Page 93 of Fated
He sat up, movements deliberate, as though bracing himself for whatever was coming. “Alright,” he said finally, running a hand through his disheveled hair. “Let’s get this over with.” He gave her a chaste kiss before slipping out of the room.
Lena rushed to dress, pulling on jeans and a hoodie, but her hands trembled as she tugged the fabric into place. Her unease had grown sharper, gnawing at the edges of her mind. Something was wrong. She didn’t know what, but the tone ofCian’s voice, the urgency of his words, was enough to leave her anxious.
When she stepped into the hallway, Kai was waiting for her, expression unreadable. As she reached for his hand, pinkies intertwining, a flicker of calm settled over her. Whatever was coming, they would face it together.
Lena hesitated before knocking when they reached the alpha’s study.
Her father’s voice came from within, calm but firm. “Come in.”
The air in the room felt heavy. Unspoken tension pressed against Lena’s chest as she followed Kai into the office. His hand slipped from hers the moment they crossed the threshold. The loss of contact sent a small pang through her. She paused near the doorway, but her father’s voice stopped her before she could step back.
“Stay, Lena,” Raelen said, tone measured but somber. He gestured to the empty chair beside Kai, eyes carrying a sadness that made her stomach clench.
Her insides knotted as she moved to sit beside Kai, the taste of copper blooming on her tongue. He lowered himself into one of the chairs facing Raelen’s desk, movements precise, controlled. She glanced at her twin, seated on the sofa to the side, head bowed, hands clasped between his knees. The sight of Cian—usually so confident and unshakable—looking so subdued only deepened her unease.
Raelen stood by the corner of his desk, arms crossed over his chest. His face was grave, sorrow evident in the deep furrow of his brow. The silence stretched for a moment too long, growingunbearable, before he finally spoke. “Kai,” Raelen began. “Son…I’m so sorry to tell you this…”
Cold fear washed over Lena as she leaned forward, bracing herself.
“Yesterday afternoon,” Raelen continued, each word falling like a stone, “rogues attacked Bloodstone.”
Lena gasped, hand flying to her mouth as tears sprang to her eyes. She struggled to process her father’s words.Rogues. Bloodstone.Her thoughts scrambled, chaotic and disjointed, as she tried to piece together what it all meant.
Kai didn’t move. He sat stone-still beside her, posture tense, fists clenched on his thighs. She reached out, her pinky brushing his in a silent offer of support, but he didn’t respond. His gaze was locked on Raelen, face an inscrutable mask.
Raelen exhaled heavily, weariness evident in his sagging shoulders. “Your father received aid from Crescent Fang, but it was a dire battle. Much of the pack’s central land has been scarred—several dwellings destroyed, and the damage to the primary packhouse was extensive. There were also…significant losses.”
Lena couldn’t hold back the silent tears that slid down her cheeks as her father detailed the destruction. The homes lost. The lives taken. Every word carved fresh wounds into her chest. She glanced at Cian, who remained silent on the sofa, head still bowed. He looked up briefly, meeting her gaze with an expression that mirrored her own heartbreak before shifting his attention to Kai.
Raelen hesitated, sorrow deepening as he prepared to deliver the final blow. “Darius asked me to tell you that he needs you home…to help lay your pack members to rest.”
Kai’s silence was deafening. He didn’t flinch, didn’t blink, but Lena could see the tension in his shoulders, the way his entire body coiled tighter with each passing second.
“I’m sorry, son.” Her father’s voice cracked as he continued, gaze fixed firmly on Kai. “But among the casualties was the Gamma-heir, Elias.”
The sharp intake of breath from Kai ricocheted through the room. His head dropped forward, shoulders trembling as the first wave of grief broke through his composure. He covered his face with his hands, breaths coming in short, shuddering gasps. The sound of his pain—so raw, so unrestrained—broke something in Lena. Her own tears fell faster, vision blurring as she reached for his hand again, desperate to offer him some fragment of comfort.
Cian rose from the sofa, crossing the room in two quick strides. He placed a firm hand on Kai’s shoulder, squeezing in reassurance. The sight of her twin offering that quiet strength made Lena’s chest tighten further, and she bit her lip to keep from sobbing aloud.
Raelen cleared his throat, but his voice was no steadier when he continued. “Elias was killed protecting…” He paused, jaw working visibly as though the words physically hurt to say. “Protecting Ava.”
Kai’s head shot up, his wide, tear-filled eyes locking onto Raelen. “What?” he rasped, voice trembling.
“Ava was wounded,” Raelen said, voice apologetic. “She’s in critical condition…unresponsive.”
Kai’s reaction was immediate. He shot to his feet, the chair scraping loudly against the floor as his hands flew to his head, gripping his hair. “No,” he muttered, voice cracking. “No, no, no…”
He began pacing in tight, frantic circles, movements erratic and charged with barely contained panic. “I can’t be here,” he said, voice rising with every word. “I can’t—I have to go. I have to—”
“Kai, wait,” Lena said, voice wavering as she stood. She took a cautious step toward him, hand outstretched. “Please, just—”
“I have to go!”
She flinched, recoiling as if struck, the intensity of his panic shoving her back. Her heart pounded as she struggled to steady herself, to push past the sting of his words.
Elara surged within her, not with fear but with understanding. The wolf’s emotions flowed through her—not alarm at Kai’s outburst, but a deep, primal recognition of his pain. Where Lena felt the sting of rejection, Elara sensed only the raw desperation of a mate in anguish.
“He runs toward his wound, not away from us,”her wolf communicated. The insight offered Lena little comfort.
