The Search

"I'm… sorry for the way I acted earlier," Kael said, his voice low. The words came out stiff and awkward, because an apology was something he hardly ever gave.

Damien blinked, staring at his brother with genuine surprise in his eyes. "I forgive you," he said almost immediately, the words coming out without hesitation.

"Why did you have to attack him?" Lucian asked suddenly, his gaze locking onto Kael’s.

"I lost control," Kael admitted, disappointed by what he did.

"But he wasn’t the reason you lost control. You could have left him out of it!" Lucian snapped, his tone harsh and his eyes never leaving Kael’s.

"I know," Kael replied, calmer this time.

"There’s no need for this quarrel," Damien interjected, his voice firm but soothing. "He lost control, and I understand that."

"That doesn’t make it right for him to attack you," Lucian shot back, glaring daggers at Kael.

"I’m sorry," Kael said again, more times than he ever had before. It was unlike him, and they all knew it.

Damien leaned forward slightly, concern evident in his voice. "What really made you lose control like that? You’ve never acted this way before… not even when Mom died."

Kael’s chest tightened at the mention, but he shook his head. "Please, can we not talk about this?" he pleaded, his tone almost unrecognizable.

"Why not?" Lucian pressed, raising a brow.

"I just don’t want to talk about it again," Kael answered softly.

Lucian tilted his head, his voice dripping with suspicion. "Oh… so now you’re keeping secrets, huh?"

"Lucian, don’t," Damien warned, lightly tapping his brother’s hand to calm him.

"So… you’re taking his side after he hurt you?" Lucian challenged, his tone fierce.

"I’m not taking sides, Lucian," Damien replied, calm but firm. "I just need you to calm down."

Kael was desperate to shift the tension, so he spoke up. "Right… we’re doing the search today, aren’t we?"

"Yeah, but you haven’t prepared," Damien pointed out.

"Let me go prepare," Lucian said, quickly standing and leaving the room without another word.

Damien sighed, shaking his head. "You upset him. You know he has the most fragile heart out of the three of us."

"Yeah, I know," Kael admitted, regret flickering across his face. "I wish I hadn’t lost control like that."

"It must be something painful to put you so on edge," Damien said softly, careful not to press too hard.

"It is," Kael confessed. "And I’ll tell you when the time is right."

"That’s fine by me," Damien said with a nod.

Kael hesitated before asking, "How much does Dad trust his Beta?"

Damien stiffened. "I don’t know… and honestly, it’s none of my business." His words were fierce, his discomfort obvious.

"Okay," Kael muttered.

"Why are you asking?" Damien pressed.

"He’s been acting suspicious lately.” Kael replied, frowning.

"Whatever," Damien dismissed flatly. The mention of their father made his jaw tighten, because the man had already threatened his mate.

‘So no one else notices Dad’s Beta? How distant he’s been acting? Am I the only one paying attention?’ Kael thought, but he kept his suspicions to himself.

"What are you thinking about?" Damien asked, noticing his brother’s distant gaze.

"Just random thoughts about how we might find our mate," Kael lied smoothly, his expression unreadable.

"Can we go now?" Lucian said as he entered, dressed and ready.

"Oh, yeah," Damien replied.

"Shit, I forgot to prepare. You two go ahead, I’ll meet you in the study," Kael said, heading off for a quick shower.

"Okay," Damien agreed. He turned to Lucian with a small smile. "Come on, Lucy."

Lucian’s lips curved. "Finally, you called me by my nickname. That’s so good of you, Damy." He leaned closer playfully.

‘Thank goodness he’s back to his normal self,’ Damien thought with relief.

"Whatever," Damien muttered flatly, though the corner of his mouth twitched. He left the room, with Lucian following close behind.

Minutes later, Kael stepped out of the shower and into the walk-in closet. His eyes landed on a grey coat, a turtleneck, and matching trousers, perfect for the cold weather. He dressed quickly, pairing it with polished black boots. His wet hair clung to his forehead, making him look effortlessly striking.

He exhaled deeply, locking the door behind him before heading toward the study. But halfway down the hall, faint whispers caught his attention.

He moved towards where the whispers came from, and hid behind a corner.

"It’s shocking the Alphas forced you to leave before you could even try seducing them," an unfamiliar voice said. It belonged to Emily.

"I know, right?" Cassidy replied bitterly.

"Since they don’t seem interested, maybe next time I’ll slip something into their drink," Cassidy whispered, her tone dripping with malice.

Kael’s jaw clenched. So this was her plan all along.

"Wow, that’s a great idea. You should move quickly," Emily encouraged.

"If I get pregnant after a night with one of them, I could secure my place as their mate. And if not, I’ll fake it. The pack doctor gave me multivitamins. It should be easy," Cassidy revealed in a hushed voice.

Kael shook his head, disgust rolling through him. ‘She’s lower than I thought. Drugging them? Trapping them with a lie?’

Emily’s voice rose again. "Also, the Alphas are in their study. We could eavesdrop."

"Good idea. We’ll head there soon," Cassidy agreed, unaware Kael had overheard everything.

He slipped away quickly before they could notice him and approached the study.

When he entered, Lucian shot him a cold glare. "Why are you late? We already finished gathering the information we needed." His words dripped with disdain.

"Something came up," Kael replied, knowing it sounded more like an excuse.

"Something always comes up," Lucian muttered, rolling his eyes.

Trying to cover his tracks, Kael played along.

"We found out from the Alpha of the Silverfang Pack that our mate isn’t there," Damien reported. "But we haven’t heard back from the Blood Moon or Red Moon Crescent Packs."

Kael’s lips curled into a mocking smirk. "I don’t care about that mate of ours, the one who left us when we needed her most. Don’t bother reporting anything to me."

Damien’s eyes widened in shock. Lucian’s face darkened with fury.

"How dare you?!" Lucian roared, his voice echoing.

"I’ve realized my mistake," Kael said coldly. "That mistake was ever looking for her in the first place."

"Leave!" Damien thundered, pointing toward the door.

Kael didn’t argue. He turned and walked out, his plan working in silence. ‘They’ll hate me for now, but it’s necessary. Until I finish what I started, I have to keep them in the dark.’ he said to himself.