Kai paced his living room, eyes locked on his phone screen as if willing it to light up. After receiving the message from the college administration about the infection he had texted Cassie right away.
But she hadn't responded.
He was worried.
Something was wrong. He felt it. Before, it was just the sting of her hurt and betrayal humming through their bond like a dull ache. But over the last hour, it had morphed into something frantic…fear and restlessness wrapped so tightly around his chest each second more unbearable than the last.
And it was killing him to feel it and not be able to go over to her and pull her into his arms and tell her everything would be ok.
Will it though?
After hearing Blake's story he knew those grey patches couldn't be incidental. The infection had reached the human world. They couldn't just sit there and do nothing.
But, there's nothing you can do. That power lies with Cassie.
He stopped, stared at the door, then back at the phone. He wanted to respect her boundaries. Give her space. But something deep inside him stirred…an urge, fierce and sudden, clawing at his restraint.
Something nudged him to move. A pull from somewhere buried deep within him. To go. To tear down the distance between them and fight for her.
As her mate, he was supposed to protect her, not just her body, but her heart, and her mind. To remind her she wasn't alone, even if she hated him right now.
A faint aroma filled the apartment, jasmine and amber.
Then he saw it…the soft, purple, shimmering thread suspended in midair like a mist. Just like the day he'd gone searching for her.
It ran from his apartment out the door.
He yanked open the door. The thread stretched straight into Cassie's apartment. But then it flickered, and there it was: a grey slither, coiling into it, followed by the stench of rot.
A burning sensation tore through his upper body and settled deep in his upper arm. He clutched it, knees buckling as he collapsed to the floor. His breath hitched, and his vision blurred, but he managed to lock onto the thread above him.
An orange spark flickered along its length, pushing the grey back inch by inch. The spark grew, spreading fast, until the thread wasn't purple anymore.
It was ablaze.
A surge of heat flooded through him, raw and consuming, setting every nerve alight. Kai cried out, the sound ripped from his throat, torn between human agony and an animalistic growl.
He heard a door slam and footsteps hurried towards him in the hallway. Then Blake and Jace came into view hovering over him.
Suddenly, a fist slammed into Kai's chest…one moulded from fire and pain, shot through his bond with Cassie. It stole his breath, and left him gasping as dread surged through him.
His heart stuttered. His body tensed, desperate to rise, to reach her. But he couldn't move.
"C-Cassie…" he ground out, breathless.
At that moment, Cassie's scream tore through the hallway.
Kai's voice cracked as he shouted her name, the effort wrenching pain from his chest. "Cassie!"
Blake slammed his shoulder into her door, forcing it open before bolting into her suite, leaving Jace crouched beside him, calling his name…but Kai couldn't focus.
All he could think of, before the darkness dragged him under…was her.
Kai stirred. His eyes fluttered open. He wasn't in pain anymore. And…he wasn't home.
He sat up and swung his legs off the bed. The floor was dirt, smooth and cool beneath his feet. His sneakers set neatly aside against one of the walls.
Blinking at the room in front of him, it was bathed in golden light. Sunlight flowed through the windows, fingering the vines that climbed the walls in intricate, spiraling patterns.
Where the vines didn't touch, shelves brimmed with old books, jars, and scrolls. The place felt…heavenly.
He patted his palms over his chest in a rush. "Wait, am I dead?"
A soft chuckle answered him.
He turned toward the doorway, cautious as he stood. Beyond the threshold, a copper-skinned woman with silver locs and piercing purple eyes sat behind a small two seater table, sipping tea.
Kai stepped into the other room. The larger room mirrored the first, only grander. Maps lined the walls beneath the vines, and the scent of herbs and wood smoke drifted through the air. Another teacup waited beside hers, along with a mug and a plate of sandwiches.
"Hello, Kai," she said, her smile calm and inviting. "Care to join me for a cup of tea?"
He hesitated for a second, then made his way over and sat across from her.
The woman poured him a cup of tea without a word.
"Thank you," Kai said softly, unsure of what else to say.
He sipped his tea.
He didn't feel like he was in danger…just lost. He had no idea how he got there, or why. But the calm in the room, the soothing vibration of the earth beneath his feet, made it hard to panic.
She took another sip of her tea, then looked at him fully, her purple eyes bright and unreadable.
"My name is Nyara. I'm a wyrd witch."
Kai sat up straighter, removing the almost empty traccup from his lips. The name struck a chord. Blake had mentioned her when trying to convince Cassie to return with them.
