Chapter 41
Elara's POV
The wolf man charged.
I didn't dodge this time.
I stepped into the attack. Ducked under his swinging arm and rammed my shoulder into his ribs.
Not hard enough to hurt him. Just enough to throw off his balance.
He stumbled back. Snarled.
I grabbed a broken bottle from the ground. Glass bit into my palm but I didn't let go.
"Crazier than you look, little Omega." He circled me slowly. "Still gonna die though."
My chest was on fire. Each breath felt like swallowing razors. Black spots spreading across my vision.
But I could still see him. Still track his movements.
Watch the shoulders. They telegraph the strike.
Lynette's voice in my head. Clear as ice.
His right shoulder dipped.
I moved left.
Claws raked through empty air.
I slashed with the bottle. Caught his forearm. Blood sprayed dark.
He roared. Lunged again.
This time I wasn't fast enough.
His backhand caught me across the face. My head snapped sideways. Copper flooded my mouth.
I hit the ground. Hard. The bottle skittered away.
Can't breathe. Can't see. Can't—
Get up.
I rolled. His foot crashed down where my head had been. Concrete cracked.
My hand found something metal. Broken pipe.
I swung blind. Connected with his knee.
He went down howling.
I scrambled backward. Hit the dumpster. Nowhere left to run.
He pushed himself up. Leg bent at a wrong angle but he didn't seem to care. Eyes full gold now. No humanity left.
"Gonna enjoy this."
I raised the pipe. It was pathetic. A toothpick against a sword.
But it was all I had.
He charged.
Then—headlights. Blinding white. Screech of tires.
A black Porsche slammed into the alley entrance. Stopped three feet from where I crouched.
Driver's door flew open.
Kael stepped out. Just looked at the wolf man.
The temperature dropped ten degrees.
I'd felt Alpha pressure before. In the north. From warriors who'd earned their rank through blood.
This was different. This was absolute.
The wolf man's snarl died in his throat. His partial shift started reversing. Bones cracking back into human shape.
"Harrington. I didn't know—we weren't told—"
"Five seconds to run." Kael's voice was flat. Empty. "After that, I hunt."
The wolf man ran.
Kael watched him go. Didn't move until the footsteps faded completely.
Then he turned to me.
His eyes were pure amber. No brown left. The wolf right at the surface.
"Are you hurt?"
I tried to stand. My legs gave out.
He caught me before I hit the ground.
His hands were shaking.
"I'm fine." My voice came out rough. "Vivian and Liam—"
"Vivian!"
I turned my head. Saw her still kneeling by Liam. Hands covered in blood.
I pulled away from Kael. Walked over on legs that felt like water.
Liam was conscious. Barely. Three claw marks across his stomach. Deep. But not deep enough to hit organs.
Lucky.
I knelt down. Reached into my small crossbody bag. Found the emergency tin.
Bloodmoss powder mixed with wolfsbane extract. It would stop bleeding and prevent infection.
I unscrewed the lid. Poured it directly into the wounds.
Liam screamed.
Vivian grabbed my wrist. "What are you—"
"Saving his life." I pressed my palm over the largest cut. Applied pressure exactly where it needed to be. "Hold his shoulders. Don't let him move."
She obeyed.
I could feel Kael standing behind me. Watching every single movement.
The bleeding slowed. Stopped.
I sat back. My hands were shaking now too.
"We need to get him to a hospital." My voice sounded far away. "Tell them it was a dog attack. A big one. They'll believe it."
"How did you—" Vivian's eyes were huge. "Where did you learn—"
"Does it matter?" I stood up. Swayed. "He's alive. That's what matters."
Kael's hand steadied me. "My car. Now."
---
The Porsche's interior smelled like leather and something else. Pine. Cold wind. Him.
I sat in the passenger seat. Vivian and Liam in the back. She was still crying. He was unconscious.
Kael drove in silence. His knuckles were white on the steering wheel.
I watched the streetlights blur past. Tried not to think about how close that had been.
"The way you moved." Kael's voice made me jump. "That wasn't luck."
I didn't answer.
"The medicine. The pressure points. You knew exactly what you were doing."
Still didn't answer.
"Who are you?"
I turned to look at him. His profile was sharp in the dashboard light. Perfect and cold as a knife.
"Someone who protects the people she cares about." I kept my voice level. "That's all you need to know."
His jaw tightened. "That's not an answer."
"It's the only one you're getting."
We pulled up to the hospital. Kael got out. Carried Liam inside like he weighed nothing.
I stayed in the car with Vivian.
She grabbed my hand. Her fingers were ice cold. "Thank you. I thought—I thought we were both going to—"
"You're safe now." I squeezed her hand once. Let go. "But Vivian. That wolf. He knew who you were. He called you Goldman's daughter."
She went pale. "My father. The forest thing. This is because of—"
"Yes."
She started shaking. "There's going to be more. Aren't there. More attacks."
I didn't lie to her. "Probably."
"What do we do?"
"You stay away from dark alleys. You don't go anywhere alone. And you let me handle this."
"How can you—"
"I just can." I opened the car door. "Go inside. Stay with Liam. I'll be in touch."
I got out before she could argue.
Kael was waiting by the hospital entrance. Arms crossed. Expression unreadable.
"I'm taking you home."
"I can walk."
"You can barely stand."
He was right. I hated that he was right.
We drove in silence again. This time it felt heavier. Like the air before a storm.
He pulled up in front of my house. Killed the engine.
Didn't unlock the doors.
"I meant what I said. " His voice was quiet. Dangerous. "Black Ridge is mine to handle. Stay out of it."