Chapter 15 MATE IN DISTRESS
Kael’s POV
The pack house was quiet when I finally returned. The moon hung high, its silver light bleeding through the glass windows as I stepped inside. I could still smell the pinewood smoke from the hearth. It should’ve been comforting, familiar… but it wasn’t. My chest felt too tight. Something inside me was off, restless.
As soon as I entered my chamber, I unbuttoned my coat and let it drop across the chair. I barely had time to breathe before there was a knock on my door.
“Come in,” I said, though my voice came out lower, rougher than usual.
My Beta, Rowan, stepped in. Behind him, a faint scent of concern mixed with exhaustion. “Alpha, the family of the scout killed by the Star Moon Pack came by earlier,” he began, bowing his head slightly. “They seek answers… and compensation. I told them you would see them first thing in the morning.”
I turned to him slowly. My mind should’ve been focused, this was serious, and I knew it. But the moment he started talking, my wolf stirred violently beneath my skin. My pulse quickened.
“Alpha?” Rowan’s tone was cautious now. “Should I prepare the—”
“I can’t focus right now,” I cut in sharply.
Rowan’s brows drew together. “Is something wrong?”
I didn’t answer. The room suddenly felt smaller, my breaths coming faster. There was a faint ringing in my ears, then a single word started pulsing through my head like a drumbeat.
Mate.
Over and over.
My wolf’s voice, low and guttural, growling from the deepest parts of me.
My chest constricted. The pull in my chest, toward Adam, was undeniable now. Something was wrong with him. I could feel it. His fear, his panic… it wasn’t a simple unease. It was distress.
Mate. Go. Now.
The word was no longer a whisper. It was a command.
I didn’t wait. I brushed past Rowan, ignoring his startled call behind me. “Kael! Where are you going?”
“To handle something more important,” I muttered, my voice edged with an Alpha growl that made him step back. I didn’t even stop to grab my coat. The door slammed behind me, echoing down the hall as I stormed out.
By the time I reached my car, my hands were trembling from the effort of holding back the shift. The wolf wanted out… wanted to tear through anyone standing between me and Adam. I started the car, pressed down on the accelerator, and the tires screeched against the gravel.
The night air was cold, but I was burning. Every passing mile tightened the link between us. My senses sharpened. His scent… faint but present—salt and warmth and something uniquely him. But it was coated now in fear.
Something’s wrong. Someone hurt him.
My grip on the steering wheel tightened until it cracked slightly beneath my fingers.
The closer I got to his house, the worse the pull became. My wolf snarled in my head, restless, protective, violent. The moment I turned into the narrow street that led to his home, the scent of anger and human hostility hit me like a wall.
I parked down the road, hidden beneath the shadows of the trees, and slipped out silently. I didn’t bother locking the door. I moved like a ghost; quiet, purposeful.
The house was dimly lit. From the outside, it looked like any other quiet human home. But the distress scent leaking through the cracks of the walls said otherwise. I could hear muffled voices from inside— a man and a woman arguing softly. My hearing sharpened, catching fragments of their words.
“…he is an Alpha,” the man said, voice low but firm.
I froze.
My blood turned cold.
How would they know that?
The woman scoffed. “He was off guard if he was really laying down, you could've done something. I'm just begging you not to let this get out of our control.”
“Did you miss the part where I said I couldn't get close enough?” The man replied, his tone dark. “His pheromones were everywhere. I could smell it the moment I stepped a little close to the car. If I’d gone any nearer, he would’ve attacked. And I've injected the boy, calm down already.”
My teeth clenched hard.
I didn’t wait to hear the rest. I moved through the side of the house, my footsteps silent as I followed the pull… down a narrow hall, toward a door tucked behind the kitchen. The closer I got, the stronger Adam’s scent became… but it was laced with sweat and distress.
When I reached the door, the metallic tang of iron hit my senses. My wolf went feral inside me. Chains. They’d chained him.
I didn’t think. I kicked the door open, wood splintering under my boot.
The dim light from the hallway fell into the room, revealing him; curled up on the cold floor, wrists bound in heavy chains, eyes glazed and unfocused.
“Adam…”
He flinched at the sound of my voice, then blinked rapidly, as though trying to recognize me. “K… Kael?” His voice trembled, weak.
I was already kneeling beside him, my fingers burning against the cold metal as I tore at the chains. The iron hissed faintly against my skin, but I didn’t care. “I’m here,” I murmured, voice trembling between fury and worry. “You’re safe now.”
He whimpered softly, trying to speak again, but his words came out slurred and broken. “They… they said… Alpha…”
“I know,” I whispered, my jaw tight. “Don’t talk. I’ll get you out.”
The chains clattered to the ground one by one. His wrists were red and bruised beneath them. I gathered him into my arms carefully, feeling the heat of his skin, the trembling of his body. He leaned into me instinctively, his heartbeat rapid against my chest.
“Kael…” he murmured again, his voice fading.
“I’ve got you,” I promised. My voice cracked slightly as I brushed his hair away from his face. “I’ll never let them hurt you again.”
My wolf purred under my skin, relieved but still raging, demanding retribution. Whoever did this—whoever dared to touch him—would regret it.
I was just about to lift him when—
Thud!
A sharp, heavy pain exploded at the back of my skull. My vision flickered white for a second. I stumbled forward slightly, clutching Adam tighter instinctively. The metallic scent of blood filled the air.
What the—
Another hit. Harder this time. The world spun violently around me. My knees hit the floor, and I tasted iron on my tongue.
I tried to turn, tried to see who was behind me, but my sight was already dimming. All I could think about was Adam, still trembling in my arms. His faint whimper reached me through the ringing in my ears.
“Kael…”
I forced my eyes open one last time, but everything blurred together; the dim light, the shape of a shadow behind me, the echo of footsteps… before darkness swallowe
d me whole.
And the last thing I heard was my wolf’s furious growl echoing in my mind—
Protect Mate.