Chapter 119: Betting Pools and Break down fuel

Opal's POV

The sleek black SUV rolled up in front of Kael's packhouse, its headlights piercing through the early morning mist like a predator's gaze. Even before the car came to a full stop, Opal could feel the storm brewing inside it.

Ash.

His rage simmered beneath the surface, sharp and suffocating, pressing against her like a physical force.

The door swung open with too much force, slamming against its hinges, and there he was—her overprotective, perpetually furious brother.

Arms crossed. Jaw locked. Silver eyes burning like molten steel.

Opal smirked. "Miss me?"

Ash's fingers flexed against the car door, his knuckles turning white, like he was physically restraining himself from dragging her into the backseat.

Kael, standing beside her, exhaled through his nose, arms loose at his sides—unbothered. "Try not to kill each other before breakfast."

Ash's glare snapped to him, sharp as a blade. "I don't take orders from you."

Kael smirked. "That's funny. You take them from Opal all the time."

Opal cackled as Ash let out a slow, measured breath, like he was counting to ten before committing a murder.

"Opal," he said, his voice dangerously calm. "Get in the damn car."

Opal tilted her head dramatically, just to be a pain. "Is that any way to greet your beloved sister? I was gone for so long—don't you want to hug me? Maybe shed a tear?"

Ash didn't even blink. "Opal. Now."

Kael chuckled beside her. "She's free to stay as long as she wants."

Ash's silver eyes snapped to Kael, dark and lethal. "Try me, Kael."

Kael just grinned. Bastard.

Opal rolled her eyes, stepping toward the car. "Alright, alright. I'm going." Then, just to make Ash suffer, she turned back to Kael with a sweet smile. "You sure you don't want to escape with me? We could run away, change our names, start a goat farm—"

Kael smirked. "Tempting. But you don't strike me as a farm girl."

Opal gasped, placing a hand over her heart. "Excuse me? I would thrive."

Kael raised an eyebrow. "You screamed over a spider the other day."

Opal narrowed her eyes. "That spider had intentions."

Ash made a low, furious sound in the back of his throat. "I swear to the Moon, Opal—get in the car."

Kael leaned down, brushing a quick kiss against her temple, whispering so only she could hear. "Call me if you need anything."

Opal nodded. "I will."

Ash yanked the passenger door open before she could linger any longer.

She sighed dramatically, sliding into the seat. "Geez, you're so clingy."

Ash slammed the door with enough force to rattle the frame before stalking around the front of the car. The second he was inside, he threw it into drive so hard the tires screeched, peeling away from Kael's packhouse like he could physically outrun his rage.

The tension in the car was thick, smothering.

Opal smirked, leaning back in her seat. "So. You gonna lecture me the whole way home, or are you gonna let me nap?"

Ash's grip on the steering wheel tightened. "You're impossible."

Forrest's voice cut through the mind link like a bullet.

"She's alive! Thank the Moon. Ridge, you owe me fifty bucks."

Opal grinned. "You guys were betting on me?"

"Not on you," Ridge snorted. "On whether or not Ash would actually murder Kael."

Brooks chimed in. "Honestly, I'm still not convinced he won't."

Ash growled under his breath. "Shut up."

Forrest laughed from the back seat. "Oh, he's pissed."

Opal smirked. "Tell me something I don't know."

Brooks sighed dramatically. "Ash, let's be real. You should just accept it—Opal is gonna do what she wants."

Ash didn't respond.

Opal turned her head, studying his profile. Jaw clenched. Shoulders rigid. Silver eyes dark—not just with anger. With something deeper. Something closer to… fear.

She exhaled, reaching out to rest a hand on his arm. "Ash."

He didn't react at first. Then—his grip on the steering wheel loosened.

Opal softened her voice. "I was safe."

Ash swallowed, his eyes still fixed on the road. "Not for long."

The weight of his words settled between them.

Because he was right.

The witch was still coming.

And they were running out of time.

The black SUV rumbled up the driveway, the packhouse looming in front of them like a silent witness to the chaos brewing inside the vehicle. The tension was so thick it could have cracked concrete.

But Opal?

She was thriving.

Ash's grip on the steering wheel was so tight his knuckles had gone white. His jaw? Locked. His nostrils? Flaring. His overall mood? Lethal.

