Chapter 55

Kadeem

"What happened?" Kadeem’s wolf was like a coiled spring, sensing the tension in the air.

"The omegas on patrol found signs of a vampire attack on our territory overnight." Riley’s voice was strained, and no one dared to break the silence that followed her somber announcement.

The possibility of something far more sinister bubbling beneath the surface hung heavily in the air. The implications of Riley’s words sent a shudder through his body. Was this just an isolated incident, or the beginning of something far more dangerous? He glanced at Mateo, who was uncharacteristically quiet, his eyes betraying a hint of fear.

"I don't want to alarm you, but it was a real bloodbath," Riley said, her voice a mixture of panic and disbelief. "The clearing where we found the remnants of the attack looked like a scene straight out of a horror movie. Blood was splattered everywhere, on the grass, the trees, even smeared across some rocks. Clothes and branches were strewn about in chaos."

Kadeem's stomach churned at the imagery, and he clenched his fists in anger, feeling his wolf stir within him. "Did they find any bodies," Kadeem asked, dreading the answer.

"Not yet, but with that amount of blood..." Riley trailed off, unable to finish the sentence. "We're still searching."

"Keep on it," Kadeem ordered, his voice tight. "I want updates as soon as you have them."

"Understood, Alpha," Riley nodded immediately.

Mateo, gritting his teeth, chimed in with thinly veiled sarcasm, "Well, this is just delightful news, isn't it? Nothing like a little vampire-werewolf rivalry to spice up one's life."

"Sorry, Mateo," Kadeem said, glancing at his friend apologetically. "I know you didn't sign up for all this supernatural drama."

"Hey, no worries," Mateo said, though his facial expression was grim. "As long as I don't end up on the menu, I'm good." His laugh was hollow, and despite his joking tone, the fear in his eyes was unmistakable.

"Nobody's ending up on the menu," Kadeem declared, with a tone of determination and ferocity. “We’ll get to the bottom of this and make sure our pack is safe."

"This could mean that the vampires are getting bolder," Riley said cautiously.

Kadeem nodded, but forced a chuckle to lighten the mood. "Come on. We've faced worse before, haven't we? No need to panic just yet." He glanced briefly at Mateo, who was nervously fiddling with the strap of his bag.

"Of course," Riley said, though Kadeem could see the worry still lingering in his beta's eyes. "I'll make sure our patrols are extra vigilant."

"Good. And keep this quiet for now. I don't want to cause unnecessary panic among the pack." Kadeem placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

"Yes, sir,” she said, but her voice trailed off as if there were other things on her mind that she wanted to say.

Kadeem knew what it was – if things escalated, they would have a fight on their hands and they needed to be ready to act quickly. Still, he managed a smile and gave his Beta a final nod of reassurance.

Riley turned to leave and pulled open the exit door. As her dark curls swirled in the wind, she threw Mateo one last angry glare before the door clicked shut. Kadeem barely managed to contain a smirk. Riley’s gaze was so fiery it could have seared into Mateo’s soul like a branding iron.

“I think she likes me,” Mateo said softly to himself.

Kadeem let out an almost demonic chuckle. “Please,” he muttered through clenched teeth, his hands kneading his temples to ward off the beginnings of a headache.

“I think there’s some real electricity between us.” Mateo adjusted the strap on his bag, a faraway look in his eyes.

“Yeah, like a lightning bolt about to strike,” Kadeem snarled, shaking his head in disbelief.

“So, will you set us up?" Mateo asked pleadingly, the look of hope etched across his face.

Kadeem groaned. "No," he said, firmly.

At the crestfallen expression on Mateo’s face, Kadeem was unable to contain himself and burst into laughter. “Let’s go grab some lunch. I’m starving.”

"Sounds like a plan," Mateo said.

As walked out to the car, Kadeem couldn't shake the feeling that something more sinister was lurking beneath the surface of this latest attack.

But for now, all he could do was focus on keeping his pack safe - and hope that his instincts were wrong.

He spent the rest of the day trying to ignore the rising dread. He had enough to occupy him till nightfall. Shuttered in his room to wind down for the evening, his brain wound-up, instead. His mind ricocheted between Ardal, the vampire attack, and the memories of his poisoning he was trying to make sense of.

Kadeem fell into bed, dissecting it all. Susan’s past behavior did seem opportunistic in retrospect, and he’d spent enough time with her since to know she wasn’t exactly a class act. Ardal, on the other hand, had never given him a reason to doubt her - outside of the near-fatal poisoning, that was. But Kadeem kept coming back to the expressions of terror and profound devastation on her face when that all occurred six years ago. Why hadn’t he noticed that at the time?

