CHAPTER 161: BREAKFAST REVELATIONS...

Charis

Rhett spotted me first, his face lighting up with a smile that made my heart do little flips in my chest. He crossed to me immediately, his hands coming up to frame my face as he leaned down to kiss me softly.

"Good morning, beautiful," he murmured against my lips. "Did you sleep well?"

Before I could answer, Slater appeared beside us and swept me off my feet, literally lifting me into his arms and carrying me to the coffee table, where he deposited me gently on one of the cushions.

"Breakfast is almost ready," he said, pressing a quick kiss to my temple. "Kael’s been cooking for the past hour."

Rhett settled beside me and handed me his tablet, the screen already open to what appeared to be some catalogue of a shopping website. "I need you to make a selection," he said.

I looked down at the tablet with confusion. It was a catalogue for beds—specifically king-sized mattresses, bed frames, and luxury bedding sets.

"Why exactly do I need to select a bed?" I asked.

"Because none of the rooms have a mattress large enough to contain all four of us comfortably," Rhett replied.

I sighed and rolled my eyes, setting the tablet aside. "Rhett, I told you I want to go slow. This is not going slow."

"It’s just sleeping," he protested, though his grin suggested he knew what he was doing. "It’s just sleeping, Charis. We might argue all the time about the sleeping arrangement for who is supposed to take you for the night."

"Take me for the night?" I scoffed. "You’re making me sound like an object."

"More like a concubine in ancient times," Slater chuckled. "I suggested we take turns, but Rhett refused.

"It will not work," Rhett shook his head. "I don’t want to have limitations or restrictions when it comes to you. Staying together would strengthen our bonds; that is what we should be working on, not looking for ways to create a divide. Besides, it might make you love one person more than the other."

"Even if that works out, only two people would have direct access to me. What will happen to the third person?" I pointed out and continued before he could argue. "Let’s maintain our current sleeping arrangement. Don’t forget I said this is a trial stage."

"Give us a break, Charis!" Rhett rolled his eyes. "You don’t have to pretend you don’t want us. You know you do."

"Rhett!" Slater called out to him, shaking his head at him. "Don’t do that, let’s take it slow like she wants. You cannot force a woman to want you if she doesn’t, and I think what Charis wants from us is proof that we can be dependable."

"Thank you, Slater," I sent him a thumbs up.

At that moment, Kael appeared from the kitchen carrying a tray that held several dishes, filling the air with even more delicious aromas. He set down a plate of breakfast casserole, a plate of perfectly crispy bacon, and a basket of homemade muffins.

"This smells incredible," I said, inhaling the rich aromas.

Kael gave me a soft smile. "I thought you might be hungry. You didn’t eat much at dinner last night."

Last night I’d been too nervous to eat. With the trial happening today, I was slightly worried, and as always, I was grateful to Kael for noticing. That was who he was; he saw the tiniest details that other people might miss.

It was part of what made him both fascinating and slightly terrifying.

We began serving ourselves, and for a few minutes, the only sounds were appreciative murmurs as we tasted Kael’s cooking. The breakfast casserole was layers of eggs, cheese, vegetables, and seasoned meat that melted on my tongue. The muffins were warm and studded with fresh berries.

"Where did you learn to cook like this?" I asked between bites.

"Here and there," Kael replied evasively, which was about as specific as he ever got when discussing his past.

"He’s being modest," Slater interjected. "He’s been making meals like this since we started moving together. I think he learned from—"

"It’s not important," Kael cut him off quickly, and I caught the look that passed between them. There was definitely a story there, but apparently not one Kael was ready to share.

We continued eating in silence, but I could sense tension building beneath the surface. Kael kept glancing at each of us in turn, his expression growing more serious with each passing minute.

Finally, midway through the meal, he set down his fork and sighed deeply.

"I have an announcement to make," he said quietly.

I noticed there was a change in his tone, and it set me on edge as if I knew what he wanted to talk about. Whatever it was going to be, it wasn’t going to be easy on Kael’s side.

Rhett and Slater stopped eating and turned their attention to Kael. I felt my stomach tighten with apprehension, and the delicious breakfast suddenly became tasteless in my mouth.

"What is it?" I asked, though part of me didn’t want to know the answer.

Kael held my gaze, staring at me for a few seconds before he looked away. "Peter, the Alpha Primd, approached me yesterday and wants to blackmail me."

"Blackmail you?" Slater arched a brow. "For what?"

"Is it about me?" I asked, exhaling loudly. "I forgot to mention that Peter knew I was a girl when I was still Eamon, and it was because I had a Shadewolf."

"Far from that," Kael said quietly, leaning on the table as his eyes roamed our faces. "He knows things about my background, my work and the kind of person I am. Things that he shouldn’t know, and things that I have no idea how he knew them. He’s demanding money to keep quiet, and if I can’t provide it, he will expose me."

Both Slater and Rhett were looking at Kael with surprise in their eyes. I tried to act surprised, but I knew I was doing a bad job of it. At least, I knew a little about the kind of person Kael was compared to the boys.

"What could he possibly know about your background that is worth blackmailing?" Rhett questioned. "Were you gay before? Did you kill someone? Hell, what could a perfect person like you do that is blackmail worthy? It doesn’t make sense."

Slater had a thoughtful expression on his face as he leaned forward and asked. "How much?"

"Five hundred thousand dollars in seventy-two hours. The money is not the problem, nor would I be giving him a dime, but I’m trying to prepare myself for the worst. First of all, I am not Alpha Winters’s son."

The silence that greeted the room was so loud that I could hear everyone’s heartbeat.

"What do you mean you’re not Alpha Winter’s son?" Rhett laughed. "Is it possible to claim who is not your son? Alpha Winter..."

"My name is Kael and I have no last name. I was born an orphan and was sold as a slave to several fight masters who owned underground fighting rings. It was during one of those fights that I met my master, and he bought me off and made me a freeborn."

Rhett’s spoon clanged to the ground as he turned to look at Slater, who was as shocked. "W-What do you mean?"

"My master has an organisation that helps a lot of people, more like running a private investigation firm. Alpha Winters’ son Richard disappeared without a trace, and he reached out to us. I was elected to come undercover as Alpha Winters’ second son to investigate what happened to him."

"And now you know?" Slater asked.

"Yes!" Kael nodded. "Just like you told us when you visited Silvermere, Ravenshore traffics a lot of students, both male and female. The girls are used for breeding babies that are sold to humans, while the boys are sold off to the human military. Alpha Winter, it’s a complicated web of evil, but the reason I’m telling you this is because I am preparing for the worst, and I didn’t want any of you to be caught off-guard."

When Kael finished speaking, he picked up his spoon and continued eating. Rhett was still in shock while Slater took everything in stride. The room was quiet for a while until Rhett cleared his throat, making everyone look at him.

"Slater did mention that something wasn’t right with the family pictures when we visited your pack, but never in my wildest imagination did I think you’d be some private investigator. Aren’t you like 20?"

"Twenty-one," Kael said quietly. "I already hinted at this confession that day, and for my identity, there are other things I cannot also reveal, but I thought I could prepare you guys for the worst."

"Don’t worry about Peter," Slater leaned back in his chair, as a slight smile curved his lips. "I know how to shut him up without you paying a dime, and Kael, thank you for letting us know. It is good we have a mutual goal."

"I am not interested in team-ups," Kael said quietly. "The only connection I have with both of you is that we share one mate; otherwise, please count me out."