Chapter 242
Lynette's POV
Kael grabbed my hand before I could pull away completely.
His grip was firm. Warm. Too warm.
"Now I know the truth," he said. His amber eyes locked on mine. Dead serious. "That night wasn't an accident. It was fate."
I yanked my hand free. Stepped back. Put distance between us.
"Maybe for you," I said. Kept my voice flat. "Not for me."
"Why?" He moved closer. Cut the distance I'd just made. "My wolf claimed you. And yours claimed me back—I felt it."
My jaw clenched.
He felt it. Of course he fucking felt it. My wolf had practically rolled over and bared its throat that night in his car.
But that didn't mean anything.
"Wolf instinct doesn't mean everything," I said. Looked past him instead of at him. "I don't need a mate."
"Lynette—"
"I mean it." I finally met his eyes. Made sure mine were ice-cold. "I'm a top-tier Alpha. I don't need to be tied down by anyone."
Elara shifted behind me. I could feel her watching us. Worrying.
Kael took another step forward. Now he was close enough that I could smell him. Cedar and winter wind and something that made my wolf stir restlessly.
I shoved it down. Hard.
"What are you afraid of?" His voice dropped lower. Dangerous. "Afraid to admit there's a bond between us?"
I laughed. Short and bitter.
"I'm not afraid," I said. "I just don't want it. There's a difference."
"Is there?" He tilted his head. Studied my face like he was trying to read my mind. "Because from where I'm standing, you look terrified."
My hands curled into fists.
He was too close. Too persistent. Too fucking right.
"A mate isn't a cage," he said quietly. "It's—"
"For you maybe." I cut him off. "But for me it is. I've spent twenty years being the strongest. The one everyone else relies on. I'm not going to give that up for some biological urge."
Something flickered in his eyes. Hurt maybe. Or anger.
"That's what you think this is?" His voice went hard. "A biological urge?"
"What else would it be?"
"A choice." He stepped even closer. Now I could feel the heat coming off his body. "My wolf chose you. And I'm choosing you too. Every single day."
My heart kicked against my ribs.
Fuck.
I needed him to stop talking. Stop looking at me like that. Stop making this harder than it already was.
"I didn't ask you to choose me," I said. Put every ounce of ice I had into the words. "And I'm not choosing you back."
His jaw tightened. I watched the muscle jump.
"You're lying."
"I'm not—"
"You are." He leaned in. His breath ghosted across my face. "Because if you really didn't want this, you wouldn't be shaking right now."
Damn it.
I was shaking. My whole body trembling with the effort of not giving in. Not closing that last inch between us and—
No.
I shoved him back. Hard.
He stumbled. Caught himself. Stared at me with those burning amber eyes.
"I've already decided to leave," I said. Forced my voice steady. "Don't make this harder than it needs to be."
"I won't let you go."
The words came out flat. Final.
My wolf snarled. Half wanting to fight him. Half wanting to submit.
I ignored both impulses.
"You going to cage me?" I asked. Let the challenge ring clear in my voice. "Lock me up? Force me to stay?"
His eyes flashed. "I would never—"
"Then what's the difference between you and your father?"
The words hit him like a physical blow.
I watched his face go white. Watched his hands drop to his sides.
Guilt twisted in my chest. Sharp and ugly.
That was a low blow. I knew it. But I needed him to back off.
"I'm not my father," he said quietly. Too quietly. "I would never cage you."
"Then let me go."
Silence stretched between us. Heavy and suffocating.
Finally he stepped back.
"I won't cage you," he said. His voice was rough. Raw. "But I won't give up either."
Then he turned and walked away.
I watched him go. Watched his broad shoulders disappear down the street.
My chest ached.
I told myself it was just the adrenaline crash. Just the exhaustion from not sleeping. Just anything except what it actually was.
Regret.
---
The front door closed behind me with a soft click.
I leaned against it. Let out a long breath.
"Sister."
Elara's voice was small. Scared.
I opened my eyes. She stood in the hallway. Tears streaming down her face.
"I'm sorry," she whispered. "I shouldn't have told him. I ruined everything."
