.
She jumped. Looked up with this complicated expression I couldn't read.
"Lynette..." She hesitated. "Kael called me in for a meeting today."
My stomach dropped straight through the floor.
I kept my voice steady. "About what?"
"He asked about my discharge request. From the Special Ops unit." She twisted her fingers together. "But then he asked me something weird."
Oh god.
"What did he ask?"
Elara's brow furrowed. But there was something else in her expression now. Something that looked like guilt.
"He wanted to know if we'd ever... spent time alone together. Like, before all this. Just the two of us."
She paused. Bit her lip.
"And I think... I think I might have said something wrong."
My stomach dropped. "What do you mean?"
"I was talking about Canada. About how hard it was. And I said something about—" She stopped. Looked down at her hands. "About using your body. I meant like, failing your training. But the way it came out..."
Oh god.
"He looked at me weird after that," she continued quietly. "Really weird. Like I'd just confirmed something he was thinking."
My grip on the chair tightened until my knuckles went white.
"What exactly did you say, Elara?"
"I said 'when I was in Canada, using my sister's body—' and then I stopped because I realized how it sounded." Her voice got smaller. "I tried to explain I meant your training. But Lynette... I don't think he believed me."
No. God, no.
Because those memories belonged to me. To the night I'd spent in her body. In his car. Listening to him break down about his mother.
"You didn't miss anything," I said. "Go. You'll be late."
She left.
I stood alone in the kitchen, coffee forgotten, hands braced on the counter.
This was getting out of control.
---
I walked Elara to campus. Told myself it was just being a good sister.
Really, I was avoiding going back to pack territory. Avoiding the possibility of running into—
"Lynette."
Drake stepped out from behind a tree. Of course he did.
I stopped. Kept my expression neutral. "Drake."
"The Alpha wants to see you."
"I'm busy."
"It's about tactical adjustments for the guard rotation." His tone was perfectly polite. Perfectly professional. "He values your expertise."
Bullshit. This wasn't about tactics.
But I couldn't refuse without raising suspicion. Not when my official role was tactical consultant.
I looked at Elara. She gave me an encouraging nod before heading into the building.
"When?" I asked Drake.
"Now. He's waiting in his office."
Of course he was.
---
I stood outside Kael's office door. Forced myself to breathe normally.
My wolf was restless. Pacing. It wanted to go in there. Wanted to face him.
I told it to shut up.
In my head, I rehearsed possible responses. Prepared explanations. Built walls around anything that might give me away.
Kael only suspected. He didn't have proof. As long as I stayed calm, stayed in control—
I knocked.
"Come in." His voice was low. Rough.
I pushed the door open.
Kael stood at the window. Back to me. Shoulders tense under his black shirt.
He didn't turn around.
"You wanted to see me, Alpha?" I kept my tone professional. Distant.
Silence.
Then: "Tell me about the night in my car."
My heart stopped.
"I don't know what you're talking about."
"Yes, you do." He turned slowly. Those amber eyes pinned me in place. "My wolf recognized you the first time I saw you. And I've been trying to convince myself I was wrong. That it was impossible."
I forced myself to hold his gaze. "Your wolf made a mistake."
"No." He took a step toward me. "My wolf doesn't make mistakes. Not about this."
Another step.
"The memories I have—they're of Elara's face. Her body. But everything else is wrong." His voice dropped. "The way she talked. The way she moved. The way she looked at me."
He was close now. Too close.
"That wasn't Elara in my car that night. Was it?"
My mouth went dry.
"You're confused," I said. Tried to sound convincing. "You're projecting—"
"Stop lying."
The command hit me like a physical force. Alpha dominance, raw and unfiltered.
My wolf surged up in response. Instinctive. Automatic.
For half a second, our wolves faced each other. Equal. Matched.
Kael's eyes widened.
Shit.
I shoved my wolf down. Hard. Locked it behind every mental barrier I had.
"I don't know what you think happened," I said carefully, "but—"
He moved.
Faster than I expected. Grabbed my wrist. Pulled me against him.
"Your scent," he breathed. His face was inches from mine. "When you're close like this... it's the same. Exactly the same as that night."
My pulse hammered. His hand was warm. Solid. His scent—cedar and winter wind—flooded my senses.
My wolf wanted to lean in. Wanted to—
No.
I yanked my arm free. Put distance between us.
"You're mistaken." My voice came out harder than I intended. "Whatever you think you remember, it wasn't me."
"Lynette—"
"I'm not interested in being your wolf's consolation prize because it can't accept that Elara doesn't remember you."
That landed. I saw it in his face.
Good. Let him think I was insulted. Angry. Anything but terrified he was getting too close to the truth.
I turned and walked toward the door.
"This conversation is over."
"It's not." His voice followed me. Raw. Almost desperate. "My wolf won't let this go. It knows—"
"Then tell your wolf it's wrong."
I left before he could respond. Before I could see the look on his face.
Before my own wolf could betray me by wanting to stay.