Chapter 5 - The message
1076 Words
Nathan’s POV
I dropped Noah off at school and waited by the gates until he disappeared inside. Everyone turned to stare at the sleek car that had just dropped him off. He turned around just as he entered the building, smiling, waving like I hadn’t missed five years of his life.
Like I hadn’t left his mother to carry the weight of everything I abandoned.
I smiled back.
He was the reason I was here. The reason I came back, even when I knew I had no right. I had to protect him and her. Even if she never forgave me.
Even if it killed me.
The car was quiet as I pulled back onto the road, the engine humming beneath my fingers. The morning sun was shining.
Elaine.
The first time I saw her again, before the wedding, after my disappearance, after I ran from the life we had built, she walked into my office like a force.
Eyes blazing. Chin high. Rage hidden beneath her waiting to be unleashed.
God, she was beautiful.
Her hair was longer now, a beautiful blond that went all the way down to her back. Her body, curvier, stronger. Five years, and she still looked like the moon herself had carved her.
Then there were her eyes.
Once, they used to soften at the sight of me. Now, they looked at me with quiet rage and accusations.
She hated me.
She should.
I pulled into the underground parking lot of my company’s high-rise and stepped out. My office was on the 35th floor, but before I could make it inside, I caught a familiar scent of leather and pine.
“You look like hell,” said a deep voice behind me.
I turned to see Malik, leaning against a pillar, arms crossed. Dressed in a sleek black suit, he looked like trouble dipped in confidence. And he was one of the only wolves I still trusted.
Malik stood near a concrete pillar, arms crossed, eyes narrowed like he’d been watching for a while.
“I’ve had better mornings,” I muttered.
He stepped forward. “How is she?”
I tensed, not wanting to talk about it.
He raised a brow. “That bad?”
“She hates me,” I said flatly as I slammed the door of my car shut.
“She should. I don't expect anything less from her,” Malik replied without missing a beat.
I clenched my jaw.
“I tried to protect her,” I said. “I didn't know she was pregnant.”
“She saw me at the wedding, you know,” he said quietly. “Didn’t say a word. Just stood at the back, eyes empty. She looked like she would have been happy to throw me off a cliff.”
“You should come visit us. My son will be happy to see you.”
“I have to decline, bro,” he said. “She might really throw me off a cliff if I show up at your house.”
Elaine had asked Malik for help all those years ago, and since he was under strict orders from me, he couldn't help her. She hated him for it.
I let out a breath and motioned toward the elevator. “Come on. Let's go in.”
We walked toward the private elevator at the far end of the garage. It was fingerprint-locked and led straight to the executive floor, which was 35 stories up. As soon as the scanner blinked green, the doors slid open, and we stepped inside.
Inside, the walls were lined with mirror steel, and soft golden lights gave it a cozy feel. I leaned against the panel, silent as the elevator began its smooth ascent upwards.
Kade Enterprises.
My family’s legacy. Started generations ago by my great-grandfather, it had grown from land deals and freight into one of the most powerful corporate conglomerates in the country. Real estate, tech, defense contracts... we touched everything.
It was the perfect cover for the other side of my life, the one that involved claws, fangs, and blood oaths. Being an alpha wasn’t just about strength or dominance. It was about balance. Managing two worlds that were always moments from colliding.
The elevator dinged.
As the doors slid open to the executive floor, heads turned.
Employees froze mid-sentence. Interns fumbled with their coffee. My presence had that effect.
I didn’t need to growl or snarl. I walked like I owned the building because I did. And my wolf always lingered just beneath the surface, humming like a sleeping beast.
“Mr. Kade,” my secretary stammered, standing up as I approached.
“Cancel all my meetings this morning,” I said without slowing down.
“But, sir...”
“All of them.”
“Yes, sir.”
Malik trailed behind me as I walked into my office. It was a combination of floor-to-ceiling glass, black marble desk, and a skyline that stretched, showing off the city.
“She really got under your skin, huh?” Malik said, glancing around the room.
I didn’t answer.
I sat on my seat and was about to say something when I felt it.
It crept in slowly, like rot and death beneath the sweetness of perfume.
A sweet and foul scent. A familiar scent.
My wolf stirred, my senses immediately picking up the threat.
“What the hell?” Malik sniffed the air too, eyes darkening.
The scent hit more intensely, and in a blink, it was standing inside my office.
Malik growled, stepping forward, but I held out a hand. Don’t move.
The thing didn’t walk. It unfolded from shadow, pale skin stretched over bones too long and eyes the color of spoiled milk.
“What message do you have for me now, Velymar?”
My wolf surged, slamming against my skin, snarling for release.
“Why, hello, Alpha Nathan,” the creature said, trying to imitate a smile with its rotting teeth.
“Speak, or I'm going to rip your head off,” I snapped, losing patience. My claws were already elongated, and I felt an immense need to shred the creature to pieces.
The creature smiled wide.
I stepped forward.
Its mouth cracked open, and from within came a harsh voice.
“I heard you have a son, Alpha. He's such a beautiful little boy.”
My wolf pressed harder against my skin, snarling, furious.
They were watching my son.
- Writer
