Chapter 27

Chapter

Twenty-Seven

Callista

I gripped the truck seat, not sure if I was trying to ground myself or keep from jumping out of the moving vehicle. Beside me, Bill leaned against the door, his grizzled beard brushing his chest. Kael sat on the other side of the bench seat.

The sides of our thighs touched, and as much as I tried to tell myself it meant nothing, my heart still beat faster. I can't take a mate. He'd made himself extremely clear. But he still came for me. He still took care of me. He hadn't gone to Lana first.

Lana. I couldn't stop thinking about her. She'd been there with me through everything, and now she was in her truck by herself. Alone and dealing with . . . well, whatever this was.

Kael had been smart to force her hand. Lana wasn't in her right mind, and I couldn't predict what she would've done. Taken me back to Bill's? Back to Black Lake?

The truck hit a pothole, and I bounced in my seat, my hip pressing against Kael's. I sucked in a breath and pulled away, but my wolf didn't. She whined, wanting to press closer. She was confused. Frustrated. It had only taken a few minutes in the truck with Kael for her to start running circles in my head.

I couldn't pretend this was just heat or lust or dark magic from the dagger anymore. Yes, Kael was dangerously hot, and it was normal to have a physical reaction to someone like him. I'd heard enough stories about mating bonds to understand how they could skew your perspective, but what I felt around Kael wasn't that either.

It was his heart. His energy. There was no other way to describe it. It was like being on the beach, closing my eyes, and feeling the power of the waves as they crashed against the shore. I couldn't see the force of them, but I could feel it. Like a pulse, a heartbeat.

I was attuned to his scent, even when he masked it, I noticed. I was tuned to his frequency. And he couldn't take a mate.

It was good, wasn't it? I didn't trust myself to make the right choice where he was concerned. Everything he'd whispered to me on the river bank was true. He didn't have a pack or any stability. Wasn't that what I wanted? A safe place to live? A place to raise pups?

That thought only made me think about Kael delivering Marissa's baby, which wasn't helping. I shifted in my seat and tried to focus on something else. Anything.

But the movement of the truck kept jostling me, forcing me to touch him. Every accidental brush sent my wolf into a low-grade frenzy. She craved him. With every bump, it was like she was trying to climb out of my skin and into his.

It's not going to happen , I soothed, trying to help her settle. When she insisted that Kael was our home, I sent a picture of our house, my bedroom. When she said that Kael was safety, I brought to mind my alpha, my brother, and Jasper. She growled, stamping her paws.

What was she trying to tell me? Kael was a rogue wolf. Why was she?—?

I jolted as if someone had thrown a bucket of ice water over my head.

"You're an alpha," I blurted.

Kael's eyes snapped to mine. "What?"

I sucked in a breath, then exhaled with a laugh. "You're a damn alpha, that—" I pressed my hands on the dash. That made so much sense. No wonder my wolf was so drawn to him. It was his energy, just not in the way I thought.

"Hot damn. She figured it out before you did." Bill's eyes glinted with amusement.

I turned to him. "Did you know?"

Kael sat back in his seat, shifting his eyes out the window. "There's nothing to figure out. It doesn't matter."

Bill scoffed. "It matters. You just don't want it to."

Kael's jaw tensed. "I don't have a pack. I don't want a pack."

"That's not what I asked." I leaned forward.

Kael looked over at me, his eyes dark. "I wondered if I was."

I thought about him standing up to Rowan in the woods. Then again in Bill's living room. He'd held his own with Lana and Jasper, which was no small feat. "When? How did you find out?"

Kael shrugged. "When I was young."

"How young?" I couldn't pull my eyes away from his.

"I don't know. Ten? Eleven?"

"And you just . . . ignored it?" I asked. "You felt the draw to lead, and you walked away from it?"

Kael's eyes narrowed. "I never said I felt the draw to lead."

"Then what?—"

"I don't want to lead anyone." Kael's voice was low and rough. "I'm not fit to lead anyone."

Bill grunted. "You know, the ones who think that are usually the best leaders."

Kael's eyes snapped to the road, his hands tightening on the wheel. "Not interested."

"Destin would be proud," Bill murmured.

Kael's nostrils flared. "Destin taught me to survive on my own."

Bill stroked his beard. "Parents always teach what they know. It doesn't mean they want you to stop there."

"Still not good enough, then." Kael's expression was hard. There was a long silence, the only sound the rumble of the truck's engine and the crunch of gravel under the tires.

Bill finally broke the silence as we slowed, closing in on the turn off for the pools. "You think leading is about being good enough? About not making mistakes?"

Kael didn't respond, his eyes fixed on the road.

Bill shook his head. "Leading is about caring. About putting others first. You know how to do that. You always have."

Kael's jaw clenched. "Packs are focused on strength and safety. And they'll do whatever it takes to get it."

"You think that's all packs are about?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper. "Sacrifice and power?" Kael's eyes flicked to mine, and I looked down at my hands. "Maybe it is for some. But the pack I grew up in? It was about family. About loyalty. Protection. Not just for ourselves. For the wolves and humans?—"

"That's a nice dream."

