Page 40 of Fated
He wasn’t happy to see her. Not in the slightest.
Lena felt herself deflate, the initial spark of excitement snuffed out by the icy edge of his glare. Elara curled inward like a wounded animal, the wolf’s vibrant energy dimming to a protective flicker.
“Lena?” Cian’s voice pulled her back. “You okay?”
She blinked, tearing her gaze from Kai to find her brother’s concerned frown. “Yeah,” she managed, lips stretching into a forced smile. “Just taking in the place.”
Before Cian could press further, the hostess returned. “Your table is ready.”
Following her, Lena glanced back once more. Kai’s gaze remained stoney, their bond thrumming dangerously tight like a guitar string, ready to snap.
Lena slid into her seat, trying to shake off the burn of his glare as she felt her wolf’s agitation churning beneath her skin like stormy waters. She’d barely started to settle when a large shadow fell across the table. She glanced up, anxiety spiking as the now-familiar figure of Alpha Darius stood confidently at the head.
“Well, well,” Darius exclaimed, booming voice carrying above the lively chatter of the restaurant. “What a pleasant surprise! I insist we all dine together, seeing as we’ll be family soon.”
Lena’s forced smile faltered, fingers clenching around the edge of the menu.
So much for a quiet reprieve.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
KAI
Kai picked at the roll he’d grabbed from the breadbasket. The soft, crusty bread crumbled beneath his fingers as he pushed the crumbs into a pile on his plate. They’d just been seated for dinner, but his appetite had vanished. His father held court across the table, regaling Maxim and Magnus with summit stories. Kai’s mind, meanwhile, tangled in a relentless loop of frustration and exhaustion.
He couldn’t tell what had been more draining—pretending to care about the alphas boasting their successes at the summit review, enduring the grueling border negotiations, or surviving the tense car ride to dinner where he’d clashed with his father yet again.
A muscle twitched along Kai’s temple as the memory surfaced.
“If you dare to reject her”—Darius’s glare had frosted over, each word striking like an icicle—“you’ll lose everything. Your title, your name, your pack. You’ll fight in the coming war as a rogue before I let you disgrace Bloodstone.”
The force of his father’s alpha aura had been oppressive, leaving no room for argument. The threat lingered in Kai’s mind, a suffocating reminder of what was at stake.
And then there was Ava.
A vision of her tear-streaked face haunted him, sobs echoing as he imagined breaking her heart. She’d trusted him, planned a future in her mind—a future he’d promised her. Now, that promise felt like sand slipping through his fingers.
Kai clenched his fists under the table, anger simmering just below the surface. Darius had no right to force this on him, to use his legacy as leverage to bind him to a mating he didn’t want.
Movement near the entrance caught his eye, pulling him from his thoughts. The Moonshadow group had just arrived, their arrival drawing attention as they stepped into the restaurant. His gaze landed on her instantly.
Lena.
She stood with her brother, Cian, and their packmates, golden-brown eyes scanning the room. She was radiant, her confidence and warmth filling the space like sunlight breaking through clouds. For a moment, Kai let himself take her in—the way her glossy hair framed her face, the strength in her posture, the quiet determination in her expression.
“Our mate is stunning.”Orion’s whisper carried longing that vibrated beneath Kai’s skin.
He struggled for air, the bond’s pull like a fist wrapped around his throat. This wasn’t some fairy-tale meeting. Lena had upended his life, shattered everything he’d built. She wasn’t a gift. She was a reminder of everything he stood to lose.
Her face lit up when she saw him. Kai froze, resolve wavering under her gaze. Then his anger surged forward like a tidal wave, drowning out the bond.
He glared at her, emerald eyes hardening to cold jade. Her joy faltered in stages: first confusion, then disbelief, finally hurt. Her smile collapsed as she followed the hostess, gaze dropping to the floor.
His stomach twisted with a flash of guilt as he watched her joy crumble, but he hardened himself against the feeling. She wasn’t a victim in this. She was the complication that had destroyed everything he’d planned.
Good, Kai thought bitterly.Let her feel the chaos she’s brought into my life. His gaze followed her, mouth pressed into a hard line, even as Orion whined in protest.
He was so fixated on Lena that he didn’t notice his father rising until Darius’s booming voice filled the restaurant, inviting the Moonshadow wolves to join them for dinner.
