Chapter 118: Ash's mental breakdown

Opal's POV

Opal had never woken up feeling this content.

For the first time in weeks, there was no weight pressing down on her chest, no whispers in the back of her mind, no dread curling in her stomach.

Just warmth.

Just Kael.

His arms were wrapped securely around her, his bare chest pressed against her back, his steady breathing fanning against the curve of her neck. His scent surrounded her, a mix of cedar and something distinctly him, and Gods, she loved it.

His presence felt like safety. Like something she had been missing without realizing it.

It felt right.

She wasn't sure how long she had been awake, simply enjoying the rare moment of peace, soaking in the closeness. The way his hand rested just beneath her ribs, fingers occasionally flexing as if even in sleep, he was afraid to let her go.

A slow smile curled her lips. She liked this.

Maybe too much.

Her fingers ghosted over his forearm, tracing the warm, solid muscle there, savoring the way it felt against her skin.

Kael sighed in his sleep, pulling her even closer, pressing his face against the crook of her neck, his lips barely grazing her skin.

Opal's breath hitched.

She really liked this.

But, of course, peace never lasted.

A loud, panicked shout rang through her mind, shattering the moment.

"Opal! Where the hell are you?!"

She flinched at the sheer volume

of the mind-link, blinking against the morning light.

Forrest.

Before she could even think to respond, another voice slammed into her head.

"Where is she? Someone find her now!"

Ash. Of course.

Opal groaned, squeezing her eyes shut, not ready to deal with this.

"Relax,"

she muttered through the link, sighing. "I'm fine."

There was a beat of silence.

Then—

"WHERE?"

Opal winced at the force behind Ash's demand.

"Somewhere safe,"

she said vaguely, smirking to herself.

"Not. Good. Enough."

"Oh, this is getting good,"

Forrest gasped dramatically. "Is this about to be our family's next scandal? Because I am

thriving

right now."

Opal exhaled slowly. Here we go.

"I'm at Kael's."

Silence.

Too much silence.

Then—

"You have three seconds to tell me you're joking."

Opal smirked, rolling onto her back, still nestled against Kael's warmth.

"Nope. Not joking."

A series of curses filled the link from multiple brothers.

"Opal, you need to stop whoring around and actually think for once in your damn life!"

Ash's voice was sharp, angry, the protectiveness bleeding into every word.

"WHORING AROUND?!"

Forrest gasped even louder

. "Ash, you prude! Our little sister, a

wanton woman

? Have you even considered that maybe she's just living her best life? Let her be legendary."

"FORREST, SHUT UP!"

"Opal, don't listen to him. I, for one, support your descent into depravity. The bigger the scandal, the better. Let's make history."

"She shouldn't be bringing anything anywhere!"

Ash snapped. "She should be keeping her damn legs—"

"Oh, you wanna go there?"

Opal cut in, voice dangerously sweet. "That's rich coming from you, Ash. Need I remind you that

you

didn't stay pure for your mate?"

Silence.

Then—

"EXCUSE ME?!"

Ash nearly screeched.

"WHO TOLD YOU THAT?!"

Forrest wheezed.

"Oh, man. This just keeps getting better."

"Oh, I don't know,"

Opal smirked. "Maybe the fact that Forrest can't keep his nose out of other people's business. Or his mouth shut."

"It's a gift, really,"

Forrest added cheerfully. "Should I list them, or do you want to do the honors?"

Opal hummed thoughtfully.

"Let's see… there was Elena. Oh, and Carissa. And let's not forget about sweet little Mara."

"FORREST, YOU'RE DEAD!"

Ash bellowed.

"You forgot Lorna, Opal. Gotta be thorough."

Forrest snickered.

"LORNA WAS ONE TIME!"

Ash sputtered.

"Yeah, and Kael is the enemy?"

Brooks finally chimed in lazily. "At least he's not screwing around while waiting for Opal to find her mate. He's willing to be her mate if she doesn't find one. That's more than I can say for your 'purity' argument."

"You're all against me. I am the ONLY ONE thinking clearly."

Ash growled.

"You know, Seraphina would

love

to hear about all of this."

Opal grinned.

"THAT WAS IN THE PAST!"

Ash roared.

"WHY ARE WE EVEN TALKING ABOUT THIS?!"

Forrest cackled.

"Because chaos is fun. Also, I have

way

more details, Ash. Would you like me to share the one about—"

"NO!"

Kael stirred beside her, a soft grunt leaving his lips as he stretched, his arm instinctively reaching for her, his fingers brushing her thigh as he blinked up at her, still half-asleep.

"Mm… what's going on?" he mumbled, voice rough with sleep.

Opal grinned, ruffling his already messy hair.

"Oh, nothing major. Just my brothers collectively losing their shit."

Kael groaned, flopping back onto the pillow, pulling her closer.

"Of course, he does," he mumbled, burying his face against her neck. "Wake me up when he succeeds."

"I HEARD THAT, YOU DEAD MAN WALKING!"

Ash howled.

Forrest laughed.

"So should I keep going with the list or…?"

"I HATE ALL OF YOU!"

Ash snapped.

Kael groaned, rolling onto his side, pulling her back down against him.

"Then let's just stay here."

Opal laughed, pressing her forehead against his chest.

"Tempting."

And honestly?

It really, really was.

Opal sighed dramatically, pressing her cheek against Kael's warm chest. His steady heartbeat was like a lullaby, a rhythm she could easily get lost in.

Here, in the quiet cocoon of his arms, she wasn't a future Alpha without a pack, a pawn in a war she never asked for, or a woman whose fate was still unknown.

