What. The. Fuck.

Kael was a mess.

A total, absolute, irredeemable mess.

His mate—his Theron—was mad at him.

And not just a little mad. No, Theron was livid.

And it was all his fault.

Kael had done plenty of reckless, foolish, downright idiotic things in his life. He had brawled with fully grown warriors twice his size as a kid. He had jumped out of a moving carriage because he thought it would be fun. He had spent years flirting with every girl who so much as looked at him, thinking it didn't matter—thinking it was harmless.

But none of that compared to this.

None of that hurt the way this did.

Because this time, he had hurt Theron.

And that was unforgivable.

Kael hated himself for it.

For not seeing sooner.

For not realizing sooner.

He had spent years by Theron's side, and still, he had been blind.

How could he have wasted so much time?

Kael stepped out of the cafeteria, his breath coming too fast, his heart beating too hard.

Theron was gone.

And Kael had just stood there, frozen like an idiot, as the one person who mattered walked away from him.

The laughter and chatter behind him felt like a cruel mockery. The same girls who had spent years throwing themselves at him, the same ones who had never mattered to him—they were still there, still smiling, still reaching for him.

But Theron was gone.

Kael clenched his fists so hard his nails nearly broke skin.

He had wanted to leave. He had wanted to get away. But before he could, Theron walked in and saw.

Saw the girls fawning over him.

Saw the past Kael thought he had buried.

And Kael saw it too, through Theron's eyes.

A prince who had spent years playing the fool.

A prince who had wasted his time with meaningless flirtations.

A prince who had broken his mate's heart before they even had a chance.

Kael felt sick.

He had always been waiting. Always telling himself that his mate was out there, that none of this mattered, that one day, he'd meet the person he was meant for, and none of these ridiculous distractions would matter.

But Theron had been there all along.

Watching.

Knowing.

Remembering.

If Only He Had Known

If he had known, he never would have done this.

He never would have been so careless.

Because Theron was his.

Kael had been terrified when he found out—afraid Theron would reject him, afraid he had already lost him before he had the chance to have him.

But Theron hadn't rejected him.

Theron had been scared too.

They had just begun to navigate this—to try and figure it out together.

And then this happened.

That cursed cafeteria.

That cursed moment.

Theron had walked in at the worst possible time, and Kael hadn't been fast enough.

Hadn't been fast enough to shut it down.

Hadn't been fast enough to chase after him.

And now, Theron was gone.

Kael pressed a hand to his chest, breathing hard, feeling like something inside him was coming undone.

This couldn't be how it ended.

He wouldn't let it be how it ended.

Fixing What's Broken

Kael had spent years running from his own heart.

But he wouldn't run from this.

Not from Theron.

Not from his mate.

Even if he had to beg.

Even if it meant proving himself over and over again.

Even if it meant never giving up.

Because Kael was stubborn.

And he was never letting Theron go.

Kael had always loved Theron.

That was the truth—the raw, inescapable, undeniable truth.

And it scared him.

It terrified him.

Because it wasn't supposed to be like this.

It was supposed to be simple.

You meet your mate. You love them. You belong to them.

That was how it worked. That was how it had always worked.

So why had Kael loved Theron long before he ever knew?

Why had his heart chosen before fate did?

Why, even when he didn't know Theron was his, did Theron still feel like his?

Kael couldn't remember the first time he heard about the Ironshade Mansion, but he did remember the first time he saw it.

He had been eight years old, traveling with his father, King Alaric, to meet the famous Ironshade general.

It was supposed to be just another boring political visit—a chance for his father to discuss alliances, strategies, and things Kael didn't care about.

But then, he saw Theron.

A small boy with silver hair and mismatched eyes, hunched over a mechanical puzzle, his expression so serious, so focused, that he didn't even notice when they arrived.

Kael had never seen anyone like him before.

And, to his utter confusion, his lycan stirred.

It wasn't recognition—not yet. He was too young for that.

But there was something.

Something that made Kael's heart beat faster.

Something that made him want to be near him.

So he did the only thing that made sense.

He marched right up to Theron, plopped down beside him, and said:

"What are you doing?"

Theron blinked at him.

Then, without a word, turned away.

Kael gaped.

He was ignored.

For the first time in his life, someone had ignored him.

And Kael, being the stubborn little menace that he was, decided on the spot—

He was going to make Theron his friend.

A Bond That Couldn't Be Broken

Theron had been a hard nut to crack.

He didn't talk much. He didn't smile much. He didn't care that Kael was a prince.

But Kael was relentless.

He followed Theron everywhere.

