Chapter 102

Chapter 102: Chapter 102

Chapter 102

Kai’s POV

"How much did you hear?" I muttered as I stepped out.

Mrs. Locke tilted her head, watching me with weary but warm eyes.

My heart was heavy, but I concealed it behind a deadpan expression as we drew closer. Comfort, however, waltzed into my bones upon seeing her. I hadn’t seen Mrs. Locke in ages, and it was strangely reassuring to know she had grown older... still here, still standing.

"Not enough to fully grasp what was happening," she replied with her usual gripping warmth that melted the heart. "But..." Her fingers snapped up between us. "I know your wife loves you greatly. Alex is a blessing any Alpha could ask for."

"How would you know?" My voice came out thick and guttural, almost bouncing off the confined walls.

I was a little over six when I last stepped between these walls, and I didn’t remember them being this cramped.

A few scenes drifted through my mind. That had been a traumatic time for me, but I had been saved by the Lockes.

"I’ve had the grace to speak with him on several occasions. Though I may be old, I’m an Omega myself. I know more than you think about what it means to be the one who submits while you battle with a power that craves authority and command."

I looked over her shoulder as if I’d find Alex there, lurking in the corridor, waiting for me.

"Are you saying that I don’t understand him?"

"Have you ever wondered why we don’t fear you?" Her question, although rhetorical, sounded as though it demanded a response. "It’s because we’ve seen you through different phases of your life. We understand you. So, do the same with your Luna. Understand him first so you may know how to... protect him."

I tsked as I placed a hand on Mrs. Locke’s shoulder.

"Thank you for your input, Mrs. Locke, but I promise you, I’m going to break Clawface’s neck for this."

How else could Mrs. Locke know so much if this wasn’t Clawface’s doing? I did wonder how such a stiff man, who barely reacted to anything, could become such a chatterbox whenever it came to people he trusted.

He’d become the most talkative person alive.

Mrs. Locke laughed.

"You better not hurt my little boy, or I’ll come for you, Alpha Kai," she warned, placing a cupcake in my hand.

"No, bring that." I stopped her. "You wanted to give it to Alex before, didn’t you?"

She nodded.

"I’ll give it to him on your behalf. Thank you." I offered her a ghost of a smile before disappearing down the corridor.

My steps were guided by Alex’s lingering scent. I trailed his Omega scent until I stopped at the edge of the forest.

The air was surprisingly still, sheltered by the surrounding trees that held their ground against the soft breeze drifting in from the distance.

Seated on the curb, Alex played with fire. The flames erupted into existence before vanishing again.

Like the blinking of an eye, except each blink lingered just a little longer.

"Hi," I said from behind him. I slid the tray of cupcakes beside him.

I almost caught his resolve dissolving, but when he looked away, he settled back into his stubbornness.

"Mrs. Locke made those. I don’t think she’d appreciate you not eating them. I specifically told her I’d bring them to you and promised her you’d eat one."

Alex didn’t reply at first. He remained stubborn, and my mind drifted. Perhaps Marcellan was right when he said I’d pushed Alex too far. Being back at the fortress, as much as I hated to admit it, unearthed the past, yet I had intentionally sent Alex here.

To the place where I’d healed.

Or perhaps I simply hadn’t healed at all. Maybe I was using Alex as a correction for the time I couldn’t save my brothers.

Maybe that was the entire truth.

ALEX’S POV

I wouldn’t call it a peaceful refuge when I found this spot, but at least the openness eased the tightness in my chest, unlike the claustrophobic hallway.

And Kai had found me again.

"You shouldn’t make promises over what you can’t fulfil," I finally replied, almost as though I’d rehearsed a counterargument to whatever he was about to say.

Kai brushed his hair back.

"Yeah, you’re right." He sounded as though he were recovering from a lost thought.

A second later, he started again.

"By the way, I wonder when you became so good at... you know, using your powers."

"You do realise you weren’t much a part of that journey. How would you have known?" I replied, instantly regretting it.

I wanted to shut my mouth so badly, but I just couldn’t. There was this part of me that needed to make him feel it—the depth of how much I’d been hurt after seeing a vision of the future where he died, only for him to make plans the very next day that excluded my active involvement.

And honestly, I couldn’t blame him too much either, since I still hadn’t told him any of this. Even now, I still wasn’t being fair about the matter.

Goodness, it was exhausting.

As though mirroring my internal battle, Kai released an exasperated sigh before sitting beside me on the curb.

"Come here..." he called in a whisper.

I raised a brow, and he said it again.

"Come, sweet peach."

Despite my harshness, I settled between his thighs. I rested my head against his chest, his breathing gently lifting and lowering my head in its rhythm.

The thought of his death settled into my mind again. It dissolved my inner rage and made me want to hold onto this moment.

How long before I couldn’t feel his breathing anymore?

Was the future already set in motion?

I folded my hands together, and as though Kai sensed I was beginning to feel cold, he wrapped his arms around me. The warmth of his wolf rose close to the surface of his skin, radiating heat through his body and into mine.

From my spine to my chest, the warmth spread. The cold seeped away instantly, leaving me unbothered.

"We don’t need to talk. Let’s just... watch the sunset."

Large, fluffy clouds drifted to the left, illuminated by the orange glow of the setting sun.

And, of course, I listened to Kai. Watching the sunset was exactly what we did.

Nature became our common ground.