Chapter 5 - The Wolf's Rebellion

Kael's POV

The sound of flesh hitting flesh echoed through the training room as Jax's fist connected with my jaw. Pain shot through my face—a sensation I hadn't felt in years.

"Fuck," I growled, stepping back and wiping blood from my lip. The wound healed instantly, but my pride didn't.

Jax froze, his eyes widening in shock. "Holy shit. I actually hit you."

I glared at him, annoyed not at the hit but at the reason behind it. My focus had slipped—something that never happened. Something that couldn't happen. Not to me. Not to the Lycan King.

"Lucky shot," I muttered, rolling my shoulders.

Jax's surprised expression morphed into a grin. "Bullshit. In fifteen years of training together, I've never landed a clean hit on you." He cocked his head, studying me. "What's going on in that head of yours, Kael?"

"Nothing," I snapped, turning away from him.

*She needs us,* Lykos whined in my mind. *Our mate needs us.*

*Shut up,* I snarled internally at my wolf. *She's not our mate. She's a human.*

*Our mate,* Lykos insisted stubbornly. *Smelled like home. Felt like peace.*

I clenched my fists, fighting for control. Since last night, when Lykos had caught that human girl's scent in the Blue Mountain territory, he'd been relentless. Whining, pacing, demanding we return to her.

"Earth to Kael," Jax's voice cut through my internal struggle. "You're doing it again. Zoning out."

I grabbed a towel and wiped the sweat from my face. "I'm fine."

"Sure." Jax crossed his arms over his chest. "That's why you're letting me land punches for the first time since we were teenagers."

I threw the towel at him, which he caught easily. "Drop it, Jax."

*Can't drop it,* Lykos growled. *Need her. Need to protect.*

"It's that girl from last night, isn't it?" Jax pressed, ignoring my warning tone. "The human."

My head snapped up. "How did you—"

"You talk in your sleep," he said with a smirk. "Never knew the big bad Lycan King was such a chatty sleeper."

I stalked toward him, letting my power fill the room. The tattoos coiling across my chest and up my neck began to writhe, black marks shifting with the magic pulsing beneath my skin. "Careful, Ryder."

To his credit, Jax didn't back down. As my beta, he was one of the few who could withstand the full force of my presence without cowering. "You found something in that forest last night. Or someone. Something that's got you and your wolf at odds."

*Tell him,* Lykos urged. *Need help to find her again.*

*We're not finding her,* I insisted. *She's nothing to us.*

*MATE!* Lykos roared, the force of it making me wince.

Jax noticed. "Your wolf doesn't agree with you, does he?"

I turned away, pacing the training room like a caged animal. The smooth concrete floor cooled my bare feet as I moved, trying to outrun the storm brewing inside me.

"Lykos thinks he found our mate," I finally admitted, the words tasting like ash in my mouth.

Jax's eyebrows shot up. "Holy shit. The human girl?"

I nodded once, jaw clenched.

"That's... unprecedented," he said carefully. "Lycan Kings don't mate with humans."

"Tell that to my fucking wolf," I growled.

*She's special,* Lykos insisted. *Different. Ours.*

"So what are you going to do?" Jax asked, leaning against the wall. "You know the bond won't just go away."

I ran a hand through my hair in frustration. "I'm ignoring it."

Jax let out a bark of laughter. "Right. Because that's working so well for you."

The temperature in the room dropped as my anger flared. Frost crept across the training mats beneath my feet.

"Watch yourself, Ryder."

Jax held up his hands. "Just stating facts. Your wolf's driving you crazy. I can see it. Hell, I can feel it." He gestured to the frost spreading around us. "Your control is slipping."

I closed my eyes, taking deep breaths as I reined in my power. The frost receded, but the war inside me raged on.

*GO TO HER,* Lykos demanded, slamming against the mental barriers I'd erected to contain him. *NOW.*

The force of his rebellion sent me staggering. "Fuck!"

Jax was at my side in an instant. "Kael?"

*She's hurting,* Lykos whined. *Can feel it. She's in pain.*

"He won't stop," I gritted out, pressing the heels of my hands against my temples. "He's convinced she's in danger."

*Not convinced. KNOW,* Lykos corrected. *Bond tells us. She needs us NOW.*

The pressure in my head built, Lykos clawing and snarling against my control. This had never happened before. In all my years, my wolf and I had been in perfect harmony. Until now.

"Maybe you should—" Jax began.

"No!" I roared, cutting him off. "I will not be ruled by instinct. I am the Lycan King, not some lovesick pup chasing after a human."

The words had barely left my mouth when pain ripped through me. I fell to my knees, gasping as Lykos launched an all-out assault on my control.

*If you won't go to her, I will,* he growled, his voice deeper, more determined than I'd ever heard it.

