CHAPTER 4: WHEN SILENCE BREAKS

Kai’s POV

“How is he? Did he say anything about me? Was he... okay all these years? Is he coming tomorrow? Jax—does he still hate me?”

My voice cracked on the last question, but I didn’t care. The dam had broken the moment Jax walked in, and I couldn’t stop the flood.

“Jesus Christ, Kai! Let me get through the damn door before you attack me with an emotional ambush,” he huffed, brushing past me like I hadn’t just bare my soul in five gasping seconds.

I caught his arm.

My grip was strong, but my voice... wasn't.

“Please,” I whispered. “Just tell me.”

I never begged—not even when I’d been half-dead during torture drills on covert missions.

But Ty?

Ty was my weakness. My ruin. My reason.

Jax exhaled hard and tugged at the ends of his hair, frustration bleeding into compassion. “Fine.”

He shut the door behind us, then sank into his bed, motioning for me to sit.

I did—and braced myself.

He told me everything.

And when it was over, I said the one thing I’d never said aloud to anyone.

“I was drugged that day,” I murmured, my throat dry as bone.

“I know,” Jax replied quietly. “Dad Victor told us. He helped you take care of that witch.”

My jaw clenched. “Then why the hell did you shut me out for five fucking years, Jax? You weren’t just my brother. You were my anchor. I lost Ty... and you. Do you have any idea how many times I wanted to end it all just to stop the ache?”

The silence between us roared.

Jax’s voice finally cut through, brittle. “I was angry. At you. At myself. I blamed you for what happened to Ty... even if you didn’t mean to. He was my best friend, Kai. Watching him fall apart—watching you ruin him—it made me hate you, even if deep down, I knew it wasn’t your fault.”

I barked a bitter laugh. “Yeah? Well, I didn’t exactly choose to get hexed, Jax. Brianna laced my coffee with a damn spell. I couldn’t scent it. I couldn’t fight it. I was drained from the mission the night before—half-human in that moment.”

“Still. You’re an Alpha. You should’ve known better,” he said, though his voice had lost its bite.

“I know.”

I hated how broken I sounded.

How guilty.

But I meant it.

“What happened to the witch and Brianna?” he asked after a beat.

I didn’t flinch. “Dad Victor lost it. He incinerated the witch on the spot. And me... I snapped. My wolf took over. I ripped off Brianna’s head and burned her to ash.”

Jax's eyes widened. “Holy shit, Kai. That’s—”

“Coldblooded murder?” I cut in. “Yeah. I know.”

He swallowed. “So that’s why the council banned contact with Ty?”

I nodded. “They wanted to punish me. Make me suffer in silence. And it worked.”

There was a moment of stillness, heavy and loaded, before Jax whispered, “Is that why you went to the military?”

“Yes.” My voice was low, hollow. “I needed the pain. I chased it. Every blow, every scar, every bone I shattered... was easier than feeling the hole Ty left behind. I didn’t plan to come back. But the High Command sent me home. Said I had responsibilities. Said I couldn’t keep running forever.”

“I’m sorry,” Jax said softly. “I didn’t know. I just thought—God, I thought you didn’t care. I was such an ass...”

“Shhh,” I murmured, pulling him into a hug. “Don’t ever talk like that again. I’m just glad you’re here.”

“I missed you, brother,” Jax whispered, tears staining my shoulder.

“I missed you too,” I said, and kissed his cheek the way I used to when we were kids.

He blinked, startled, and then laughed—just like before. It always worked. Calmed him. Grounded him.

We used to be inseparable, the three of us—Jax, Ty, and me.

Our bond had been forged in childhood pranks and deadly field missions, our souls stitched into each other like fate had no intention of keeping us apart.

And maybe... that was why it hurt so much when everything shattered.

“I love you, Kai,” Jax murmured, curling into my lap like he used to when the nightmares got bad.

“I love you too, Jax,” I whispered, holding him as his breath evened out and sleep took him under.

He looked peaceful. Whole.

And for the first time in years, I felt a piece of myself come back together too.

But there was still one piece missing.

Ty.

I’d do anything to earn his forgiveness. Even if he never looked at me the same way again.

Even if he could never love me.

I just didn’t want to lose him forever.

I gently placed Jax on the bed and curled beside him, spooning him close like we used to when he’d cry after failed missions.

This moment felt safe. Familiar.

But sleep didn’t come easy.

Not when the ghost of a fire-blooded boy still held my heart in his claws.