Chapter 279: National security

Reaching into the pantry, Kieran pulled out a bag of artisanal potato chips and set them on the island. "Eat these first while we figure out dinner."

He noticed his own head throbbing with a killer headache and silently acknowledged that his body genuinely required a break.

Yuki nodded eagerly, her mouth watering as she reached for the bag—only for Kieran’s large hand to catch her wrist.

"Wash your hands first, little vixen," he instructed smoothly.

Yuki let out an irritated groan and scrambled over to the sink while Kieran poured himself a large glass of ice water.

A gentle, steady rain began pattering against the large glass patio doors. The sharp, rhythmic crunching of Yuki devouring the potato chips filled the quiet kitchen while Kieran leaned against the counter, taking slow sips of his water as he watched her. A dry, amused smirk touched his lips.

*She really is an unapologetic foodie. How did she manage to survive the day without starving to death?*

He shook his head softly.

DING-DONG.

The loud chime of the front doorbell echoed sharply down the hallway.

Kieran’s eyes flicked to his wristwatch. Barely fifteen minutes had passed since they had come downstairs. It was impossible for a delivery driver to have navigated the private coastal road so quickly.

"Stay here," Kieran instructed Yuki, setting his glass down with a soft click. "I’ll check the door."

He walked down the long, dimly lit foyer toward the entrance, every Alpha instinct on high alert. His gut told him with absolute certainty that the person standing on the porch was no delivery driver.

He unlocked the heavy wooden door and pulled it open. A gust of cold, rainy wind rushed into the hall.

"Where is she?" a harsh, demanding voice barked the second the door swung open.

Kieran’s fingers curled tightly around the edge of the doorframe as he stared out at his younger brother. Kaden stood on the porch, fully clad in his dark military dress uniform, a thin sheen of rain glistening across his broad shoulders.

Kieran kept his face unreadable. "Where is who? What are you talking about, Kaden?"

Kaden was never the patient type. He shoved his broad frame past Kieran, stepping straight into the foyer, his voice laced with a sharp, dangerous edge. "Don’t play dumb with me, Kieran! I know about Wade’s death. I just came straight from an emergency high-ranking military summit with every top General in the pack! Those who were in far territories joined by video call."

Kieran’s stomach dropped. Things were escalating far faster than he had anticipated. What had initially been logged as an isolated medical anomaly had—with Wade’s sudden, violent collapse—been reclassified as an immediate national security threat. The enemy possessed a biological weapon the pack couldn’t treat.

Kaden’s next words made Kieran’s blood run cold.

"The military intelligence board reviewed Wade’s file in detail," Kaden explained, his blue eyes flashing with tension. "He was wounded during a failed rogue infiltration sweep. The primary threat was eliminated, but Wade sustained severe injuries. The board went over his exact timeline—his cellular degradation, his mental deterioration, and his ultimate death. And they brought up one crucial detail..."

Kaden stepped closer, his jaw working. "Someone else was scratched during Wade’s rampage at the hospital today: Yuki. The council doesn’t know if the whatever affected Wade, spreads through physical fluid transfer, but the Generals are pushing a high-level motion. Gamma Reed tried his best to control the room, but the military board is adamant. They want Yuki placed under high-security military quarantine immediately... and if she exhibits a single symptom matching Wade’s degradation, a formal execution decree is being presented to Father for authorisation."

Kieran’s throat went dry. He had expected the High Court traditionalists to act ruthlessly—they had always despised the Donovan sisters. But what genuinely puzzled him was the look in Kaden’s eyes. Kaden looked visibly agitated. Deeply worried. Why would he look so stressed when the girl he claimed to hate was facing execution?

"Then why are you here, brother?" Kieran taunted softly, his voice dropping into a cold, defensive tone. "Did you come all the way to my private villa just to celebrate her execution decree?"

Kaden’s jaw clenched so hard a muscle jumped along his cheek. "I’m here because of you, you idiot!" he snapped. "You were the last person seen leaving the hospital wing with her! You noticed something was fundamentally wrong with her injury, didn’t you, Kieran? That’s why you smuggled her out of the city! That is fucking dangerous! Where is she?!"

Kieran realised then that Kaden’s anger stemmed from the severe legal fallout he now faced. Hiding a potential national security hazard made him a co-conspirator in high treason.

"She is fine," Kieran said flatly, his blue eyes hardening. "I will synthesise the cure and neutralise the threat long before the military board ever lays eyes on her."

"How exactly do you plan to do that?!" Kaden demanded.

"I have the situation under control." Kieran paused, then asked sharply, "How confidential is this briefing?"

"The military command forced the hospital to gag the entire staff," Kaden answered. "Right now, only the top Generals and Father know... but Killian will find out within the hour. You know he has a talent for pulling intelligence out of thin air."

*Just tonight,* Kieran calculated. That was the precise window he had left to synthesise the cure. If Kaden had successfully tracked him to his private villa, the military intelligence unit wouldn’t be far behind. Within forty-eight hours, heavy tactical guards would surround this estate, waiting for the slightest excuse to eliminate her. Even Alexander wouldn’t be able to stay an execution order if national security was declared.

Before Kieran could formulate another word—

CRASH!

A heavy, violent shattering of ceramic echoed from the kitchen down the hall.

Kieran’s head snapped toward the sound. Moving on pure instinct, his long legs sprinted down the corridor, Kaden following right at his heels.

They burst into the kitchen—and both brothers went deathly pale.

Lying on the hardwood floor amidst the shattered remains of a ceramic bowl and a scattered packet of crisps was Yuki, her body convulsing violently in an agonizing seizure, black veins bulging wildly beneath the skin of her neck.

Kieran’s face drained of all colour.

This... this never happened to the soldier.