I pushed off the door. Walked over and grabbed her shoulders.
"You didn't ruin anything," I said firmly. "This was always going to come out."
"But now he knows and you're leaving and—" Her voice cracked. "Sister, why are you running away?"
"I'm not running."
"You are!" More tears. "You're packing bags and leaving in the middle of the night. That's running."
I didn't have an answer for that.
Because she was right. I was running. Away from Kael. Away from his wolf. Away from the way my own wolf had recognized him as mate.
Away from the terrifying possibility that I might actually want this.
Elara grabbed my hands. Squeezed tight.
"Sister," she said quietly. "Don't you like him? Even a little?"
I looked away.
"It doesn't matter if I like him."
"Why not?"
"Because liking someone and being with them are two different things." I pulled my hands free gently. "I can't let myself get trapped."
"But why is being loved the same as being trapped?"
I didn't answer. Couldn't answer.
Because I didn't know how to explain it. How to put into words the bone-deep terror of depending on someone. Of letting someone close enough to hurt me.
Of being weak.
I'd spent twenty years being the strongest. The one everyone else looked to. The one who never needed help.
And now Kael wanted me to need him.
Wanted me to lean on him. Trust him. Let him in.
It felt like standing at the edge of a cliff. One step forward and I'd be falling.
"I need to finish packing," I said instead. Turned toward the stairs.
Elara didn't follow.
---
I was folding clothes into my duffel when someone knocked on the front door.
My wolf stirred. Alert.
Not Kael. The scent was wrong.
I headed downstairs. Elara had already opened the door.
Victoria Harrington stood on the porch.
Perfect. Just what I needed. Another Harrington.
She looked like she'd rushed over. Hair slightly disheveled. No makeup. Still in casual clothes.
"Lynette." She nodded at me. Polite but distant. "May I come in? Kael called me twenty minutes ago. He was... upset. I came as soon as I could."
I wanted to say no. Wanted to close the door in her face.
But Elara was already stepping aside. Letting her in.
Victoria walked into the living room like she owned the place. Sat down on the couch without being invited.
I stayed standing. Arms crossed.
"If you're here to convince me to stay," I said flatly. "Don't bother."
"I'm not." She looked up at me. Her expression was unreadable. "I heard what happened. Kael told me the truth about the soul switch."
Of course he did.
"And?" I kept my voice neutral. "You want to yell at me for lying to your son?"
"No." She shook her head. "I want to tell you that I understand."
I blinked.
That was not what I expected.
Victoria gestured to the chair across from her. "Sit down. Please."
I didn't want to. But something in her tone made me move.
I sat.
"I understand your fear," she said quietly. "Because I used to be exactly like you."
I stared at her.
Victoria Harrington. The elegant art teacher who'd publicly disowned her own son. Who everyone whispered about.
She'd been like me?
"When I was young, I was a strong Alpha," she continued. Her eyes went distant. Lost in memory. "I rejected every suitor. Refused every advance. Because I was terrified of losing my freedom."
My hands tightened on the armrests.
"But then I met Kael's father." A small sad smile crossed her face. "I learned the hard way through him. A true mate shouldn't take your freedom. They become part of your strength."
I wanted to argue. Wanted to point out the obvious.
"But you lost everything anyway," I said. Couldn't keep the bitterness out of my voice. "Didn't you?"
Her smile faded.
"Yes," she said simply. "I did. But not because of the mate bond. Because I chose the wrong person."
She leaned forward. Her eyes locked on mine.
"There's a difference, Lynette. Between choosing a mate and choosing the wrong mate. Between a bond that makes you stronger and a relationship that breaks you."
My throat felt tight.
"Kael is not his father," she said firmly. "I know my son. I know what he's capable of. And I know he would never cage you."
"You don't know that."
"I do." She stood up. Smoothed her skirt. "Because if he wanted to cage you, he would have done it already. He had you cornered this morning. He could have called his pack. Could have forced you to stay."
She walked toward the door. Paused with her hand on the knob.
"I'm not asking you to accept him," she said without turning around. "I'm just asking you not to run away because you're afraid. Don't let fear make you miss something real."
Then she left.