Page 101 of Fated
Darius’s voice cut through his spiraling thoughts. “Magnus, you’ll oversee the preparation of the ritual grounds. Maxim and I will handle the pyre. Kai—”
“I’ll do whatever needs to be done,” Kai interrupted, words hollow and mechanical. “Just tell me where you need me.”
Darius hesitated, gaze softening as he studied his son. “For now, focus on yourself. Rest tonight. We’ll regroup in the morning.”
Kai didn’t argue. He lacked the energy to push back, and he knew his father was right.
The meeting ended. Magnus and Maxim excused themselves, shoulders heavy with the yoke of their assigned tasks. Kai began to rise, but Darius’s voice stopped him.
“Kai.” The plea was evident in his father’s tone.
Kai shook his head, cutting him off. “I can’t right now, Dad. I don’t have anything else left in me today. Can we do this tomorrow?”
Darius hesitated, a muscle ticked in his jaw before he nodded. “Tomorrow, then,” he mumbled. “But Kai…remember, you’renot alone in this.” His gaze darted across the room. Kai didn’t need to follow his father’s eyes to know they rested on his mate.
A flicker of something unnamable urged him to open up, to take hold of this fading lifeline. His jaw worked—searching for the words—but the day’s trauma clouded his thoughts. Instead, he offered his father a tight, almost mechanical nod and turned away.
The walk back to the dormitory was a blur. Exhaustion weighed down his limbs by the time he reached his room, each step a monumental effort. He collapsed onto the bed fully clothed, the mattress creaking under his weight, but sleep eluded him despite his bone-deep weariness.
His mind became a maelstrom of conflicting thoughts and memories. Joy twisting into horror—Orion and Elara’s playful chase morphing into pups fleeing rogues, Orion’s triumphant howl as he mounted Elara warping to the anguish cries of wolves torn apart by merciless attackers. Lena’s laughter became screams; the quiver of her pleasure corrupted by Ava’s sobs. His lungs burned as guilt dragged him under, no surface in sight.
His pack had bled while he’d found joy in Moonshadow. The faces of the fallen flashed before him, their silent accusations clogging in his throat while memories of Lena’s touch lingered on his skin—comfort unearned, sanctuary unjustified while Bloodstone lay in ruins.
He vowed to rebuild Bloodstone with his father. To help the pack heal and move forward. He would be the rock they needed, the alpha-heir they deserved. And when the time was right, he’d forge a new path. One that balanced his duty to Bloodstone with his desire and growing bond with Lena. She was his future, his forever—but right now, his pack needed him more than she did.
The distance between us will be temporary, he told himself.A necessary sacrifice for now.
“Don’t run,”Orion growled within him.“We need her.”
Kai pushed the thought aside, but his wolf’s agitation manifested in a sudden itch beneath his skin, muscles twitching with restless energy. Through his window, moonlight painted silver edges around the distant hospital helipad lights. Before conscious thought could form, he was already moving, keys in hand, drawn back to the one place he might find momentary peace.
Fluorescent lights buzzed overhead, casting long shadows across the empty hospital corridors. Orion’s heightened hearing picked up the night nurses’ whispered conversations as Kai slipped past their station. He pushed open Ava’s door without hesitation, the now familiar antiseptic scent welcoming him once more.
Ava was still asleep, chest rising and falling in a steady rhythm. The machines monitoring her vitals beeped softly, the sound a faint backdrop to the hospital’s stillness. Kai removed his shoes and sweatshirt, movements slow and careful as he climbed into the narrow bed beside her.
He pulled her onto his chest, arms wrapping around her slender frame. She murmured something unintelligible in her sleep, head nuzzling against his shoulder. As he focused on the velvety hum of her soft snores, Kai made a silent vow to be there for Ava, to support her through the dark days ahead.
He knew it wouldn’t be easy. The road to healing would be long and arduous, but he would coax her into this new reality where their relationship had shifted. He would still be her rock, her confidant, but only her friend. The familiarity of their past providing a comforting foundation as they navigated the uncertain future.
With a deep breath, Kai let his eyes drift closed, and for the first time that day, a sliver of comfort crept into his chest, though it was fleeting and hollow.
Cranberries and rosemary—faint but unmistakable—pulled Kai from the depths of dreamless sleep. Orion responded before consciousness fully returned, pupils dilating behind closed lids, heart rate quickening, skin warming. The subtle rustle of movement drew his attention. His eyes blinked open to the morning light streaming through the window and drifted toward the source of the sound.
Lena.
She stood by the nightstand, fingers tracing the petals of flowers as she carefully set down a vase beside Ava’s bed. There was a quiet sadness about her, a sense of empathy that only deepened his turmoil. His hands fisted the sheets as conflicting instincts warred beneath his skin—reach for her, push her away.
The vibrant flowers stood defiant against the backdrop of destruction visible through the window. Beauty mocking devastation—yet offering a reminder of what remained worth fighting for. Kai watched as Lena’s fingers lingered on the edge of the vase as though ensuring it was perfectly placed.
She straightened and turned to leave, footsteps faltering when she caught him watching her. She startled, irises darkening like honey in shadow, and a soft gasp escaped her lips.
“Goddess, Kai...” The words came out in a breath. “I didn’t realize you were awake.”
He said nothing, gaze darting from the flowers back to her face, taking in the softness of her expression. Somethingflickered there—empathy? Concern, perhaps—in the way her brows knitted. He felt like he was drowning in the depths of his own silence, unspoken words and unresolved emotions pulling him under.
Lena broke the silence first, voice tentative but steady. “I… I was ordering the floral arrangements for the funerals,” she explained, gesturing toward the vase. “I saw these and thought Ava might like them. Something beautiful to wake up to instead of…” She trailed off, eyes darting to the window and the fractured, scorched packlands beyond.
Muscles bunched along Kai’s jawline, words lodging in his throat as renewed guilt flooded him. He was still failing everyone—Lena, Ava, himself. He glanced toward the window, the devastation outside as raw and jarring as the night before.
