Let Them Kneel (kaelani and Julian) novel Chapter 196

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Chapter 196

Councilor Voss stepped into his private office and reached for the switch without looking.

Light spilled across the room–warm, controlled, illuminating polished wood, neatly arranged documents, and the quiet order he maintained within these walls. He closed the door behind him with a soft, deliberate click, shutting out the distant hum of the Council chambers after a long day of hearings–endless disputes and decisions that demanded precision more than patience.

He crossed the room, shrugging out of his outer robe as he moved toward a tall cabinet near the wall. With practiced ease, he hung it neatly inside, smoothing the fabric once before closing the door.

Only then did he turn back toward his desk.

He took a step forward-

–and something in the air shifted.

Subtle at first.

A distortion, like heat rising off stone.

The space around his desk shimmered, the illusion unraveling at the edges—threads of glamour peeling back, splitting, dissolving into nothing.

Voss stilled.

The last of it broke.

And there she was.

Kaelani sat in his chair, one leg crossed over the other, as if she had been there all along.

Watching him.

The councilor didn’t move at first.

Though the surprise was there–controlled, but not invisible. A slight tightening in his expression. The subtle bob of his throat as he swallowed it down. His hands twitched once at his sides before stilling again, fingers curling just enough to betray the instinct beneath the restraint.

His eyes flickered–just for a second-

as

his Lycan abilities went to work.

A silent call pushed outward through the mind–link to the guards stationed at every corner of the building.

Kaelani tilted her head slightly, watching him.

“That won’t work in here.”

She lifted her hand, pointing upward.

His gaze followed.

The air above them shimmered faintly, and as his focus adjusted, the structure revealed itself–sigils suspended in place like a constellation, etched in violet light. They pulsed softly, alive with energy, their forms intricate and deliberate, woven into a lattice that encircled the room.

Contained.

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Sealed.

He felt it then.

The absence.

No mind link.

Nothing answered his wolf when it reached outward.

His attention returned to her, slower this time.

More measured.

Kaelani lowered her hand and gestured toward the chair opposite the desk.

“Please,” she said, her voice calm, unhurried. “Have a seat, Councilor Voss.”

He moved toward the desk, pulled the chair out, and sat. But his expression made it clear he was anything but willing.

Kaelani uncrossed her legs and shifted forward slightly, her attention already turning to the computer in front of her. Her fingers moved across the keyboard with quiet precision.

The screen flickered to life, its glow reflecting in her eyes.

“You’ve had Tessa Campbell followed every day since I’ve been gone,” she said, her tone calm, almost conversational.

A few more keystrokes.

“You’re going to call off your men.”

She didn’t look up.

“And no one is going to bother her again.”

Silence stretched for a beat.

Voss’s gaze sharpened, not on her–but on the screen.

www

“How did you access that system?” he asked, his voice controlled, but edged now. “That network is restricted. Encrypted. Shielded behind Council–level security protocols.‘

Kaelani finally looked up at him, her expression calm–almost amused.

She lifted her hand slightly, giving a small, almost careless flick of her fingers.

Violet light shimmered at the tips.

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