If Theron was working on a puzzle, Kael sat beside him. If Theron was reading, Kael pestered him with questions. If Theron tried to run away, Kael ran faster.

Eventually, Theron gave up.

And just like that, they became inseparable.

At first, Kael thought it was just friendship.

A deep, unwavering, unshakable friendship.

But then he got older.

And things started to change.

His heart would race whenever Theron looked at him. His stomach would twist in knots whenever they touched.

And it terrified him.

Because Kael wasn't supposed to fall in love.

He remembered the first time he realized something was wrong.

They had been fifteen, holed up in Theron's workshop, surrounded by half-built machines and old blueprints covered in scribbled calculations that Kael couldn't make sense of.

It had been a long day—one of those days where Theron lost himself in his work, only speaking when Kael forced him to.

Kael had been lying on the floor, tossing a wrench in the air, catching it, tossing it again.

Bored.

And then, Theron sighed.

Not loudly. Not in frustration. Just… a quiet exhale as he stared down at his latest creation, his silver brows furrowed in thought.

Something about it struck Kael so hard it hurt.

He had seen Theron do that a thousand times before.

But this time was different.

His chest felt tight. His heart beat too fast. His mouth was dry.

Kael told himself he was imagining it.

Told himself it was nothing.

Told himself that he was just being weird.

But the longer he stared, the worse it got.

The softer it got.

Because Theron had always been like this—so focused, so brilliant, so beautiful in a way Kael didn't have words for.

And for the first time, he realized:

He never wanted to be anywhere else.

Not at royal banquets, not in battle training, not surrounded by nobles trying to earn his favor.

He just wanted to be here.

With Theron.

Always.

Running from Himself

Kael had spent years running from that feeling.

Years telling himself that he was just too close to Theron. That it was just friendship. That he was just overthinking it.

Because mates weren't supposed to feel like this before they knew.

They weren't supposed to fall first.

And so Kael buried it.

He told himself it was just attachment.

He told himself he was waiting for his real mate.

And to prove it—to prove that he didn't feel what he felt—he did the only thing he could think of.

He flirted.

He smiled at every girl who looked at him.

He kissed a few of them, let them cling to him, let them distract him.

But it never worked.

It never made the feeling go away.

Because no matter how many meaningless flings he had—

Theron was always there.

Always in his mind.

Always in his heart.

The Fear That Broke Him

Kael had spent so long trying to convince himself that what he felt wasn't real—

That when he found out Theron was his mate, it shattered him.

Because it was real.

It had always been real.

And if Theron rejected him—

If Theron walked away—

Then Kael would have to face the one truth he had never been strong enough to say.

He hadn't been waiting for his mate.

He had been waiting for Theron.

And now, Theron was gone.

Because of him.

Because of all the years he had wasted.

Because he had spent so long trying to run from his heart—

That now, he wasn't sure if he had already lost it.

Lost him.

And Kael didn't know if he could survive that.

Kael barely registered the people around him as he walked through the hallway. His mind was a whirlwind, his pulse a frantic drumbeat against his ribs.

Find Theron. Fix this. Don't lose him.

The need was so raw, so overwhelming, it made his chest ache. His lycan was restless beneath his skin, pacing, snarling, demanding he go after their mate.

But where the hell did Theron go?

Kael inhaled sharply, trying to catch his scent, but his thoughts were so tangled, so wild, that it was hard to focus.

Then—

"What. The. Fuck."

Kael halted, shoulders tensing.

He turned his head just as Lirien stepped into his path, arms crossed, sharp green eyes burning with something between frustration and disbelief.

His brain was still spinning too fast to process her sudden appearance, but before he could say anything, she beat him to it.

"Kael," she said, voice tight, too calm, which was never a good sign. "What the fuck was that in there?"

Kael ran a hand through his hair, exhaling hard. "Lirien, I don't—"

"No." She held up a hand. "I just saw Theron walk out looking like he was two seconds away from murdering someone, and you just stood there. So you better start talking before I start breaking things."

Kael flinched.

Because yeah.

He had just stood there.

For precious seconds, he had been frozen—watching Theron leave instead of stopping him.

And he hated himself for it.

"I…" He hesitated, then sighed. "Theron is my mate."

Silence.

Lirien blinked.

Kael winced.

Her mouth opened—closed—opened again.

"What?" she finally said, voice flat.

Kael didn't answer. He didn't have time to.

Because Theron was still out there, and Kael needed to find him.

So instead of explaining, instead of waiting for Lirien to catch up, he just stepped around her, leaving her standing there—completely, utterly flabbergasted.

"Wait—WHAT?!" she shouted after him, but Kael was already gone.

He had more important things to do.

He had a mate to find.