Here, she was just Opal.

A woman lying in the arms of a man who made her feel safe. Wanted.

"If the world wasn't on fire," she murmured, tracing lazy circles on his skin, "I'd spend all day right here."

Kael hummed, his fingers trailing softly down her back, soothing, reverent. "I'd like that too."

Opal smiled against his skin, inhaling the scent of cedar and something distinctly him. It had embedded itself into the sheets, into her own skin, wrapping around her like a second layer of protection.

Everything felt easier when she was here, wrapped in his warmth, hidden away from all the chaos waiting outside these four walls.

The world wasn't safe. She knew that. The weight of her choices, of everything hanging over her, hadn't disappeared. But for these stolen moments, with Kael's arms around her, it all felt like a distant nightmare.

Kael shifted slightly, his fingers grazing her bare shoulder, sending shivers across her skin. "I do have some pack business today," he admitted, voice still heavy with sleep. "You could come with me."

Opal snorted, tilting her head up to look at him. "And give Ash a stroke? He'd probably castrate you on sight."

Kael smirked, his silver-blue eyes flashing with amusement. "Wouldn't be the first time he's threatened to."

Opal huffed, rolling onto her back, staring at the ceiling. "I swear, that man needs a hobby."

Kael turned onto his side, propping himself up on one elbow as he looked down at her. His expression was lazy, but his gaze was hungry—like he could devour her all over again if given the chance.

"Pretty sure his hobby is making sure you don't end up in my bed."

Opal grinned. "Well… he's doing a terrible job."

Kael chuckled, leaning down, brushing his lips against her forehead, the touch so damn tender it made her breath catch. "I'm not going to argue with that."

She exhaled slowly, closing her eyes, committing this to memory—the weight of his body against hers, the warmth of his hands, the quiet, secret world they'd built between them in the last few hours.

Then reality came crashing back in.

The witch. The deadline. The fact that every second she spent tangled in Kael's sheets, her time was slipping away.

She inhaled sharply, forcing herself to move. Rolling out of bed before she could sink any deeper into the illusion of peace.

Kael watched her, his gaze steady. Calculating. Like he knew.

"I should probably get back before Ash sends a damn search party."

Kael sighed, raking a hand through his already-messy hair. "You sure? Could be fun to watch him explode."

Opal laughed, shaking her head. "Tempting, but I actually like my hearing."

Kael smirked, pushing himself up and swinging his legs over the side of the bed. "Fine. I'll walk you out."

Opal paused, tilting her head. "I thought you had business to attend?"

Kael shrugged. "You're more important."

Her heart stumbled in her chest.

Damn him.

Damn him and the way he said things like that so easily, like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

She swallowed hard, pushing past the warmth in her chest, pushing past the part of her that wanted to stay.

"Alright, Alpha," she teased, nudging him toward the door. "Let's get me out of here before my brother commits a murder."

Kael chuckled, but there was something else in his eyes—something soft.

Something dangerous.

Because if Opal wasn't careful, she might start thinking she wanted this forever.

The second she stepped outside, the peaceful spell of the morning shattered.

Ash was waiting.

And he was pissed.

Arms crossed, jaw clenched, his entire body vibrating with restrained rage. His dark eyes locked onto her, then flicked to Kael, narrowing with something just shy of murderous.

"Oh, fantastic," Opal muttered under her breath.

Kael exhaled, amused. "Told you this would be fun."

Opal shot him a glare before schooling her expression into something neutral and stepping forward. "Ash—"

"Don't." Ash's voice was low, sharp as a blade. "Just—just don't."

Opal sighed. "Look, I know what you're thinking—"

"Do you?!" Ash snapped. "Because I

woke up thinking my sister was MISSING, and instead, I find out she's been playing house with the one man I told her to stay away from!"

Kael arched a brow. "Morning, Ash."

Ash ignored him completely, his glare laser-focused on Opal. "What the hell were you thinking?"

"I was thinking that I needed sleep, and Kael's bed is very comfortable," Opal said flatly.

Kael hummed in agreement. "It really is."

Ash's eye twitched.

Opal sighed. "Ash, I'm fine. You need to calm down."

"Calm down?" Ash laughed, but it was that dangerous, you're-about-to-die

kind of laugh. "Opal, do you even realize what you're doing? You're playing with fire!"

Forrest's voice suddenly cut into the mind-link.

"Technically, she was rolling around in the fire. Probably getting her hair pulled, too—"

Opal growled.

"Forrest, I will end you."

"Wow, okay, someone's sensitive this morning."

Ash's glare only darkened. "You're making a mistake."

Opal's stomach twisted, but she held her ground. "You don't get to decide that."

Ash exhaled sharply, raking a hand through his hair. "Damn it, Opal, why him

?"

Kael finally spoke, his voice smooth as silk. "Because I'm the only one who treats her like she actually gets to choose."

Silence.

Ash's jaw locked. His fingers curled into fists.

For a long, tension-filled moment, no one spoke.

Then—

"I'd punch him," Forrest added helpfully through the link, "but, you know, Opal might bite your head off if you do."

"You're not helping," Brooks muttered.

"I'm not trying

to help."

Ash turned back to Opal, his voice tired but still firm. "Come home."

Opal hesitated.

Kael's fingers brushed against hers. Just a fleeting touch. But it was enough.

She sighed, nodding. "Fine."

Kael didn't stop her. He just watched as she stepped away.

But she felt his gaze on her the entire time.

And that dangerous, dangerous part of her?

It already wanted to turn around and run straight back to him.