Chapter 15: The Return

Serena

The doors closed behind me with a heavy thud.

It wasn’t just the sound of the mansion swallowing me whole again.

It was the sound of fate locking into place.

I was back.

Kael walked beside me, silent, his long strides matching my slower ones as I carried Ari through the marble halls. The mansion was just as I remembered—cold floors, high ceilings, windows that let the morning light in but never the warmth.

But this time, every step I took left a mark.

The maids froze when they saw me. They whispered behind gloved hands, eyes darting between my pale face and the boy in my arms.

Kael said nothing. He didn’t stop walking.

I held Ari tighter as we moved through the halls. His skin was burning again, and his little body shivered even through the layers of fabric wrapped around him.

“He needs help,” I said, my voice sharp, breaking the silence between us.

Kael’s jaw tensed. “I’ve already sent for the pack doctor.”

I hated the way his voice still had that commanding edge—like this was just another order to give.

We reached the guest wing, and Kael pushed open a door with one hand.

Inside was a room bigger than the entire apartment I’d been living in. A canopy bed, soft rugs, velvet curtains, and a fireplace already burning.

“This room stays empty,” Kael said simply. “It’s yours now.”

I didn’t answer. I moved to the bed and gently laid Ari down on the soft sheets. He whimpered, curling in on himself, sweat dripping down his flushed face.

Kael watched closely—too closely. His silver eyes stayed locked on Ari, his expression unreadable but tight, like he was holding himself back from something.

I didn’t have time for his guilt.

I turned toward him. “I don’t care about your hospitality. I don’t care about rooms or favors. Fix him.”

He flinched at the sharpness in my voice, but he didn’t argue.

“I said the doctor is coming,” Kael muttered, stepping back toward the door.

But then—he hesitated.

His eyes dropped to Ari again, and something inside him cracked. His breath caught. His hands curled into fists at his sides.

“He looks like me,” he said, almost to himself.

I nearly laughed. Bitter. Tired.

“It took you this long to see it?” I snapped.

Kael’s throat bobbed. His wolf was stirring—I could see it. He looked shaken, pale under his usual hard exterior.

But before either of us could speak again, the door burst open.

Mirah.

She stormed inside, dressed in silk, her dark hair pinned perfectly, but her face twisted in fury.

“What is she doing here?” Mirah’s voice cut through the room like a knife. “You swore she’d never—”

Then she saw Ari.

Her words stopped.

She stared at the boy, at his silver eyes flickering faintly even in his fevered sleep, and her face drained of color.

“No,” she breathed, stumbling back a step. “No, this—this isn’t—”

Kael’s body shifted in front of me suddenly, blocking her view of Ari. His voice dropped to a growl.

“Leave.”

Mirah’s eyes widened. “Kael—”

“I said leave.”

The force of his command hit the air like thunder. Mirah gasped and stumbled back.

For a moment, she looked ready to fight. Her eyes burned with hatred. But she wasn’t stupid enough to disobey him—not here, not now.

With a sharp, venomous glare at me, she spun on her heel and stormed out, slamming the door behind her.

Silence settled again, thick as smoke.

Kael turned back to me, his voice quieter but still rough around the edges.

“She won’t touch him.”

I didn’t believe promises from men like him. Not anymore.

But I sat by Ari’s side and held his tiny hand, keeping my eyes on his face as I spoke.

“If she tries, I will burn this entire house down.”

Kael didn’t respond.

But I heard his breath catch.

He believed me.

—

The pack doctor arrived minutes later—an older wolf, graying at the temples but sharp-eyed and quick-moving. He bowed to Kael but glanced at me with confusion, clearly aware of the storm brewing under the roof.

Still, he focused on Ari immediately, checking his pulse, his temperature, his breathing.

“He’s burning up,” the doctor muttered, frowning. “But not from any infection.”

I stiffened.

The doctor leaned in closer, sniffing the air. His eyes widened slightly.

“This is… wolf fever.”

Kael’s face darkened. “Explain.”

The doctor hesitated, glancing between us—but Kael’s glare forced him to speak.

