Chapter 49 WARNING FROM AN OLD FRIEND
The meeting chamber fell silent when Vance entered. His boots clicked sharply against the polished stone floor, every step cutting through the tension that hung thick in the air. The Beta had cleared everyone out except two guards who lingered near the doors, tense and ready. Kael stood tall at the center of the room, arms folded across his chest, golden eyes tracking Vance’s approach.
Vance hadn’t changed much; still the same sharp features, the same unshakable confidence that bordered arrogance. His silver hair was tied neatly behind his neck, a black cloak draped over his shoulders. But his eyes… his eyes were colder now.
“Kael,” Vance greeted, voice smooth but lacking warmth. “It’s been a long time.”
Kael’s reply was calm, almost measured. “Not long enough.”
A faint smirk tugged at Vance’s lips. “Still proud, still stubborn. I suppose some things don’t change.”
Kael didn’t move. “You didn’t come all this way just to exchange old memories. What do you want?”
Vance’s smirk faded. “You already know.”
Kael’s silence was answer enough.
Vance sighed, pacing slowly around the chamber as though inspecting the place. “I warned Marcus this would happen. The boy’s body was never meant to function without regulation. The serum kept him alive, Kael. Kept him stable.” He turned sharply, eyes gleaming. “Taking Adam off those drugs? That was reckless.”
Kael clenched his jaw, his composure thinning. “Reckless is what you and your sick fellows did to him. Experimenting on him like he wasn’t even human.”
“He wasn’t,” Vance said flatly. “At least, not completely. You think the marks are random? They’re not. You’re awakening something catastrophic inside him, something that was never meant to exist.”
Kael’s eyes narrowed. “What do you mean?”
Vance’s gaze hardened. “He’s a failed hybrid, Kael. A wolf made from broken genes, incomplete rituals, and blood from different bloodlines. Our pack's Alpha was instructed to end the project years ago, but he didn’t. He couldn’t resist trying again—and that ‘again’ was Adam. He wasn’t supposed to survive.”
The silence that followed was sharp and suffocating.
Kael’s fists trembled at his sides. “You’re lying.”
Vance shook his head slowly. “You wish I was.” He stepped closer, lowering his voice. “He was born in Star Moon. His parents were from Star Moon. He’s ours, Kael. And for both your sake and his, you should release him back to us. I came here against orders, out of respect for what we once were. But if you don’t hand him over, the next time we meet, I won’t come with words.”
Kael’s lips curled in a snarl. “He’s not yours. He’s not a possession to be traded.” He stepped forward, his voice booming through the chamber. “Adam is my mate. He bears my mark, my scent. He has chosen where he belongs, he has chosen to be with me.”
Vance’s expression hardened. “You think the bond changes what he is? You’re binding yourself to a ticking time bomb.”
“Then I’ll burn with him,” Kael growled, his pheromones flaring.
The guards behind Vance flinched at the surge of Alpha energy that filled the chamber. Vance didn’t back away. “You always did let your emotions rule you,” he said coldly. “That was your weakness, Kael. It cost you your father’s favor, your alliances, and now it’ll cost you your pack.”
Kael’s eyes glinted with fury. “Say what you came to say and get out.”
Vance exhaled softly, his voice lowering into something almost regretful. “I did warn you. I meant it when I said I didn’t want to see you fall. But Star Moon will come in full force if Adam isn’t returned. You have three days.”
“Adam isn’t going anywhere,” Kael said firmly. “And if you try to take him, I’ll consider it an act of war.”
Something flickered in Vance’s gaze: maybe sorrow, maybe pity… but it vanished before Kael could read it. “You always did love impossible fights,” he murmured. “But tell me something, old friend… when your pack starts dying because of that broken boy, will you still call him your mate?”
Kael’s wolf growled low in his chest, restrained fury rolling beneath his skin. “Get out.”
Vance turned, adjusting his cloak as though preparing to leave. For a brief, fleeting moment, it looked like he would. But then, his hand moved too fast— an elegant, deadly arc— and steel flashed in the dim light.
Kael didn’t see the blade until it was too late.
A searing pain ripped across his side. He staggered back, clutching his ribs as the scent of blood filled the air. The guards shouted and lunged forward, but Vance’s sword was already sheathed by the time they reached him.
“That,” Vance said quietly, “is your warning.”
Kael gritted his teeth, eyes blazing with fury. “You bastard—”
“Don’t waste your strength.” Vance’s tone softened. “That cut will heal. What won’t heal is what’s coming if you keep him here.” He turned toward the door, pausing briefly. “You think you’re protecting him, but the truth is, you’re just delaying the inevitable. When he awakens fully, not even your silly bond will be enough to save you. And may I be honoured to add that if he goes feral he'll kill you first…”
Kael said nothing, blood dripping between his fingers, fury and confusion twisting together in his chest.
Vance looked back one last time, his expression unreadable. “Goodbye, Kael.”
Then he was gone, leaving the scent of malice and old friendship behind.
The guards rushed to Kael’s side, one of them shouting for a physician, but Kael waved him off. His eyes burned with determination as he pressed his palm against the wound.
He would heal… it's just a cut from a slash.
But the damage Vance’s words had done ran deeper than any cut could reach.
When he finally stumbled out of the chamber and into the quiet hallway, Kael’s mind wasn’t on the pain. It was on Adam; the boy waiting in their room, the boy with the strange marks and gentle smile. The boy who, no matter what the world said, he would protect until his last breath.
He straightened his shoulders despite the bleeding, growled to his guards, “No one should speak about this. I don't want my mate to hear a word of it.”
Then he walked away… slow, steady, his hand pressed against his wound, and his heart burning with both love and dread.
Because Vance’s warning echoed in his head like a curse he couldn’t shake:
“When he awakens, not even your silly bond will save you.”