His heart sank with a flood of anguished regret. Ardal had not intentionally harmed him. Susan had lied for her own gain, he was sure of this now. The truth hit him right in the stomach. Kadeem had thrown away his marriage to Ardal over this lie. He had believed Susan over his own mate.

Kadeem jumped out of bed and began to pace. He raked his fingers through his hair, distraught.

Kadeem rummaged through the drawer of his nightstand. He fished out a bottle of ibuprofen and cracked it open, placing two blue tablets on his tongue to combat the pounding headache that he’d failed to curtail earlier in the day.

Kadeem swallowed the pills and settled back into bed with no easy answers or solutions out of the mess, just darkness and regret.

I need a drink.

Kadeem felt his skin crawl as memories of the past flooded back. He lusted for the burn of whiskey running down his throat and the promise of its bite a balm for his sorrow and remorse. The same heavy guilt he had felt when she was ripped from his life six years ago came crashing into him like a freight train.

Demons that he had put away in a locked box were now unleashed in full force, and Kadeem knew that this time he would not succumb to its power. No more using whiskey as a crutch to fill the void Ardal left behind.

He remembered how he had stumbled through the months after her death, dulling his senses with alcohol until he was nothing more than a shell of himself. It was at one of those upscale bars frequented by pack elites that it all changed for him. On its rooftop veranda, with a view of the lights of the downtown, the clink of dry martinis and cut of suits hung in the air. The rich smell of potential power drew him in, pushing away some of his heartache, but what he was truly in search of, he would never find.

After pushing around some drunk who didn't know any better, Kadeem showed everyone why he was the rightful Alpha. The man had nearly paid with his life. His brute strength and animalistic tendencies frightened the pack elites at the nightclub, yet they respected him. The ferocity with which Kadeem dealt out punishment earned him respect among pack members, anointing him alpha despite his grief-stricken state.

Kadeem’s fortune took a turn on the night of Ardal’s birthday, almost a year after his uncle had broken the news to him that she was dead.

He’d left the bar and stupidly decided to drive himself home. Looking back, the self-destruct mode was obvious.

In the moonless night, he’d made his way to his car, fumbling for his keys in his pocket.

"Come on, come on," he muttered to himself, finally finding them and jamming them into the ignition. The engine roared to life, and Kadeem gripped the steering wheel tightly, trying to focus his blurred vision on the road ahead.

"Okay... I can do this," he told himself, pressing down on the gas pedal. The car lurched forward, and Kadeem swerved onto the road, narrowly avoiding a parked car.

"Maybe driving drunk isn't the best idea," he thought with a twisted chuckle, imagining how Ardal would scold him if she were still alive. Would she understand why he drank so much, or would she be disappointed in him?

As he sped through the empty streets, Kadeem's thoughts turned to the pack. He wondered if they would ever forgive him for his shortcomings as their leader, or if they would be better off without him. A pang of guilt hit him as he thought of his responsibilities, but it was quickly drowned out by the overwhelming grief that threatened to consume him.

The rain started to pour, slickening the roads and making it even more difficult for Kadeem to maintain control of the car. As he rounded a sharp curve, his tires lost their grip, and the car skidded sideways, slamming into a tree with a deafening crunch.

Kadeem's world went black.

From a paranormal standpoint, the accident had a profound effect on Kadeem's already fragile psyche. His werewolf body had the ability to heal itself from physical injuries, but his brain wasn't immune to damage. The impact of the crash caused a severe concussion, which in turn resulted in memory loss – specifically, memories of Ardal.

As an alpha werewolf, Kadeem's mind was supposed to be impenetrable, resistant to any form of psychic manipulation or attack. But the combination of his emotional turmoil and the force of the accident left him vulnerable. It was as if a part of his soul had been ripped away, leaving behind an empty void where his memories of Ardal once were.

"Who am I?" he murmured, staring blankly at the hospital wall.

“Kadeem,” his mom, Bree, had whispered with tears in her eyes.

Within a few days after the accident, he had sorted out a lot of the fog in his mind, but his wolf was silent, and something else was missing. He just didn’t know what.

And even now, six years later - even with the return of his memories and his wolf, things still weren't right. A deadly calm settled over Kadeem as he realized that no matter how hard he tried, there were some things you just can't outrun.