Forrest, on the other hand, was having the time of his life.

The moment the car stopped, he kicked open the back door and stretched obnoxiously, sighing like he'd just endured the greatest suffering known to man.

"Ah, home sweet home," Forrest announced, patting the side of the car. "I wasn't sure we'd make it back without Ash snapping the wheel in half, but here we are."

Ash didn't even look at him as he threw the SUV into park. "Get. Out."

Forrest ignored him completely. Instead, he turned toward Opal with dangerous enthusiasm.

"Alright, let's get serious."

Opal raised a brow. "Oh, this should be good."

Forrest grinned, cracking his knuckles. "We need to discuss Kael."

Ash let out a slow, murderous breath. "We really don't."

Forrest ignored him harder.

"Now, let me just say—Kael? Incredible choice. I mean, I get it. I completely get it." He started ticking points off on his fingers.

"First of all, muscles. Have you seen the man? Absolute unit. Broad shoulders, ripped to hell, and not just for show either. The guy uses them. That raw power? That Alpha dominance? It's like he was sculpted to ruin lesser men's self-esteem. Is that why he bothers you so much?"

Opal smirked as Ash's temple visibly throbbed.

"Forrest." Ash's voice was hanging by a thread.

Forrest plowed ahead.

"Second—his strength. Have you ever seen Kael fight? It's poetry, man. Every move, calculated. Efficient. He's the kind of guy who could rip someone's throat out in under a second and still have the emotional bandwidth to be romantic. That's rare. That's special. One of a kind."

Brooks choked on a laugh. "This is getting ridiculous."

Ridge leaned back against the car. "No, no. Let him cook."

Forrest grinned, absolutely enjoying himself.

"Third—his obsession with Opal. The man is feral. He looks at her like she's the last meal he'll ever have. Like he'd slaughter entire bloodlines if they so much as inconvenienced her. He might be more obsessed with her than you."

Opal bit her lip, holding back a laugh.

"Not to mention the way he touches her," Forrest continued, waving his hands in grand gestures. "Like he's constantly reminding himself she's real. The dude is gone for her. If she told him to commit arson, he'd probably ask which buildings and how many."

Brooks whistled. "Damn, he's not wrong."

Forrest nodded enthusiastically. "Right? You can see it! That man would go rabid if anyone so much as breathed wrong in Opal's direction. Hell, I bet if someone insulted her in front of him, he'd go all silent and deadly, and next thing you know, there's a missing person report."

Ash's grip on the steering wheel was murderous.

"FORREST. STOP. TALKING."

Forrest grinned wider. "Oh, I'm just getting started. Let's talk about endurance—"

"GET OUT OF THE CAR."

Forrest finally sashayed out of the vehicle, clearly pleased with himself.

Opal followed, stretching her arms. "Honestly, Ash, you should be thrilled about all of this."

Ash stared at her like she'd lost her mind. "THRILLED? WHY WOULD I BE THRILLED?"

Opal shrugged. "Well, for one, I'd be mated to the most powerful Alpha outside of our pack. That's a strategic alliance. And two—" She paused for effect. "Kael would be in your life forever."

Silence.

Then—

Forrest collapsed onto the ground, wheezing with laughter.

Brooks let out a low whistle. "Damn. That's brutal."

Ridge smirked. "Kael and Ash at every diplomatic meeting? That'd be entertaining."

Ash looked like he was seconds away from an actual aneurysm.

"You—You—"

Opal patted his shoulder. "No need to thank me, big brother. I do what I can."

Ash jerked away like she was radioactive. "YOU ARE INSANE."

Forrest snickered. "She's a visionary."

Ash turned on him so fast that Forrest actually took a step back.

"Don't encourage her."

Forrest grinned. "Oh, I absolutely will. I live for excitement."

Opal stretched, completely unbothered. "Anyway. I need food. If anyone needs me, I'll be in the kitchen, definitely not plotting how to become Kael's Luna just to make Ash's life miserable."

Ash let out a strangled noise.

Opal strolled toward the house.

Forrest, Brooks, and Ridge watched her go.

Then—

"Five bucks says she's actually thinking about it."

"Fifty bucks says Kael would say yes."

"Hundred bucks says Ash strokes out before it even happens."

Ash stormed inside, muttering a stream of curses.

Forrest grinned. "I love this family."