CHAPTER 54: BACK DOWN

Lewis had just finished smoothing the cool salve across my burned hand. His fingers moved slowly, almost careful, and the quiet warmth from his skin kept brushing against mine. Weeks ago, I never would’ve pictured him like this Lewis, kneeling in front of me, tending to me like he actually cared.

"Thank you," I murmured. My voice came out softer than I meant. I tried to pull my hand back and stand.

"Wait."

That single word rolled out of him with a low strength that made something in my chest stiffen. Not a command, but close. I froze and turned around. "What’s wrong?"

He didn’t move right away. His eyes lifted to mine with that heavy, steady focus only wolves carried the kind that made the air tighten between two heartbeats.

"You think you outplayed Camilla today," he said quietly. "But what if that was exactly what she wanted?"

"What are you trying to say?" I whispered.

Lewis stood still "If you were sneaking around with your sister’s mate... would you really parade it around like that? So loud? So obvious?"

His words struck me. I replayed everything Camilla’s laugh, the way she leaned toward Julian, how she kept sizing me up in the car like she was waiting for me to snap.

Back then, I didn’t know the truth about them. But now... every glance, every brush of her hand, every little smirk it all clicked.

"She wanted me to see it," I said slowly, the truth sliding into place like a piece of a puzzle I’d been blind to.

Lewis nodded once. "She set the stage a long time ago. I’ve known about the affair. I didn’t expose them not for her. For the pack’s image. For my father. But you..." He paused, eyes narrowing slightly. "You’re not like us."

My chest tightened. "What does that mean?"

"You’re young," he said. "You feel everything. You don’t hide it. And from the moment you stepped into this house, you made it clear you didn’t trust Camilla." His eyes softened just a fraction. "If you had caught her with Julian, what would you have done?"

I didn’t answer. I didn’t need to.

"You’d call them out," he said evenly. "Because you hate deceit. Because you remember what Elena went through. And because you think truth should be spoken, no matter the cost."

He wasn’t wrong. My memory flashed back to that night Camilla leaning into Julian, whispering, laughing like the pack wasn’t still grieving Elena’s death. A hot, bright flare had burned through me then. I’d wanted to tear the lies open with my bare hands.

"Camilla counted on that," Lewis added. "She used your sense of justice. She knew the moment you said something in front of the pack especially at the banquet there’d be no turning back."

A chill slid down my spine.

"She wanted me to be the one to expose them..." I breathed. "So she could pretend to be the victim. Push the pack into accepting a bond between her and Julian."

Lewis’s jaw tightened. "Exactly. She wasn’t trying to avoid the scandal. She wanted to control it. Use the pregnancy. The pity. The anger. Force Julian into her trap and carve herself a place in the Hale family."

My legs gave out. I sat down slowly, letting the truth settle like cold ash inside my chest. I’d thought I was smart. Turns out I’d walked right where she wanted me.

"But... Jeffrey changed everything," I said, mind racing. "He shut her down before she even got started. Ordering her to end the pregnancy... that wasn’t part of her plan."

Lewis’s voice lowered, calmer now. "You were lucky. Camilla isn’t reckless. She’s precise. But she didn’t expect my father to cut her off so cleanly. And she definitely didn’t expect him to give you the title of Mrs. Hale in front of everyone."

I blinked, stunned all over again.

"That jewelry? That wasn’t a gift," Lewis said. "It was a declaration. A public one. He claimed you in front of the pack so no one Camilla included could push back."

The pieces fell together so fast my chest felt tight.

Jeffrey hadn’t been protecting me out of kindness. He’d been protecting the family name. The pack’s standing. And in doing so, he’d placed me firmly in a role Camilla had been clawing toward for months.

I realized then I hadn’t underestimated just Camilla.

I had underestimated JEFFERY.

Lewis leaned back a little, the burn cream still resting in his palm. "Be careful, Riley. Camilla’s not done with you. You may have won today, but that doesn’t mean she’s backing down."

His calm voice carried a low edge, the kind that always made the air tighten between us. Jeffrey wasn’t the only sharp one in this family Lewis saw patterns the way others saw colors.

He fixed his eyes on me. "Do you really think Camilla and Julian will stop here?"

I didn’t even hesitate. "No. They’re planning something for the banquet. I can feel it. They’re not letting this go."

The silence that followed stretched, heavy and quiet. Then Lewis asked, "Riley... how far are you ready to go?"

His gaze locked onto mine, steady enough to make my chest ache. He wasn’t just asking. He was measuring me, reading every flicker of doubt or determination. I couldn’t hide anything from eyes like his.

"I don’t know," I said honestly. "But what happened to Elena... it doesn’t sit right. Maybe it’s because she and I look alike, or maybe it’s the way my instincts react when I think about her death." My breath came out shaky. "She didn’t just die. She suffered. And it didn’t feel like an accident. I want the truth."

I swallowed hard and said what had been circling my mind for days. "On her wedding day, her fiancé was with her sister. Camilla had every reason to want Elena gone. I think she did something."

Lewis didn’t flinch. "Do you have proof?"

"No." My voice dropped. "Not yet."

I’d seen strange things small things Julian tried to hide but Camilla was too smart to leave anything obvious behind. She walked through this house like someone who already knew where every trap and shadow lived.

"But I have a lead," I added.

Lewis’s brow lifted just slightly. "What kind of lead?"

Instead of answering, I moved closer and lowered myself beside his wheelchair. I needed him to feel how serious this was, not just hear it.

"Mr. Hale," I said quietly, holding his gaze. "Are you with me... or against me?"

It wasn’t a polite question. It was a line drawn straight between us. If he cared more about the Hale name than justice, then any truth I dug up would be buried before I ever reached it. And then everything I came back for... every second chance... it would all be pointless.

He didn’t look away. "I stand with the truth," he said. "Whoever is responsible Camilla or someone else they won’t escape consequences."

Relief slid through me like warm water. For the first time in a long time, I didn’t feel like I was fighting alone.

"There’s something else," I whispered. "Before I passed out... I heard a voice. Ms. Morrigan’s. She left me a clue."

Lewis didn’t even blink. "What did she say?"

"She said the killer was seen near an auto repair shop. That’s all she gave me before she disappeared."

Lewis leaned back slightly. "An auto repair shop."

"Yes," I said. "I need to check every one in the area. Names, staff photos, records anything. Can you help me get that?"

The pause that followed made my lungs tighten but then he nodded.

"I’ll have someone start digging."

My shoulders loosened. "Thank you."

"But stay away from Camilla," he warned, his voice low. "You’re not ready to face her head-on."

I nodded. From now on, I couldn’t afford one wrong move. Whatever lay between us wasn’t just a feud it was a fight only one of us would walk away from.

A knock sounded at the door.

Theo stepped in with a folder. "Sir, these are Julian’s biopsy results."

Right Julian had some tests done earlier. I hadn’t given it much thought, but now curiosity pushed me to look.

Lewis took the folder, opened it, and scanned the lines.

"Stage two stomach cancer," he said calmly. "And his kidneys are failing."

The room went still.