Chapter 95 The Return
Sable’s POV
Packing felt wrong because there wasn’t much to grab, considering I was still living out of Kier’s place.
I stood in the middle of Kier’s penthouse bedroom, one of his bags open on the bed, staring down at the few things Jenna had managed to bring over earlier. My clothes, my toiletries, pieces of a life I wasn’t sure I still had.
“You don’t need a lot,” Kier said from behind me. “We’re not staying long.”
I let out a small breath. “That’s what you think.”
His presence settled at my back a second later, close enough that I could feel the heat of him without him touching me.
“I’m serious,” he continued. “We go in, we handle the council, and we leave.”
“You say that like it’s that simple,” I said, not turning around.
“It can be.”
“No,” I replied, finally facing him. “It can’t.”
His jaw tightened, but his eyes softened. “I’m not letting them take control of this.”
“You might not have a choice,” I said quietly.
That hung between us.
For a moment, neither of us spoke.
Then he stepped closer, his hands coming up to rest lightly on my arms.
“We’re doing this together,” he said. “You hear me?”
I nodded.
I just wasn’t sure if that made me feel better… or worse.
The drive to the airport was silent.
The city blurred past the tinted windows, lights and movement that felt distant now. Like I was already halfway gone.
Kier sat beside me in the back seat, his hand resting over mine, thumb moving in slow, absent circles like he was trying to keep me tethered.
“You’re thinking too much,” he said.
“I’m always thinking too much,” I replied.
“Not like this.”
I didn’t deny it.
My chest felt tight, like something was building under the surface.
“I left,” I said after a moment. “I didn’t ask. I didn’t follow protocol. I just… walked away.”
“You chose yourself,” Kier said.
“They won’t see it that way.”
“I don’t care how they see it.”
“I do,” I said, turning to him. “Because I have to stand in front of them.”
His grip tightened slightly. “And I’ll be right there.”
I held his gaze, trying to anchor myself in it.
The airport felt too bright.
Even though we were walking through a private terminal it still felt like too many eyes were on us.
My steps slowed without me meaning them to.
Kier noticed immediately. “Hey.”
I stopped, exhaling slowly. “I don’t like this.”
“I know,” he said.
His hand slid to the small of my back, guiding me forward.
We boarded quickly, the private jet already prepped and waiting.
Inside, everything was calm.
Nothing like the storm brewing in my chest.
I sank into the seat by the window, watching as the city lights stretched beneath us.
Kier sat beside me, his shoulder brushing mine.
“You’re quiet again,” he said.
“I’m trying not to spiral,” I admitted.
He reached over, taking my hand. “You’re not going back alone.”
“I know.”
“You’re not that girl anymore.”
That one hit.
Because part of me still was.
I turned to him. “What if they don’t care who I am now?”
“Then they’ll learn,” he said simply.
I huffed a small laugh. “You make everything sound so easy.”
“It’s not easy,” he said.
I leaned back in my seat, closing my eyes for a second.
The plane lifted smoothly, the ground falling away beneath us.
No turning back.
Kier’s thumb brushed over my knuckles again, steady and consistent.
“I’ve got you,” he murmured.
The bond pulsed and I wanted to believe him.
The flight felt too short or maybe I just wasn’t ready.
The moment the plane began its descent, my stomach tightened again. My wolf stirred beneath my skin, more alert now.
Reacting to home.
“Breathe,” Kier said softly.
“I am breathing." I replied.
When the plane landed, I didn’t move right away. I just sat there, staring out the window at the familiar stretch of trees, the dark line of forest that marked the edge of Black Pine territory.
Its been five years and somehow, it still felt the same.
Kier stood first, offering me his hand.
Jaxon was waiting at the base of the stairs.
Phone pressed to his ear. Pacing.
His expression was tight, focused in a way I hadn’t seen since we were younger and something had gone very, very wrong.
“…yeah, they just landed,” he was saying. “I’ll call you back.”
He hung up as soon as he saw us.
“You made it,” he said, stepping forward.
Kier nodded. “Who was that?”
“Jenna,” Jaxon replied. “She wanted to make sure you got here safe.”
I blinked.
That was… weird.
“She didn’t call me,” I said.
Jaxon’s gaze flicked to mine briefly, then away. “Probably didn’t want to overwhelm you.”
Maybe.
But something about it didn’t sit right.
Three SUVs were waiting. we climbed into the middle car. Kier beside me again, Jaxon up front.
The drive was quiet.
The moment we crossed the invisible line into pack territory, I felt it.
The pull.
It hit me low in my chest, sharp and undeniable.
My wolf surged forward, stronger than she’d been since the attack.
Home, she whispered.
I swallowed hard, gripping the seat slightly as the sensation spread.
“It’s stronger than I remember,” I murmured.
Kier glanced at me. “You’ve been away a long time.”
“It doesn’t feel like time passed,” I said. “It feels like I never left.”
“That’s the pack,” Jaxon said from the front. “It doesn’t let go easy.”
The trees closed in around us as we drove deeper, the familiar paths winding through the forest like they were leading me exactly where I was meant to be.
Or exactly where I never wanted to be again.
The pack house came into view.
The training grounds.
The main hall.
All of it unchanged.
All of it waiting.
My chest tightened.
I leaned forward slightly, staring out the window as the SUVs slowed.
“Here we go,” I whispered.
Because there was no stopping it now.