Chapter 102 ALPHA DARIUS
Blood hits the floor before Adam understands what is happening.
It spills from his mouth in a dark, thick stream, splattering against the concrete beneath the narrow bed. He coughs again, and more follows. His chest burns. His throat feels torn open.
His skin has taken on a faint blue tint, lips paling, fingers cold and trembling despite the sweat soaking through his shirt.
One of the men curses loudly.
“This is going terribly wrong!”
The other rushes forward, grabbing Adam’s jaw, forcing his mouth open to check inside. “He’s crashing. I told you forcing the extraction now was a mistake!”
Sara stands near the desk, her face no longer calm. “You’re the ones who pushed for it. I said stabilize him first!”
“Don’t blame us!” the first man snaps. “You’re the one who confirmed the pregnancy!”
“What are you even spewing? Do your job well!” Sara taunts back.
Adam tries to breathe.
Each inhale feels shallow, useless. His vision swims in and out, black spots dancing at the edges.
“If the Alpha finds out he’s dying—” the second man begins.
“He will kill us,” the first finishes, panic breaking through his voice. “He will skin us alive.”
Sara’s jaw tightens. “Then fix it!”
Another cough tears through Adam’s body. More blood stains his chin.
They all start speaking at once.
“This is Kael’s fault—”
“That bastard awakened his wolf too early—”
“The body isn’t handling the shift—”
“That arrogant bastard, who impregnates that quick?”
“Well, we have to fix this more than we have to cure that Alpha.”
Their argument rises, sharp and desperate.
Then the door suddenly opens.
The sound alone is enough to silence them.
Bootsteps echo across the concrete floor, slow and deliberate.
Vance enters first.
He looks composed as always, dark clothes neat, expression unreadable.
Behind him walks another man.
He is taller and broader. Power rolls off him like heat from fire.
A long scar cuts across his forehead, pale against his skin. It does nothing to ruin his appearance. If anything, it makes him look more dangerous.
Alpha Darius Wenlock.
The Alpha Leader of Star Moon pack.
The room changes with his presence.
The two men drop to their knees instantly. Sara follows a heartbeat later.
“Alpha,” they say together, heads bowed.
Darius’s gaze sweeps over the room, then settles on Adam’s trembling body.
“How difficult,” he says slowly, voice deep and controlled, “is it for you incompetent fools to get things done without being sloppy?”
No one answers.
The air feels tight.
Adam’s body jerks again with a weak cough.
Darius’s eyes narrow.
“If anything happens to him,” Darius continues, stepping closer to the bed, “you will pay dearly.”
The two men press their foreheads to the floor. “Please, Alpha. Mercy.”
Darius ignores them.
His hand shoots out suddenly, grabbing Sara by the hair. He drags her upright with a sharp yank.
She gasps but doesn’t resist.
“You’ve done well so far,” Darius says coldly, his fingers still tangled in her hair. “Do not lose your merit now.”
“Yes, Alpha,” Sara replies immediately, eyes lowered.
He releases her, and she stumbles back to her knees.
Vance steps closer to the bed, studying Adam carefully.
“Find a way to stabilize him,” Vance says calmly. “Quit trying to take out the pup for now. Focus on getting his wolf back down. His body will respond better when he’s strong.”
The two men nod quickly. “Yes, sir.”
Adam hears the words, but they feel distant.
His wolf.
The pounding in his head returns at the mention of it, sharp and blinding. Something inside him is restless, pushing against his bones, clawing for space.
Darius and Vance move toward a small table in the corner of the room. They sit as if this is nothing more than a routine meeting.
The two kneeling men rush to gather supplies— more syringes, cloths, small glass bottles.
One presses a cold cloth to Adam’s forehead. Another adjusts something on his arm.
Darius crosses one leg over the other, posture relaxed.
“Has Kael made any move yet?” he asks.
Vance leans back slightly in his chair. “No. He must be wallowing in self-pity.”
A faint smirk touches Darius’s lips. “Do not underestimate him.”
“I don’t,” Vance replies evenly. “But he’s only powerful within his pack. He knows better than to cross over into our territory.”
Darius taps a finger lightly against the table. “Grief makes men reckless.”
“Recklessness would serve us,” Vance says. “If he attacks without proof, he isolates himself from his allies.”
Darius nods once.
Adam’s breathing turns ragged again.
One of the men injects something into his arm.
His body jerks violently.
The headache sharpens, then shifts into something else… like pressure building deep in his chest.
“His wolf is fighting,” one of the men mutters.
“Suppress it,” the other snaps.
Another needle.
Another wave of dizziness.
Adam’s fingers twitch against the chains.
Somewhere inside him, something growls low but angry.
Darius’s eyes flick toward the sound, even though it never leaves Adam’s body.
“Interesting,” he murmurs.
Vance watches silently.
Adam’s skin slowly loses some of its blue tint as the medicine works through his veins. His breathing steadies slightly, though it remains shallow.
“He’s stabilizing,” one of the men says, relief creeping into his voice.
“For now,” the other adds.
Darius stands.
He approaches the bed and looks down at Adam closely.
“So this is what the little prince looks like now,” he says quietly.
Adam’s eyelids flutter weakly, but he cannot fully open them.
Darius studies his face, expression unreadable.
“You should be grateful,” Darius says softly, though Adam cannot tell if the words are meant for him or for the room. “You are more valuable alive.”
He straightens.
“Keep him breathing,” Darius orders. “I will not tolerate failure.”
“Yes, Alpha,” the room echoes.
Darius turns and walks toward the door. Vance follows.
Before stepping out, Darius pauses.
“Watch Kael,” he says without turning. “If he so much as shifts his army in our direction, I want to know.”
“It will be done,” Vance replies.
The door closes behind them.
The room feels smaller again.
The two men move around Adam carefully now, fear guiding their hands.
Sara stands near the wall, silent, watching his pale face.
Adam drifts somewhere between pain and darkness, the faint echo of a growl still vibrating inside his skull.
And far away, under a different sky, Kael searches with anger.
Unaware of how close he already is to war.