CHAPTER 101: TENSIONS

Kiel

The witch’s voice was the kind of calm that grated on my nerves.

"We have no choice," she said, like she was announcing the weather instead of dictating my life. "Liam will make the most of this situation, and Josie isn’t going to be able to do it alone. She needs help, so we cave."

I didn’t like that word—cave. It sounded like weakness, like bending to someone else’s will. My jaw tightened, and before I knew it, I was in the mind-link with my brothers.

This isn’t right, I told them, my voice a low snarl in the shared channel.

Thorne’s dry tone hit back almost instantly. You’re the one who brought the witch here, so you deal with it. And for the record, there’s no way in hell I’m getting roped into something like this again.

I ground my teeth, resisting the urge to actually growl aloud. I did what I did for Josie. That’s the only reason. The point now is finding a female who can help her—

Oh, for crying out loud, Varen cut in, sounding far too amused for someone I was about three seconds away from punching. We’re not even done cleaning up the mess from Isabella’s scandal, and you want to add another fire to the pile? Spare me. Get over yourself, Kiel.

That was it. I slammed the mental door on both of them, cutting the link before I said something I’d regret. My irritation was already boiling over, but when I looked up, Josie and the witch were watching me like I’d just grown a second head.

Then it hit me—I was howling. My wolf was pushing at my skin, desperate to take over. I was a heartbeat away from shifting in the middle of the room like some unhinged amateur.

It took every ounce of control I had to push him down, to breathe slow and deliberate, and force my human self to stay in charge. Without a word, I turned on my heel and strode toward Liam.

He was lounging like he owned the place, and my temper snapped.

"Do you always dress like this?" I asked, my tone sharp enough to cut.

Liam shrugged, his expression infuriatingly casual. "Standard for my pack."

I stepped closer, letting my growl bleed through. "If you want to be here, you’re going to dress differently. That’s not a suggestion."

Before he could respond with some smug retort, Varen’s voice rang out from across the room. "So... he’s staying?"

I turned on him, anger flaring hot again. "Do you have an issue with it? Because last I checked, neither of you wanted to help. All you’ve done is stand there making jokes at my expense."

The words came out sharper than I intended, but I wasn’t in the mood to smooth them over. Not when my own brothers were acting like this was some kind of game.

"Hey," Josie’s voice cut through the tension, steady but firm. "You can’t just make decisions about me like I’m not even in the room. If we’re doing this, I want to understand a few things first. You owe me that courtesy."

I blinked at her, caught off guard by the edge in her tone. "What’s there to ask? You need to be trained, Josie. To the best of your abilities. That’s not up for debate."

Her eyes narrowed at me like I’d just said the stupidest thing she’d ever heard. The look made my stomach drop because—yeah—maybe I had just stepped in it.

Without warning, she walked right up to me. I thought she was going to argue, but instead, she grabbed my arm and pulled me aside. My brothers followed, of course, because apparently they couldn’t mind their own damn business if their lives depended on it.

"Kiel," she said quietly, her hand still on my arm, "breathe."

I stared at her. "I am breathing."

She gave me that flat, unamused look I’d seen her use on others, and I hated that it was now aimed at me. "You’re angry, and you’re letting it get the best of you. That’s not helping anyone. Least of all me."

The words hit harder than I expected. And as much as I wanted to argue, deep down I knew she was right. I wasn’t just mad at Liam or the witch. I was pissed at my brothers, at the situation, at the fact that I couldn’t control the chaos spiraling around us.

And in that moment, I realized I’d been dumping all of that frustration onto her.

My chest tightened with shame. "You’re right," I said quietly. "I’m sorry."

Her eyes softened just enough to make me feel like I might not be a complete idiot. But before I could say anything else, my brothers—because they’re incapable of acting like adults—burst out laughing behind us.

I turned and shot them my best glare, the kind that usually made lesser wolves back down. They didn’t even flinch.

Then Josie did something that made me blink—she turned that same sharp tone on them.

"Enough," she said, her voice like a whip crack. "You’re not helping, and if you can’t be useful, shut up."

The stunned silence that followed was almost worth the humiliation I’d endured five seconds ago.

I looked back at her, feeling a flicker of genuine gratitude. "Thanks," I murmured.

She shrugged like it was nothing. "Don’t mention it. Now—what I wanted to say—"

I tilted my head. "Which is?"

She hesitated, chewing on her lower lip like she wasn’t sure how to put it into words. "I’m nervous. I don’t want to put the pack in danger because of me. And I... I don’t even know if Liam is real."

For a second, her words didn’t register. Then—

"I heard that!" Liam’s voice cut through the air, louder than necessary.

The room went cold. Not just quiet—cold. Like the temperature had dropped ten degrees in a blink. My skin prickled, and every muscle in my body went tense.

The air was suddenly heavy with something I couldn’t name, and I knew—just from the shift in the atmosphere—that whatever came next was going to change everything.