Chapter 187: Elena Steel

The air inside Apex HQ felt different.

It wasn’t bad.

But it wasn’t the same.

There was a shift in energy, something almost imperceptible, but undeniable.

The transition had begun. Apex was no longer just theirs.

It was still their home. Their creation. But now, it was part of something bigger.

And tonight?

Tonight was the official beginning of that new era.

James and Orion had gathered the entire team in the main briefing room. The atmosphere was a strange mix of anticipation and curiosity.

They had all agreed to this.

But that didn’t mean they weren’t waiting to see what came next.

James leaned against the long table at the front of the room, arms crossed, his usual half-smirk firmly in place.

“Alright, listen up,” he said. “As you all know, the transition is officially in motion. Which means—"

Orion stepped forward. "We have a new liaison from the CIA’s Special Operations Division."

Liam raised a brow. "Translation: babysitter?"

James smirked. "More like the person making sure we don’t burn the place down."

Zayn sighed dramatically. "Well, that’s disappointing."

Seraphina, standing near Damon, rolled her eyes.

Damon chuckled. "Behave, Rivera."

Zayn smirked. "Never."

James ignored them, turning toward the doorway.

“Elena,” he called out, "come on in."

The woman who entered was graceful, controlled, and completely unreadable.

Blonde, poised, impossibly calm.

Her gray eyes swept the room, scanning each of them with the quiet precision of someone who had been trained to read people within seconds.

She was dressed in an elegant but practical black suit, the kind that looked both professional and deadly if needed.

But the thing that stood out the most?

It was the way she commanded the space.

Not with force.

Not with arrogance.

But with presence.

James smirked. "Everyone, meet Elena Steel."

Orion watched the room closely, gauging reactions.

Most of them were neutral, some curious, but one?

One reaction stood out.

Dominic Hale, standing near the back, arms crossed, eyes sharp.

His expression was unreadable.

But it wasn’t nothing.

It was recognition.

Seraphina noticed.

So did Damon.

And when Elena’s gaze landed on Dominic, something flickered in her expression—a flicker so quick that only those watching closely would have caught it.

A connection.

A history.

An unspoken something that made the room feel just a little warmer.

Or maybe—just a little more dangerous.

Elena clasped her hands in front of her, her voice smooth and level.

“I know what you’re all thinking,” she said. “Another government suit here to tell you how to do your jobs.”

Liam grinned. "More or less."

Elena smirked slightly. "Then let me make one thing clear—I’m not here to tell you how to do anything."

She let that sink in.

“I know who you are,” she continued. "I know what Apex is. I know why it works. And I know better than to try and change something that doesn’t need fixing."

Zayn leaned back in his chair. "Well, that’s a first."

Elena didn’t even blink. "I’m not here to turn you into another government division. I’m here to make sure you survive long enough to keep doing what you do best."

That got their attention.

"Which is?" James prompted, his tone laced with amusement.

Elena’s lips curved just slightly.

"Winning."

Silence.

Then, a slow, almost reluctant smirk from James.

Orion exhaled. "Fair answer."

Elena glanced at Dominic then.

"Wouldn’t you agree, Hale?"

Dominic didn’t react.

Not at first.

Then—"We’ll see."

A pause.

Then Elena nodded, as if that was exactly the answer she had expected.

And just like that, something shifted between them.

Something that everyone else noticed.

Seraphina wasn’t the only one watching.

Damon, standing beside her, murmured, "You see that, right?"

Seraphina sipped her water. "Oh yeah."

Liam, standing on her other side, muttered, "Didn’t know Dominic had a type."

Zayn smirked. "Turns out it’s ‘women who could kill him in five seconds flat.’"

Seraphina chuckled. "Makes sense."

Damon exhaled. "This is going to be interesting."

James, meanwhile, was definitely enjoying the tension.

"You two know each other?" James asked, grinning.

Elena and Dominic both kept their expressions carefully neutral.

But that?

That was an answer in itself.

Finally, Dominic exhaled.

"Maybe."

Elena’s lips curved slightly.

James raised a brow. "Just maybe?"

Dominic sighed. "Don’t you have work to do, Carter?"

James grinned wider. "Not anymore. I’m a full-time spectator now."

Orion, exasperated, muttered, "This is why we don’t give you free time."

By the time the meeting wrapped up, it was clear—Elena Steel wasn’t just some bureaucrat.

She was one of them.

Maybe not in the same way.

Maybe not in the trenches.

But she understood.

And more importantly?

She was going to make sure this worked.

Dominic, however, was another story entirely.

As the room emptied out, Seraphina caught the way he lingered, the way Elena lingered, the way neither of them quite looked at each other but also didn’t look away.

Something had happened between them once.

And something was still there.

Damon, watching from beside Seraphina, exhaled.

"You think this is going to be a problem?" he asked.

Seraphina smirked. "Oh, I think this is going to be fun."

Damon chuckled, shaking his head.

And as Dominic and Elena finally—**finally—**looked at each other, the sparks all but visible in the air, one thing became obvious.

Whatever their past was?

It wasn’t over.

Not yet.