Chapter 90
Elara's POV
The alarm went off at five thirty. I didn't need it. I'd been awake for twenty minutes already.
My body felt different. Lighter. Stronger. Helena's treatment had done more than fix my lungs. It was like someone had unlocked something that had been sleeping inside this body.
I rolled out of bed. Changed into running clothes. Slipped downstairs before anyone else woke up.
The backyard was still dark. Cold air hit my face when I stepped outside. I started with stretches. Hamstrings. Quads. Shoulders. My muscles responded smoothly. No wheezing. No tightness in my chest.
I dropped into push-ups. Ten. Twenty. Thirty. My arms shook but held.
Can't get lazy. Can't assume this body will stay strong without work.
I thought about last night. Victoria's tears. Kael's blank expression when she rejected his help. The way he'd looked at me in the forest when I said I understood being abandoned.
I switched to planks. Core tight. Breathing steady.
Today I was going to do something right. Something that had nothing to do with survival or secrets or Wild Hunt.
I was going to give Kael his mother back. Even if just for one afternoon.
By ten o'clock I was showered and dressed. Jeans. Simple sweater. Nothing fancy.
I pulled out my phone. Stared at Kael's contact for a solid minute.
This had to sound casual. Natural. Like I wasn't setting up an ambush.
I typed: 2pm fountain square? Want you to walk around town with me
Deleted it. Too demanding.
Free this afternoon? Thought we could hang out
Deleted that too. "Hang out" sounded stupid.
I tried again: Need your help with something. Can you meet me at 2?
No. He'd ask what. Then I'd have to lie more.
I stared at the blank message box. Thought about all the elaborate plans I'd made last night. Fake emergencies. Borrowed excuses from Chloe. Complicated stories about needing his advice.
They were all garbage.
Kael wasn't stupid. Any complicated lie would make him suspicious. He'd already caught me in half-truths before. He'd see through anything too detailed.
The simplest approach was the hardest to question. Just be direct. Give him no reason to dig deeper.
I typed: 2pm fountain square? Keep me company?
Stared at it. Simple. Honest enough. The kind of thing I might actually say.
I hit send before I could overthink more.
His reply came back in thirty seconds.
Okay
One word. That was it. But I knew he'd be there.
I shoved my phone in my pocket. Tried to ignore the weird flutter in my stomach.
---
I got to the square at quarter to two. The fountain was running. Water splashed over the stone tiers. A few people walked by with shopping bags and coffee cups.
Victoria was already there. Sitting on a bench near the fountain. She had a small gift box in her lap. Her hands kept smoothing over the wrapping paper. Smoothing and smoothing like she couldn't stop.
I walked over. Sat down next to her.
"He'll be here," I said quietly.
She nodded. Didn't look at me. "What if he leaves when he sees me?"
"He won't."
"How do you know?"
I thought about the way Kael had looked at her last night. That split second of hope before she shut him down.
"Because he's been waiting his whole life for you to try," I said.
Victoria's hands stilled on the box. She took a shaky breath.
Two minutes later I saw Kael walking across the square. Hands in his jacket pockets. Expression neutral.
Then he saw Victoria.
He stopped. Just froze mid-step.
I stood up. Walked over to him before he could turn around and leave.
"Hey," I said.
His eyes flicked to me. Then back to Victoria. "What is this?"
"She wanted to see you," I said. Kept my voice level. "She asked me to get you here. She has something to say."
Kael's jaw tightened. "You set this up."
"Yeah. I did."
For a second I thought he was going to walk away anyway. But then Victoria stood up. The box clutched against her chest.
"Kael," she said. Her voice was barely above a whisper. "Please. Just... five minutes."
He didn't move. Didn't answer.
I stepped back. Gave them space.
Victoria walked closer. Held out the box with both hands.
"This is for you," she said.
Kael stared at it. "What is it?"
"Open it."
Slowly he took the box. Unwrapped it carefully. Lifted the lid.
Inside was a photo album. Old. The cover was worn leather.
He opened it. I saw his expression change. Just slightly. His eyes widened.
"I kept everything," Victoria said. Her voice cracked. "Every picture. Every drawing you made in school. I just... I didn't know how to give them to you."
Kael turned a page. Then another. I couldn't see the photos from where I stood but I could see his face.
He looked young. Confused. Like a kid who'd just found something he thought was lost forever.
---
"There's a new coffee shop," I said. Broke the silence before it could get too heavy. "Just opened last week. Want to check it out?"
Victoria looked at me. Grateful.
Kael closed the album carefully. "Sure."
We walked three blocks. Nobody talked. The silence wasn't comfortable but it wasn't hostile either.
The shop was small. Warm lighting. Smelled like cinnamon and espresso.
Victoria ordered hot chocolate. Kael got black coffee. I got tea I didn't really want.
We sat at a corner table. Victoria wrapped both hands around her mug like she was trying to absorb the heat.
"You still drink it black?" she asked Kael. Tentative.
He nodded. "Yeah."
"You used to put so much sugar in it when you were little. I thought you'd rot your teeth."
The corner of Kael's mouth twitched. Not quite a smile but close.
I watched them. This was the first time they'd sat across from each other in years. Really sat. Not running. Not fighting.
Just... existing in the same space.
---
After coffee we walked past a bookstore. Old place. Used books in the window display.
Victoria stopped. Stared at one of the books.
Kael stopped too. Looked at the same book.
"Norse mythology," Victoria said. Surprised. "You're interested in that?"
"Yeah," Kael said. "Wanted to learn more about the old stories."
Victoria's eyes got shiny. "Your brother loved those stories. I used to read them to both of you before bed."
Kael was quiet for a moment. "I remember."
They went inside. Spent twenty minutes looking through the mythology section. Talking in low voices about different translations and versions.
I stayed near the door. Gave them space.
They had the same taste in books. Same way of tilting their heads when they read. Same slight frown of concentration.
They'd never had a chance to find out how similar they were.
"Let's walk to the lake," I suggested when we left the bookstore. "Before it gets dark."
The lake was on the edge of town. About a fifteen minute walk.
We followed the path along the water. Trees on one side. Lake on the other. The sun was starting to drop. Everything looked gold.
Victoria stopped at a spot where the path widened. Looked out at the water.
"When you were small," she said to Kael. "I used to bring you to a lake like this. Near the pack lands. You loved watching the ducks."
Kael stood next to her. "You told me there were moon spirits living in the water."
Victoria turned to look at him. Shocked. "You remember that?"
"Yeah. You said they only came out during full moons. That they'd grant wishes if you were quiet enough."
Victoria's hand went to her mouth. "I didn't think... I didn't know you remembered any of it."
"I remember a lot," Kael said quietly.
They stood there for a while. Just looking at the water.
I sat on a nearby bench. Let them have the moment.
---
The sun was almost down when we reached the observation point. Old wooden platform overlooking the forest.
Victoria pulled a thermos out of her bag. And a container of sandwiches.
"I made these this morning," she said. Nervous again. "I didn't know if you'd even come but I... I wanted to bring something."
She handed one to Kael.
He took a bite. Chewed slowly. His expression shifted. Softened.
"Tastes the same," he said.
Victoria's breath caught. "Still good? I wasn't sure if I remembered the recipe right—"
"It's good," Kael said. Simple. Honest.
We sat on the bench. All three of us. Watching the sun sink below the trees.
Victoria and Kael weren't talking anymore but they weren't tense either. Their shoulders had dropped. Their breathing had evened out.
I felt something warm in my chest. Not happiness exactly. More like... relief.