Kael's changed

“He betrayed us. How could he?” Damien complained to Lucian.

“Well… with the way he’s been acting lately, I’m not surprised. His mood swings and all, one second he’s angry, the next he’s sorry, then he’s supportive, and now he’s in denial. He’s really not trustworthy, or even worth our trust,” Lucian poured out, frustration lacing every word.

“Yeah, maybe. Still, I have a feeling he has his reasons,” Damien said, stroking his chin.

“Reasons, sure,” Lucian muttered, sarcasm dripping from his tone.

“I really think he does. Didn’t you realize that when we left the room, he was in a normal mood, but when he came to the study, he changed? I feel like something triggered him, but I’m confused. Whenever he says anything, it sounds so true that you don’t know when to believe him and when not to.” Damien shook his head.

“I don’t trust Kael, and I don’t think I ever will. Well, maybe if he stopped with this split-personality act, I could consider forgiving him,” Lucian said flatly.

“You know, when we asked Kael for his suggestion earlier, he hesitated. I think he’s keeping us in the dark,” Damien said, already jumping to conclusions without deeper thought.

“And if he knows something about our mate or anything helpful that he isn’t telling us, then I’m done being his brother,” Lucian said bitterly.

Kael, who was about to enter the room, froze when he heard those words. He knew what he was about to do carried consequences, and now he would have to face them. Not wanting to hear them gossip about him anymore, he barged inside.

“Speak of the devil,” Lucian muttered, loud enough for Kael to hear.

Kael didn’t respond. He walked past them as if they didn’t exist, heading straight to the parlor without a glance, though he could feel their eyes stabbing daggers into his back.

Lucian rolled his eyes at Kael’s departing figure. Damien parted his lips to speak, but when Kael didn’t even look at him, he shut his mouth again.

“So rude,” Lucian remarked as Kael opened the parlor door. Kael’s demeanor didn’t change; he simply entered without a word.

“He acted like we didn’t exist,” Damien muttered, upset by the cold dismissal.

“It’s really annoying that he treats us, his own brothers, like this. If he spoke to me, even though I’m still annoyed by his actions, I’d reply,” Lucian admitted.

“I was even about to start the conversation, but when he acted like we weren’t there, I kept quiet,” Damien said. The betrayal stung like hell.

“Are we still going to search for our mate, now that Kael isn’t on our side anymore?” Lucian asked, curiosity evident in his tone.

“Yes, of course. We’ll keep looking for her, but we won’t tell Kael anything about our progress. Even if we find her, he won’t be informed,” Damien replied firmly.

“What if Kael reports us to Father, since we’re not on his side anymore?” Lucian asked, his foot tapping against the floor impatiently.

“I don’t think he’ll snitch on us. But if he does, we’ll just have to move in secret, especially when he isn’t around. One thing I know, if he reports us, it won’t be now,” Damien said.

“Okay… I hope so.” Doubt lingered in Lucian’s tone. The Kael he saw now wasn’t the Kael he once knew.

“After we get responses from the other packs, if she isn’t there, then we’ll have to try other packs, even our enemies,” Lucian said, shifting the topic away from Kael.

“Yeah, we will. But I feel like Kael is playing at something, and it could be really dangerous,” Damien thought aloud, stroking his chin.

“Well, I don’t think so. He doesn’t even like making plans,” Lucian countered.

Damien sighed. “Still, I can’t deny he has his reasons.”

“Yeah, I guess,” Lucian replied, sarcasm still dripping from his tone.

Just then, Kael suddenly opened the parlor door and stepped inside, making both Damien and Lucian turn toward him.

Kael saw the hate in Lucian’s eyes. In Damien’s, it wasn’t hate, just the sting of betrayal.

“Father summons the three of us,” Kael reported evenly.

“How do you know?” Lucian asked, raising his brows.

“He mind-linked me,” Kael replied, his tone calm and detached.

“Okay,” Damien said simply, leaving with Lucian. Kael followed behind them.

When they reached their father’s quarters, Damien opened the door. All of them stepped inside, with Kael last, closing the door behind him.

“Good morning, Father,” they all greeted at the same time.

“Good morning, my sons,” Magnus replied. His expression hardened as he continued. “I summoned you here because I’ve heard that Damien and Lucian are still searching for the Omega. Meanwhile, Kael has gotten over her and is planning to move on.”

Damien and Lucian were shocked, though they masked it carefully.

‘I told you he could betray us,’ Lucian mind-linked Damien.

‘Well, that was shocking,’ Damien replied through the mind-link.

Magnus’s gaze swept between them. “If I ever find out that Damien and Lucian are still searching, I’ll punish you both severely.”

“Yes, Father,” they answered in unison.

“You may leave,” Magnus said, dismissing them.

Once outside, Lucian shoved Kael against the wall, pressing his elbow against his neck.

“Why did you report us?” Lucian demanded. Cassidy, who happened to be passing by, stopped in her tracks, caught by the scene.

“You’re lucky I didn’t say the rest,” Kael growled, shoving Lucian’s elbow away from his throat.

As Kael walked past, his shoulder brushed Cassidy’s. He leaned close, whispering, “You owe me one, maybe a night.” He winked, leaving her stunned by his sudden change of nature.

Inside, Kael felt disgusted with himself for saying that. But he didn’t let it show.