Page 28 of Fated (The Bonded Legacy #1)

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

KAI

A ged whiskey burned Kai’s throat as he leaned against the bar, days of accumulated tension pushing down on his shoulders. Magnus stood beside him, his easy smile a stark contrast to the storm brewing behind Kai’s eyes.

“Well,” Magnus drawled, amber liquid swirling in his glass, “we’ve survived another one.

Though I have to say, this is the first summit you haven’t disappeared every five minutes to call Ava.

” His smile broadened, voice warming with genuine affection.

“It’s been nice to have this time with you, Kai. Feels like the old days.”

“I don’t need to call Ava.” Kai snapped.

“You’ve been her messenger well enough.” He hadn’t intended to be so brusque— to gloss over his friend’s happiness at their time together—but irritation had been brewing steadily inside him since that first night.

He felt like a powder keg bracing for combustion.

“Hey.” Magnus lifted his hands, though concern and a hint of rejection flickered beneath his casual defense. “I only spoke to her that first night. Told her I didn’t know what was happening with those private meetings your dad pulled you into. That she should wait to hear from you.”

“And?”

Magnus sighed, pulling out his phone. “She’s been blowing up my messages all week. Though…” His thumb scrolled through notifications. “Nothing today, though. Maybe she’s finally giving you space.”

Kai’s grip whitened around his glass.

Magnus shifted closer, voice softening. “What are you going to do?”

“It’s not like I have a choice, do I?” Kai said. “Almost a lifetime of history and years of love don’t seem to matter to Selene. And my feelings or happiness definitely don’t matter to Dad.”

Magnus’s gaze held steady. “Look, I love Ava like a sister—we were all thick as thieves when we were pups. I want her happy. You know that. And I’ve got your back, no matter what.

But Kai...Lena’s something else. If Selene blessed me with a mate like her, I’d count myself the luckiest wolf breathing. ”

The mention of Lena sent tension rippling through Kai’s frame.

He’d barely spent time with her since that dinner.

She’d been consumed with luna sessions, sparring matches, and charming every wolf she encountered.

She’d given him space, sticking close to Ryker or Cian during her down time, a mercy Kai couldn’t voice his gratitude for.

In their rare encounters, she approached with a quiet certainty that left him reeling.

The way she’d hook her pinky with his, golden-brown eyes warm with affection.

How she’d lean close, breath ghosting his ear as she whispered, “It’s good to see you” or “I missed you.” Each time, she’d press a soft kiss to his cheek—though that morning, her lips had lingered dangerously near the corner of his mouth.

“Have a good day, my mate,” she’d murmured, hope and sweetness threading through her voice before she’d slipped away.

The delicate web she wove around him—gentle but deliberate—was maddening. Every touch sparked something in him, threatening to ignite feelings and desires he wasn’t sure he could trust, love that wasn’t built on years of knowing and understanding.

“She’s under your skin.” Magnus smirked with satisfaction at hitting a nerve.

“Shut up.” Kai drained his glass in one burning swallow.

Magnus’s assessment had struck true, and Kai’s mind drifted to watching Lena train from the lodge balcony yesterday.

He’d been on the verge of leaving, but he was transfixed the moment she stepped into the ring.

Her movements flowed with lethal grace, each strike precise and powerful.

She commanded respect not just from beta-heirs but from the betas themselves.

Orion had practically glowed with pride, going on about her brilliance, how perfectly she embodied everything they could want in a mate.

“She’s extraordinary,” Orion had breathed, admiration thick in his voice. “Our Luna.”

Heat flooded Kai’s face at the memory of the past two nights.

How he’d found himself posted outside her suite, straining to catch the soft sounds of her pleasure, to hear his name fall from her lips again in climax.

That sound haunted his dreams. He’d never admit how deeply she’d worked herself into his soul, filling cracks he hadn’t known existed.

He hated it. Hated how effortlessly Lena affected parts of him never touched before. Not even by Ava.

Ava.

Her silence gnawed at him. Every call, text, and voicemail had gone unanswered. While he never mentioned Lena, he’d be an idiot to assume that Ava hadn’t already found out, that she didn’t know what “Can we talk?” meant or hadn’t noticed that he’d stopped saying, “I love you.”

He needed to speak to her—to explain—to make sure she knew how much this hurt him too, how much he wished things could be different. He didn’t want to say it in a text or voicemail, but he was running out of options. Panic had continually clawed at his thoughts as each day passed without response.

