Page 94 of Fated
Kai’s pacing stopped, head snapping toward the door. Without another word, he bolted from the office, footsteps echoing down the hall.
Lena turned to her father and brother, stammering. “I… I don’t….”
“Go,” Raelen encouraged. “He needs you now.”
Lena found Kai in his suite, the door ajar, the sounds of frantic shuffling spilling into the hallway. She stepped inside cautiously, heart twisting at the sight of him. He was pacing between the bed and the closet, yanking clothes from drawers and tossing them into a duffel bag. His movements were erratic, his hands trembling.
“Kai,” she said softly, voice barely audible over the rustle of fabric.
He didn’t respond, his focus entirely consumed by the act of packing—as if the task was the only thing keeping him contained.
She stepped closer, his anguish pressing against her chest like a physical force. “Kai, please.”
“I’m leaving,” he said, voice sharp and strained. He shoved another shirt into the bag without meeting her eyes. “I’m sorry, Lena. I... I can’t stay here. I have to go home. I have to—”
His words broke off as he struggled to zip the bag, his trembling hands failing to catch the zipper. Frustration flared, and he let out a low growl, yanking the bag roughly. It toppled sideways, spilling half its contents onto the floor.
“Kai.” She reached out tentatively, brushing against his shoulder in a gesture meant to steady him.
He spun on her. Eyes wild and unfocused, the sharp edge of his panic rolling off him in waves. “I don’t have time!”
Lena took a half-step backward. “It’s okay,” she whispered, palms raised in a placating gesture as she tried to cut through the haze of his panic. “It’s going to be okay. I understand…”
Her words rang hollow. The grief etched into his features, the frantic energy radiating from him—these belonged to a landscape she’d never traversed, a pain she could name but never truly comprehend. All she could do was stand there, helpless, as he unraveled before her.
Kai turned back to his duffel bag, shoving the spilled clothes inside with movements that were growing more frenzied by the second.
“Let me come with you,” she said. “Please. You shouldn’t be alone right now.”
He froze mid-motion, breathing ragged as his gaze flicked toward her. His eyes were glassy, jaw clenched so tightly it looked painful. For a moment, she thought he might refuse her, but then he nodded stiffly.
“Hurry.” His voice cut like glass. “I’m leaving in five minutes…with or without you.”
Lena’s stomach dropped as a new fear emerged.He’s leaving me.
She could feel it—not just in his words, but in the cold, distant tone of his voice.
He brushed past her without waiting for a response, footsteps heavy as he disappeared down the hall.
Lena stood frozen.Can I really help him? Or am I setting myself up to be shut out completely?
Shoving the thoughts aside, Lena took a shaky breath and snapped into action. She returned to her suite and packed her bags, throwing in clothes and toiletries at random. Her fingers hesitated over the ritual binder still open on her bed before sliding it into her bag as well. She might not be here, but she’d make sure everything was perfect for Cian—somehow.
With one last glance around the room that had sheltered her most vulnerable moments with Kai, she closed the door and raced downstairs.
Kai was already in his car, the engine idling. His hands gripped the steering wheel so tightly she thought the leather might tear. She climbed into the passenger seat, barely managing to buckle her seatbelt before he sped out of the packhouse driveway, gravel kicking up in his wake.
The silence in the car stretched taut between them, broken only by the low hum of the engine and the steady rumble of tires against asphalt. Lena sat rigid, stealing glances at Kai’s profile.His emerald eyes fixed unblinkingly on the road ahead. He didn’t speak. Didn’t move. Just drove.
The needle on the speedometer climbed steadily as the car barreled down the highway, the trees outside blurring into streaks of green and brown. Lena’s stomach twisted, the pressure of the vehicle’s momentum throwing her back against the seat as Kai pushed the accelerator harder.
“Kai,” she said softly.
He didn’t respond, didn’t even glance in her direction. Her heart clenched as she braced against the door and console.
“Kai, please,” she said again, voice trembling. “You need to slow down.”
Still, nothing. His grip on the wheel tightened, the muscles in his forearms strained. The car surged forward, the engine growling as the road narrowed ahead.
