CHAPTER 27: REVENGE (SLIGHT TRIGGER WARNING)

But Kael shook his head. He did not answer his brother’s question directly. Instead, his voice came out hoarse, strained from the effort of holding himself together. He knew he had just been pulled back from the door of death by his brother. And this knowledge was chilling.

"Grab the mutt and leave.", he said in a hoarse voice. They needed to leave this place immediately. The malevolence here was driving his wolf crazy.

Zen wanted to protest immediately, the words rising sharp and unyielding in his throat. But then his gaze fell on Kael’s face—pale, drawn, and set with a grim resolve. The protest died unspoken.

His jaw tightened, and instead of arguing, he bit back his frustration. He grabbed Alec Soier by the collar and dragged him out, shoving the half-conscious figure through the column before stepping outside himself.

As they stepped outside, they exchanged a silent glance, an unspoken understanding passing between them like a fleeting spark. Then, without a word, Alec was thrown down onto the cold, cracked ground. His body hit with a dull thud, a groan escaping his lips as his limbs curled weakly inward.

One of the guards stepped closer, knowing that returning this man would be as dangerous as keeping him, but he dared to ask, "Your Highness, should we send him back to the pack? They’ve been searching for him all day."

The question had been directed at Prince Kael, but it was Zen who answered first. His voice was edged with steel, his eyes burning with restrained fury as he thought of the little Omega’s dull eyes when Kael had told him to go to her.

"Let them keep searching. After what this filth tried to do to the Omega, there is no way I am letting him walk free."

His words carried a weight that silenced the immediate circle of guards. Everyone knew that Prince Zen, liked to play with his prey the most. If Alec Soier ended up in this man’s hands, he might not just die, but he would probably welcome death as a form of relief.

However, one person was not cowed by his words. Instead, he was angered and immediately Teacher Shim spoke up, "Your Highness! It is not feasible for us to stir conflict with the Moonville Pack right now. You have both seen for yourselves-strange things are unfolding here, things that we do not yet understand. At such a time, provoking hostility from Moonville would not serve us well. And that too for a measly Omega. Already you have made the Alpha wary and now, with his son and heir going missing, he will do anything to find out the truth. And anyway, the Omega did not suffer, did she? She was saved by Prince Kael. So, please behave. Or I will need to have a talk with our Alpha."

Zen turned sharply, his glare narrowing on the man who had dared to interject. His lips parted, a retort already forming, to argue with his teacher but Kael’s calm voice cut through the tension.

"Don’t worry, Teacher. We understand."

By now, his colour had returned to normal and his expression back to being unreadable, as he continued, "I’ll take care of it myself. I’ll scramble his memory, make sure he recalls nothing of this place, nothing of what happened tonight. Once that’s done, I’ll send him back to his pack personally."

Teacher Shim studied the two brothers for a long moment, suspicion flickering in his narrowed eyes. But at length, he gave a curt nod. "See that you do. We will return to the Pack tomorrow so that we can report the findings to the Alpha," he said simply, then turned on his heel and strode away, his figure soon swallowed by the shadows of the ruins.

The moment his footsteps faded, Zen rounded on his brother, his restraint snapping.

"You cannot mean to leave him unpunished for what he has done!"

His voice was low but fierce, vibrating with suppressed outrage. He took a step closer, his fists clenched at his sides as his chest heaved with the effort to control himself as he stared at his brother.

Kael, however, only looked at him. A faint smile curved his lips, one that never reached his eyes. He shook his head with quiet certainty.

"Of course, I cannot leave him like that. Do you take me for a fool?" His tone was calm, almost soothing, though it carried the edge of something darker beneath and Zen knew that his brother’s punishment was going to satisfy him. "After all, he has helped us-unwittingly, yes-but he has brought us one step closer to the mystery of these ruins."

Zen stilled, his anger faltering as his curiosity sharpened. His eyes narrowed. "What are you planning, Kael?"

Kael’s lips curved further, the faint smile transforming, "Something fitting. A punishment he can play with—one that will scramble his brain enough to serve our purpose, without forcing us to dirty our own hands."

A chill passed through Zen. He knew that tone well, knew that his brother’s mind had already crafted something cruel, precise, and merciless. Kael was never impulsive; when he planned a punishment, it was measured with surgical precision.

For a brief moment, Zen thought of their older brother- the one whose cruelty was legend even among Alphas. And yet, in this moment, Kael’s cold creativity almost rivalled his.

Kael’s smile faded as he straightened, his expression hardening into an impersonal mask. His voice, when he spoke again, was cold and detached, like a judge passing sentence.

"This man," Kael said, glancing down at Alec with disdain, "he has a certain taste. He likes... backdoor entry the most."

The guards exchanged uneasy glances, some grimacing, others suppressing smirks, but none daring to speak.

Kael’s eyes flicked to his brother, then back to the guards. His words were quiet, but they carried with them the weight of absolute command. "Take him to the guards you dosed with aphrodisiac earlier. Let them have their fun."

The air went still, the command hanging heavy between them. The guards stiffened, their eyes widening slightly as the meaning sank in. There was cruelty in the order, one they had never expected from their Second in command Prince. The Crown Prince, yes.

Zen watched his brother closely, torn between grim satisfaction and the faint chill that crept down his spine. For all his own temper, for all his own thirst for retribution, he sometimes forgot how quietly ruthless Kael could be when provoked.

Alec stirred weakly on the ground, unaware of the fate that had just been sealed for him. His muffled groan only deepened the silence, the sound like the prelude to a storm he could not see coming.

Zen exhaled slowly, shaking his head as he muttered under his breath, "You’re colder than even I imagined."

But Kael did not answer. He only watched, his eyes distant as the guards pulled the lifeless Alec Soier towards a hell that he could not have imagined.