“It happens rarely. To pups with strong bloodlines. When their wolf begins to stir too early inside them.” He looked down at Ari, who whimpered and curled tighter. “His wolf is awakening—but it’s too soon. His body can’t contain it.”

My stomach dropped.

“What happens if it keeps going?” I asked, my voice tight.

The doctor’s expression turned grim.

“He could die.”

I stopped breathing.

“No,” I whispered. “No—there has to be something. Medicine. Herbs. Magic—anything.”

The doctor shook his head slowly.

“There’s only one way,” he said, carefully choosing his words. “He needs an Alpha’s touch. A claiming.”

My heart thudded hard.

“What?”

“His wolf is too wild right now—too untethered. If his bloodline isn’t claimed by his Alpha, the fever will burn through him.”

I turned to Kael slowly, my breath trembling.

His face was unreadable—but his hands were clenched into fists at his sides. His silver eyes burned.

“It has to be you,” I said, my voice raw. “You’re his Alpha.”

Kael’s gaze locked on me, sharp and piercing.

“I can’t just claim a child,” he muttered. “It’s a permanent bond.”

“He’s your son.” I stood, anger surging. “This isn’t about politics. It’s about saving him.”

Kael’s jaw flexed.

I saw the war inside him. Duty. Power. Regret. Fear.

But Ari let out another weak cry, his little body arching in pain—and that shattered Kael’s hesitation.

He moved forward.

“Everyone out,” Kael ordered.

The doctor obeyed without question.

Kael sat on the edge of the bed, his presence heavy and commanding. He looked down at Ari—at the child who carried his blood, his wolf, his legacy.

Slowly, Kael reached out and placed his palm over Ari’s small chest.

He closed his eyes.

His voice dropped into an ancient growl, low and deep, vibrating through the room.

“I claim you, blood of my blood,” Kael whispered. His words carried magic—thick, ancient, undeniable. “I claim you as mine. I bind your wolf to mine.”

Ari shuddered beneath his hand.

The silver light in his eyes flared, then dimmed—slowly, gradually, until his breathing began to steady.

I watched in stunned silence as the fever broke before my eyes.

Kael stayed still, his hand over Ari’s heart, his face strained with effort. Sweat lined his brow as he continued whispering in that strange, guttural language I didn’t understand.

But it worked.

Ari’s body calmed. His skin cooled.

And then—he sighed softly, his tiny hand reaching up in his sleep to clutch Kael’s fingers.

Kael froze.

And for the first time, I saw it.

The Alpha broke.

His face crumpled, just for a second—just long enough for me to see the raw emotion buried under all that power and pride.

He looked at Ari like he’d been struck by lightning.

Then he whispered—so quietly I almost missed it.

“My son.”

I swallowed hard, blinking fast.

The room was too still, too heavy with what just happened.

But before I could speak—before I could process anything—there was a crash outside the door.

Shouting.

Then the door slammed open.

Mirah.

Her eyes were wild, her hair loose, her face flushed with rage. Behind her, two guards lay unconscious.

“You did it,” she spat, pointing at Kael, her voice sharp and shaking. “You claimed him.”

Kael rose from the bed slowly, towering and cold.

“I did.”

Her face twisted with fury. “You betrayed me—for her. For that child!”

She lunged—toward me, toward Ari—but Kael moved faster, grabbing her by the throat and slamming her against the wall with terrifying force.

“You touch them again,” he growled, his voice shaking the walls, “and I will rip you apart.”

Mirah gasped, eyes wide, choking under his grip.

But she didn’t plead. She didn’t cry.

Instead, she smiled.

“You think this ends here?” she hissed, her voice hoarse but deadly. “You think the Elders will let this stand?”

Her eyes gleamed with something dark—something victorious.

“They already know,” she whispered. “And they’re coming.”

Kael’s face went still.

And that’s when I realized—this wasn’t over.

It was just beginning.

Mirah’s cruel smile widened.

“They’re going to take the boy,” she whispered, eyes locked on Ari’s sleeping form. “And they’re going to kill you.”