The echoes of Kieran’s angry footsteps went through the corridors, bouncing off the walls. The servants who were walking moved out of the way without daring to look at his eyes. Even the guards standing watch felt the intensity coming off him. His jaw was locked tight, his hands squeezed into angry fists at his sides, and his entire body was humming with rage.
He couldn’t remember the last time he had felt this furious—this betrayed.
And the worst part? The person responsible for this boiling anger was the last person he ever thought would even cross him.
Lucian.
Of all people… it had to be Lucien.
When he reached the chamber door, he didn’t bother knocking. He slammed it open with a force that made it bang against the wall. Lucian, who had been sit on a chair by the window with a glass in hand, stood up to his fit immediately out of shock
“Kieran—” Lucian started, his voice uncertain.
“You…” Kieran growled, his voice deep and dangerous as he stalked into the room like a predator on the hunt..
Lucian’s eyes went downward—to Kieran’s folded fists. “Whatever it is you’re thinking right now, you need to calm down. Alright? There’s no need for violence—”
“You think I’m angry because I need to think about what to do with you?” Kieran’s voice was like ice cracking over fire. “even after what you did you had the audacity to call my uncle and tell him everything?”
Kieran was close now—too close—and Lucian’s breath hitched. He barely had time to blink before Kieran moved.
One second he was standing in front of him, then before he could even think again he wasn’t in front of him
Lucian felt a gust of air rush behind him. He knew already what was going to happen next He turned—just in time to meet Kieran’s fist. The punch landed hard, slamming into his jaw with bone-cracking precision and sending him crashing across the room. He collided with the edge of a table, knocking over a bottle that shattered on the floor.
“That was not your call to make!” Kieran roared, striding toward him again.
Lucien groaned as he managed to stand himself up, rubbing his jaw where the blow had landed. Blood was already coming out from where the blow had landed
“I know! I know!” he said, trying to steady his voice. “And it was a mistake, alright? I realize that now.”
Kieran didn’t stop. He stood over him, rage practically pouring off his skin.
“Oh? You realize it now?” he hissed. “And what about what you tried to do to Sienna? Do you also call that a mistake?”
Lucien paused. His hand dropped from his jaw, “No,” he said simply. “That wasn’t a mistake. I meant it.”
You could basically see the fire from Kieran eyes
“I mean… come on, have you seen her?” Lucian went on, completely ignoring the warning signs. “The way she walks around here, that waist, those eyes. The clothes she wears—it’s like she wants someone to notice. I thought she was giving me a green light, man.”
Kieran’s voice was low, deadly.
“Did she ever say she wanted to sleep with you?”
Lucie.n hesitated. “No, but—”
“But nothing!” Kieran barked, his hand slamming into the wall behind Lucian, causing the man to flinch. “You crossed a line, Lucian. A line that you know can’t be uncrossed.”
Kieran’s voice cracked with fury and disappointment. “Out of everyone, I never expected this from you. You weren’t just a beta. You were my brothe.r.”
“Permit me to ask this, my lord,” Lucien said cautiously, lifting his gaze just enough to meet Kieran’s intense eyes. “But why are you so offended? You clearly don’t like her in any way. In fact, I didn’t expect you to defend her, especially after she stole something from you.”
Kieran’s jaw tensed. The room, once filled only with the tension between them, now felt suffocating under the weight of his silence. After a long pause, he finally spoke—his voice low, firm, and cold.
“Everyone inside this pack is my responsibility,” he said. “Just because I don’t like someone doesn’t give others permission to disrespect them. Especially not in the way you did.”
Lucien lowered his head, his throat bobbing with guilt. “I’m sorry,” he murmured.
“Sorry isn’t going to cut it, Lucien,” Kieran replied sharply, stepping closer until they were almost nose to nose. “You need to learn that every action has a consequence.”
“I know,” Lucien admitted, his voice a mix of shame. “That’s why I’ll gladly accept whatever punishment you decide.”
Kieran let out a breath, one laced with fury barely held in check. “Oh, I’ve found one alright,” he said. “Tomorrow at noon, when all the warriors are gathered at the training field, you will kneel at the center of the battlefield and apologize to Sienna—for trying to rape her.”
Lucien’s eyes widened in disbelief, panic growing every line of his face. “What?!”
“You heard me,” Kieran said, his voice like stone.
“You can’t be serious!” Lucien protested, now pacing like a trapped wolf. “I’m your second-in-command! Your beta! How will anyone respect me after that? Kneeling to a maid? Publicly? I’ll lose every ounce of respect I’ve earned.”
“You should have remembered that before you tried to force yourself on her,” Kieran snapped. “And don’t forget—it was me who made you my beta. That title isn’t yours by birthright. I can strip it away just as quickly.”
Lucien froze, his spine going numb. Kieran’s eyes had started to glow faintly, a dangerous signal that his wolf was close to surfacing.
Swallowing hard, Lucien lowered his gaze and stepped back. In all the years they had known each other, Kieran had never looked at him this way. Never spoken to him with such authority. And now, all of this—for someone Kieran claimed he didn’t even care about?.
“I gave you two options,” Kieran continued. “Either you apologize in front of the entire pack, or I strip you of your title and you spend the next three months rotting in the dungeon. Choose.”
Lucien’s lips trembled. His pride was screaming at him to resist, but his survival instincts knew better. “No… I’ll apologize,” he said quietly, his voice barely above a whisper.
“Yeah. That’s what I thought,” Kieran said, already turning toward the door. “Because of you, I now have my uncle breathing down my neck.”
“That should be the least of your worries right now,” he said, collecting himself. “We need to find that artifact before the worst happens.”
Kieran paused at the door, his hand resting on the frame. As much as he hated to admit it, Lucien was right. The artifact was missing, and Kieran knew exactly who took it.
Sienna.
And as much as he didn’t want to talk to her again, she had left him with no choice. That gem wasn’t just valuable—it was irreplaceable. Dangerous, even. And now, it was in the wrong hands.
He took a steadying breath. His fury with Lucien hadn’t faded, but a larger issue was now here before him.
Without another word, Kieran strode out of the room, his mind already locked on his next confrontation—with Sienna.
