Kael
The night air was cool against my face as I left the pack house. I could still taste Charis on my lips—that kiss had given me exactly what I needed. Clarity.
But now I had work to do.
I told Rhett I was going to check on his mother to make sure she was settled. That was partly true. Elena, or whatever her name was, had run out of that house crying and alone. Someone needed to check on her.
But that wasn't the only reason I was following her.
Something didn't add up.
I've always been good at reading people, at seeing the patterns others miss. It's how I've survived this long. And everything about Elena's sudden appearance felt wrong.
Why now? Why, after twenty years of silence, did she suddenly show up? She claimed she saw the news about Rhett's condition, but his heart problems weren't new. They'd been public knowledge for years. The Thatcher family's struggle with their son's illness had been discussed in pack circles for as long as I could remember.
