Page 34 of Fated
Orion’s thunderous roar shook the walls of Kai’s consciousness, the wolf surging forward with teeth bared.“No! Mate is ours!”
The wolf’s possessive anger spiked the pain pounding in Kai’s head, but it was more than just Orion’s response that made his stomach twist. The idea of Lena belonging to someone else—even in a hypothetical scenario—sent a sharp, inexplicable ache through him. He swallowed hard, mind flashing back to the previous night. To the moment of rage he’d felt when he thought those soft moans had been for another lover. The memory of that jealousy burned through his veins, his jaw clenching until his teeth ached, fingers flexing with the phantom urge to tear any rival limb from limb.
Kai shook his head, forcing the memories away. Lena’s labored breaths echoed in his ears, his name on her lips as she—
His body tensed, heat flooding his core.Not here. Not now.
Not in this room filled with the most powerful wolves in the region. He focused his attention back on the speaker, determined to bury the intrusive thoughts.
As the Crescent Fang Alpha continued, Kai observed the reactions around the room. The responses were mixed. Some of the leaders looked bored, gazes fixed on their notes or phones. Others feigned mild interest, nodding along politely withoutfully engaging. It was clear that Crescent Fang’s reappearance in the regional fold was a curiosity at best, an afterthought at worst.
But one male at the table was utterly captivated by the speech. Seated to the alpha’s right was a broad-shouldered beta who listened with rapt attention, dark eyes fixed on the speaker as though every word was a revelation. Kai had noticed the beta when he first entered—something about the way he held himself, confident but not aggressive, drew the eye. Now, watching him listen to his alpha’s speech, Kai found himself studying the beta more closely, noting the sharp cut of his jaw, the slope of his nose, and the way his full lips pressed together in concentration. The male’s hair—a mess of dark curls—fell across his brow in a way that seemed effortlessly undone, and when his tongue darted out to wet his lips, Kai felt his stomach flip unexpectedly.
Whoa!Kai was startled by his own reaction.Where the hell did that come from?
“Irrelevant,”Orion huffed.“Focus.”
Kai straightened in his seat, forcing himself to look away. His gaze landed on his father, who was, predictably, hanging on every word the alpha spoke. Darius’s expression was one of keen interest, but Kai knew his father well enough to recognize his strategic instincts engaging. Crescent Fang might be a relic of the past, but in Darius’s mind, even relics could be useful if positioned correctly.
As the alpha finished speaking, Kai felt a subtle shift in the room’s dynamics. The other pack leaders relaxed, postures easing as they offered polite applause. Kai’s tension only spiked.
He replayed the alpha’s words, wondering if he’d been too quick to dismiss the fervor in Caleb’s voice. His father’s interest and the beta’s attentiveness now seemed like warning signs he’d ignored. A nagging sense of unease settled in his gut—had he missed a crucial thread in the alpha’s speech? One that might weave together the intricate politics of the packs.
Kai’s attention drifted again as the meeting rolled on, but the image of the Crescent Fang Alpha and Beta lingered in the back of his mind. Just as unshakable as the memory of Lena’s moans, of her scent, of the way their bond pulled at him with every breath.
When the review finally adjourned, Kai was the first to leave the room, ignoring his father’s attempts to pull him into another conversation. He needed air, needed space. The walls felt like they were closing in, thick with everyone’s expectations and endless speculations about what his fated pairing meant for their packs.
He stormed down the corridor, barely registering the greetings of other pack leaders and their heirs as he passed. All he could think about was escaping.
Escaping his father.
Escaping the summit.
Escaping the bond that was tearing him apart.
Kai desperately hoped to avoid Lena through the rest of the event. The memory of her scent made it impossible to think straight. He couldn’t stomach a run-in with her right now. Couldn’t bear seeing her hope—or worse, her hurt—knowing that he planned on rejecting her as soon as possible.
The mountain air welcomed him as he stepped onto the balcony. His thoughts refused to settle even as he breathed in the sharp, clean air. Faces blurred together in his mind—Lena, Ava, Darius, the Crescent Fang Beta… Pressure rose in his chest, heart racing with a growing sense of helplessness. He needed to escape, to find some way to clear his head and take back control of his future.
It was all too much.
“You’re running, Kai,”Orion growled. The wolf’s voice was a harsh whisper in the back of Kai’s mind.“Coward.”
Kai closed his eyes, the words cutting deep. Maybe Orion was right. Maybe he was a coward, but he didn’t know how to be anything else right now.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
LENA
The pen lay idle in Lena’s hand as Luna Eden Blackwater spoke of mating ceremonies. Each sacred detail should have filled her with excitement, but uncertainty twisted in her chest instead.
Will I ever stand before Selene with Kai?
The striking female’s silver-streaked hair caught the sunlight as she spoke of the ancient rite with reverence. Elara pressed closer to the surface, ears pricked forward with keen attention to traditions that might soon be theirs.
“The mating ceremony”—Eden paused, fingers twisting her wedding ring. The golden band reflected the light as memories seemed to dance across her features—“is not merely a publicdeclaration of the bond. It’s a renewal of the pack’s connection to Selene and a reaffirmation of the luna’s role as the alpha’s partner in leadership. The ceremony is a balance of love, power, and responsibility.”
Warmth bloomed in Lena’s chest at Eden’s words, pulse quickening as she envisioned the ritual.
