Kaylen's Perspective

Kaylen pressed his forehead against the steering wheel, his breath ragged as he fought to calm the storm surging inside him. Heat curled low in his abdomen, coiling with sharp intensity beneath his waist—a dangerous distraction he couldn't afford right now. There were more urgent matters at hand, things that demanded his full attention, but his body seemed determined to betray him.

For the past three nights, he'd slipped into Asahin's bedroom under the cover of darkness. He always knocked first—he wasn't a complete savage—but Asahin's sleep had been so deep that he never stirred, never registered Kaylen's quiet entrance, never sensed him standing silently by his bedside for hours.

It unsettled Kaylen how pale Asahin had grown, his delicate complexion turning nearly translucent since Friday. Something was wrong—more wrong than usual. His informants, tasked with discreetly watching Asahin outside the Valmoor estate, had confirmed it. Asahin had looked particularly fragile, barely able to stand on his own. On more than one occasion, the car he'd been traveling in had to stop because Asahin was too sick to continue, forced to stumble out and empty his stomach at the side of the road.

Kaylen had done exactly as Asahin had asked. He'd tapped into his resources and gathered as much intel as he could on the Valmoor estate. It hadn't been easy. The Valmoors guarded their privacy as fiercely as the Morrisons. But Kaylen had an advantage—an ancient one.

The Cove.

It was the oldest information-gathering network across the three continents, established over six centuries ago. As the future heir to the Morrison legacy, Kaylen had been entrusted with the knowledge of its existence and its formidable reach less than a year ago. Not even his father, uncles, or cousins knew of The Cove. Only the current heir and the successor had the authority to wield its full power.

Until now, Kaylen had only used it to investigate potential business partners. It had never crossed his mind to turn its gaze toward the Valmoors—or Asahin. It was as though something had clouded his mind, a subtle but deliberate interference that kept him from questioning too deeply.

But then Asahin had changed everything. Questions he'd never thought to ask before began to crystalize in his mind. His sudden clarity made him wonder how he could have blindly accepted Darrien and the Valmoors without a second thought.

Kaylen was almost startled by the depth of his own indifference when he told Darrien he wanted to break up. There was no trembling hesitation in his voice, no flicker of guilt tightening his chest—just a calm, clinical finality. Darrien had been his boyfriend for almost two years. He had even staked his claim on him by releasing his pheromones at the Valmoor estate, a gesture of intent that carried weight and consequence. And yet, Kaylen couldn't bring himself to care—not about the history they shared, not about the vulnerability Darrien had shown, not even about the inevitable hurt etched into Darrien's face as the words left his mouth. It should have mattered. It used to matter. But now… it didn't.

He just wanted to end things. Quickly. Cleanly. That was why he called Darrien out only hours after his conversation with Asahin about the Valmoors. Spending time with Asahin had unsettled something in him—unlocked something. It was as though the more he was around Asahin, the more glaringly unnatural his relationship with Darrien seemed. How had he ever accepted the Valmoors as potential in-laws without so much as questioning it? How had he just gone along with his relationship with Darrien, treating it as though it was the most obvious and inevitable path?

It wasn't that Kaylen didn't care about Darrien at all. He did, in a distant, almost obligatory way. But for as long as he could remember, there had been this quiet hollowness inside him—a void that no one had ever been able to reach. The emptiness had become a constant hum beneath his skin, a quiet reminder that it didn't matter who he bonded with. That ache, that vacancy, would remain. So when Darrien—charming, devoted, a first-class omega with a seemingly genuine interest in him—stepped into his life, Kaylen thought… Why not? If no one could fill that emptiness anyway, he might as well choose Darrien. At least Darrien cared. At least he seemed willing to try.

