CHAPTER 04: MISSING ADRIAN 1

Kaelen leaned back in his leather chair, high above the glittering skyline in his Silverfang Enterprises office, files scattered across his desk. He hadn’t slept in three days.

His Alpha had warned him: “If you keep pushing yourself like this, you’ll collapse.”

But it wasn’t exhaustion that haunted him. It was the absence. Adrian’s absence.

So he drowned himself in work. Board meetings, contracts, corporate wars. Anything to silence the restless wolf inside him that growled, Find him.

The boardroom doors opened, and Kaelen stepped out, loosening his tie. But the sight that greeted him stopped him cold.

An old man stood waiting, tall, silver-haired, eyes like blades.

“Grandfather.” Kaelen’s voice was low.

Grand Alpha Darius didn’t waste words. “Time is running out Kaelen.”

Kaelen narrowed his eyes. “What do you mean?”

“There are whispers. Other packs grow bold. I’ve fought fifty wars, and I’ll be damned if I fight another without allies. His gaze was hard. One of my friend’s sons was kidnapped last night. Taken, I suspect, by our enemies. War is coming, Kaelen. And if you do not unite with the Nightbane Pack, through Celera, or someone else, you will lead this family into ruin.”

Kaelen’s fists clenched. Adrian’s name flickered in his mind like a curse.

But aloud, all he said was, “I’ll handle it. Soon.”

Darius’ eyes lingered on him, sharp and searching, before he finally turned away. “Do not mistake desire for duty, boy. Love is irrelevant. The pack comes first.”

That evening, a knock sounded at Kaelen’s office door.

He almost ignored it, until a familiar scent slid under the crack. Roses. Sweet. Cloying.

“Kaelen, Celera’s voice was soft, uncertain. Can we talk?”

For a moment, he said nothing. Then, with a sigh, he rose.

“Dinner, he muttered. My restaurant. My driver will take us.”

The restaurant glittered with chandeliers and polished crystal. Cameras flashed from the corner, eager to capture the Alpha heir and his almost-bride.

Celera reached across the table, her hands trembling.

“Kaelen, she began. I made a mistake. What happened with Lucian, it’s over. I swear it. I want us to start fresh.”

Kaelen leaned back, studying her. His silence was heavier than anger.

"What of you brother?" He asked absent mindely 

Frown lines on Celera's forehead. Where the hell was this coming from? Did he not hear what she just said? Or was she a joke to him?. "I have no idea. He just vanished a week ago. No one knows his whereabout. But he'll surely come around" 

"Good." Kaelen said dryly and stared at her face for the first time

Tears brimmed in her eyes. “Please… don’t look at me like that. I was stupid. I was lonely. But I love you. I’ve always loved you.”

“Love, Kaelen said coldly, is a word cheapened by liars.”

She flinched. “I’m not lying. I’ll prove it to you. I’ll do whatever it takes. Just… please don’t give up on us.”

Her voice broke, and she buried her face in her hands, sobbing.

Kaelen’s jaw tightened. The weight of the restaurant’s stares pressed in on him. Finally, he slid a napkin across the table.

“Stop crying, he said flatly. Ju...just swear to me you won’t disappoint me again.”

“I swear. Her voice trembled. On my life, I swear.”

He gave a tight nod, rising from his chair. “Good. Then this conversation is over.”

>>>>>>>>>.

Back at his mansion, Kaelen stripped his shirt and stepped into the shower, letting the hot water pound against his back. Steam filled the room, but it did nothing to clear his mind.

She swore.

But her tears hadn’t moved him. Not like Adrian’s laughter. Not like Adrian’s defiance. Not like the fire in those blue eyes that haunted him, even now.

By the time he emerged, hair damp, towel slung low around his waist, another across his shoulders, his phone buzzed.

A message.

From his men.

Kaelen swiped the screen. His eyes narrowed, then widened. And slowly, a dangerous smile curved his lips.

We’ve found him Boss.

The phone nearly cracked in his grip as a dark chuckle slipped out.

“Well, well… Kaelen murmured, voice low, wolf stirring restlessly beneath his skin. The little pup thought he could hide from daddy.”

His reflection in the glass caught his own sharp smirk...

........ Sun city......

The city swallowed him in its chaos, neon lights and restless crowds, but no matter how far he had come, Kaelen’s shadow chased him. He could still feel the phantom burn of the mate-mark on his arm, the scarlet bond that tied him to the one man he was never meant to belong to.

Every night, he told himself Kaelen wouldn’t find him. That the Alpha had more important things to do, more duties, more pride than to chase after a mistake. But deep down, Adrian knew Kaelen wasn’t the kind of man who let go of what was his.

He could feel him, searching for him. But that was what he wants right?...