Chapter 24 I Have a Responsibility to You
Elara's POV
I met Kaelen's ice-blue eyes with a steady gaze. "Not late at all, Mr. Thorne. Your timing is actually perfect."
Then I turned to address the crowd, making sure my words would reach every corner of the ballroom. "Before the Blackwood family leaves, I want to make something absolutely clear to everyone here. I have already transferred five hundred thousand dollars to their account as compensation for my basic living expenses over the past eighteen years."
The whispers started immediately, rippling through the crowd like wildfire. I heard someone nearby mutter, "Five hundred thousand for eighteen years? That's less than thirty thousand dollars per year." Another voice chimed in with barely concealed contempt, "No wonder the child was treated so badly if that's all they thought she was worth."
I watched Reginald's face turn an unhealthy shade of purple, saw the way his hands clenched into fists at his sides as he struggled to maintain his composure. Isabella's eyes had gone wide with shock and calculation.
I continued, "I want everyone to understand that I have already repaid any debt I might have owed to the Blackwood family. I took Vanessa's place in suffering a calamity that was meant for her, and in doing so, I consider any obligation of gratitude to be completely fulfilled. From this moment forward, I owe the Blackwood family nothing."
Reginald's carefully constructed facade finally cracked completely. His face contorted with barely suppressed rage, his body trembling as his eyes flashed gold with his wolf trying to surface, but he didn't dare say a word in front of Sebastian and Damian.
Sebastian moved forward with deadly intent, his eyes flashing gold again. His voice came out as a low growl that raised the hair on the back of my neck. "And let me make one thing absolutely clear to you and your pathetic excuse for a pack. If I ever hear that you or any of your pack members have been using the Silverstone name to conduct business or gain social advantage, there will be consequences you won't survive."
He gestured sharply to the Delta warriors who had been standing at attention near the ballroom entrance. "Escort them out. Make sure they understand that they are no longer welcome at any Silverstone Pack function."
The warriors moved forward immediately, flanking the Blackwood family with professional efficiency. I followed them into the corridor outside the ballroom, my heels clicking sharply on the marble floor as I caught up to where the warriors had paused.
Isabella's head snapped around at the sound of my approach, her eyes going wide with something that might have been hope or fear.
"Elara," she started, her voice breaking on my name, but I held up one hand to silence her.
"I'm not here to listen to more of your excuses," I said. "When the Blood Siphon Array was forcibly broken, it triggered a backlash curse that was built into the original spell structure. Vanessa is going to experience everything that I went through over the past eighteen years, every moment of pain and suffering and deprivation that you inflicted on me through your abuse and neglect."
Isabella's scream was sharp and piercing, echoing off the corridor walls. "No! You're lying! You cursed her, you evil little witch!"
Reginald grabbed her arm, his face contorted with rage. "How dare you threaten my daughter!"
I didn't raise my voice, didn't let their hysteria affect my calm delivery of the facts. "This isn't a curse, and it's not a threat. The suffering you inflicted on an innocent child is going to come back through your daughter, and you planted this seed yourselves."
I turned to leave, my footsteps already carrying me away from them, but paused after a few steps without looking back. "If you want to save her, bring me my grandmother's necklace."
I walked back toward the ballroom without another word, leaving them to their Delta escort and their rapidly crumbling world. When I stepped back into the party, I found Sebastian waiting for me near the entrance, his expression tight with concern.
"Come on," he said, offering me his arm. "There are people who want to meet you properly."
The next hour passed in a blur of introductions and polite conversations. I was in the middle of a discussion with an elderly Alpha when I noticed that Kaelen Thorne was still present, standing near one of the floor-to-ceiling windows with a glass of whiskey in his hand. He wasn't socializing or making any effort to network with the other guests, but he also hadn't left.
I excused myself and made my way over to him, curiosity overriding my usual caution. He turned as I approached, his ice-blue eyes focusing on me with that same unsettling intensity.
"Mr. Thorne," I said, keeping my voice neutral. "I'm surprised you're still here. I got the impression you weren't particularly fond of these kinds of events."
His expression didn't change. "I'm not. But Damian mentioned that I should stay, that I have a responsibility to you that needs to be addressed."
I nearly dropped the champagne glass I was holding, my hand tightening reflexively on the delicate stem as I stared at him in shock. "I'm sorry, what?"
Kaelen's gaze remained steady on my face. "I was the one who informed the Hawthorne family about your true identity as Alpha Sebastian's daughter. That information led to them pressuring Silverstone Pack, which indirectly caused you to leave home and put yourself in danger."
I felt my mouth open and close without any sound coming out. Of all the things I had expected him to say, this wasn't even on the list. His blunt honesty caught me completely off guard.
A memory surfaced suddenly, sharp and clear. Earlier tonight, when Vanessa had stumbled into Kaelen, I had seen something strange happen. The dark, twisted energy that clung to her like a second skin had visibly recoiled from contact with him, the shadows literally burning away where his aura touched them. His presence had been like golden fire, pure and bright, capable of dispersing the malevolent forces.
So I asked, "Then if I run into problems in the future, would I be able to come to you for help?"
Kaelen's response was immediate and unequivocal. "No."
I blinked, taken aback by how quickly and firmly he had refused. "No? Just like that?"
"You've moved back into the Silverstone Pack House," he explained, his tone suggesting this should be obvious. "Your father and brother are both powerful Alphas who are more than capable of protecting you from any threat you might encounter. My responsibility to you was to ensure your safe return to your family, which has now been accomplished."
I stared at him in disbelief, unable to quite process the bizarre logic he was using. He was seriously telling me that his sense of responsibility had an expiration date, that it had somehow been fulfilled the moment I walked back through my father's door. Before I could formulate a response, he was already turning away with clear intention to leave.
"It was a pleasure to meet you properly, Miss Sterling," he said with a slight nod. "I wish you well in your new life with your family."
I watched him walk away, his tall figure cutting through the crowd with effortless authority, and felt a strange mixture of frustration and reluctant amusement. People moved out of his way automatically, but he didn't seem to notice or care about the attention he was drawing.
"Don't take it personally," a light, amused voice said from behind me. "Kaelen is like that with everyone. He's probably the most socially difficult person I've ever met, and trust me when I say you shouldn't waste your time thinking about him."
I turned to find a young woman standing there with a friendly smile on her face, her dark hair pulled back in an elegant updo that showed off the delicate bone structure of her face. She was dressed in a deep purple gown that complemented her warm brown skin, and her eyes sparkled with genuine warmth rather than the calculating interest I'd seen in so many other guests tonight.
"I wanted to congratulate you on your return home," she continued, her tone sincere and kind. "And also give you a friendly warning. Kaelen is famous in our circles for being completely unapproachable. Don't waste your energy trying to figure him out or get close to him."
I studied her face carefully, looking for any hint of jealousy or hidden agenda behind the warning. "Are you interested in him yourself?"
The look of absolute horror that crossed her face was so genuine and immediate that I couldn't help the small smile that tugged at my lips. "God, no! I wouldn't subject myself to that kind of torture even if someone paid me. He's not someone any normal person could actually deal with on a regular basis."
Her honesty was refreshing after hours of careful political maneuvering and veiled conversations. I found myself appreciating her straightforward approach. "Thank you for the warning. I appreciate you looking out for me, though I'll probably make my own judgments about people."
The woman's smile widened, and she extended her hand with easy confidence. "Fair enough. I'm Lyra Stone, by the way."