Page 58 of Soul Fated

Kael looked over at me, his eyes dark. "I wondered if I was.”

I thought about him standing up to Rowan in the woods. Then again in Bill’s living room. He’d held his own with Lana and Jasper, which was no small feat. "When? How did you find out?"

Kael shrugged. "When I was young."

"How young?" I couldn't pull my eyes away from his.

"I don't know. Ten? Eleven?"

"And you just . . . ignored it?" I asked. "You felt the draw to lead, and you walked away from it?"

Kael's eyes narrowed. "I never said I felt the draw to lead."

"Then what?—"

"I don't want to lead anyone." Kael's voice was low and rough. "I'm not fit to lead anyone."

Bill grunted. "You know, the ones who think that are usually the best leaders."

Kael's eyes snapped to the road, his hands tightening on the wheel. "Not interested."

"Destin would be proud,” Bill murmured.

Kael’s nostrils flared. "Destin taught me to survive on my own."

Bill stroked his beard. "Parents always teach what they know. It doesn’t mean they want you to stop there.”

“Still not good enough, then.” Kael’s expression was hard. There was a long silence, the only sound the rumble of the truck's engine and the crunch of gravel under the tires.

Bill finally broke the silence as we slowed, closing in on the turn off for the pools. "You think leading is about being good enough? About not making mistakes?"

Kael didn't respond, his eyes fixed on the road.

Bill shook his head. "Leading is about caring. About putting others first. You know how to do that. You always have."

Kael's jaw clenched. "Packs are focused on strength and safety. And they'll do whatever it takes to get it."

"You think that's all packs are about?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper. "Sacrifice and power?" Kael's eyes flicked to mine, and I looked down at my hands. "Maybe it is for some. But the pack I grew up in? It was about family. About loyalty. Protection. Not just for ourselves. For the wolves and humans?—"

“That’s a nice dream.”

I pursed my lips. It suddenly felt imperative that he understand there were other options. “It’s not just a dream. You find what you look for.”

We turned off the main road and onto a narrow path. The truck bounced as Kael navigated the rough terrain. We passed through a dense stand of trees, their branches unkempt. Kale pulled into a makeshift parking spot at the end of the path.

We got out of the truck as Lana pulled in next to us. I waited in front of the truck, watching as she opened her door, not sure which Lana she’d be this close to the pools. I pressed a hand over my arm. It had stopped bleeding the second Lana picked the dagger back up, but who knew if she was going to keep it.

She walked past us, not saying a word as she headed toward the pools. Steam rose in curling tendrils, just like it had the other night next to the river. Unlike the woods near Bill’s house, though, this air felt thick. Heavy. Magic.

The word whispered through my mind, and my skin prickled. I took a few more steps until I was fully in the clearing. This place was alive. I hadn’t been lucid the last time I was here. I’d missed all of this.

My wolf paced within me, her ears perked and her nose twitching. She felt it too, the pulse of energy that thrummed just below the surface. Something that made my heart race and my skin tingle. It was familiar, yet foreign. Comforting, yet terrifying.

My memories were shards of glass, each piece reflecting a different part of that night Nathan had used me as bait. I remembered the feel of the restraints, the cold bite of metal against my skin.

But there were other things, too. Things I couldn't quite grasp. The scent of wet earth, the hiss of steam. The way the air had seemed to shimmer, like I was looking through a pane of frosted glass.

I took a step forward, then another, drawn to the pool like a moth to a flame. The warmth enveloped me, seeping into my bones and coaxing me to relax. My wolf whined, and I knew she felt it too. The pull. The promise of something more.

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