Chapter 30

Chapter

Thirty

Callista

L ana swiped at her cheeks as she pushed up from the grass.

Kael cleared his throat. "Lana?—"

"Don't." Her fingers trembled as she pulled her phone from her pocket and swiped open the screen. She stalked into the trees, and I followed. She didn't seem like she wanted moral support, but she was shaking like a leaf.

I glanced back at Kael. He'd shifted so Bill's body was flat on the ground. He was already starting to fade. There was never a need for a burial with shifters. The earth knew where we came from and was eager to take us back.

"Rowan?" Lana sniffed, and I turned, trying to give her space but keep her in my line of sight. "She's fine. Yes, I'm fine."

I could only imagine Rowan's anxiety with all this. It had been a leap of faith for him to give the task over to Lana. He never would've done it had he not had a new mother and pup to care for.

Lana paced. "It's done." She paused. "I don't know, but it's not going after her. The wound is healed." She glanced up at my arm. I waited as she listened and nodded, then finally hung up the phone.

"Let's go." Lana's shoulders were tense as we turned and strode back to the pools. The second we left the trees, my heart sank.

"What the hell?" Lana growled.

The dagger was gone. Kael was gone.

Images of him flashed in my mind. His intense, stormy eyes. The way his lips curved when he smirked. The heat of his body pressed against mine. I could still feel his touch, still hear his voice.

I gritted my teeth and ran forward, searching the grass. "You didn't take the dagger?"

Lana shook her head. "I couldn't touch it. After?—"

"Kael took it, Lana!" I pointed where Bill's clothes lay in a heap. I wrapped my arms around myself, trying to keep my heart from shattering.

Lana cursed under her breath. "Why didn't you grab it?"

"Are you kidding me right now?" I snapped.

"You're wound is healed, isn't it?" Lana pointed at my arm.

I rubbed my temples. We shouldn't be fighting. It wasn't either of our fault that Kael had done what he'd said he was going to do all along. "He said he wanted to break the bond. We did. Of course he left."

Lana watched me, and I worked to keep tears from filling my eyes. I'd been so stupid. Of course Kael had left. He didn't want me, he didn't want anyone. He worked alone, and no flash of a mating bond was going to change that.

Lana's expression hardened. "We have to get back to Black Lake. Rowan will need to put out a warning to the other packs?—"

"About Kael?" My throat burned.

Lana's eyes flared. "Yes, about Kael."

Pressure built behind my eyes as I imagined Kael stalking other wolves. "He won't do it."

Lana scoffed. "He just walked away with the most dangerous weapon in existence, Callista. And you think he's not dangerous? You think he's not going to use it again?"

I shook my head. "He wouldn't. He?—"

"He what? He wouldn't kill another pack member? He wouldn't use that thing against you? Because I'm pretty sure he already did."

I opened my mouth, but the words died on my tongue. He wouldn't harm someone unless it was to protect. But that's what he was doing, wasn't he? He'd found a way to avoid hurting me, but the alphas still held his friend. The closest thing to a father he'd ever had.

Lana's expression softened. "Callista, I know you want to see the best in him?—"

"No, you're right." I struggled to breathe. "If Kael kills, the dagger gets more powerful. If the dagger gets more powerful, then the alpha alliance gets more powerful. They're the ones who are creating this bloodbath, and they're the ones who are going to win if we don't stop them."

Lana blinked.

I ran a hand through my hair. "He doesn't have a choice, Lana. They have him in a vice. They tell him who to kill, and he does it or his only family dies. He doesn't have a pack. He doesn't have anyone to back him up." I blew out a breath. "If they had Blake, I'd probably do the same thing."

"Who the hell is ‘they?'" Lana's arms crossed over her chest.

My cheeks warmed. Right. I hadn't told her about this. About any of it. "You remember that phone conversation you overheard?"

Lana nodded. Why hadn't I told her about it? Right. Because she'd gotten into a yelling match with Kael the second we got back to the house.

I ignored that detail and continued. "Kael told me about the alpha alliance. They hired Nathan, then took someone Kael cares about to force him to come back and clean up the mess. They're forcing him to do this. To kill wolves from other packs and feed their power into that dagger."

Lana stared at me, her eyes searching my face. "You knew this, and?—"

"I didn't have time, Lana! You didn't exactly want to chat in the truck on the way here!" It was a low blow. It wasn't her fault the dagger had been affecting her. "I'm sorry?—"

"No. You're right." Lana's brow furrowed. She pursed her lips, then finally nodded. "Let's go talk to Rowan."

I let out a shaky breath. As we started back through the forest, my mind raced. I had to get to Rowan. We wanted to figure out a way to stop Kael from killing, to free him from the Alliance.

But Kael had made it clear he didn't want my help. He didn't want my attachment. What was I supposed to do with that?

I slid into the passenger seat and rubbed my arm. Clean. Healed. I could go back to normal life, now. I wasn't part of pack leadership. I didn't need to worry about the Alliance or the dangers they posed to the British Columbia packs. I could go back to my regular life if I wanted to.

Work. Friends. Family. Wasn't that what I wanted?

The sun dropped low on the horizon as we raced down the gravel road. There was an empty pit in my center, but no matter how deep my breaths, it never seemed to fill.

Kael had made his choice. He'd taken the dagger and left me behind. Just like he said he would.

I can't take a mate.

I pressed my hand to my chest, clutching the fabric of my shirt. It would fade, wouldn't it? This bond I felt with him?

Tears pricked my eyes because I didn't want it to. He was a rogue alpha. A rejected wolf. He had no pack, no home base.

None of it mattered to me. He was good. He was kind. He was strong.

My wolf pawed at the ground, pressing against my mind with urgency. You weren't wrong. About any of it, I whispered.

She yipped, and, though I didn't think it was going to make any difference, I let her do it her way one last time.