Chapter 16 THE WOLF'S WRATH
The world tilted as Kael’s knees hit the ground. The blow had come from behind, sharp and unrelenting. Pain burst across the back of his skull, spreading like wildfire down his spine. His vision blurred, darkness creeping at the edges.
Through the fading haze, he heard the faint sound of Adam’s broken whisper.
“Kael…”
He wanted to answer. Wanted to tell him it was fine. But before he could, another strike landed, harder. The weapon was a thick iron rod that cracked against his shoulder this time, sending a jolt through his entire body.
And then, he saw who's wielding the weapon…
Marcus.
Adam’s father.
Standing there, panting heavily, eyes wide with fury and fear, both hands gripping the metal rod. His expression was twisted; like a man cornered by his own darkness.
“You filthy beast,” Marcus hissed. “You think you can walk into my house and corrupt my son?!”
Kael blinked slowly, fighting the blackness clouding his mind. His wolf roared within him, clawing, raging, demanding to be set free.
Another hit. The sound was sickening. Metal against bone.
That was the last strike Kael’s body could take before the wolf broke through.
A low, animalistic growl tore from his chest: deep, resonant, powerful. His pupils dilated, glowing an otherworldly amber-gold that burned even in the dim light. The veins around his neck darkened as his breathing slowed to something far more controlled, far more dangerous.
His wolf had surfaced.
Not a full shift; his body remained human, but everything else changed. The energy that radiated off him thickened the air itself. His voice when he finally spoke was layered, deeper, edged with something primal.
“You made a mistake.”
Marcus froze mid-step, confusion flickering across his face just before Kael turned around fully. His movement was too fluid, too precise; predator fast.
Before Marcus could even lift the rod again, Kael’s hand shot out, catching it mid-swing. The iron crumpled under his grip like paper.
“Take this as a warning …” the wolf growled through Kael’s lips, his eyes blazing. “…never touch what’s mine.”
He struck.
One hit and Marcus flew back, crashing into the wooden shelves with a thud that shook the entire storage room. Another hit followed before the man could recover, Kael’s fist connecting with his jaw so hard the sound echoed.
Marcus coughed, spat blood, and still tried to crawl toward the door. “S-stop—please—”
But Kael was past hearing. The wolf’s fury rolled off him in waves, thickening the air with power. The scent of dominance and rage filled every corner of the room.
The noise drew someone closer. From the hallway, Adam's mother appeared, walking into a scene that made her eyes widen with horror.
“Marcus—!”
But the moment she stepped into the threshold, she collapsed to her knees, clutching her throat. Kael’s pheromones hit her like a wall. Blood trickled from her nose as she gasped for air, choking against the oppressive pheromones flooding the air.
Kael didn’t even look at her. His focus stayed fixed on the man writhing beneath his boots.
Marcus tried to raise his hands in defense. “I—He’s not—You don’t understand—”
“I understand enough,” Kael snarled. His voice was unrecognizable now. “You chained him. You made him bleed. You hurt my mate.”
He grabbed Marcus by the collar and slammed him once more against the floorboards. The wood cracked beneath the impact.
The mother screamed, voice thin and raw. “Please—he didn’t mean to—!”
Kael’s glowing eyes finally flicked toward her, silencing her instantly. “You both knew,” he said, his tone quiet, dangerous. “You knew what he is. And you hurt him anyway.”
Marcus whimpered beneath him, trembling as Kael’s shadow loomed over him. For a moment, the wolf considered ending it; snapping the man’s neck and being done with it. It would’ve been easy. Too easy.
But then Adam whimpered softly behind him, the faint, broken sound pulling Kael’s attention like gravity.
His gaze softened instantly. The rage didn’t vanish, but it turned into something else. Something protective.
He released Marcus, letting the man crumple to the floor, half-conscious and bleeding. Then Kael turned back to Adam.
He gently crouched beside Adam, eyes glowing faintly as he brushed Adam’s face. The boy was burning up; sweat slicking his pale skin, his breathing uneven.
“Mate…” the wolf murmured softly, reverently, as though the word itself was sacred.
Then, carefully, Kael lifted Adam into his arms. He stood, his posture straight, his movements eerily calm for someone whose aura still trembled with fury. The mother watched from the corner, shaking violently, her face streaked with tears and blood.
“Tell your gods,” the wolf said, pausing briefly at the doorway, his voice echoing through the walls, “that he’s mine now.”
And then, without another glance, he carried Adam out of the house.
The night swallowed them both.
Kael reached his car, placed Adam gently on the passenger seat, and started the engine. The drive back to the pack was silent except for the sound of Adam’s shallow breathing. Each breath seemed to break something inside him.
He didn’t bother slowing down. His entire being pulsed with urgency. The wolf’s instincts guided his hands until they arrived at the pack house, headlights cutting through the fog like blades.
As soon as the car stopped, Kael got out, opened the door, and lifted Adam again. The young man was limp in his arms, murmuring incoherently.
“Almost there,” Kael whispered, his voice breaking slightly, the wolf’s tone beginning to fade. “Hold on, Adam. Please.”
Every guard and servant they passed bowed instantly, some flinching at the lingering pheromones that still radiated power and warning. But Kael didn’t speak to anyone. He stormed straight to his private chamber, his bare feet echoing against the marble floors.
Inside, the wolf laid Adam carefully on the bed. For a moment, Kael just stood there, chest rising and falling rapidly, his glowing eyes softening as the primal energy started to recede.
Then, slowly, the glow faded. The color of his eyes returned to normal. His voice, when he spoke again, was human once more; rough, broken, raw.
“Thank you,” he whispered to the wolf within, his hand trembling as he brushed the sweat from Adam’s forehead. “I’ll take it from here.”
His body ached from the earlier hits, but that pain was nothing compared to the ache in his chest.
The wolf retreated quietly, leaving Kael fully in control again. And suddenly, the exhaustion hit him like a tidal wave. His head pounded from the impact, and the adrenaline drained out of him all at once.
But his attention stayed fixed on Adam…on his flushed cheeks, his half-lidded eyes, the soft, pained sounds that escaped his lips.
“Adam,” Kael whispered, gently shaking his shoulder. “Wake up, please.”
The young man stirred faintly, but his eyes didn’t focus. His breathing hitched, a soft whimper escaping him as though caught in a nightmare.
Kael’s heart twisted painfully.
He could smell the faint traces of chemicals on Adam’s skin. Suppressants. They must have been giving him doses—enough to weaken his body, enough to numb his instincts.
Kael’s jaw clenched. His hands shook as he brushed a stray strand of hair from Adam’s forehead.
“Why would they do this to you?” he whispered hoarsely. “Why would anyone—”
His voice broke completely. He swallowed hard, blinking away the tears that burned his eyes.
“How many times…” Kael’s voice was barely a whisper now, trembling with helpless rage and pain. “…how many times do I have to watch you on the brink of death, Adam?”
The only reply was Adam’s soft, uneven breathing.
Kael bowed his head beside him, his tears falling onto the bedsheet as his tears flowed freely.
The Alpha was wailing in distress for the first time in his life… for the fragile, unconscious human who’d somehow become his entire world.