CHAPTER 03: THE FRACTURED BONDS

Celera stood outside Kaelen’s office, her palms clammy, her heart hammering against her ribs. She had rehearsed the words a hundred times on her way here, but now, facing double doors, her throat felt like sandpaper.

When the doors swung open, Kaelen looked up from his desk, his icy eyes pinning her like a blade.

“What is it now?” His voice carried the sharpness of a dagger, cold, as if he already knew her presence meant trouble.

Celera stepped inside, fighting back tears. “Kaelen, I...I need to tell you something. Please, just listen.”

He leaned back in his chair, arms folded. “Go on. You have thirty seconds.”

Her lips trembled. She stared at the polished floor instead of his piercing gaze. “I messed up. I… I slept with Lucian.”

The silence that followed was suffocating. Kaelen didn’t blink. Didn’t move. The weight of his stare alone made her knees buckle.

Finally, he exhaled, slow and controlled. “You want me to applaud you for honesty? Or pity you for regret?”

Tears spilled down her cheeks. “I was weak, Kaelen. I was scared you’d never love me back. I made a mistake. Please...”

Kaelen stood abruptly, his chair scraping against the floor. “Mistake? His voice was sharp enough to slice bone. You didn’t trip and fall into his bed, Celera. You chose him. You betrayed me, and you betrayed this pack.”

She sobbed, reaching for him. “We can fix this. Let’s start fresh. I’ll prove...”

He stepped back, his expression unreadable. “Start fresh? With a woman who can’t keep her legs closed for my enemy? No, Celera. Whatever we had, it’s finished.”

Her knees buckled as she crumbled to the ground, crying into her hands. “Please, don’t do this. Don’t leave me.”

Kaelen’s voice was ice. “You left us first.”

And with that, he picked some files then turned, walking out of the office without a single glance back.

.......

Later that night, Kaelen stormed into one of the pack’s bars. The music throbbed, neon lights flashing across the crowded room. He needed noise, distraction, anything to silence the fury coursing through his veins.

He grabbed a whiskey, downing it in one gulp. Another followed. His chest still burned, not from the alcohol, but from the betrayal.

“Rough night?” a voice drawled beside him.

Kaelen turned and nearly groaned. Adrian. The last man he wanted to see.

The young heir leaned against the counter, cheeks already flushed from drink. His crooked smile was too carefree, too infuriatingly casual.

“Go home, Adrian,” Kaelen muttered, signaling the bartender for another round.

But Adrian didn’t budge. Instead, he smirked and threw back a shot of his own. “Not until you tell me what's hurting you.”

Kaelen arched a brow. “And why would I do that?”

“Because… Adrian hiccuped, swaying slightly. You’re too stiff. Too serious. You need to loosen up. Laugh. Forget.”

Kaelen rolled his eyes, but a reluctant chuckle escaped when Adrian challenged him to a dart game, and lost miserably.

Hours bled away. Shots were poured, bets were made, laughter spilled out of Kaelen’s chest, real, unguarded laughter he hadn’t heard from himself in years. Adrian was ridiculous, stumbling over his own feet, daring Kaelen to arm wrestle, then complaining when he lost the sixth round.

By the time Kaelen decided to call it a night, Adrian was completely wasted.

“Come on, Kaelen muttered, slinging Adrian’s arm over his shoulder. You’ll collapse if I leave you here.”

“I’m fine, Adrian slurred, nearly toppling into a waitress. Perfectly fine.”

“Sure you are.” Kaelen tightened his grip and half-dragged him out of the bar.

........ Kaelen's Mansion

At Kaelen’s house, the drunken wolf stumbled up the stairs, clinging to Kaelen like a lifeline.

“You know… Adrian mumbled, his words tumbling together. Celera messed up. I know she did. But you should forgive her.”

Kaelen froze, irritation spiking. “Forgive her? After what she’s done?”

Adrian’s head lolled against his shoulder, his breath warm and smelling of liquor. “She’s my sister… dumb, stupid, selfish. But if you don’t marry her… we’re doomed. All of us.”

Kaelen narrowed his eyes. “Doomed? Or what?”

Adrian swayed, his pupils glazed. “Just marry her. Fix it. That’s what everyone expects. What the pack needs.”

Kaelen barked a harsh laugh. “The pack doesn’t need me chained to a traitor.”

They reached Kaelen’s bedroom. Kaelen dropped him onto the bed, shaking his head. “Sleep it off.”

But just as he turned to leave, a hand shot out. Adrian’s hand, gripping his wrist with surprising strength.

Kaelen looked back, startled.

Adrian’s eyes, though clouded by alcohol, burned with a strange intensity. “If not her… then… me.”

