Chapter 111
Elara's POV
The concrete steps outside the abandoned lumber mill were cold under my legs. I sat there next to Cole, both of us staring at his tablet screen. It showed a map of Canada littered with red dots, but his finger was tapping on the most recent piece of intel: a blurry photo of a figure running through the trees.
My sister. Running for her life in my old body. Being hunted by professional killers who thought she was me.
The weight of it pressed down on my chest like a physical thing.
"We need the Council's support," I said. My voice came out flat. Controlled. "Just the two of us going after Wild Hunt is suicide."
Cole nodded slowly. "True. But the Council won't approve a personal rescue mission. Not easily."
I turned to look at him. "Then we give them a reason they can't refuse. Wild Hunt is a threat to Misty Creek. To the entire region. We frame this as eliminating a dangerous mercenary group operating in Council territory."
Understanding dawned in Cole's eyes. "You want to request an extermination mission."
"Exactly." I pulled out my encrypted phone. "And I know who to call."
Warren's private number was already saved in my contacts. The phone rang twice before he picked up.
"Grey. It's late." His voice was alert though. Not surprised. He probably expected this call eventually.
"I need to request a special mission," I said. No preamble. No explanation. Just the facts.
Silence on the other end. Then, "What kind of mission?"
"Wild Hunt has been operating in the northern territories. They're moving south. Toward the border. Toward Oregon." I kept my voice steady. Professional. "They're a threat to every pack in the region. Including Misty Creek."
I didn't mention the soul swap. Didn't mention my sister trapped in my old body. Warren didn't need to know the personal stakes. He just needed to see the strategic threat.
"You're talking about deliberately provoking Wild Hunt." Warren's tone turned sharp. "These aren't ordinary rogues, Grey. They're the deadliest supernatural mercenaries in North America."
"I know what they are." My hand tightened on the phone. "That's exactly why they need to be dealt with. Before they bring their war to our doorstep."
Another long pause. I could almost hear him thinking. Calculating.
"This level of operation requires Council approval," he said finally. "I can't authorize it on my own. I'll need to report this to the higher-ups."
My stomach sank a little. I'd expected this, but hearing it still stung.
"I understand, sir. I'll wait for your response."
"Give me time," Warren said. "I'll present your request to the Council. But Grey—think carefully about what you're asking for. Once you're on Wild Hunt's radar, there's no going back."
"I know."
The line went dead.
I lowered the phone. Cole was watching me with that careful expression he got when he was trying to read my mood.
"He's not going to approve it immediately," Cole said.
"No. But he'll try." I rubbed my face with both hands. My eyes burned from lack of sleep. "Warren knows I'm useful. He saw what I can do during the evaluations. He'll want to keep me as an asset."
"And if the Council says no?"
I looked at him. "Then we go anyway."
Cole's mouth curved into something that wasn't quite a smile. "Thought you might say that."
He stood up, stretching his back. "Elara, I want to come with you. To Canada."
I blinked. "Cole—"
"I'm serious." He cut me off. "Finding your sister isn't just your responsibility. I was Lynette's subordinate. Her Beta. That means I have a duty to protect her. Even if she's in a different body now."
Something warm spread through my chest. Gratitude. Relief. I wouldn't have to do this alone.
The decision was made. But as I looked at him, a new wave of anxiety hit me.
"How am I supposed to explain this to my family?" The words came out before I could stop them. "I can't just disappear for weeks. Mom and Dad will lose their minds."
Cole's expression softened. Like he'd been waiting for me to realize this.
"Maybe you should tell them the truth," he said quietly.
"No." The word came out too fast. Too sharp. "Not yet. I can't—I won't put that on them until I have my sister back. Until I know she's safe."
"Elara, you can't just vanish—"
"I'll figure something out." I was already running through options in my head. "I'll tell them it's an exchange program. Or a special training opportunity. Something that sounds official enough that they won't question it too hard."
Cole frowned. "They're going to worry."
"I know." My throat felt tight. "But it's better than the alternative. Better than telling them their daughter's soul is in someone else's body while a stranger is being hunted across Canada because of me."
He studied my face for a long moment. Then nodded.
"Alright. While you handle your family, I'll start preparing for Canada." He pulled out his own phone. "I'll map out routes, set up safe houses, establish contact points. I've got connections in the dark web who can get us current intel on Wild Hunt's movements."
"How long will that take?"
"Two, maybe three days if I work fast." He scrolled through something on his screen. "I'll reach out to some contacts up north. People who owe me favors. They can feed us information without getting directly involved."
"Good." I stood up, my legs stiff from sitting on cold concrete. "The second Warren gives us the green light, we move."
Cole met my eyes. "And if he doesn't?"
"We move anyway," I repeated. "My sister doesn't have time for Council bureaucracy."
He nodded once. Firm. Decided.
"I'll send you encrypted updates," he said. "Stay alert."
Then he was gone, melting into the shadows between the buildings like he'd never been there at all.
I stood alone in the dark for a moment. The night air was cold on my face. Somewhere in the distance, a dog barked.
I started walking toward home.
The streetlights cast long shadows on the empty road. My footsteps echoed too loud in the silence.
My mind wouldn't stop replaying what Cole had shown me. Those photos. My old body running through moonlit trees. My sister trapped inside, being hunted by killers who wanted her dead.
Because of me.
Because I'd died on a blood moon and dragged her into my nightmare.
The urgency sat in my chest like a stone. Heavy. Suffocating. Every second I wasted here, she was out there running. Hiding. Scared.
Time was running out.
But I couldn't just leave. Not without a cover story. Not without making sure Mom and Dad wouldn't call the police when I disappeared.
I needed a lie. A good one.
"Exchange program," I muttered to myself. "Special training opportunity. Something through the Council maybe. Warren could back that up if I asked him."
Would they believe it though?
The thought of Mom’s trusting smile made the lie I was about to tell feel like acid in my throat. I was so tired of lying to them. Every conversation lately felt like walking through a minefield. One wrong word and everything would explode.
But what choice did I have?
I couldn't tell them the truth. Not yet. Not until I had both sisters safe—the one who'd raised me, and the one whose body I was wearing.
The Grey house came into view up ahead. Warm light glowed in the windows.
My chest ached.
I loved them. This family that wasn't really mine, but had become mine anyway. Marcus with his quiet strength. Emily with her endless worry. Ethan with his protective instincts.
They'd taken in a broken girl and given her everything. Safety. Love. A home.
And I was about to repay them with more lies.