Chapter 109 SAVE HIS MATE
Kael froze mid-step. He felt something, he heard something…
Mate.
The scream echoed through Kael’s mind and immediately unsettled him. Every nerve in his body bristled. Adam. His mate. In pain and helpless. His mate is in distress.
Kael froze mid-step, eyes narrowing, nostrils flaring. The scent of Adam’s fear, pain, and panic burned in his senses. For a heartbeat, nothing else existed. Then the growl of Ryn, deep and fierce, rumbled in his mind. Mate.
His hand tightened around the hilt of his knife. Rowan’s voice broke through, calm but firm. “Let’s keep moving.”
Kael’s jaw clenched. He turned back to Thorne, who stumbled nervously ahead. “We’re near the fortress. Please, let me go back from here,” Thorne said quickly, eyes flicking toward Kael.
Kael didn’t respond. Every step forward was calculated, fueled by anger and desperation. Adam’s voice had called to him. That was all his focus is on.
Rowan spoke again, sharper this time. “You’re taking us to the fortress, not near it.”
Thorne swallowed hard and nodded, stumbling slightly as he continued walking. The first walls of Darius’s fortress rose before them, jagged and massive, dark stone lit with torchlight that glinted off the moat. Kael’s senses flared— every nerve screaming for him to rush, to hunt, to kill.
A massive beast suddenly leapt from the shadows. Dax reacted instantly, springing forward and shifting mid-air into wolf form. His claws sank into the creature’s throat, teeth tearing, ripping. The beast collapsed in a heap.
Thorne’s lips twisted in grim amusement. “You sure breed strong blood. Almost amazing how easy it is for him to tear through Darius’s expensive creature.”
Rowan’s voice was cold, precise. “Unlike your pack, we keep our blood pure. We mate within. We also don’t crossbreed our pups into questionable beings.”
Kael didn’t respond. His mind only held Adam.
Thorne’s voice lowered. “We’re here. We can’t go in through the main entrance. You won’t fight your way through. You’ll have to figure out how to get in.”
Rowan leaned close to Kael, whispering urgently. “Alpha, we need to sneak in. And we can’t do that if your pheromones keep wilding. Try to mask it.”
Kael’s eyes narrowed, his jaw tight. “I can’t. Ryn won’t loosen up. It’s taking everything in me to hold myself from becoming a mindless beast.”
The wolf growled in his mind, louder than ever. Mate.
Rowan asked cautiously, “Do you feel your mate’s presence in there?”
“Yes,” Kael growled, voice low. His eyes scanned the fortress walls, every window, every torch.
“Then give the order.” Rowan said, straighten his stance.
Kael raised his head, voice booming across the clearing. “We’re going in.”
Thorne hesitated, mouth opening to protest. Kael’s knife flicked, stopping him. “After you,” Kael said coldly.
Thorne led the way through a side gate, Dax flanking him. Kael and Rowan followed silently behind. Dax and Rowan moved like shadows, cutting the throats of guards before they could notice the intrusion. Kael’s feet barely touched the ground; he felt almost as if he floated, each step carrying him closer to Adam.
Inside a small, doorless room, Thorne whispered, “You can go on without me from here, I'm not of much use to you now. I don’t know exactly where your mate is, but I’m certain Vance and Darius are in the fortress.”
Kael’s gaze locked on him. “You can’t go anywhere until we are sure you didn’t lead us into a trap.”
Thorne bowed his head. “I swear on my entire being.”
Kael’s dark eyes bored into him. “I don’t care about your entire being. You’ll be free when I see my mate.”
Thorne nodded quickly. Kael turned and stepped out. Rowan and Dax flanked him as they moved deeper into the fortress. Kael inhaled, scenting for Adam. Scenting for the faint, but unmistakable scent Adam carried since he became pregnant.
Guards appeared seemingly from nowhere, drawn by Kael’s intense presence, his pheromones radiating like a storm. Dax and Rowan intercepted them, silent and deadly, cutting throats and snapping necks. Kael didn’t falter. He created an almost invisible barrier around himself, ignoring the clash behind him. His focus was singular: Adam.
The cries grew louder, piercing Kael’s mind. He ran. Faster than any human could follow, up a long stairway, into a longer corridor. The corridor narrowed. The walls pressed in. Then a door appeared at the end, Adam’s voice screaming from behind it.
Kael didn’t hesitate. He kicked it open.
The door wasn’t locked.
Inside, the sight drove his wolf wild.
Vance’s large frame pressed down against Adam’s smaller body. Adam’s cries echoed off the walls. Vance's tongue slid across Adam's neck as he kept licking off the blood that won't stop oozing.
Kael moved as one with the storm inside him. He slammed into Vance, hurling him across the room. Vance crashed against a wall, hitting hard.
Kael’s eyes burned. He grabbed Adam, pulling him up. His mate’s neck bled. Adam’s small body trembled in his arms.
Vance rose quickly, voice sharp. “Stay away. He’s mine now.”
Kael’s growl rolled like thunder. “In your darkest nightmare.”
He hit Vance, fist colliding with shoulder and ribs. Vance stumbled, growled, and drew his knife. Without hesitation, he stabbed Kael in the chest.
“How slow of you,” Vance snarled. “You come three days late. He bears my mark now. He belongs to me.”
Kael’s wolf erupted. Ryn surged through him, claws forming, muscles growing. He towered over Vance, the room shrinking beneath his feral presence.
His claws dug into Vance’s throat, ready to tear him apart.
But Adam’s weak cry broke through the storm.
Kael froze for a split second. Adam. Not Vance.
With a forceful push, he threw Vance across the room. Vance hit the floor hard, blood seeping from torn skin and throat.
Kael spun, body tense, eyes burning with rage. He lifted Adam into his arms. The mate’s small, trembling form pressed against him. His wolf snarled, growling deep and protective.
Kael’s steps were measured but fast as he headed for the exit, heart pounding in sync with Adam’s shallow breaths.
Then movement at the doorway halted his steps.
Darius.
The Alpha King of Star Moon, standing tall, blocking their path.
Kael’s nostrils flared. The beast inside him roared. The fortress suddenly felt smaller, every shadow a threat.
“Isn't it rude and uncultured of an Alpha like you, a man of eminent standing, to break in?” Darius asked, his gaze fixed on Adam instead of Kael.
“You could have asked for an invite, or just walk in through the front door.”
Adam whimpered, pressed by the dominance radiating off both Alphas.