Chapter 64

The first rays of dawn painted the mountains gold as Kane's security team prepared for our journey. I watched from the sanctuary steps, impressed by their military precision—the careful loading of supplies, the coordination of multiple vehicles, the checking and double-checking of weapons.

"These are reinforced with silver thread," Kane said, approaching with what looked like a standard protective vest. "They'll help shield you from both physical attacks and certain magical influences."

His hands were unexpectedly gentle as he helped me into the protective gear, our eyes meeting briefly as he adjusted the straps. Something passed between us in that moment—an awareness that went beyond words, beyond our careful boundaries.

"Thank you," I said softly, conscious of how close we stood.

Kane nodded, his eyes lingering on mine a moment longer than necessary before he stepped back. "Safety first. We still don't know who was behind the mountain ambush."

We boarded a specially equipped medical transport with Kane sitting beside me instead of in the front. Almost immediately, I noticed three identical vehicles departing in different directions.

"Multiple Decoys," Kane explained, following my gaze. "Standard procedure to confuse potential pursuers."

"You've done this before," I observed, not really a question.

Kane nodded, his expression suddenly serious. "I was trained in the Alpha King's elite guard," he said, his voice carefully neutral. "Specialized in protection and intelligence gathering."

This revelation surprised me. "I thought you were just..."

"A useless playboy?" His smile held no offense. "That's the reputation I cultivated. Much easier to gather intelligence when people underestimate you."

As we traveled toward Silver Lake, Kane opened up about his past. "After my training, I served as the Alpha King's personal security liaison for three years. Most of my missions remain classified, but they taught me to anticipate threats from unexpected directions."

I listened, fascinated, as he shared details of his training and missions—stories he'd never shared with anyone in Blood Moon Pack, perhaps not with anyone at all.

"I don't talk about this part of my life often," he admitted. "It's easier to gather intelligence when people focus on the playboy persona."

"Is that why you've always seemed so... carefree? The constant flirting, the different women?"

Kane's expression grew distant. "Partly. The rest is a longer story for another time."

The personal disclosure felt significant—a deliberate lowering of barriers that showed just how much had changed between us.

---

Midway through our journey, we stopped at a hidden safe house nestled in dense forest. While I rested my leg, I noticed Kane insisting on personally preparing the food brought for me.

"You're afraid of poison," I realized aloud. "You think Raymond's people would try to harm me?"

Kane's expression hardened. "Not Raymond. Giana. And yes, I believe she'd try anything to eliminate you permanently."

"You think she arranged the mountain ambush?" The possibility had haunted me since awaking in the sanctuary.

"The timing was too perfect, the rogues too organized," Kane replied. "Someone wanted you eliminated before you could return to Blood Moon territory."

Before I could process this sobering assessment, one of Kane's team reported a security alert—a decoy vehicle had been attacked by unknown assailants.

"Three rogues, heavily armed," the security officer reported. "They scattered when they realized the vehicle was empty."

Kane immediately changed our route, taking us along barely visible mountain paths that appeared on no maps.

"How do you know these trails?" I asked as we navigated unmarked terrain.

"I've spent years mapping escape routes through every major territory," he replied, scanning the forest with practiced vigilance. "Paranoia has its uses."

We traveled in tense silence for several hours, the heightened security making conversation difficult. As dusk approached, Silver Lake finally came into view—its pristine waters gleaming like molten silver in the fading light.

"I can’t believe I was here only weeks ago, it feels like a lifetime," I murmured, memories of the time spent with Luna Elena and Alpha Marcus washing over me. I recalled how I could find moments of peace among the beauty here, even as the threat of Giana loomed closer than I had realized at the time.

"It’s impressive how the old protective magic here still holds," Kane confirmed. "One of the few truly secure locations left in werewolf territory."

We arrived at Silver Lake under cover of darkness, approaching through a hidden entrance Kane somehow knew about. The estate looked exactly as I last saw it—an elegant stone main house surrounded by private cabins nestled among ancient pines, overlooking the pristine silver waters that gave the retreat its name.

Luna Elena greeted us at the private entrance, pulling me into an unexpectedly emotional embrace.

"I wasn't certain you'd survived," she admitted, her normally composed features showing genuine relief. "Raymond reported you were recovering but blocked all communication."

"What?" I pulled back, stunned. "Raymond reported I was recovering? He hasn't seen me since the crash."

Elena's expression darkened. "More manipulation. Giana's influence grows stronger each day."

She led us through the silent house to Alpha Marcus's room. I barely recognized the powerful Alpha who had always been my strongest supporter. He lay pale and still, his once-imposing frame now diminished, skin stretched thin over prominent bones.

"The poisoning continued even after we identified the cologne," Elena explained, her voice breaking. "We managed to create an antidote for the first compound, but she switched to something new."

"Wolfsbane variant?" Kane asked.

Elena nodded. "More sophisticated than what was used before. Designed to mimic natural decline in an aging Alpha."

Marcus stirred slightly at my presence, his eyes opening with visible effort. He reached for my hand with trembling fingers, his grip surprisingly strong despite his weakened state.

"You found your true path," he whispered, his gaze shifting meaningfully between Kane and me.

Before I could ask what he meant, our conversation was interrupted by the sanctuary's security system alerting us to visitors at the main gate.

Elena checked the monitors. "It's your father. How did he know you'd be here?"

Kane instantly moved to a protective position beside me. "No one knew our destination except those in this room."

Cold dread settled in my stomach. "Someone is monitoring our movements. We need to be extremely careful."

Elena instructed the guards to detain my father at the gate while securing Marcus's room. "Trust no one," she warned, her expression grave. "Not even those you've known your entire life."

From a hidden observation window, I watched my father arguing with Silver Lake's guards. What struck me most wasn't his anger but the calculating coldness in his expression—nothing like the father I remembered from childhood.

"He's changed," I whispered to Kane. "That's not the father I knew growing up."

Kane's hand came to rest supportively on my lower back, the warmth reassuring against the chill that had settled in my bones. "Power corrupts. And your father has enjoyed his position as Beta."

I took a deep breath, making the most difficult decision yet. "Let him in. I need to find out what he knows."

Kane's expression revealed his disapproval, but he nodded. "We'll be ready."

As the guards escorted my father toward the main house, I steeled myself for the confrontation ahead. Whatever his purpose for tracking me to Silver Lake, I was no longer the obedient daughter he could manipulate.

That girl had died in the mountain crash, along with the mate bond that had kept me chained to Raymond for so long.