But, of course, everything had changed the moment Asahin entered his life. And now—after those kisses, after feeling the press of Asahin's lips against his, tasting the heat and hesitation between them—there was no doubt left in Kaylen's mind. What he felt for Asahin wasn't just some passing fascination or inexplicable attraction. It was deeper than that. It was something that reached into that hollow place inside him, the one that had always ached with quiet emptiness, and slowly… it was starting to fill it.

But recognizing how important Asahin had become to him only made Kaylen more restless. More anxious. The reports he'd received about Asahin's life with the Valmoor family had chilled him to the core, stirring something dark and protective beneath his skin. If this had been the Asahin from before Kaylen would have honored his promise and helped him escape the Valmoors without a second thought. But not anymore. Not now. Not his Asahin.

His Asahin. Kaylen chuckled at the thought, a quiet hum of amusement laced with a possessiveness that made his blood burn. That sharp edge of alpha protectiveness he had always thought himself above—too rational, too controlled to sink to such primal instincts—was now sinking its claws into him. And Kaylen wasn't even trying to fight it anymore. Asahin was his. He could feel it in the way his pheromones stirred every time Asahin was near, in the sharp tug beneath his ribs when he imagined anyone else laying a hand on him. Those kisses had only made it worse.

The restraint Kaylen had to exert over his body and his pheromones was almost physically painful. He wanted Asahin—all of him. In every conceivable way. He wanted to claim him, mark him, and make sure no one would ever dare touch him again. And when he saw that same raw need reflected in Asahin's eyes—the dilated pupils, the quickened breath, the way Asahin leaned toward him as though drawn by gravity—that feeling of possession nearly overwhelmed him.

When Asahin trembled beneath his touch, when that fragile, breathless moan escaped his lips, Kaylen knew without question that Asahin wouldn't resist if he pushed things further. In fact, Kaylen could feel it—Asahin wanted him just as much. His body was practically inviting it, his scent laced with that subtle vulnerability and heat that made Kaylen's control fray at the edges. He could have had him right there.

But Kaylen stopped.

First of all, Asahin's physical condition was too precarious. No matter how much Kaylen reined himself in, he was still a first-class alpha—and disregarding his partner's physical state just because he was feeling turned on was something only a lowlife would do. Kaylen refused to be that kind of man. And secondly… he didn't want their first time to be in that house. Not there. Not after what he had read in those reports. The shadows of Asahin's past were soaked into the very walls of this place, the weight of his suffering still lingering in the air. Their first time needed to be somewhere else—somewhere safe. Somewhere Asahin could finally breathe freely.

Tarya Valmoor had covered her tracks well. But with enough pressure—and the right amount of money—anyone would crack. Secrets weren't impenetrable fortresses; they were fragile doors that could be forced open with the right leverage. And Kaylen had no shortage of leverage.

He had felt grim detachment while reading the reports detailing Asahin's mistreatment—cold, clinical words describing how Asahin had been tortured with pheromones, locked in the basement of the annex for days without food or water. His mind processed the facts with calm efficiency, his emotions held in check. But then he saw the date.

That was the moment everything changed.

The last recorded incident of Asahin's abuse had happened on the day Asahin left his house. Tarya Valmoor hadn't just tortured the fragile, broken boy Asahin used to be—she had tortured his Asahin. And that was unacceptable.

A low, dangerous hum filled Kaylan's ears as rage coursed through his veins, burning hot and relentless. His jaw clenched so tightly that his teeth ached. His hands curled into fists, fingernails biting into his palms until thin crescents of red threatened to break the skin. He wanted to crush Tarya beneath his heel. Rip her apart piece by piece. And not just her—every single person who had taken part in hurting Asahin. He wanted them to suffer. To feel fear, to beg for mercy, and to find none.

But Kaylen forced himself to breathe through the rage. He couldn't afford to be reckless. The Valmoor family wasn't just powerful—they were nearly as influential as the Morrisons. The crown itself relied on the Valmoors' support in matters of trade and military alliances. While the balance of power had tilted more toward the Morrisons in recent decades—especially now that Kaylen, a first-class alpha, was set to inherit the Morrison estate—openly attacking the Valmoors would ignite a war. One he wasn't prepared to fight. Not yet.

