Page 59 of Fated (The Bonded Legacy #1)

He stirred, a low, groggy hum escaping him as his lashes fluttered open. His emerald eyes, heavy with sleep, blinked up at her, and a slow, lazy smile curved his lips.

“Man,” he murmured, voice husky with sleep as he threaded his fingers through hers, “seeing your face first thing in the morning is something I could get used to.”

Something fluttered behind Lena’s ribs at the warmth in his voice and heat blossomed across her cheeks. He reached for her, pulling her down beside him and wrapping his arms around her waist in a gentle yet firm embrace.

“Can we postpone our run until tonight?” he whispered into her skin, breath warm against her collarbone. “I’m interested in a different kind of morning exercise.”

A quiet laugh escaped her, tinged with regret. She wanted to stay in this moment, with his affection drowning out the unease creeping into her chest, but reality already clawed at its edges.

“I wish,” she whispered, fingers brushing against his cheek. “But you’ve been summoned to my dad’s office. It seems important.”

Kai frowned, sitting up abruptly, the warmth vanishing from his expression as confusion flickered across his features. “Do you know what it’s about?”

She shook her head, reluctant to mention Cian’s discovery. “Your dad’s been trying to reach you all night. He called mine when he couldn’t get ahold of you.”

Kai’s frown deepened, brows drawing together as he processed her words.

Lena gave his thigh a reassuring pat as she slipped off the bed. “Come on, let’s get dressed. I’ll meet you outside your room,” she said, voice soft but steady.

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 of Cian’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, growing unbearable, 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.

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.

“Kai,” Lena tried once more, tone firmer this time. “You’re scaring me!”

The words broke through the haze. His foot eased off the gas and the car slowed, though the tension in his body didn’t lessen. He still didn’t look at her, but his white-knuckled grip on the wheel loosened—just barely.

“Thank you,” she murmured, voice shaky. She turned to the window, focusing on the blurring landscape rather than Kai’s rigid profile.

As the miles stretched between them and Moonshadow, Lena’s thoughts raced, Kai’s silence cutting deeper than any words could. With each passing minute, the territory that had sheltered their growing intimacy receded behind them.

Will he let me in when we reach Bloodstone? Or will Ava’s pull be stronger than anything we’ve built?

Her fingers twisted anxiously until a gentle pressure built at the base of her skull. Elara stepped forward with a steadying presence that flowed down her spine like cool water.

“We will be here for mate,” Elara whispered. “Whatever way he will let us. Nothing more, nothing less.”

Where Lena’s thoughts spiraled in chaos, Elara’s instincts cut through with primal clarity. She unclenched and placed her palms flat against her thighs, drawing strength from her wolf’s certainty.

She prayed silently to Selene—not for Kai, but for herself. For strength to withstand his distance. For patience to wait. For wisdom to understand what he needed.

Even if it wasn’t her.

The car hit a bump. Lena glanced at Kai again—something raw and hollow flickered across his face, breaking her heart. She longed to reach for him, to wrap her pinky with his, but the wall between them felt insurmountable.

The road stretched endlessly before them, trees casting long shadows in the morning light.

Their silence grew heavier with every mile, pressing against the windows and leeching the air from the confined space.

Closing her eyes, Lena clasped her hands in her lap and sent one final prayer into the void between them.

Please, Goddess. Help me be enough.