Chapter 88
Kael's POV
I stood there. Frozen. Like someone had just ripped the ground out from under my feet.
Elara's voice cut through the silence again. Sharper than before.
"Ms. Harrington. In that basement, you said your biggest regret was never being a real mother to him."
Victoria flinched. Didn't look up.
"But you're still running," Elara continued. Her voice was steady. Cold. "Running from facing Kael. Running from admitting you were wrong. Running from giving him an explanation."
I looked at this girl. This supposedly weak omega who could barely breathe without an inhaler. Right now she looked like she could tear through steel.
She was angry. For me.
Something warm twisted in my chest. Unfamiliar. Uncomfortable.
No one had ever done this before. Stood up for me. Fought for me.
I'd learned young that I was on my own. Mother's coldness. Father's control. The pack's expectations. I'd carried it all in silence because that's what alphas do.
But now someone was standing between me and all that pain. Using words like weapons. Defending me like I mattered.
Like I was worth protecting.
The feeling was... I didn't know what to do with it.
"Elara." My voice came out rough. I cleared my throat. "What you said. In the basement. Was it true?"
She turned to look at me. Those amber eyes held mine without wavering.
"Every word," she said. "She told me she pushed you away because she was scared. Scared the Harrington family would use you. Control you."
My hands clenched into fists.
"She said every time she looks at you, she remembers losing your brother. So she ran instead of facing it."
Each word hit like a physical blow. Worse than any punch I'd ever taken.
Because this meant... all these years...
I turned to my mother. She was still on the ground. Wouldn't meet my eyes.
"Is it true?" My voice cracked. I hated that. Hated the weakness. "You were protecting me?"
Victoria's face crumpled. Her hand covered her mouth. For a long moment she said nothing.
Then she nodded. Just once.
"I'm sorry," she whispered. "I'm so sorry. I was a coward. I didn't have the strength to protect you. Or the courage to face you."
I closed my eyes. Took a deep breath.
This should feel like relief. Finally knowing the truth.
Instead it just... hurt more.
Because now I knew. All those years of coldness. Of feeling like I was wrong somehow. Like I was the problem.
It was never about me.
But it didn't change anything. She still left. Still let me believe I was unwanted.
I opened my eyes. Looked at Elara.
"Thank you." The words came out quiet. Sincere. "For telling me. And for... for saying those things."
She looked surprised. Then shook her head slightly.
"You deserved to know the truth."
That warmth in my chest grew stronger. Spread through my ribs.
This girl. This impossible, confusing girl.
She'd just given me something I didn't know I needed. Someone who cared enough to get angry on my behalf.
I wanted to protect her. The way she'd just protected me.
The thought should have scared me. Instead it felt... right.
Victoria struggled to her feet. Her mascara was streaked down her face. She looked at me with red, swollen eyes.
"I know it's too late," she said. "But I want to try. To make things right."
I didn't answer right away. Couldn't.
"I need time," I said finally. "To process this."
The air was still heavy. But different now. Like something had shifted.
Elara stood off to the side. Watching us both.
My eyes kept going back to her. This strange mix of gratitude and something else. Something I couldn't name yet.
Something that made my wolf restless in a completely different way.
Victoria took a shaky breath. "The family will come after me. After all of us. Once they know I talked."
"They already know you're a liability," Elara said. Her voice was matter-of-fact. "You just got kidnapped. You think they're going to let that slide?"
Victoria's face went pale.
"You have no safe options left," Elara continued. "Except maybe telling the truth. All of it."
I looked between them. My mother. And this girl who'd somehow become tangled up in my mess.
"She's right," I said. Surprised at how steady my voice sounded. "You can't run anymore."
Victoria wrapped her arms around herself. She looked small. Broken.
Nothing like the cold, distant woman I'd known my whole life.
"I'll tell you everything," she said quietly. "But not here. Not now."
I nodded. That was fair.
Elara shifted her weight. I noticed she was favoring her left side. The adrenaline was probably wearing off.
"We should get you both somewhere safe," I said. Slipped back into that familiar role. The one where I took charge. Made decisions.
It was easier than dealing with this tangle of emotions in my chest.
"My car's about half a mile back," I added. "Can you walk?"
Victoria nodded. Elara didn't answer. Just started moving toward the trees.
Always so damn stubborn.
I fell into step beside her. Close enough that I could catch her if she stumbled.
She glanced at me. Something flickered in her eyes. Too fast to read.
"You didn't have to come," I said quietly. "You could have just called me."
"You were faster in person."
Fair point.
We walked in silence for a while. Victoria trailed behind us. The only sound was our footsteps on the forest floor.
"Elara." I kept my voice low. "What you did back there. What you said."
She didn't look at me. "I told you. You deserved the truth."
"It was more than that."
She was quiet for a long moment.
"I know what it's like," she said finally. "To be alone. To think the people who should care about you... don't."
Her voice was soft. Vulnerable in a way I'd never heard before.
My chest tightened.
"You're not alone," I said. The words came out before I could stop them.
She stopped walking. Turned to look at me.
In the dim light filtering through the trees, her face was pale. Tired. But her eyes were sharp. Focused.
"Neither are you," she said.
Something passed between us. Some unspoken understanding.
We'd both learned too young that caring meant getting hurt. That trust was a luxury we couldn't afford.
But maybe... maybe we didn't have to carry that alone anymore.
The moment stretched. Neither of us looked away.
Then Victoria's voice broke the silence. "Are you two coming?"
Elara blinked. Stepped back. The distance between us suddenly felt too wide.
"Yeah," I said. Cleared my throat. "We're coming."
We started walking again. But something had changed.
I could feel it in the air between us. In the careful way we avoided looking directly at each other.
In the way my wolf had finally gone quiet. Content for the first time in days.
We reached my car. I helped Victoria into the back seat. She looked exhausted. Defeated.
Elara moved to get in the passenger side. I caught her arm gently.
"Hey." I waited until she looked at me. "Thank you. Really."
She nodded. Didn't pull away from my touch.
"You would have done the same for me," she said simply.
Would I? A week ago, I wasn't sure.
Now?
Now I knew without a doubt that I would burn down the world to protect this girl.
The realization should have terrified me.
Instead it felt like the first honest thing I'd felt in years.
I let go of her arm. She slid into the passenger seat.
I got behind the wheel. Started the engine.
In the rearview mirror, I could see my mother. Staring out the window. Lost in her own thoughts.
Beside me, Elara was silent. Her hands folded in her lap.
I pulled out onto the road. Headed back toward town.
Neither of us spoke. But I was hyper-aware of her presence. The sound of her breathing. The way she shifted in her seat.
The way my entire body seemed tuned to her frequency.
This was dangerous. I knew that.
Getting attached. Caring about someone. It made you weak. Made you vulnerable.
But as I glanced at her profile in the darkness, I couldn't bring myself to care about the danger.
For the first time in my life, I wasn't alone.
And maybe that was worth the risk.