Page 44 of Fated (The Bonded Legacy #1)

CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE

KAI

K ai woke to the afternoon sun streaming through the heavy curtains of his guest suite in the Moonshadow packhouse.

A dull, insistent pain throbbed beneath his sternum with each heartbeat.

He eased himself onto his back, groaning as his stiff muscles protested the movement.

He ran a hand down his face, trying to rub away the fog of his restless, dreamless sleep.

Even now, as the sun moved closer to the horizon, the emptiness lingered.

He felt like Sisyphus rolling a boulder uphill only to have it crush him beneath its weight, shoulders bowing in an endless cycle.

He knew he needed to move, to do something, anything, to pull himself out of this spiral.

But how could he take that first step when Lena’s wounded eyes haunted his memories, his pack waited for an heir who was less certain with each passing day, and Ava’s voice echoed endlessly with promises made and broken?

For now, he just needed to quiet the storm in his mind.

He swung his legs over the side of the bed, stretching sore muscles and grabbed a pair of sweats. He didn’t bother with a shirt, letting the cool air hit his skin as he padded barefoot to the door.

Opening it cautiously, he peered into the hallway, muscles tensed for quick retreat. The last thing he wanted was to face Lena’s disappointment. Or worse, Cian and Raelen’s protective glares. He couldn’t handle another confrontation—not yet.

The house was quiet as he made his way downstairs, each step echoing faintly in the stillness.

Reaching the back door, he slipped outside, the crisp afternoon air soothing his frayed nerves.

The tree line loomed ahead, a dark silhouette against the orange glow of the sky.

Without hesitation, Kai crossed the yard, steps quickening as he neared the forest.

At the edge of the trees, he stripped out of his sweats, leaving them folded neatly on a low-hanging branch.

Taking a deep breath, he shifted, the familiar rush of energy coursing through him as his body transformed.

When he landed on four paws, Orion’s presence surged to the forefront of his mind—not overwhelming but integrating, their separate awareness melding into something that felt like bedrock beneath shifting sands.

His wolf’s massive form cast a long shadow, black fur rippling with hints of silver that caught the sunlight. Refined instinct held his raw power in check beneath his thick coat as Orion’s emerald eyes, keen and alert, took in their surroundings with predatory grace.

The forest welcomed him, its earthy scents and soft sounds calming the chaos in his mind.

The wind whispered through the trees, carrying the faint scent of pine and moss, and for the first time in what felt like weeks, Kai felt the tightness in his chest ease.

He took his time, paws crunching against the underbrush as he allowed himself to simply be.

He surrendered to Orion’s instincts, their shared body navigating between Moonshadow’s towering pines with a certainty that transcended territory—wolf knowledge overriding human hesitation with each powerful leap.

These weren’t his lands, yet his wolf moved with unexpected familiarity.

The boundaries that consumed human politics dissolved beneath paws that recognized the larger truth—all wolves descended from Selene’s first children.

The world blurred. His muscles burned—purging, cleansing.

Moonshadow patrol scents drifted on the wind, clear but unthreatening.

For the first time, Kai didn’t feel like an intruder here but a welcomed ally.

Every leap and turn freed him from worry—borders, politics, and romantic entanglements dissolving beneath his paws.

He wasn’t running from anything anymore; he was running toward something—toward understanding, toward connection.

His father had often spoken of the responsibility that came with alliances.

Only now did Kai begin to grasp what that truly meant: not just formal agreements between alphas, but the weaving together of pack destinies.

Eventually, he found himself in the Moonshadow ritual grounds. The sacred space pulsed with a soothing yet powerful energy, calling to him like a forgotten melody. He padded to the center and lay down, soft grass cooling his paws as the place’s aura washed over him.

Emptying his mind of tomorrow’s contingencies and yesterday’s regrets, Kai’s heartbeat slowed to match the ancient rhythm of the forest. Silence filled his ears like water, drowning out even the whisper of his own thoughts.

Minutes passed, or maybe an hour—he couldn’t tell. Then, Orion’s voice rippled across their shared consciousness like a pebble skipping water.

“Kai.”

Kai closed his eyes, allowing the connection to deepen. “I’m here.”

Orion’s presence was strong, but not demanding—a marked difference from the tension that had characterized their bond for months. “This place... It humbles me. The power here is a reminder of what we’ve forgotten. Of what Selene once adored in us.”

Kai swallowed hard, the verity of Orion’s words resonating deep within him.

“Orion...I can’t keep fighting this war within myself.

Every time I reach for Lena, Ava’s memory pulls me back.

When I honor Ava, our bond with Lena strains.

My heart’s divided into territories neither side can fully claim, and I don’t know how to find peace between them. ”

Orion was silent for a long moment before replying, “You fight because you don’t have choice. I understand now. Ava was yours . Your choice.”

Something constricted in his windpipe, making each swallow an effort. Behind closed eyelids, Lena’s face appeared—chin lifted as she faced her father, voice steady as she spoke Kai’s truth when he couldn’t find the words himself.

“The only person who seems to care about what I want, who listens to my heart, is Lena.”

Orion’s voice softened, carrying tenderness Kai hadn’t felt from him in a long time. “Lena is special. Our Goddess chose well. I won’t push anymore, but know her, Kai. See her . Not just the bond.”

