Chapter 117: The Protector’s Choice.

Chapter 117: The Protector’s Choice.
Adam’s POV

Sitting across from Kane, I tried to catch up with his train of thought. 

Alpha? Me? Where the hell had that come from? My fingers curled around the warm mug in my hands, the scent of coffee doing little to settle the churn of confusion in my gut. Kane had tossed it out so casually, like it was the most natural thing in the world, but my mind was already rejecting the idea before it could take root.

“Kane, you’re going to have to give me more context,” I said, arching a brow at him. “Where is this coming from?”

Liam, seated to my left, scoffed and leaned back in his chair, arms crossed over his chest. The look he gave Kane was full of amusement, but when he turned to me, it was pure smugness. ‘You’re on your own, bro.’

“It’s a simple question,” Kane said, tapping his fingers against his mug as if my reaction was completely unnecessary.

I stared at him, waiting for the catch, the joke, the moment where he’d admit he was messing with me. But it never came. Instead, I glanced at Liam again, who only offered a knowing smirk. Something about that expression made my skin prickle—like he knew exactly how this conversation was going to go before I did.

I sank back in my chair, exhaling through my nose. My gaze drifted over the dimly lit kitchen, the quiet hum of the fridge the only sound as I considered my place in all of this. Me? An alpha? Technically I called myself one, as was my right having alpha blood but I would never rule a pack or give commands other to my dip chit brothers. And even then there was no promises chase would fucking listen.

Power had only ever brought me loss. My father’s greed, my uncle’s hunger for control—both had torn my life apart, left me with nothing but blood on my hands and ghosts in my shadow. I had no pack, no legacy worth passing on, no name that wasn’t tainted by the sins of those who had come before me.

“Power doesn’t interest me,” I admitted, taking a sip of my coffee. The words surprised me in their honesty, and I realized then that they had always been true. 

“Why?” Kane countered, his tone riding my last nerve. 

“I never wanted to rule. Never craved the weight of authority. I have spent my entire life on the outside looking in, and I can honestly say, I have never once thought of stepping through the doors that have always been closed to me.” I admitted, my eyes on Kane watching his features as he processed my reply. The glow behind his eyes telling me I wouldn't like what was about to spill from his lips.

“That’s exactly why you’d be perfect.” Kane watched me closely, nodding as if he had expected that answer.

“Yeah? And what exactly do you think my goal is, Kane?” I snorted. Liam shifted, his smirk deepening. He nudged me with his elbow, and I already knew whatever came out of his mouth next was going to make me want to thump him.

“You want nothing more than to protect Lottie and her babies,” he remarked, voice dripping with certainty.

“That’s your goal, right?” Kane didn’t even hesitate before finishing the thought. My fingers tensed around the mug, and I hated how predictable I had become. My silence was answer enough, but I still felt the need to scowl as I downed the rest of my coffee.

“Fuck off,” I muttered, pushing up from my seat to make myself another drink. Behind me, I could feel Kane’s eyes on me, feel the weight of whatever thought was forming in his head. I knew what he was going to say before he even opened his mouth, and yet, hearing it still made my stomach twist.

“And that, Adam… is exactly why you’d be perfect at Lottie’s side.” He pressed further. I clenched my jaw, setting my mug down with a little more force than necessary. My hands curled around the edge of the counter as I let his words settle, let them roll through my mind and sink into the places I never let myself go.

“An alpha?” Savage’s voice rumbled in my head, laced with both amusement and skepticism. “Since when do we lead, Adam? We clean up the mess. We don’t make the rules.”

“That’s exactly my point.” I exhaled slowly. 

“And yet… you don’t hate the thought, do you?” He taunted, his voice a low rumble of contemplation.

“I don’t want it.” My fingers twitched. 

“No,” Savage mused, “but you want her safe. And what better way to make sure of that than to be the one standing in front of her?” I swallowed hard, a slow realization creeping over me. If I were alpha—if I stood at her side—I could shield her from everything. No more stolen choices, no more betrayals, no more being pushed into decisions that only served other people.

“But at what cost?” I uttered, not looking for an answer, simply voicing my concerns. 

“Lottie is meant to rule. It is her birthright, her legacy. I will not take that from her. When she has lost so much already.” I finally stated as all eyes fell on me.

“You wouldn’t be taking it.” Kane's voice softened. “You’d be ensuring it. You’d be the sword at her back, the shield in front of her. Let her be the queen while you make sure no one ever touches what’s hers.”

My chest tightened.

Could I do that? Could I be more than just the man who cleaned up after the powerful? Could I stand at her side, not as her ruler, but as her protector? I turned back to Kane and Liam, my expression unreadable. 

“I wouldn’t take her place,” I announced, voice quieter now, more certain. “I wouldn’t claim what belongs to her. But if what you’re saying is that I should dedicate my life to making sure she keeps it? Then yeah. I could do that.”

“That’s what I was hoping you’d say.” Kane smiled knowingly over the rim of his coffee. The air shifted then, something colder seeping in. The hairs on the back of my neck stood on end.

Then, a voice—mocking, cruel, cutting through the kitchen like a blade.

“Always knew Lottie was a scat. So she can’t have my mates, now she’s going after the next powerful ruler… trying to bed her brother, to boot. Talk about lowest of the low.”

The room went still.

The heat of my newfound purpose turned to ice.

“Kill her.”Savage snarled in my mind.

And for once, I wasn’t about to argue.