Chapter 156
Kael's POV
The door swung open under my hand. Two girls stood on my front step.
My eyes went to the unfamiliar one first. Tall. Strong build. Dark hair pulled back. Amber eyes that caught the porch light.
I didn't know her.
My gaze shifted to the second girl.
Everything in me seized up.
Elara.
Her face. Her body. The way she stood with her weight slightly on her left foot. I knew that stance. I'd watched her fight. Watched her breathe. Watched her come apart in my arms.
Heat slammed through me. My wolf surged forward, recognition blazing in every cell.
Mine.
The word echoed in my head. Possessive. Absolute.
I wanted to pull her inside. Press her against the wall. Bury my face in her neck and breathe her in until the ache in my chest eased.
But something stopped me.
My wolf... hesitated.
The heat was there. The recognition. But underneath it—
Wrong.
The word whispered through my mind. Quiet. Insistent.
I looked at Elara again. Really looked.
She met my eyes. Steady. Calm. No flush on her cheeks. No catch in her breath.
Nothing.
When I'd last seen her, there'd been tension between us. That conversation outside her house. My clumsy attempt to talk about what happened at the gala. Her panicked denial.
"It's not what you think."
The words had cut. Made me pull back. Made me give her space even though my wolf had been clawing at me to go to her. To fix whatever I'd broken.
But I'd stayed away. Buried myself in Pack business and Council assignments. Told myself she needed time.
Now she was here.
And my wolf was... confused.
I dragged my attention back to the unfamiliar girl. The one I didn't know.
She was watching me. Those amber eyes sharp. Assessing.
My wolf stirred again. Different this time.
Not recognition. Not memory.
Want.
Raw. Primal. The kind of pull I'd only ever felt once before.
With Elara.
What the hell?
I forced my face smooth. Kept my voice level. "Can I help you?"
The unfamiliar girl spoke first. "We need to talk to you. It's important."
Her voice was low. Controlled. The kind of voice that gave orders and expected them to be followed.
Alpha.
The realization hit me like cold water.
I'd heard that tone before. In my father's voice. In my own when I had to pull rank.
This girl wasn't some random stranger. She had power. Real power.
I looked at her more carefully. The way she held herself. The subtle tension in her shoulders. The calluses on her hands visible even from here.
Fighter. Leader. Predator.
My wolf's reaction made more sense now. It wasn't just attraction. It was recognition of an equal.
But that didn't explain why—
"Do I know you?" I asked, still looking at the unfamiliar girl.
She exchanged a glance with Elara. Something passed between them. Some silent communication I couldn't read.
"No," the unfamiliar girl said. "We've never met."
But her eyes said different. Like she knew something I didn't.
I stepped back. Gestured them inside. "Come in. We can talk in the living room."
Better to have this conversation somewhere private. Away from neighbors' windows and curious ears.
They filed past me. Elara first. Then the stranger.
When Elara passed, I caught her scent. Lavender and something sharper. Familiar but... muted. Like a memory that had faded.
My wolf whined. Confused. Wanting.
But not the way it should.
The stranger passed next. Her scent hit me like a fist.
Pine. Cold wind. Blood.
My wolf lunged.
I grabbed the doorframe. Forced myself still.
What the fuck was happening?
I closed the door. Followed them into the living room. Watched them settle on the couch. Side by side. Close enough their shoulders almost touched.
They looked comfortable together. Familiar.
Sisters? Friends?
I stayed standing. Crossed my arms. Kept my distance.
"Alright," I said. "What's this about?"
The unfamiliar girl leaned forward slightly. "My name is Lynette. I'm Elara's sister. Her older sister who's been missing for twenty years."
Lynette.
The name rang a bell. Faint. Distant.
I frowned. Tried to place it.
Then it clicked.
Six months ago. A file that had crossed my desk when I'd been digging through my father's records. Looking for anything related to my brother's death.
Northern Canadian territories. Ice plains region. A report on a young female Alpha who'd taken control of her Pack at fifteen. Killed the previous Alpha in single combat.
Lynette.
The file had called her ruthless. Efficient. Dangerous.
One of the most powerful Alphas in North America.
I looked at the girl in front of me. Really looked.
Yeah. I could see it. The way she sat. The way she watched me. Like she was calculating exactly how long it would take to kill me if I became a threat.
"If you're who I think you are," I said slowly, "you're a long way from home."
Her mouth curved. Not quite a smile. "You've heard of me."
"I've seen your file."
"Then you know I don't make social calls."
"No," I agreed. "You don't."
I uncrossed my arms. Sat down in the chair across from them. Leaned forward. Elbows on my knees.
"So why are you here?"
"I need your help."
The words were simple. Direct. But they landed heavy.
I laughed. Couldn't help it. The sound came out harsh. Bitter.
"You need my help?" I shook my head. "Why would I help someone I've never met?"
"Because—"
"Because what?" I cut her off. "Because you're Elara's sister? Because you showed up on my doorstep?"
My voice was getting sharper. I tried to rein it in. Failed.
"I don't know you. I don't owe you anything. And frankly, I've got enough problems without taking on whatever trouble followed you here."
Silence.
Lynette didn't flinch. Didn't argue. Just watched me with those amber eyes.
Elara shifted beside her. Opened her mouth.
"Kael—"
Hearing her voice twisted something in my chest.
I looked at her. At the girl I'd been thinking about for weeks. The girl I'd convinced myself I was falling for.
My wolf stirred again. That same confused wanting.