Kaelen stilled. “You don’t know what you’re saying.”

“Maybe I do. Adrian tugged him closer, his voice a low whisper. Maybe destiny doesn’t care who we think we should love.”

Kaelen’s chest tightened. For a split second, the world seemed to tilt, logic colliding with something darker, rawer. He should have pulled away. He should have walked out.

But Adrian’s hand slid up his arm, his lips parting in invitation.

And Kaelen didn’t move.

The night became a blur. Their anger gave way to something heavier, breaths quickening as Adrian tugged Kaelen's shirt off with one move. Then pulled him close, their lips crashing together in a deep, hungry kiss that left them both trembling. When Kaelen finally broke away, the silence between them was louder than any sound. They both would regret this.

Under the haze of alcohol, Adrian pulled Kaelen into the sheets, desire drowning out thought.

..........The next morning....

A searing pain shot across Kaelen’s chest the real ache was the weight of the body lying on his chest. Adrian.. He staggered, gasping as a glowing red mark blazed to life. His mate-mark.

Adrain froze, staring in horror as the same mark shimmered on his skin, entertwining both their wrist with a crimson glow.

“No… Adrian cracked voice broke his thought. He stumbled back, clutching at his chest. No, no, no. This isn’t happening.”

Kaelen’s heart thundered. “Adrian…” Panic surged. He shoved himself upright, only to freeze when he saw it—thin, glowing red threads coiling around his wrist, binding him to Kaelen. His blood ran cold.

“What the hell…?” Adrian whispered, staring at the unmistakable bond mark.

Kaelen stirred, blinking awake. For a moment, confusion flickered in his eyes, then shock. He tugged the sheet up to cover himself, gaze darting between Adrian and the red mark linking them.

“What did you do? Adrian hissed, his voice breaking. You’re my sister’s fiancé! You’re supposed to be her mate, not...” He trembled as he scrambled for his clothes.

Kaelen sat up, still staring at the line as though it mocked him. “I… I don’t know. But this, this isn’t a mistake. Adrian, you’re my mate.”

“No!. Adrian’s hands shook as he pulled his shirt over his head. Whatever happened last night...forget it. This is wrong. You hear me? It never happened. Don’t you dare breathe a word of this to anyone.”

Kaelen’s voice softened, almost pleading. “Adrian…”

"Stay away from me!” His voice broke. He yanked on his clothes with shaking hands, the glow still faintly burning at his wrist.

Kaelen reached for him, but Adrian recoiled like his touch was poison.

“You don’t understand, Adrian hissed, tears brimming in his eyes. If I stay here, if I stay with you, it’ll ruin everything. I can’t... His voice cracked. I won’t.”

He stormed out of the room, slamming the door so hard the walls shook, leaving Kaelen staring at the red bond that refused to fade.

Kaylen stood up and watched Adrian’s taillights vanish carrying his heart with him.

..........

Adrian gripped the steering wheel until his knuckles blanched. His bag lay half-unzipped on the seat beside him, stuffed with clothes in haste. Guilt tore at him, but the searing mark burned hotter with every breath. The bond he couldn’t seeem to escape.

He drove blindly, headlights cutting through the darkness, the road stretching endlessly with no destination. Only one command pulsed in his veins: Run.

>>>>>>>>>

Meanwhile, high above the city, Kaelen stood in his skyscraper office, a man chained by responsibility. Papers for the morning meeting lay untouched on his desk, investors waiting in the boardroom. Yet his gaze lingered out the glass wall, eyes fixed on the streets far below.

He closed his eyes. Selera’s presence was gone, snuffed out like a candle. The mate bond did not lie, there was only one voice left in the hollow of his soul. Adrian. But Adrian had locked him out, and the silence gnawed at him.

How he longed to hear him. To touch him. To claim him.

“Sir, the investors are ready,” his secretary said gently, stepping in.

Kaelen nodded once. “I’ll be there in five minutes.”

But as he turned to leave, his breath caught. A sharp, intoxicating scent cut through the air, curling around his lungs. His mate. Adrian. Close enough to taste.

Adrian pushed harder on the gas, his belongings hastily stuffed into a bag on the passenger seat. He shuddered as he tore past the border of the pack’s territory. His vision blurred, not from the alcohol, but from the guilt inside. He betrayed his sister. And now… Kaelen is his mate?.

By dawn, the horizon broke before him, endless and cold. He had no destination, only the hollow promise inside his chest, Keep running.

.............

Back in the tower, Kaelen’s fists slammed against the windowpane. His eyes burned with a vow.

“Run if you want, Adrian, he whispered to the night. I’ll find you. Anywhere. Even if I have to tear this world apart, I will find you.”