Page 121 of Fated

For years, Orion had been his center—his strength, his anchor. Now, the space in his mind where Orion once lived was filled with nothing but stillness. An oppressive quiet that Kai couldn’t bear.

The severed bond left his chest not merely hollow but collapsed. As if his ribs were caving inward without Orion’s presence to help them hold their shape. Each heartbeat sent shock waves of pain through the splintered remains where his core had been. The ache reverberated endlessly, each echo weaker than the last, like a dying pulse. Sounds muffled and distorted as he lay there until all he could perceive was the haunting silence in his mind—a silence with weight and texture, suffocating him from within.

He didn’t hear the heavy footsteps at first. It wasn’t until strong arms wrapped around him that he recognized his father’s presence.

“I’m here, son,” Darius said. “I’ve got you.”

Kai’s sobs broke free as he let himself be pulled into his father’s embrace. “She’s gone, Dad,” he cried, voice raw. “Orion’s gone. I have nothing. I am nothing.”

“You’re not nothing, Kai.” Darius’s voice cracked as he tightened his hold. “You’re my son, and I’m here.”

Kai’s body felt limp, senses blurring as Darius lifted him, cradling him like a child. The courtyard, which had once feltlike home, now felt impossibly large and unbearably empty. He barely registered the pack members lowering their voices, bowing their heads as they watched Darius carry his prone body.

By the time they reached his suite, Kai’s senses became nonexistent. The colors of the world dulled, the edges fading into darkness as though the bond’s severance was pulling him deeper into an abyss.

As Darius settled him onto the bed, Kai’s thoughts grew disjointed, mind splintering into a thousand shards of pain and regret. He barely felt his father’s hand, a steady weight on his shoulder.

“Rest now,” Darius murmured. “I’m not leaving you.”

Kai’s final thought before the darkness consumed him entirely was a faint whisper, a name that felt like both an anchor and a blade in his chest.

Lena.