Chapter six

Kael was on his feet in an instant, gun drawn, body shielding Rowan's. Not again. Not when we're finally getting somewhere.

"Stay down," Kael hissed, moving toward the broken window.

But it wasn't an attack. It was a message.

A single envelope lay on the floor, slipped through the shattered glass. Rowan picked it up with shaking hands, recognizing the elegant handwriting immediately.

Elena.

"Don't open it," Kael warned.

"I have to." Rowan tore open the envelope, pulling out a single photograph.

It was a picture of a young woman—beautiful, desperate, holding a baby that looked exactly like Rowan. But it wasn't Elena. It was someone else. Someone Rowan had never seen before.

Who the hell is this?

"That's not Elena," Kael said quietly.

"No." Rowan stared at the photograph, mind racing. "But it's someone who looks like me. Someone who—"

Oh god.

"Kael," Rowan whispered. "What if Elena isn't my mother? What if she's been lying about that too?"

Kael's face went pale. "Then who is?"

Rowan looked at the photograph again, seeing the desperation in the woman's eyes, the way she held the baby like she never wanted to let go. This woman loved me. This woman wanted to keep me.

"I think," Rowan said slowly, "I think Elena stole me."

The words hung between them, heavy with implication. If Elena had stolen him, then everything Rowan thought he knew about his past was a lie. And if she was willing to steal a baby, what else was she capable of?

Kael pulled Rowan into his arms, holding him tight. "We'll figure this out. Together."

But as Rowan clung to Kael, he couldn't shake the feeling that they were running out of time. That Elena was always one step ahead. That the truth they'd been chasing was about to destroy them both.

To be continued...

---

The DNA results came back at 3 AM.

Rowan stared at the paper in his hands, feeling the world tilt beneath his feet. Not Elena's son. Not even close. The woman in the photograph—Maria Santos—was his biological mother. And Elena had stolen him from her.

"This changes everything," Kael said quietly.

"It changes nothing." Rowan crumpled the paper. "Elena still wants us dead. She still has the power to destroy us."

"But now we know the truth." Kael moved closer, hands settling on Rowan's shoulders. "Now we know what we're fighting for."

Rowan looked up at him, seeing the fierce determination in his eyes. This man would follow me into hell. And I'm about to ask him to.

"We need to find Maria," Rowan said. "We need to know what Elena did to her."

"And then?"

"Then we make Elena pay for every lie she's told. Every life she's destroyed. Every person she's hurt."

Kael's smile was sharp and satisfied. "That's my fiancé."

They spent the next hour planning, going over every detail of Elena's operation, every weakness they could exploit. It was intimate in a way that had nothing to do with sex—the way Kael trusted Rowan with his secrets, the way Rowan trusted Kael with his life.

When they finally collapsed onto the bed, exhausted but determined, Kael pulled Rowan into his arms.

"We'll win this," Kael murmured against Rowan's hair. "And when we do, maybe we can talk about making this real."

Rowan closed his eyes, letting himself believe for just a moment. Maybe. Maybe we can have this. Maybe we can have each other.

The sound of Kael's phone ringing shattered the moment.

Kael answered immediately, his expression growing darker with each word. When he finally hung up, his face was grim.

"What is it?" Rowan asked.

"Elena," Kael said quietly. "She's taken Lucien."

Rowan's blood ran cold. Lucien. Kael's brother. The one who smiled too much and watched too closely.

"She wants to trade," Kael continued. "Lucien for you."

Rowan felt the world tilt. This is it. This is the moment everything changes.

"Then we give her what she wants," Rowan said.

Kael's face went pale. "Rowan, no—"

"It's the only way." Rowan met Kael's eyes, seeing the fear there, the desperate need to protect him. This man loves me. And I'm about to break his heart.

"Rowan," Kael whispered. "Please don't do this."

"I have to." Rowan stood, moving toward the door. "Lucien is your brother. He's family. And family comes first."

Kael grabbed his wrist. "You're my family now."

The words hung between them, heavy with meaning. Rowan wanted to stay, to choose Kael over everything else. But duty called, and he couldn't ignore it.

"Then let me do this for you," Rowan said quietly. "Let me prove that I'm worth fighting for."

Kael's grip tightened. "If you go, I go with you."

Rowan shook his head. "She wants me alone. If you come, she'll kill Lucien."

"Then we find another way."

"There is no other way." Rowan pulled free, moving toward the door. "This is the only way."

Kael's voice was raw with desperation. "Rowan, please—"

But Rowan was already gone, disappearing into the night like a ghost. This is for you, Kael. This is for the man I love.