"You've been marked by the Ancients," she continued, her voice gentle but firm. "The sigil on your upper arm…"
She tilted her chin toward his arm.
Kai glanced down, then lifted his sleeve. His breath caught.
The mark was there. Fully healed.
"You and Cassie now bear the same sigils," Nyara said, watching him. "You, Kai, are important."
Nyara paused to let her words sink in.
Kai looked at her in disbelief and the next words escaped his lips before he could stop them. "Yeah, I'm so important that's why I have no wolf and my pack rejected me."
"Your wolf is there. His name is Tiberius."
Kai gasped. He had a wolf!?
After all these years thinking he was a curse…an omen. He wasn't. He had a wolf. His eyes burned with tears that didn't fall.
"I'm sure that you've felt the change since the Primordia Moon."
Kai nodded, not trusting himself to speak.
"Your instinct to protect Cassie, to make her happy. That inner power that you get when you fight and it feels as though you're there but someone else is in the driver's seat. It's all Tiberius."
Kai leaned back in his chair. Yes, Jarek had said he and Cassie were fated mates. He'd told himself those overwhelming instincts were just the pull of their fated bond.
But as he sat and thought about it, everything Nyara said made sense especially when fighting.
But, he was still confused. "If Tiberius is there why hasn't he spoken to me? Why can't I shift? If he's there he should have emerged by now."
"Tiberius was ordered by the Ancients not to reveal himself to you, not yet," Nyara said gently. "He can speak with Lune and Siren, Cassie's wolf and vampire, but not to her directly, until he fully emerges. She doesn't remember the conversations they've had thus far. And unless they choose to share what he's said, she has no idea he exists."
"Only once has he managed to reach her directly," Nyara added. "It was Tiberius who told her about the Primordia Moon. That moment…was the only time he slipped through."
His eyes widened. He thought it was her wolf but it was his! Then something else hit him, and his brow furrowed.
"But, why would the Ancients order him to do that?" he asked, stifling a yawn.
"Tiberius will emerge when the time is ready. As for the rejection of your pack. Each werewolf is allotted one sigil. They couldn't mark you because you were never one of them." She smiled. "You've always belonged to the Ancients to emerge in a time such as this. The sigils branded on yours and Cassie's arms will create a new bloodline. Creating an eighth realm."
Kai didn't know what to say. He understood a bit now how Cassie felt, how overwhelmed it is hearing about a future that was already destined for you. But was he upset about it? No. He wanted Cassie with every fibre of his being. And being a major part of her story made him more determined to try to get through to her.
Nyara's voice softened, easing through the turmoil in his head.
"Kai," she said, drawing his gaze to hers, "you must prepare for what's to come. Every decision you make from here on will shape the future."
Kai's eyelids felt heavy as he tried to focus on her face.
Nyara's next words were distant, even though she leaned forward. Almost like a whisper in the wind.
"Your sigil is here now, but even this isn't set in stone. A single choice could either preserve or erase the eighth realm the other seven will need in the future."
Kai's limbs felt heavy, urging his body to rest.
His eyes fluttered.
He blinked once. Then again. The golden light of the room dimmed around the edges.
The last thing he saw was Nyara's warm smile. Then everything faded to black.
His eyes cracked open to the familiar ceiling of his apartment. Dull afternoon light filtered through the open window, and the warmth beneath him wasn't a bed, it was his sofa.
He sat up slowly, head still swimming. Every limb felt like it had been filled with sand.
"Hey." A voice broke the silence.
He turned. Jace was perched on the armrest nearby, brows drawn tight. "You okay?"
Kai blinked, the world coming back in hazy fragments. The scent of lavender tea and earth still clung to his nostrils as the pieces slowly clicked back together
"I…I think so," he murmured, as he ran a hand through his hair. "How's Cassie?"
"She's okay. Out cold, same as you were. Blake is still with her."
Kai closed his eyes, happy to hear that she was safe. He looked at Jace. "I met Nyara."
Jace lifted a brow. "Yeah? Did she give you a message?"
Kai nodded. "She told me that I must prepare for what's to come. Every decision I make from here on will shape the future."
Before Kai could tell Jace more a raven appeared on his window sill, a piece of paper rolled in its beak.
He looked from the raven to Jace who sat tensely, his jaw clenched and eyes pinned to the raven like he'd seen a ghost.
"Kai. Go get the paper." Jace's voice was strained.
Kai wanted to question him but he got up, retrieved the paper and the raven flew off.
As Kai unrolled the parchment, Jace stepped beside him, silent and stiff.
The wolves bleed. The war has begun.