He had to be smart. Subtle. And above all, he had to protect Asahin. That was the priority. The plan was simple: get Asahin away from the Valmoors and keep him close. Keep him safe. And the moment Asahin was in his care, Kaylen would arrange for a full medical examination by a doctor with absolutely no ties to the Valmoors. He needed to know the full extent of the damage Tarya had inflicted.

There were too many unanswered questions surrounding Asahin's physical state. His damaged glands. His persistent weakness. The strange gaps in his medical records. Kaylen suspected that Asahin's fragile condition wasn't natural—it was manufactured. Controlled. Orchestrated. And it didn't take much to connect the dots. Tarya's influence was all over it, but Darrien… he wasn't innocent either.

Darrien had played his part in the charade. That much was clear now. Kaylen thanked the gods he hadn't known the full extent of Darrien's involvement before breaking up with him. He wasn't sure he would have been able to control himself if he had confronted Darrien with the truth. The remnants of care and consideration Kaylen once held for Darrien had been burned away, leaving behind only disgust and contempt.

The fact that he had once embraced Darrien, kissed him, let him touch him—it made Kaylen's skin crawl. The thought of Darrien's hands on him left a bitter taste in his mouth. Most likely, Darrien's feelings for him had been as fabricated as everything else. Just another manipulation. Kaylen doubted Darrien had ever truly cared about him, much less loved him.

It was probably a good thing he hadn't seen Darrien since the breakup. Kaylen wasn't sure what he might have done if Darrien had crossed his path now. He could only hope that Darrien had already informed his parents about their separation. Then again, it didn't matter. As soon as Asahin was safely under his protection, Kaylen would tell his grandfather about the breakup himself. He had no intention of giving anyone a chance to interfere.

But Kaylan wasn't naive enough to reveal how much Asahin meant to him. Not to his grandfather. Not to anyone. At least… not yet.

There was, however, one person he intended to tell everything to.

His father.

Kaylen, feeling significantly calmer now, started the engine. The low purr of the car vibrated beneath his hands as he pulled away from the curb, heading toward his father's house on the outskirts of the capital. The familiar route stretched before him, but the drive felt shorter than usual. His mind was too occupied with thoughts of Asahin—and how he was going to explain everything to his father—to register the passing scenery.

It was just after six in the morning when Kaylen finally pulled up in front of the house. His father's home, like the man himself, was understated but comfortable. A modest, two-story structure with pale gray walls and dark shutters. The three bedrooms were more than enough for one person, and the backyard stretched generously behind the house, overflowing with a well-tended garden of lavender, roses, and night-blooming jasmine.

Before Kaylen even reached the door, it swung open.

"Hi, Dad." Kaylen smiled.

"Come in, son." His father's warm voice greeted him. His father stepped aside, already ushering Kaylen toward the kitchen with a hand on his back. "Sit… sit," he said, pulling out a chair at the small, sunlit table. The smell of coffee already lingered in the air as his father moved toward the counter, pouring a steaming cup from the machine.

"No sugar, no milk," his father said knowingly, setting the cup down in front of him. His eyes crinkled at the edges as he sat down beside Kaylen, studying him with quiet intensity. Then his smile widened. "So… it finally happened."

Kaylen frowned. "What happened?"

His father chuckled, eyes glinting with quiet amusement. "You fell in love."

Kaylen's mouth fell open. "What… how… how could you possibly know that?" He hadn't even admitted it fully to himself until earlier that morning.

"You've got the same look on your face I had when I realized I was in love with your mother." His father's gaze softened at the memory. "And let's be honest—it's not Darrien, is it?"

Kaylen blinked. "How do you know it's not Darrien?"

