Chapter 34
Elara's POV
"Right." I laughed, and it came out bitter. "Like you handled your mother the other day?"
The words were out before I could stop them. Again.
Apparently I had a death wish when it came to Kael Harrington.
The air around us seemed to drop ten degrees. His Alpha presence pressed down on me—heavier than before, suffocating—and I felt my body's instinct to submit kick in. Knees wanting to buckle. Head wanting to bow.
I locked my knees. Kept my chin up. Met his eyes.
"What did you say?" His voice was dangerously quiet.
My heart was hammering, but I refused to back down. I'd already crossed the line. Might as well own it.
"You heard me."
For a second, I genuinely thought he might hit me. His hands curled into fists, his breathing harsh and uneven. The wolf was right there, barely contained beneath his skin.
Then something shifted in his expression. The anger didn't disappear, but it became colder. More controlled. More dangerous.
"You don't know anything about me," he said softly. Each word precisely enunciated. "Or my family."
"I know you let people walk all over you," I shot back. "Your mother. Those wolves. Anyone who wants to take a shot."
"You think I'm weak." It wasn't a question.
"I think you're scared."
His eyes widened slightly. I'd surprised him.
"Scared of what?" he asked quietly.
"Of what you'd become if you actually let yourself fight back."
The words hung in the air between us. I watched them land, watched something flicker in his eyes that looked almost like recognition.
Then his expression shuttered completely.
"You don't know what you're talking about," he said flatly. "Why are you even here, Grey? What do you want from me this time?"
This time. So he remembered our last encounter as clearly as I did.
This was it. The opening I needed.
I took a breath, forcing my racing heart to slow. When I spoke, I made sure my voice was calm. Businesslike.
"I need your help."
He blinked. "What?"
"Information. About Black Ridge Forest. About the rogue pack operating there."
The change in him was instant. His entire body went on alert, eyes narrowing. "How do you know about that?"
"I have my sources." I held his gaze. "I need to know how many there are. Their strength. Where they're based. Everything you know."
"Why?" The word came out sharp, suspicious.
I'd known this question was coming. Had spent the entire walk here deciding how much truth to give him.
"My uncle," I said carefully. "Derrick Goldman. He's being targeted by rogues. There was an attack yesterday. I need to know what we're dealing with."
Kael's expression hardened. "Goldman. The developer trying to buy up Black Ridge land."
Of course he knew. Harrington Pack probably monitored every major land transaction in their territory.
"Yes," I said.
"And you care about this because...?"
Because he offered me two hundred thousand dollars. Because my family needs the money. Because I'm about to cross every moral line I have left to keep them safe.
"Because he's family," I said instead.
Kael studied me for a long moment. I could see him weighing my words, looking for the lie underneath. His eyes were sharp, calculating—this wasn't just an angry Alpha. This was someone trained to read people, to spot deception.
I held his gaze and prayed my face didn't betray me.
"If your uncle is being targeted," Kael said slowly, "it's probably because he did something to deserve it. Rogues don't just attack wealthy developers for fun."
My stomach tightened. He was too close to the truth.
"I don't know all the details," I said. "I just know they want him dead. And I need to be prepared."
"Prepared to do what, exactly?"
I hesitated. This was the part I couldn't tell him. The part where I planned to hunt down Ragnar's pack myself.
"To protect my family," I said finally. "That's all."
"Bullshit."
The word cut through the air like a knife.
I opened my mouth to argue, but he cut me off.
"You're not asking for protection," he said, his voice low and intense. "You're asking for tactical intelligence. Numbers, locations, strength assessments. That's not defense planning—that's attack planning."
Shit. He was too smart for his own good.
"Think what you want," I said, forcing my voice to stay steady. "I need the information. Are you going to help me or not?"
Kael stared at me for what felt like an eternity. I could see the conflict playing out behind his eyes—suspicion warring with something else. Curiosity, maybe. Or the memory of what I'd just done for him.
Finally, he spoke.
"Tell me one thing," he said. "And answer honestly. Are you planning to go after these rogues yourself?"
My mouth went dry.
"I'm planning to keep my family safe," I said carefully. "By whatever means necessary."
His jaw tightened. "That's not an answer."
"It's the only one you're getting."
We stood there, locked in a stalemate. The street around us was busy with afternoon traffic, people walking past without a second glance. But in that moment, it felt like we were the only two people in the world.
Finally, Kael let out a long breath.
"You're going to get yourself killed," he said quietly.
I lifted my chin. "That's my problem."
"Is it?" Something flickered in his eyes. "Because if you die doing something stupid, it reflects badly on everyone who knew about it and didn't stop you."
"So don't know about it," I shot back. "Just give me the intel and walk away."
He shook his head slowly. "It's not that simple."
"Why not?"
"Because you're asking me to hand over information that could get people killed. Including you." His eyes raked over me, taking in my small frame, my obvious physical weakness. "You can barely walk eight kilometers without your lungs giving out. What makes you think you can take on a pack of rogues?"
The words stung. Because he was right. This body was pathetic compared to what I used to be.
But I'd survived worse odds before.
"You don't know what I'm capable of," I said quietly.
"Then show me."
I blinked. "What?"
"Show me," he repeated. "Prove to me that you're not going to get yourself killed the second you step foot in that forest. Then maybe—maybe—I'll consider sharing what I know."
My mind raced. "How?"
Kael's lips curved into something that wasn't quite a smile. "Meet me at the training grounds tomorrow. Dawn. We'll see if you're as capable as you claim."
A test. Of course.
Every instinct screamed this was a trap. That I was being manipulated into revealing too much. But what choice did I have? Without his intel, I was going into Black Ridge blind.
"Fine," I said. "Dawn. I'll be there."
"Good." He turned to leave, then paused. "And Grey? Don't do anything stupid between now and then. I'd hate for you to die before I get a chance to see what you're really made of."
Then he was gone, long strides eating up the distance.
I stood there watching him disappear, my hands shaking.
What the hell had I just agreed to?