The warm glow of morning barely crept through the curtains when Adrian's phone started buzzing across the nightstand like an angry insect. He groaned, shifting Kai's still snoozing body off his chest and grabbing the phone.
One glance at the screen had his jaw clenching.
Unknown Number. One message.
"He's a fucking werewolf, Adrian. Do you even know what you've done?"
Adrian's thumb hovered over the screen, tension coiling in his spine. He'd recognize that tone anywhere it was from someone in the council. Maybe even… his brother.
He deleted the message without replying.
Behind him, Kai yawned, stretching like a lazy cat, blanket slipping low enough to make Adrian momentarily forget how to breathe. "Mmm… why do you look like you just swallowed a lemon?"
Adrian turned to him slowly. "Because someone just figured out what I did last night."
Kai blinked sleepily. "You mean… claiming me?"
Adrian nodded. "And they're not thrilled."
Kai sat up straighter. "Wait, like who figured it out?"
Adrian didn't answer. Instead, he got up, pulling on his pants and running a hand through his messy hair. "We don't have time to play cute anymore, Kai. The second they find out we bonded truly bonded they'll come for us. For you."
Kai's expression hardened, something Alpha deep and ancient flickering in his eyes despite his petite frame. "Let them try."
Adrian whipped around, eyes flashing. "No, you don't get it. My people our people don't just kill threats. They dismantle them. If they believe for one second that this bond makes us dangerous"
"We are dangerous," Kai interrupted, voice soft but firm. "And maybe it's about time we stopped pretending we're not."
Adrian stared at him. There he was again that spark, that wild, untamed soul beneath the soft exterior. His little omega wasn't so helpless after all.
The air around them shifted as something darker brewed outside their walls.
Then, almost like fate agreed, Adrian's second phone lit up on the desk.
This time, it was a photo.
A building on fire.
The one Kai worked at.
Below it, a message:
"One less wolf in the system. You're next, traitor."
Kai's breath hitched as he saw it over Adrian's shoulder. "Is that…?"
Adrian's fists clenched. "They're already starting. And they just declared war."
Adrian's hand tightened around the phone as the flames in the image still seemed to dance in front of him, taunting him. His jaw clenched, the muscles in his back taut, a deep growl rumbling low in his chest. Kai hadn't yet fully grasped the severity of their situation, but Adrian wasn't going to sugarcoat it any longer.
"They're making a statement, Kai," Adrian said through gritted teeth, dropping the phone onto the bed between them, "and we're in it. Your pack's in danger. My family's not going to let this slide."
Kai swallowed hard, his gaze flicking from the image of the burning building to Adrian's tense form. He wanted to ask what Adrian was going to do about it, but the answer was obvious. Adrian would fight. He would always fight.
Still, his omega instinct twitched in him. The bond between them it was too new, too fragile. He wasn't sure he was ready to handle the weight of it, but there was no turning back now. Not when the danger was this real.
"They're trying to provoke us," Kai murmured, his voice a little shaky. He'd seen this before how power-hungry bloodlines would lash out when they were threatened. The vampire council was ruthless in its politics.
"They are," Adrian confirmed, turning to face him fully. His gaze softened just slightly, and he reached out to cup Kai's face. "But I'm not going to let them hurt you."
Kai leaned into the touch, his breath quickening despite the storm cloud looming over them. Adrian's touch, his presence, it grounded him but it also ignited something darker, deeper, inside him. The wolf howled within, urging him to fight, to claim his place. To defend what was his.
He closed his eyes for a moment, trying to steady his heart. "I'm not afraid of them, Adrian."
"I know you're not," Adrian said, his voice low, almost too intimate. "But it's not just about you anymore. We are in this together. And no one, no one gets to tear us apart."
Kai's lips parted, a soft laugh escaping him. "You really think we can take on an entire council of vampires and survive?"
"Baby," Adrian's voice dropped to something near a growl, "I don't think we can just survive. I know we will."
Kai's eyes searched his face, tracing the hard angles of Adrian's jaw, the barely-restrained violence in his eyes. Adrian was powerful, yes but Kai? He was something more. A wolf, a lover, a protector. He could feel the deep hum of their bond growing stronger with each passing moment. He wasn't just a victim here. He was a partner. An equal.
Adrian must've sensed the shift in him, the confidence that was returning as their bond sparked, because his lips curled into a small, amused smile. "Good," he murmured, his thumb stroking the corner of Kai's mouth. "Because I have a plan."
Kai raised an eyebrow. "A plan?"
"Mhm." Adrian stepped back, retrieving his phone and pressing it against his ear, his voice low and commanding. "I need backup. It's time for them to understand just how far I'm willing to go to protect what's mine."
Kai narrowed his eyes, trying to ignore the excitement and fear that bubbled in his chest. "And what exactly do you plan to do, Adrian?"
The vampire grinned, a predatory gleam lighting up his eyes. "I'm going to teach them a lesson they won't forget. You and I, Kai? We're not some passing distraction. We're a fucking force."
Kai's heart skipped, a pulse of heat flooding his veins as Adrian's words hit him like a punch to the gut. He was both terrified and... enthralled. A part of him wanted to rush into the fight with Adrian at his side. But another part the more cautious wolf inside was telling him that they weren't ready for the storm they were about to unleash.
But there was no going back. And, honestly, a part of him didn't want to.
Adrian tossed his phone aside and pulled Kai toward him, pressing their foreheads together. "Are you with me?"
Kai's answer was instinctive, fierce. "Always."
Adrian kissed him then fierce, hot, all-consuming. There was no tenderness this time, just raw, desperate need. His hands were on Kai's body in an instant, urging him closer, as though the very proximity of their bodies could shield them from the chaos they were about to bring.
Pulling away only slightly, Adrian grinned. "Let's show them what happens when they mess with us."
Kai's breath caught in his throat, his pulse racing as Adrian's words landed like a promise and a threat.
There would be no mercy. No hesitation. And no surrender.