Chapter 5 – Alera
Burning Bridges and Broken Truths
Kael's words echoed in my mind long after he stopped speaking.
"Right next to you."
The way he said it—like fate was already sealed, like there was no other path but the one that led him straight back into my life—made my pulse thunder in my ears.
I hated that part of me believed him.
The photos on the table still stared up at me. Wolves torn apart, their bodies twisted in unnatural shapes, their eyes blackened, as if the soul had been sucked out of them. Symbols older than any I'd seen in our pack's archives carved into trees and flesh alike.
It wasn't just rogue violence. This was something darker.
Something ancient.
I forced my eyes away and faced him again. "If these are real," I said, voice steady, "then why bring them to me? You could've taken this to the Council. To my father."
Kael gave a humorless laugh. "Your father would have my head before I opened my mouth."
He wasn't wrong. My father never forgave, never forgot. And after what happened five years ago—after the fire, the betrayal, the death—Kael wasn't just a ghost from my past. He was a stain on our history.
And yet here he stood, breathing, alive. Warning me.
"You should've stayed gone," I said, though the words felt bitter even on my tongue.
Kael met my gaze, and for a second, the bravado in his eyes cracked. "I tried."
The silence that followed stretched too long. I turned away from him, trying to calm the storm building behind my ribs. My wolf stirred, restless, confused. Her instincts screamed to attack, to protect, to chase—but not from Kael. No, she recognized him even now.
That was the problem.
"How long have you known?" I asked finally. "About this… prophecy."
"Years," he answered. "But it didn't make sense until recently. The signs. The names."
"And you're telling me I'm part of it?"
"You and me both."
I spun on him. "Do not lump us together, Kael. We stopped being a 'we' the night you vanished and left me to pick up the pieces."
His jaw clenched, but he didn't argue.
I didn't expect him to. I'd rehearsed this confrontation a thousand times in my head. None of those versions ended with him actually standing there, quietly accepting my rage.
"What do they want?" I asked. "The witches."
He crossed his arms. "Control. Blood. They've lost their grip on the southern packs, and now they're trying to reclaim it by awakening the Old Blood—the ancient magic that binds wolves to the land. They think if they can break the ones tied to prophecy, the rest will fall."
"And we're what? Sacrifices?"
"Targets. Obstacles. Weapons."
My breath hitched. "You should've told me sooner."
"I didn't know how," he admitted. "Not until I saw the raven. That was their message—they found you."
I froze.
The raven. The way it stared. The sulfur in the air when it vanished.
They knew who I was. Where I was. And if they had eyes on me, it meant they had eyes on everyone I cared about.
My pack. My father. Jace.
"We need to move," I said. "Before they do."
Kael's eyes narrowed. "Move how?"
"We can't face this alone. My father won't listen to you, but he'll listen to evidence. These pictures? This room? You and I? We have to work together."
His expression shifted—cautious, maybe even hopeful—but it didn't ease the tension between us.
"You're trusting me?" he asked.
"No," I replied sharply. "I'm trusting the threat. It's bigger than my grudge."
Kael stepped closer, slowly, deliberately, until only inches separated us. I could feel the heat of him, the way his energy pulled at mine like magnets too long denied.
"You're still angry," he said softly.
"I have every right to be."
"I know. And I don't expect forgiveness."
I tilted my head, jaw tight. "Good. Because you're not getting it."
But my hand brushed his arm—just for a second—and the contact sent a shock through me that nearly buckled my knees.
Damn him.
Damn me.
"We leave tonight," I said, pulling away before I could do something stupid. "You've got until sundown to prove you're worth the risk."
Kael nodded, the ghost of a smirk on his lips. "I'll be here."
I didn't reply. I turned and climbed out of the chamber, heart racing, thoughts spinning.
Trusting him was reckless.
But not trusting him might just get us all killed.