His father's brow lifted knowingly. "Kaylen, you dated that boy for two years, and not once did your eyes light up when you talked about him. Whenever I asked about the two of you, you sounded like one of my students reciting a passage from a textbook—flat, forced, uninterested. Actually, even my students showed more enthusiasm."

Kaylen couldn't stop the small burst of laughter that escaped him. "And yet, you never said anything."

"I did," his father replied evenly. "I asked you—more than once—if you were sure you wanted to commit to Darrien. You said yes. So I didn't push. Your grandparents nearly ruined my relationship with your mother by meddling in our business. I promised myself I wouldn't do that to you."

Kaylen's throat tightened. His father had always let him make his own choices—without judgment, without pressure. When Kaylen had decided to reconnect with the Morrison family, his father hadn't stood in his way. When Kaylen had manifested as a first-class alpha and was named heir to the Morrison fortune, his father had supported him unconditionally. And when Kaylen had spiraled into the dark depths of the occult, desperate to find a way to see his mother again, his father had been the one to pull him back. Out of everyone Kaylen had ever known, his father had the gentlest, most steadfast heart.

"So," his father said, breaking the silence with a soft smile, "are you going to tell me who it is?"

Kaylen exhaled slowly. "Well, first off—I broke up with Darrien."

His father hummed knowingly. "That much was obvious. I'm the one who taught you that if you can't give your partner your full attention and loyalty, you have no business being in a relationship."

Kaylen raised an eyebrow at how unsurprised his father seemed. Perhaps he had disliked Darrien more than he'd ever let on. Not that Kaylen could blame him. If his father knew half of what Kaylen had uncovered about Darrien's involvement in Asahin's suffering… But that was a conversation for another day.

"You know him," Kaylen said carefully. "You've seen him before—but you've never met him."

His father's brow furrowed. "Who?"

"Asahin Valmoor," Kaylen said, watching his father's reaction closely.

His father's expression sharpened. "Asahin Valmoor?" His tone was laced with disbelief. "You mean the boy who's been making a fool of himself chasing you for over a year? The one who was practically stalking you?"

"Yes and no," Kaylen said. "He is Asahin—but at the same time, he isn't."

His father's eyes narrowed. "Explain."

Kaylen hesitated, then said, "It's the same situation we saw happen in the north—the woman whose soul shifted into a new body."

Realization flickered across his father's face. "A soul shift?"

Kaylen nodded. "I'm certain of it. The moment we locked eyes, I felt it. My instincts told me that he wasn't the same person anymore. And my feelings… changed almost instantly. If I hadn't spent years studying the occult, I would've struggled to accept it."

"How quickly did your feelings change?" his father asked.

"Within a week."

His father's mouth parted slightly in surprise. He was quiet for a moment, clearly processing everything. Finally, he said, "Has he told you who he is? Where he came from?"

"No." Kaylen's hand tightened around the coffee cup. "I haven't asked. He'll tell me when he's ready. But what I do know… is that I need him. I want him by my side."

His father's gaze softened. "And how exactly do you plan to navigate this? He's your ex-boyfriend's half-brother—that's bound to complicate things. And it's only been a week… Are you sure he feels the same way?"

Kaylen's eyes darkened with quiet resolve. "I don't think his feelings are as intense as mine—at least not yet—but there's definitely something there. I can feel it. But if we're ever going to have a real chance at figuring out what this could become, I need to get him away from that family. That's why I'm here. I need your help to keep Asahin safe. To help me hide him"

His father's brows drew together. "Hide him? Why?"

"It's complicated," Kaylen said. "But I need you to trust me. Like you always have."

His father's hand came to rest on the side of Kaylen's head, brushing his hair back affectionately. "Of course, son. I'll always help you."

Relief washed over Kaylen. His father's support grounded him, steadied him. He wasn't going into this alone. Whatever it took, whatever obstacles stood in his way—he would protect Asahin. He would make sure no one ever hurt him again.

And with his father's backing, he knew his plan was going to succeed.