Chapter 30 Sienna's POV
The drive home is quiet, but Kael makes sure to hold my hand the whole way to reassure me.
“Should we do takeout?” I ask as we pass a fast-food chain.
“Umm, sure. We can do that. What do you want?” he asks as we pull into the drive-through.
My phone buzzes in my lap.
Danny.
My heart jumps before I even answer.
“Hey,” I say, already bracing myself.
“Sienna,” she breathes, and there’s something in her voice I don’t recognize.
Fear hits me as different thoughts run through my brain.
“You’re sitting down, right?” she asks.
I straighten. “Danny, what’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” she laughs, a little hysterically. “Nothing’s wrong. We… we have a sponsor.”
I blink. “A… what?”
“Someone’s willing to cover the missing offset from the cut funds,” she says quickly, words tumbling over each other. “All of it. They want to sponsor the kids. Permanently.”
The world tilts.
“You’re joking,” I whisper.
“I swear to God, I thought it was a prank,” she says. “But the paperwork’s real. The money’s already moving. Sienna, this isn’t a small donation. This is… this is life-changing. The kids could get better materials. I mean, we could move to a better house… I..."
My chest tightens, breath catching halfway in. I don’t know what to feel or even how to feel.
“Who?” I ask. “Who would...”
“They requested anonymity,” Danny says. “All they said was that they want the kids taken care of. No strings.”
I stare out the window, lights swimming. “I… I don’t understand. That’s… that’s… they..."
“I know,” she says softly. “I knew you’d want to hear it right away.”
“Thank you,” I manage. “Thank you for calling me.”
After we hang up, I just sit there for a second, phone clutched in my hand like it might vanish if I let go.
“Sienna?” Kael asks gently. “You okay?”
I look at him, and I feel the urge to share this with someone. It feels as if, if I don’t tell someone, I’ll just explode.
“They have a sponsor,” I blurt out. “The kids. Someone covered everything. Everything, Kael.”
His eyes widen a fraction before he smiles. “That’s amazing.”
I laugh, a little breathless, and before I can think too hard about it, I lean across the console and hug him. Hard. My arms wrap around him, face pressed to his shoulder, relief pouring out of me in a rush.
“They’re safe,” I murmur. “They’re actually safe.”
“They don’t have to move. They get to stay together, Kael. I’m so happy.”
He hesitates for just a second before his arms come around me, solid and warm. “I’m happy for you,” he says quietly.
I pull back, wiping at my eyes, still smiling like an idiot. “I just… who has that kind of money?” I laugh weakly. “I mean, to just sponsor… It feels unreal.”
As the question lingers, an uncomfortable thought worms its way in.
Ronan.
The idea makes my stomach twist. It doesn’t make sense. I hadn’t told him about the cuts. He wouldn’t know the extent unless he was snooping, but… I hadn’t told anyone except ...
I turn slowly toward Kael.
He’s watching the road again, jaw tight in a way I hadn’t noticed before.
“Did you…?” I trail off.
He glances at me. “Did I what?”
“Did you do this?” I ask. “The sponsorship.”
He looks away.
That’s answer enough.
I sit back, staring at him. “Kael. Where the hell did you get that kind of money?”
He sighs quietly. “I have a few investments.”
I snort. “Of course you do. Let me guess, everyone in the werewolf world is just absurdly rich?”
A corner of his mouth lifts. “Something like that.”
“Wait, really?” I ask, propping my head up from the headrest.
He lets out a laugh and shakes his head.
“No… not everyone.”
I shake my head, still smiling, still overwhelmed. “You didn’t have to do that.”
“I wanted to,” he says simply.
Like it was natural. It didn’t look like he even thought too much about it.
I sigh and whisper a thanks.
He lifts my hand to his lips and kisses it.
“Sir, would you like a large or...” the voice from the drive-through intercom speaks, and I curse.
“Fuck our takeout.”
\---
The next day, I’m halfway through a very sad sandwich at my desk, hating myself for taking it with me.
I had lied to myself that I was going to go healthy after all that takeout last night, and now I was regretting it because this veggie sandwich wasn’t cutting it.
The door chimes, and Ronan walks in like he owns the place.
I choke on my bite. “What are you doing here?”
He looks annoyingly put together, in a fucking suit. I couldn’t help but wonder if he had other clothes, or if his closet was just full of suits.
I could imagine it already. A line of suits for being an asshole.
In his hands are two paper bags.
“Lunch,” he says, like that explains everything.
“I didn’t ask for lunch,” I snap.
He shrugs and sets the bags on my desk anyway. “You looked like you needed it,” he says, gesturing to my sandwich.
“Isn’t your new lover feeding you well? You look starving.” He gives me a once-over, and that look just pisses me off.
I stand up and point to the door. “Get out.”
“No,” he says calmly. “You remember your end of the deal, right?”
I blink. “What deal?”
“The one where you join my pack,” he says, unbothered.
I laugh at his unfunny attempt at a joke. “I absolutely do not remember that.”
He steps closer, gaze flicking over my face. “Funny. I remember it very clearly.”
“You remember a lot of things that never happened,” I fire back. “Like you being welcome here.”
“And yet,” he murmurs, stopping far too close, “you haven’t kicked me out.”
My heart does that traitorous stutter again.
“This doesn’t mean anything,” I say. “You can’t just show up here.”
“I can,” he replies. “I just did.”
I glare at him. “You’re impossible.”
“And you’re predictable,” he says softly.
Before I can respond, his hand cups my jaw, thumb brushing my cheek. I should pull away.
I don’t.
The kiss is sudden and intense and entirely unwelcome, and my body responds anyway. My hands fist in his suit jacket, frustration bleeding into heat as he deepens it just enough to make my head spin.
It’s over too fast before I can will myself to resist....
He pulls back, eyes dark, breathing steady like this didn’t affect him at all.
“That’s still a problem,” I whisper.
He smirks. “For you definitely.”
Then he straightens, grabs one of the lunch bags, and heads for the door. “Enjoy the food, Sienna. We’ll talk soon.”
The door closes behind him.
I sink back into my chair, heart pounding.
“Fuck,” I mutter.
What is wrong with me?
\-