Chapter 94 The Quiet Before the Storm
Sable’s POV
I sat on the couch with my legs tucked under me. Kier joined me like it was the most natural thing in the world. My head ended up on his shoulder without conscious thought.
The bond hummed low and content, a quiet vibration beneath my skin that felt dangerously close to peace.
“You’re quiet,” Kier said, his voice soft against my hair.
“I’m thinking,” I murmured.
“About?”
I hesitated, then admitted, “About how easy this feels.”
His body shifted slightly beneath me. "Easy isn’t bad,” he said.
“I know,” I replied, staring out at the skyline. “It just scares me a little.”
His lips brushed the top of my head, warm and grounding. “Me too.”
That made me smile.
Because if Kier was admitting fear, then I wasn’t crazy for feeling it too.
We stayed like that for a while, talking about things that didn’t matter and somehow meant everything. Music we used to listen to back at the pack. Places we’d never gone but always talked about. Old arguments about hunting grounds that seemed ridiculous now.
The city stretched out in front of us, bright and endless, but it didn’t feel overwhelming anymore.
At some point, I pushed myself up to stretch, my muscles still tight in places that reminded me I wasn’t fully healed yet. Kier stood immediately.
I glanced at him and laughed. “You don’t have to follow me around like a bodyguard.”
“Old habits,” he said easily. “Also, I seen you stagger a few times like an old drunk.”
I stuck my tongue out at him.
He grinned.
And just like that, it felt… normal.
Later, we drifted back to the bed. I lay half across him, tracing slow patterns along his chest, feeling the steady rise and fall of his breathing under my palm.
“I feel like I should be more conflicted,” I admitted.
“You’re allowed to have good days,” he said.
“I don’t trust them yet.”
His hand came up, tilting my chin gently until I had no choice but to meet his eyes. “Then trust me instead.”
The words settled deep and I nodded.
Because right now? I wanted to.
We might’ve stayed there all day.
Honestly, we probably would have.
If his phone hadn’t rung.
He reached for the phone without even checking who it was. “What is it?”
Jaxon’s voice came through immediately, loud enough that I could hear every word.
“Kier. We have a problem.”
Kier sat up, pulling me with him, his arm automatically steadying me like he couldn’t not touch me. “What kind of problem?”
“The pack,” Jaxon said. “The council’s asking about Sable.”
Kier’s expression hardened. “What are they saying?”
“They know know she's been found." Jaxon said.
My heart started pounding.
Kier went still beside me. “How?”
“That’s what I’m trying to figure out,” Jaxon said. “But I’ve been hearing things. Liora is supposedly here at the pack. But I haven't seen her.”
My chest tightened instantly. “Of course she is,” I whispered.
Kier’s jaw flexed. “When?”
“Apparently not long after everything went down with you,” Jaxon said. “She went straight to the pack. Straight to the council.”
Cold realization slid down my spine.
“She told them,” I said quietly.
Kier’s eyes flicked to mine.
“She’s the only one who would know,” I continued. “The only one who would care enough to make it a problem.”
Jaxon exhaled sharply on the other end. “That’s what I’m thinking. And it gets worse.”
Kier’s voice dropped. “Say it.”
“They want you to bring her in.”
Silence hit like a physical blow.
My chest tightened so fast it hurt.
“Bring me in?” I repeated, my voice barely above a whisper.
Kier’s entire body went rigid. “No.”
“It’s not a suggestion,” Jaxon said. “It’s a summons.”
Rage rolled off Kier in waves. I could feel it through the bond, hot and immediate.
“They don’t get to summon her,” he snapped. “She’s not property.”
“They’re not going to see it that way,” Jaxon replied. “You know how this works. She left without permission.”
The words landed hard.
I swallowed.
Because that part… wasn’t wrong.
I hadn’t asked. I had run.
My stomach twisted.
“They’re going to put me on trial,” I said quietly.
Kier turned to me instantly. “No, they’re not.”
“They can,” I said, my voice steadier than I felt. “By pack law, they can.”
“That law is outdated,” he growled.
“It’s still law,” I countered.
The bond shifted, tense and uneasy.
Jaxon’s voice cut through again. “Kier, you need to come back. Now. Before they escalate this.”
Kier’s hand clenched around the phone. “Don’t do anything until I get there.”
“Hurry,” Jaxon said.
The line went dead.
The room felt smaller.
Heavier.
Like the walls had closed in without warning.
“That was fast,” I said, my voice quieter now.
“Too fast,” Kier agreed.
I pushed myself off the bed, steadying my balance as my body protested. “They know I’m here.”
“Yes.”
“And they’re not going to like it.”
“Probably not, but we don't know for sure.”
I let out a slow breath, trying to keep my thoughts from spiraling. “This is exactly what I didn’t want.”
Kier stepped in front of me, his hands coming to my shoulders.
“Hey,” he said softly. “Look at me.”
I did.
“We’re not panicking,” he continued. “We’re not running. And we’re not letting them decide anything without you having a voice.”
The words should have comforted me.
Instead, they scared me.
“Facing them together sounds good,” I said slowly. “But that’s also how things get taken out of my hands.”
His expression tightened. “I won’t let that happen.”
“You can’t control everything, Kier,” I said quietly.
“No,” he admitted. “But I can stand with you.”
The bond pulsed between us.
I searched his face, looking for doubt.
I didn’t find any.
Just certainty.
I straightened my shoulders, forcing myself to breathe through the fear.
“Then let’s go,” I said.
His lips curved, something proud and dangerous flashing in his eyes. “That’s my girl.”