Chapter 178
Lynette's POV
Belser smiled at the crowd. His voice carried that same smooth confidence through the speakers.
"Of course, we also have formulas designed specifically for women."
He paused. Let the words hang in the air.
"Imagine this—perfect body proportions. Skin that never sags. You can even fine-tune your facial features..."
I watched the audience below. Several women sat up straighter. Their eyes lit up with something that looked like hunger.
Belser continued. "This drug can create 'the most perfect beauty in the world'—whatever appearance you desire."
I leaned back in my chair. My mind was already working through what I was seeing.
Fear first. Then hope. Now greed.
Classic manipulation. Hit them with terror, offer them salvation, then dangle their deepest desires in front of them.
I turned to Kael. "What about Aris's accusations earlier? Everyone seems to have forgotten."
Kael's mouth twisted into something that wasn't quite a smile. "Because they don't want to remember. Desire makes people very good at selective amnesia."
The music changed. The lights dimmed. Another spotlight hit the stage.
I felt it then. That strange sensation crawling up my spine.
Something was wrong.
I kept watching Belser. Trying to pin down that feeling from earlier—that flash of recognition when he'd first walked out.
Those blue eyes caught the light at a different angle.
And suddenly the memory sharpened.
Snow. Blood on white ground. Someone standing over me with those exact same eyes. Cold. Calculating. That voice saying something in a language I'd almost forgotten.
The image vanished as quickly as it came.
But the feeling stayed. That bone-deep recognition that I couldn't quite place.
I realized Kael had been talking. I'd missed whatever he said.
"Sorry, what?"
But Kael wasn't looking at me anymore. He was looking at where I was looking.
At Belser.
His jaw tightened. When he turned back to me, something had shifted in his expression.
"You've been staring at him for the past five minutes." His voice came out flat. "Do you like men like that?"
I blinked. "What?"
"Belser." Kael leaned closer. There was an edge to his tone I'd never heard before. "You can't seem to take your eyes off him. So I'm asking—is that your type?"
The question caught me so off guard that my body reacted before my brain did.
My hand shot up. Pure instinct.
My fist stopped two centimeters from his face.
Kael didn't flinch. He just looked at me with those dark eyes. They were almost black in the dim light of the box. Like looking into deep water with no bottom.
I yanked my hand back. "God. Sorry. I just—"
"Just what?" He was still too close. I could feel the heat coming off him.
I cleared my throat. Looked away. "I wasn't staring because I'm interested. I was staring because he looks familiar. Like I've seen him somewhere before."
Kael didn't move back. "Familiar how?"
"I don't know." I pressed my fingers against my temple. That flash of memory was already fading. "It's just a feeling. His eyes, maybe. I can't explain it."
"Familiar." Kael repeated the word like he was testing it. "That's all?"
"Yes." I met his gaze. "That's all."
Some of the tension left his shoulders. He finally leaned back.
But he didn't look entirely convinced.
I tried to shake off whatever that moment had been. "Why? Do you know something about him?"
Kael was quiet for a few seconds. When he spoke again, his voice had dropped lower.
"Belser is dangerous. He used to be a core member of Shadowclaw."
My head snapped toward him. "Shadowclaw? That international rogue wolf organization?"
"The same." Kael nodded once. "Three years ago, several major factions joined forces to take them down. Shadowclaw was almost completely destroyed. Some of Wild Hunt's current members probably came from their ranks. I didn't expect to find them here, working with Limen Research."
I processed that. Shadowclaw had been notorious. Brutal. No rules, no morals, no boundaries.
"How do you know so much about them?"
Kael shrugged. Like it was nothing. "Because I'm the one who orchestrated that joint operation three years ago."
I stared at him.
He said it so casually. Like he was talking about organizing a dinner party, not coordinating the destruction of one of the most dangerous organizations in the supernatural world.
"You did what?"
"They were too loud. Too reckless. They were interfering with Pinehollow Pack's interests." He picked up his teacup. Took a sip. "So I contacted a few other factions. Suggested they might want to handle the problem. They agreed."
I didn't know whether to be impressed or horrified.
Maybe both.
"Remind me never to get on your bad side," I said. I meant it as a joke.
But it came out sounding more serious than I'd intended.
Kael looked at me. Really looked at me.
"You don't need to worry about that."
"Why not?"
"Because I wouldn't hurt you."
The words hung between us.
I don't know what made me do it. Maybe it was the way he said it. So certain. So absolute.
I leaned forward. Close enough that I could see the exact moment his pupils dilated.
"You mean that?" I kept my voice low. "Really?"
The space between us felt charged. Electric.
Kael's breathing changed. I heard it catch.
His ears turned red.
Actually red.
He jerked back like I'd burned him. Grabbed his teacup and drank. Then drank again.
I bit the inside of my cheek to keep from smiling.
The silence stretched out. Awkward and thick.
Below us, Belser was still talking. The crowd was still watching. But up here in our private box, the world had narrowed to just the two of us.
Kael set down his cup.
He turned to face me fully.
"I meant it." His voice was steady now. Serious. "I'm not playing games with you, Lynette. I wouldn't hurt you. Not ever."
My throat went tight.
I wanted to say something. Anything.
But the words wouldn't come.
So I just nodded.
And somehow, that felt like enough.