"What the fuck does that mean?" I snarled out loud, not caring how I looked to Jax.

I got my answer a moment later.

My skin began to ripple, bones cracking as Lykos forced a shift. But it was different this time. Instead of my body transforming into wolf form, something was being pulled from me. Extracted.

"Kael!" Jax shouted, alarm clear in his voice. "Your tattoos—they're moving!"

I looked down to see the black markings that covered half my body writhing, sliding off my skin like living ink. They pooled beside me, swirling and taking shape.

"No," I gasped, realizing what was happening. "Lykos, don't you dare—"

Too late. With a final wrench that felt like my soul being torn in two, Lykos separated from me. The black markings coalesced, forming a massive wolf with gleaming golden eyes. He stood beside me, solid and real, no longer just the other half of my consciousness.

It was a power unique to Lycan Kings—the ability to manifest our wolves physically. But it was meant to be done with consent, with harmony between man and beast. Not like this. Not in rebellion.

Lykos shook his massive body, adjusting to his separate form. His eyes met mine, filled with determination.

*Going to her,* he stated simply. *With or without you.*

"You can't," I hissed, reaching for him. "Get back here. Now."

Lykos bared his teeth, a low growl rumbling from his chest. *She needs us. I go. You follow or stay. Your choice.*

Before I could grab him, he turned and bounded across the room, crashing through the double doors and disappearing into the hallway.

"LYKOS!" I roared, the sound shaking the walls of the training room.

Jax stood frozen, staring at the shattered doors. "Did your wolf just... leave? By himself?"

I pushed myself to my feet, fury and disbelief warring inside me. Without Lykos, I felt hollow, incomplete. The separation was physically painful, like missing a limb.

"The bond must be stronger than we thought," Jax said quietly. "For him to rebel like that..."

I slammed my fist into the wall, concrete crumbling under the impact. "He's going to her. To that human girl."

Jax's expression shifted from shock to calculation. "Then I guess we're going too."

"We?"

"You think I'm letting you chase your rogue wolf alone?" Jax raised an eyebrow. "Besides, I want to see this girl who's got the mighty Lycan King losing his shit."

I glared at him. "I'm not losing my shit."

Jax pointedly looked at the hole in the wall, then back at me. "Sure. Whatever helps you sleep at night."

I grabbed my shirt from the bench and pulled it on, already striding toward the door. "We need to catch him before he reaches the Blue Mountain Pack. If anyone sees the Alpha's wolf running loose without his human form..."

"It would be a political nightmare," Jax agreed, falling into step beside me. "But maybe there's an opportunity here."

I shot him a questioning look.

"Alpha Maxen's been pushing the boundaries of pack law for years," Jax explained. "Harboring a human without royal permission is just the latest offense. We could use this as an excuse for an official visit."

I considered this as we rushed through the corridors of my fortress. Jax was right—it was the perfect cover. We could enter the Blue Mountain territory legitimately while searching for Lykos.

"Fine," I grunted. "But if that wolf gets to her before we do..."

"He won't hurt her," Jax said confidently. "If she really is your mate, he'll protect her at all costs."

That was exactly what I was afraid of. The last time I'd let myself care for someone...

"You know," Jax said casually as we reached the garage, "if you're going to have a human mate, you might want to work on your people skills."

I shot him a deadly glare.

"Just saying," he continued, undeterred, "humans are fragile. Emotional. You can't just growl and expect them to fall in line."

"I don't need advice on handling humans," I snapped, sliding into the driver's seat of my black SUV.

Jax got in beside me. "Right. Because you interact with them so often."

I started the engine with more force than necessary. "One more word, Ryder, and you're running to Blue Mountain territory."

He mimed zipping his lips, but his eyes danced with amusement. After a moment of blessed silence, he spoke again.

"So how do you plan to explain to your new mate that you supposedly murdered your last one?"

My grip tightened on the steering wheel until the leather creaked. "I'm not bringing some human girl into the pack."

But even as I said it, I could feel the empty space inside me where Lykos should be. My wolf had made his choice. And deep down, a part of me—a part I'd buried long ago—wondered if he might be right.

Human. Setting Information

The world building establishes a complex supernatural hierarchy: werewolves live in packs ruled by Alphas, all ultimately answering to the Lycan King, Kael. Werewolves bond through fated mates, which are usually other werewolves. It's seen as almost impossible for a human to be a werewolf's fated mate. Pack hierarchy is strict, with Alphas at the top, followed by Betas, Warriors, pack members, Gammas (individuals without wolves who are born to the pack), and finally Omegas (the lowest rank, essentially servants within the pack). The setting is contemporary, with the Blue Mountain Pack based in a forested mountain region.