Chapter 30
KAEL’S POV
I was completely caught off guard by his unexpected question and the sharp switch in his attitude, my thoughts spun rapidly as my body grew rigid. He must have sensed something. But I made myself stay collected.
“To assist my pack, naturally,” I declared, keeping my tone even.
Elder Theo raised an eyebrow toward me, his motion one that clearly shouted ‘I can spot your deception’ “I might be elderly, Lycan Kael, but I’m certainly not foolish,” he remarked in a flat manner.
“What?”
“There’s a motive for it, right?” He tilted forward a little, his stare steady, “Something more intimate, maybe?”
My jaw locked tight. “Nothing.”
“Hm? Fine then,” he shrugged off, then pivoted to look at the garden, his gaze locked on the blossoms.
I dragged a hand through my hair, releasing a breath of annoyance. “Actually, yes, but it’s not your issue,” I confessed quietly, “Doesn’t involve you,” I tacked on.
“I never requested the full story,” he responded, his voice remaining flat. Damn, the elder might be aged but he was testing limits, “I just pondered if my theory was accurate,”
“Oh?” I lifted a brow, “And what’s that?”
“You and Elara share a past,” the second her name escaped his mouth my stomach dropped like a stone, I parted my lips to reply but he kept going, effectively muting me. “The name ‘Kael’ tasted like sour venom on her lips, I remember overhearing one of her talks… well,” he cocked his head, “With herself, more like venting. Poor young lady appeared to have endured so much, it was evident,”
I stepped nearer, my interest overriding caution, “So? You know her location?”
“I do,” he stated, turning to confront me, his expression empty, nearly bored and detached, “But it’s not my role to reveal that detail,”
“If you do—”
“I still won’t,” he cut in.
“Why not?” I fired back, “Why not spill it so I can head out?”
He released a rough exhale, “It would mean violating my Alpha’s command, and Elara’s faith in me. Plus, who can predict the risks that might follow if I expose her position,”
“What?!” I barked, deeply insulted. My posture adjusted, prepared for a showdown.
He simply laughed, a rich vibration echoing in the stillness, “But I can offer assistance,”
“Why and how?”
“Why?” He scratched his chin, “I lack a specific cause, but truthfully, your abrupt appearance makes me uneasy, forgive me for saying, Lycan, it’s uncommon to abandon your territory for ours simply over a healer, if it’s Elara specifically, I’ll lend support. And how can I assist? Straightforward, I know her precise spot,”
I folded my arms over my chest, my regard for him diminishing. “And that is?” I insisted, my tolerance thinning.
“Mountain Dew Pack,” he declared, his gaze pinned on me, “There you’ll discover what you’re pursuing,”
A huff escaped me, “You handed that over so quickly, why? Why should I believe you?”
“As I mentioned before, your visit disturbs me, if it’s a healer you’re after, a particular one, I’ll guide you, besides I have no desire to entangle my Alpha and our community in whatever turmoil led you here,”
“And who are you to decide that? Defying your Alpha?”
Abruptly, his expression darkened, the cheer evaporating, replaced by a look I couldn’t fully interpret, “His father-in-law… former. His initial Luna has passed, and she was my child,”
“Wait,” my eyes bulged, “What?”
“That’s beside the matter, but now you understand why I hold some authority,” his scowl intensified, “As I stated, I can’t allow us to become involved in whatever has drawn you here, so I implore you. Please depart and locate Elara,”
My fists tightened at my sides, nails biting into skin, “I intend no trouble,” I grated through clenched teeth.
“You don’t,” he remarked, his sight drifting to the tree at my rear, my view trailed after, a shape—swiftly vanished into the woods, I lunged to pursue but sensed a hold on my wrist, I whirled to Theo shaking his head, “But your staying could,” his mouth thinned, brows knitting, “Elara was tailed here as well, I suggest you proceed carefully,”
I yearned to argue, but clamped shut. It was too tangled for me to unravel, too obscure for me to sort, I could read it in his gaze. Something was brewing, something beyond either of us, and it revolved around Elara.
“In that case,” I advanced several paces toward him, “I’ll remain a few days, to prevent sparking alarm or hasty actions,” I leaned close, gaze piercing his, “But if this is a ruse, I won’t hesitate to act differently.”
“You have my assurance, Lycan, just uphold your vow to leave us out of it,”
“You have mine,” I straightened, hands back in pockets, “I’ll head in then.” As I turned, a query hit. “If I may… why’d Kane pretend no knowledge of Elara? Same as you?”
“No,” he shook his head, “He vowed to Alpha Ronan to protect her—that included her name and location too.”
“Alpha Ronan?” My brows knit. “Mountain Dew’s Alpha, I assume? Heard of him.”
“Yes,” he nodded, “That Ronan—he was adamant about her security.”
“Why?” Obviously… he didn’t want her abilities leaked.
A cunning grin tugged Theo’s lips as he regarded me. “Why does a man safeguard a woman?”
Then it dawned, my fists squeezing, fury seeping out.
“Best move fast. Before it’s too late.”