The chaos in the hall still lingered in Kael's ears as he strode quickly down the corridor, his steps heavy and his breathing uneven. His eyes locked on Rin, who was slumped against the wall, his chest heaving with shallow breaths. For a moment, Kael thought Rin had simply exhausted himself from the battle, but then something far stranger clawed at the edges of his senses.
At first, he dismissed it as leftover pheromones from the auction hall—the suffocating mixture of scents that had been spilling off the abused omegas earlier. But as Kael drew closer, the realization hit him like a gunshot to the chest.
The scent wasn't fading the further he walked away from the hall.
It was stronger. Sharper.
And it was coming from Rin.
Kael froze mid-step, his sharp eyes narrowing in disbelief.
The scent that should belong to an omega was coming from Rin, who was supposed to be a beta.
The intoxicating fragrance rolling off Rin was undeniably omega.
For the first time in years, Kael's mind went completely blank.
He had no time to process. The sound of footsteps echoed faintly from the far end of the corridor, pulling him back to reality like a bucket of ice water.
Kael clenched his jaw, tearing his jacket off in one swift motion. He draped it around Rin's shoulders, tugging the fabric up so it covered the man's neck and glands. The heavy leather carried Kael's own alpha scent, rich and commanding. He pushed his own pheromones outward, sharp and controlled, layering over Rin's to mask it.
He couldn't let anyone else see Rin like this.
Rin stirred beneath the weight of the coat, his pale face turning slightly. A trembling hand shot out and caught Kael's arm in a grip weaker than Kael had ever felt from him. His eyes, half-hidden under the edge of the coat, glistened faintly as he whispered hoarsely, his voice low enough that Kael almost missed it.
"Camera…"
Kael blinked. Then his gaze flicked to Rin's hand as he pulled the tiny microphone from his ear. Kael understood instantly. Cameras. The earpieces. The server. If anyone monitoring picked this up, Rin's secret would be destroyed in an instant.
Without hesitation, Kael tore his own earpiece out. He takes both his and Rin's camera and throws them aside.
The footsteps grew louder. Without wasting another second, Kael adjusted the coat around Rin's shoulders, then slid his arms under him. Rin was lighter than he expected, trembling from the force of his heat, but his body felt dangerously hot against Kael's chest. Kael lifted him in a clean bridal carry, holding him close as he began moving swiftly toward the nearest exit. While lifting him, Kael saw the gunshot wound on Rin's arm.
Behind them, Rowan appeared at the corridor's end, his gun still smoking from the last exchange. His sharp gaze snapped to Kael, then to Rin in his arms, who was bleeding and looked pale. He froze.
"What happened?" Rowan asked.
Kael didn't slow. "Rin's injured. I'll take him to HQ first. Clear the rest of this mess and bring the men back once it's safe."
"Understood."
Kael didn't look back. He strode through the chaos, pushing out of the club's rear exit and into the parking lot. The cold night air brushed against Rin's fevered skin, making him shiver faintly in Kael's arms. Kael opened the back door of his black sedan, placing Rin down carefully. He stripped the coat from Rin's shoulders only to lay it back over his lap, tugging the collar higher against his neck, before sliding into the driver's seat.
The scent in the car was stifling.
Kael rolled the windows down halfway, letting the night air dilute the overwhelming heat that Rin's pheromones carried. Still, as an alpha, he felt every trace of it seeping into his chest, tightening something primal in him that he couldn't afford to acknowledge.
He forced his voice steady. "Where do I take you? Does anyone know about your heat? Should I get a suppressant first?"
Rin's head turned weakly against the seat, his breath shallow and fast. His lips parted, and his words came out strained.
"Ordinary suppressants… won't work. Take me to Eric. He knows… what to do."
"Hold on, keep pressing the wound," Kael said, flooring the accelerator. The tires screeched as the car shot forward, heading for the Wolf Marks' HQ.
The drive was tense, heavy with silence broken only by Rin's uneven breathing. His body trembled violently, sweat glistening on his brow as he fought to hold on. Kael glanced at him through the rearview mirror, and his chest clenched at the sight.
Then he saw it.
Rin had clutched Kael's coat against his face, burying his nose into the fabric. He inhaled, small and desperate, his hands trembling as though clinging to sanity itself.
Kael's pulse quickened. He said nothing, keeping his eyes on the road, but he released a subtle wave of his pheromones into the confined space. Strong, grounding, reassuring.
Rin's entire body slackened. The tight lines on his face eased, his breaths evening out just enough for him to stay conscious.
Kael exhaled through his nose. He didn't dare speak. Words would only complicate this further. He just drove.
Minutes dragged like hours until the mansion loomed ahead. Kael pulled into the courtyard, braking hard. He killed the engine, stepped out, and swung open the back door. Without hesitation, he draped the coat back across Rin's shoulders, tugging it to cover the back of his neck where his gland pulsed hot against his skin.
Then he lifted Rin again. Bridal style.
The front doors flew open as Kael strode into the mansion. Inside, Tobi, Milo, Ari, and Nico were gathered around the main hall, their heads snapping up in shock. Their eyes widened at the sight of Rin—bleeding, pale, wrapped in Kael's coat.
Kael didn't let them ask questions. His voice came cold and sharp. "Don't follow. Handle the aftermath. Rowan will bring the rescued omegas. Focus on them."
Eric had already risen from his chair, his face draining of color.
"Upstairs. Now." Kael looked at Eric and said.
The doctor grabbed his emergency kit and rushed forward.
Kael didn't stop moving. He bounded up the stairs two steps at a time, pushing into the second-floor hallway and kicking open the door to one of the rooms. He set Rin down gently on the bed, his jaw tense.
"Shut the door," Kael ordered without looking back.
Eric obeyed, slamming it shut and rushing to Rin's side. The moment Kael stripped his coat away, the raw scent of Rin's pheromones flooded the room, suffocating and undeniable. Eric froze, his eyes widening as he turned sharply toward Kael.
"You…" Eric's voice trembled, his usually composed face pale. His eyes flicked from Rin, shivering on the bed, to Kael, who stood stiffly at his side.
As soon as he sees Rin in Kaels' arm, he knows that the suppressants wear off and that his heat comes, but it was still shocking and scary to see that, of all the people to know about Rin's secret, it had to be him.