The impending stay at Moonshadow loomed like a guillotine blade.

He knew his extended absence would hurt Ava the most, but what choice remained?

His legacy, his pack—everything hung in the balance.

He prayed she wouldn’t shut him out completely, that she’d at least still want to be friends when he returned.

He straightened, facing Magnus fully. “I’m sorry for being short. You’re right. It has been good to spend more time together again. I need to be better about that when we get home.”

Magnus smiled. “I’d like that. I know Elias would too. It’s been so long since we’ve hung out. Just the three of us.”

Kai nodded. The truth struck home. He’d drifted from his friends as he fell deeper with Ava, especially after his mom died. Magnus and Elias weren’t just his beta and gamma or best friends—they were his brothers. Bonds he’d neglected for too long.

“Another?” Magnus asked, gesturing to his empty glass.

Kai shook his head. “I’m fine. Let’s make the rounds.”

They wove through the crowd with practiced diplomacy, Magnus’s steady presence anchoring him as they greeted familiar faces. When they reached Cian and Ryker, the Moonshadow alpha-heir’s usual frost had thawed.

“Kai.” Cian nodded. “You’ve been impressive this week. Your handling of the Denali negotiations was sharp.”

“Thanks,” Kai said, genuine surprise coloring his voice. “Though your sister’s been the real standout. She’s made quite an impression.”

Cian’s lips curved, a flicker of pride crossing his face. “She has, but don’t let her hear you say that. It’ll go straight to her head.”

Ryker laughed, clapping Kai’s shoulder. “Not bad for the future Luna of Bloodstone, huh? Though sometimes she forgets to turn down her beast. If you need help taming the wolf, give me a call, and I’ll come running, brother.”

Kai snorted, shaking his head as they fell into easy banter. The camaraderie forming between their packs felt tentative but real—worlds away from their earlier tension.

As Magnus drifted to another conversation, Kai continued his rounds alone. Each handshake and exchange came easier. Orion’s satisfaction vibrated through their shared consciousness as leaders praised Kai’s deft handling of contentious moments.

“You’re ready,” his wolf praised. “This is who you’re meant to be.”

Across the room, Caleb Crescent Fang moved through the crowd with quiet confidence, pulling others into his orbit.

Kai had learned the favored alpha was involved with his beta, a chosen pairing.

If there was anyone who might meet him with empathy and understanding, it had to be Caleb.

Before Kai realized it, his feet were carrying him forward.

“Alpha Caleb.” He approached carefully. “Got a moment?”

Caleb smiled, inclining his head. “Of course.”

In a quieter corner, Kai found himself voicing the questions that had plagued him since the summit review.

He hadn’t planned this conversation, but something about Caleb’s calm demeanor compelled honesty.

The words tumbled out—his curiosity about Crescent Fang’s traditions, his desperate need to understand how someone could choose love over fate.

When he finally asked the question that had been burning in his chest—what would happen when Caleb found his fated—Caleb’s answer wasn’t the clear guidance Kai had hoped for.

There was no confirmation that fate was the correct path or if it would be okay to blow up his life to have the love he’d chosen.

Instead, the young alpha spoke of building something sacred through choice, of wolves accepting each other, of trusting Selene to value love as much as destiny.

The stark difference between Caleb’s situation and his own felt insurmountable. Caleb and Asher’s wolves encouraged their bond, supported their choice. Orion’s vehement opposition to Ava and his yearning for Lena made everything infinitely more complicated.

“Kai.” His father’s deep voice cut through the moment.

Darius approached, nodding at Caleb with a firm smile, offering apologies for the intrusion and asking to speak to Kai alone

Kai shot Caleb a grateful look, though frustration gnawed at him. He’d been so close to understanding, to finding a path forward that didn’t require destroying everything he held dear. Now, bracing for another contentious discussion with his father, he felt more lost than ever.

Caleb’s words about facing the future together echoed in Kai’s mind as he trailed his father to the lobby. Though laughter and conversation spilled from the banquet hall, it felt distant, muted by the charged silence stretching between him and Darius.

They came to a stop by the tall windows. Moonlight carved sharp angles across the alpha’s face as he turned, but his expression softened in a way Kai hadn’t witnessed in years.

“Kai,” Darius’s tone lacked its usual edge. “I want you to know how proud I am of you.”