I pursed my lips. It suddenly felt imperative that he understand there were other options. "It's not just a dream. You find what you look for."

We turned off the main road and onto a narrow path. The truck bounced as Kael navigated the rough terrain. We passed through a dense stand of trees, their branches unkempt. Kale pulled into a makeshift parking spot at the end of the path.

We got out of the truck as Lana pulled in next to us. I waited in front of the truck, watching as she opened her door, not sure which Lana she'd be this close to the pools. I pressed a hand over my arm. It had stopped bleeding the second Lana picked the dagger back up, but who knew if she was going to keep it.

She walked past us, not saying a word as she headed toward the pools. Steam rose in curling tendrils, just like it had the other night next to the river. Unlike the woods near Bill's house, though, this air felt thick. Heavy. Magic.

The word whispered through my mind, and my skin prickled. I took a few more steps until I was fully in the clearing. This place was alive. I hadn't been lucid the last time I was here. I'd missed all of this.

My wolf paced within me, her ears perked and her nose twitching. She felt it too, the pulse of energy that thrummed just below the surface. Something that made my heart race and my skin tingle. It was familiar, yet foreign. Comforting, yet terrifying.

My memories were shards of glass, each piece reflecting a different part of that night Nathan had used me as bait. I remembered the feel of the restraints, the cold bite of metal against my skin.

But there were other things, too. Things I couldn't quite grasp. The scent of wet earth, the hiss of steam. The way the air had seemed to shimmer, like I was looking through a pane of frosted glass.

I took a step forward, then another, drawn to the pool like a moth to a flame. The warmth enveloped me, seeping into my bones and coaxing me to relax. My wolf whined, and I knew she felt it too. The pull. The promise of something more.

Kael's hand shot out, gripping my arm. "Careful."

I looked up at him, my wolf pushing against my skin, urging me to get closer. "I have to see it."

He hesitated, then nodded. "Alright. But stay close."

I nodded, and we moved together, Bill following a few steps behind. As we rounded the shed, the pool came into view. It was larger than I'd imagined, the water a deep, clear blue that seemed to glow in the dim light. Steam rose from the surface in thick, swirling clouds, and the ground around the pool was a mix of wet earth and smooth, slick rocks.

I stopped at the edge, my breath catching in my throat. Lana was already there. She'd stripped off her coat and rolled up her sleeves, revealing her bare arms. Her breath came in quick, shallow gasps, and her eyes were wild. She lay down on her stomach and draped her arms over the side, dipping her arms into the pool. The water lapped at her skin, beads of moisture forming and then slipping back into the depths.

"Lana," I called out. I wanted her to look at me. To let me know that she knew what she was doing.

She didn't respond, her focus entirely on the water that now covered her elbows. The heat was oppressive, the steam making it hard to breathe. I took a step closer, but Kael's hand shot out, grabbing my arm.

"Wait."

Lana moved, and I snapped back to reality. She pulled her arms out of the water, her skin glistening, and reached for the dagger. My breath caught in my throat as she gripped the hilt, her knuckles white.

"Lana, you don't have to—" I started, but the words died in my throat as she raised the dagger.

Time seemed to slow. The metal blade gleamed in the dim light, and I could see the intricate designs etched into the hilt. Symbols I didn't recognize, but that felt ancient and powerful. Lana's hand shook as she held the dagger over her arm, the tip hovering just above her skin.

I wanted to look away, but I couldn't. Her eyes finally met mine, and in that instant, I saw her. The real her. Not the desperate woman in the truck, but the strong, determined wolf who'd launched at Kael in the tent.

She looked down, and with a swift motion, she drew the blade across her forearm. Blood welled up, dark and crimson, and dripped into the pool. The water hissed as it made contact, steam rising in thick plumes.

Lana's breath hitched, and she bit her lip, her face contorting in pain. But she didn't stop. She drew the blade across her other arm, then thrust both forearms back into the water.

The air seemed to hum with energy, the steam swirling in frantic patterns. I took a step forward, but Kael's grip tightened. "Wait," he repeated, his voice a low growl.

The power built, a pressure against my skin that made my ears ring. The water in the pool started to bubble, the surface churning as if something massive moved beneath it. Lana's eyes widened, and she let out a strangled gasp. Her back arched, and the dagger slipped from her grasp, clattering to the rocks. She tried to pull her arms out of the water, but they were stuck, her muscles straining against an invisible force.

The ground trembled, and I stumbled, Kael's arm the only thing keeping me upright. The steam thickened, and the air grew so hot it was hard to breathe. My blood pounded in my ears, and my wolf howled within me, urging me to bolt.

"Lana!" I shouted, but my voice was swallowed by the roar of the water.

Then it happened. The pressure reached a breaking point, and with a deafening crack, energy exploded. I was thrown backward as the shockwave hit me. The world spun, and I landed hard on my back, the air knocked from my lungs.

When my vision cleared, I immediately looked for Kael. What I found made the blood in my veins turn to ice. Lana strode toward me, her eyes wild, her hand gripping the dagger. The runes on the hilt glowed a ghostly white.

This wasn't my friend anymore.

This was my executioner.