Chapter 27 THE WOLF'S PRESENCE
The kiss kept replaying in Adam's head, refusing to leave him alone.
Even in sleep, it returned to him again and again: Kael’s warm mouth on his, the way Kael whispered “baby” against his throat, the dizzying heat that had spread through his chest like liquid fire. It filled his dreams, soft and overwhelming, until the whole world felt like Kael’s breath against his lips.
But when morning came, Adam did not wake up warm or cozy or floating in that memory.
He woke up sick.
Pain slammed into his body before he could even open his eyes… a heavy, crushing wave that made his breath shudder out of him. His spine felt like it was burning from the inside. His fingers shook uncontrollably. His head pounded like someone was hitting him with a hammer over and over.
His veins rose under his skin, dark and swollen.
Adam gasped, trying to sit up… and failed.
Something was wrong. Very, very wrong.
He opened his eyes, and the room twisted sharply. Colors warped. Floors bent. Light pulsed like it was alive. And then, for a second, he saw himself. Not in the mirror but in his mind.
He saw his body distort.
Saw claws instead of fingers.
Saw eyes glowing with something not human.
Saw a shape that felt like him… but wasn’t him.
A broken cry tore from his throat.
“Kael— Kael!” he forced out, voice cracking. “Kael!”
The door burst open immediately.
Kael rushed in barefoot, shirtless, hair messy, but eyes wide with fear. He crossed the room in two steps and dropped beside Adam on the bed.
“Adam, sweetheart… hey, look at me.” Kael cupped his face gently, trying to make him focus. “Talk to me. What’s hurting?”
Adam couldn’t answer. Pain ripped through his spine again and he arched off the bed, choking on a breath. His hands grabbed Kael’s shoulders without thinking, nails digging in. His skin felt too tight for his body. Too hot. Too wrong.
Kael’s heart slammed in his chest at the sight.
“Adam, love, breathe… follow my voice, okay? I’m here.” His hands shook as he brushed back Adam’s sweat-soaked hair.
But Adam wasn't listening, he was far from present.
Adam’s eyes snapped open,
and they were not his eyes.
For one split second, they flashed a bright, unnatural color; sharp, animal-like, glowing. Not human.
Kael swallowed.
Adam’s breath stopped.
Then, as quickly as it appeared, the color vanished and his eyes returned to normal; exhausted, terrified, tearful…
“I–I don’t— I don’t know what’s happening,” Adam gasped, chest lifting too fast. “Kael, something’s wrong— something’s inside me— something’s—” His voice broke. “I saw myself— Kael, I saw myself and I wasn’t— I wasn’t—”
His whole body trembled violently.
Kael wrapped his arms around him instantly, pulling him close, holding him against his chest as if he could shield him from his own skin.
“Hey, hey… shh. Adam, listen to me. You’re okay.” Kael pressed his cheek against Adam’s forehead. His voice was soft but firm, the voice he used when commanding his wolf to stay calm. “You’re safe. I’m right here. Just breathe with me.”
“Kael—” Adam sobbed. “I don’t want this! I don’t want to be a monster!”
Kael’s grip tightened.
“Don’t say that,” he whispered fiercely, kissing the side of Adam’s head. “You’re not a monster. Not even close.”
But Adam only shook, his breaths turning into sharp, panicked gasps. He clung to Kael like he was the only thing stopping him from falling apart.
Kael’s chest ached at the sight; at the pain twisting Adam’s features, at the tears slipping down his cheeks. His wolf clawed inside him, desperate to protect, to soothe, to hold.
Kael placed a soft kiss on the top of Adam’s head.
Then another.
And another.
“Sweetheart… darling… my love…” Kael whispered each word slowly, gently, brushing his lips against Adam’s hair, hoping the softness would relax him. “You’re not alone. Your Alpha is here with you.”
Adam’s sobs shook harder at the tenderness.
Kael continued, his voice thick with emotion as he rocked him slightly.
“You’re my dearest darling… my beautiful mate… my love… my heartbeat… my absolute favorite…” He kissed Adam’s temple. “Sweetheart… look at me.”
Adam forced his eyes open, vision blurry.
Kael wiped his tears with his thumbs.
“You’re safe in my arms,” Kael whispered. “Nothing about you scares me. Nothing about you is wrong. You’re mine, Adam… and there is nothing in this world you could turn into that would make me let go.”
Adam broke again, burying his face in Kael’s shoulder, fingers gripping him like a desperate anchor.
Kael held him through every tremble, every tear, every pained breath. He kept whispering soft words, brushing his thumb over Adam’s jaw, kissing any spot he could reach without overwhelming him.
Minutes passed.
Slowly, Adam’s shaking eased.
His breathing leveled out.
The warmth of Kael’s body steadied him, grounding him.
The pain didn’t disappear, but the terror faded just enough for Adam to focus.
He whispered into Kael’s skin, “Why is this happening…?”
Kael pressed a gentle kiss behind his ear.
“I think your wolf is trying to wake up,” he said softly, painfully honest. “And it doesn’t know how. Not after years of being suppressed.”
Adam’s fingers tightened in Kael’s shirt.
“I don’t… I don’t want it,” he whispered, voice breaking again. “I don’t want to be something I can’t control.”
“You can control it,” Kael whispered. “And until you do, I’ll help you. Every step.”
He kissed Adam’s forehead again, lingering.
“I love you,” Kael whispered into his skin, as if it were the simplest truth. “In any form you take. And I promise you'll be alright.”
Adam closed his eyes, exhausted, heart aching at the words he wished he could believe.
Kael held him until the trembling faded to little shivers, until Adam laid against him, weak and worn-out but no longer spiraling.
Just when the room finally felt quiet…
A knock sounded at the door.
Kael stiffened and turned his head. “What is it?”
His Beta’s voice came from the hallway, tense and breathless.
“Alpha,” he said, “I just received a message from Star Moon
Pack.”
Kael’s eyes hardened.
“What do they want?”
The Beta hesitated.
“…They’re asking for a meeting,” he said. “About Adam.”