Warmth flooded Kai’s chest, replacing the familiar hollow with unexpected fullness. For the first time since Ava’s eighteenth birthday, he and Orion breathed as one.

“Thank you, Orion. For this. For everything.”

Orion’s voice faded, leaving Kai alone in the quiet of the ritual grounds.

He stayed a while longer, letting the stillness settle him.

When he finally rose, his movements were lighter, more purposeful.

The coiled springs between his shoulder blades unwound one by one as his spine straightened with newfound resolve.

The run back to the pack house felt different—less like an escape and more like a return.

Orion’s paws struck the earth with renewed confidence, each stride carrying Kai closer to something that felt like clarity.

As he neared the edge of the trees, waning sunlight caught his fur, turning the black to midnight blue and making the silver highlights shimmer like starlight.

He shifted back into his human form as he reached the tree line, pulling on his sweats before slipping through the packhouse’s back door. He made it to his suite without encountering anyone, closing the door behind him with a relieved sigh.

Sitting on the edge of the bed, Kai grabbed his phone.

His thumb hovered over his father’s contact, each second stretching as memories flashed—Darius’s proud smile at his first shift, the hardening of his expression when Kai mentioned Ava’s name, the disappointment etched in the lines of his face when they left the summit.

With a steadying breath, Kai opened the messaging app instead, still needing to say the words.

Words he’d swallowed down at every family dinner, bitten back during every argument, choked on through every disappointed look from his father.

Words that had grown heavier with each passing moon until they threatened to suffocate him from within.

He pressed the record button, voice quiet but steady as he began to speak.

“Dad... I know I’ve disappointed you. And I know I’ve fought you every step of the way, but I need you to know that I’m trying.

I feel the bond—it’s unlike anything I could have expected.

It’s powerful, overwhelming, like it’s been stitched into the very fabric of my soul.

” He rubbed his chest feeling the steady hum of the mating bond flare in acknowledgement.

“But even with it...Ava holds my heart. She’s still there, Dad. ”

His voice cracked, the sound raking his throat like gravel, but he swallowed the rising heat behind his eyes and pushed forward.

“Everyone—Selene, you, even Orion—consistently dismisses my feelings, my love. Telling me that Ava isn’t right for me, that loving her is wrong.

The only person who hasn’t, who’s even tried to understand, is Lena. ”

Kai exhaled shakily, chest aching with the difficulty of his confession. “I don’t know how this will all work out, but I need you to know that I love you. I’ve always loved you and I’m sorry.”

He ended the recording and hit send, watching as the message was marked delivered. Minutes passed. Then a half hour. Nothing.

Each passing moment without response tightened the knot in his stomach.

His father’s silence still pressed against his chest like a physical weight, but the pressure felt different now—less suffocating.

Darius was a proud male, their relationship a tangle of expectations and disappointments, but the words were out there now, hanging in the digital space between them—the first thread in a severed connection.

Kai rose, his resolve strengthened by the communion he’d shared with Orion.

He felt the familiar heft of responsibility settling differently as he stood—not as a burden, but as something he might finally be ready to carry.

The reflection in his mirror showed someone changed, even if subtly.

His emerald eyes held a new steadiness, and the tension that had been etched into his features had softened into something more contemplative.

The sound of warriors training caught his attention as he stepped outside into the Moonshadow courtyard.

Wolves from a pack not his own, yet somehow familiar in their movements and discipline.

These were Lena’s people—the ones she’d grown up with, trained with.

Understanding them might be the first step to understanding her.

He made his way to the training field, watching as the warriors paired off in practiced formations. Their fighting style differed from Bloodstone’s—more fluid, less direct—but the underlying principles remained the same. Pack strength. Unity. Protection.

A few warriors glanced his way, expressions a mixture of curiosity and wariness. He was, after all, an alpha-heir from another territory—a visitor whose presence carried significance beyond himself. Once, that recognition would have made him turn away. Now, it drew him forward.

“Need a sparring partner?” a sandy-haired warrior asked, shifting his weight forward, stance relaxed but ready. Kai recognized him as one of the wolves that had greeted them at the gate when they arrived in Moonshadow.

“I’d appreciate that,” Kai rolled his shoulders and stepped into the ring. “I’m Kai. Lena’s mate,” he said, extending a hand. The title fell naturally from his lips. Orion’s approval vibrated through his ribcage, a bass note of satisfaction rumbling beneath his human words.

“Holden,” the male responded with a firm shake. “And I know who you are. Regional royalty staking claim on our alpha’s daughter doesn’t go unnoticed.” Holden stepped back, quirking an assessing brow. “Let’s see if the proverbial Prince of the Pacific Northwest deserves to fight at Lena’s side.”

Kai snorted at the nickname but delighted in the challenge of proving himself beyond his bloodline. The essence flowing through his muscles felt different now. Not desperate or angry. Focused. Clear.

A good fight might burn off residual energy from his run, but as he squared off against the Moonshadow warrior, he realized it meant more. This wasn’t just about physical exertion—it was about engagement. About stepping into spaces that would one day bridge their two packs.

Every movement felt like progress toward the wolf he needed to become, the alpha his pack deserved.

And maybe, toward the mate Lena saw in him all along.