Chapter 88: ⁸⁸: my people

Kael’s POV

"I... It is nothing. I bumped into someone at the Academy, that’s it."

"I am not lying, Alpha Kael, and I am in no way going to beg you!"

I slammed the laptop I had been working on shut, the sound echoing through my study.

Those words had been circling through my mind nonstop since the moment I had left Athena last night.

No matter how many times I tried to push them away, they kept returning. Her voice, her expression. The way she had looked at me when she insisted that nothing had happened.

"Why did it have to be you, Athena?" I whispered, leaning back in my chair as I dragged both hands over my face in frustration.

Why her?

If it had been any other girl those bastards had sent, I wouldn’t have felt this conflicted. I would have dealt with her without hesitation the moment I found enough evidence to prove she was working against me.

But Athena... She was different. And that difference was becoming my biggest weakness.

I had already found enough suspicious things surrounding her. Everything pointed toward her hiding something. Yet somehow, every time I was around her, I found myself questioning my own conclusions.

Nyx was right.

I said one thing and behaved another whenever Athena was involved. I clenched my jaw. "If only..."

I stopped myself before finishing that thought. No... There was no point thinking about impossible things. I reached for the glass of water sitting on my desk and took a long drink, forcing myself to calm down.

Whatever was happening, I needed to think rationally. I couldn’t allow Athena Moonvel to make me lose control of my own thoughts.

A bitter, almost disbelieving smile crossed my face when I remembered her words again. She had lied stra8ght to my face.

And instead of simply telling me the truth, she had accepted everything I did with her.

"I could clearly smell Louis’s scent on you," I muttered, leaning forward until my elbows rested on the desk. "Then why did you lie, Athena?"

I lowered my head, rubbing my forehead. "It is obvious that you have a guilty conscience. Otherwise, if it really had been nothing more than accidentally bumping into someone, you wouldn’t have taken all that shit I put you through instead of simply admitting what happened."

The more days passed, the more I understood how wrong I had been about her. For those brief moments when I had believed she was simply a naive, innocent girl, I had allowed myself to lower my guard.

I had almost trusted her. And that thought alone irritated me. I looked toward the window, my reflection faintly visible against the glass. "The more I learn about you, the less I understand you."

I exhaled slowly. Then her words came back to me again.

I am innocent. Just not when it comes to you. Just not right now.

I stood up, pushing my chair back with enough force that it scraped against the floor.

"Athena Moonvel..."

I paced toward the window, unable to sit still anymore. She was too much. She affected me far more than she had any right to.

Her words, her expressions. Even the smallest change in her fucking voice could stay inside my head for hours afterward.

And that was precisely what I hated. I had spent years learning how to control myself, how to keep my emotions from influencing my decisions. Yet around her, that control seemed to disappear piece by piece.

Only I know how hard I had to control myself last night for not just giving in to her pleas and oblige to whatever she wanted. I become too pathetic when I am around her.

I stopped in front of the enormous window overlooking the city. Below me, the lights of my pack stretched everywhere, thousands of people living their ordinary lives without knowing what was happening behind the scenes.

I folded my arms across my chest. "I’m not going to let you fool me again." My gaze hardened.

Whatever Athena Moonvel wanted from me, whatever reason had brought her into my life, I would uncover it. And when I finally did, she would have nowhere left to hide.

"Athena Moonvel..." I whispered again, my eyes fixed on the sprawling city beneath me. "Whatever you came here to gain..." A cold smile slowly formed on my lips. "I won’t let you have it."

Suddenly, the door burst open with a loud thud, making me turn around sharply.

"Alpha, there is an emergency!"

Ryan rushed into the room, his breathing ragged, his eyes darting around in alertness. His usually composed expression was gone, it was replaced by a tension that immediately caught my attention. Whatever had happened, it was serious.

"Take a breath first," I said, moving toward him. "What happened? Tell me calmly."

Ryan forced himself to take a deep breath before straightening. "Alpha, there have been multiple explosions at the central Army Base. They ranged from small blasts to one major explosion that happened..."

He suddenly stopped, my eyes narrowed. I was already seething with anger at the first part of his report. Someone had dared to set off explosions inside my Army Base. That alone was enough to put every nerve in my body on edge.

But Ryan’s expression told me there was more. Much more...."Say clearly what you want to say, Ryan." My voice dropped, every word carrying the weight of my growing anger. "Where did the major explosion happen?"

"Alpha..." Ryan hesitated again.

My patience snapped. I didn’t like this. Ryan had never been someone who struggled to deliver information to me, no matter how bad it was. So whatever had happened must have been serious enough to make even him hesitate.

"Ryan, talk!" I growled. For a brief moment, I let my wolf’s presence surface, enough to make the air around me feel heavier.

Ryan immediately stiffened. "Alpha, there was a major explosion in the main Intelligence Bureau. The entire floor was destroyed."

My blood ran cold, I curled my hands into fists as Ryan continued.

"Many warriors who were working there have been injured. Some have already been rescued and are being taken to the hospital, while others are still trapped and waiting for help."

"What did you say?" For a moment, I couldn’t process the words.The Intelligence Bureau was the heart of our military information network.

That wasn’t some random section of the Army Base. It contained confidential records, intelligence reports, communication systems, surveillance information and the people responsible for protecting all of it.

Someone had deliberately targeted it. And they had done so while my people were inside.

Without waiting for another word, I strode past Ryan and stormed out of my office. The employees outside immediately fell silent.

Several of them looked startled as I moved through the corridor, my footsteps echoing through the building.

Ryan hurried after me.

"Alpha, that place hasn’t been cleared yet!" he called. "It is still unstable and vulnerable. You can’t go there until we receive clearance from the team on-site!"

I just ignored him and entered the elevator. Ryan rushed inside just before the doors closed.

"Ryan, you know I don’t follow ridiculous rules when lives are at stake." I turned toward him, disbelief etched across my face. "Something this big has happened, and you expect me to sit here waiting for a clearance while my people are trapped beneath the rubble?"

Ryan opened his mouth, but I didn’t give him the chance to answer. "What do you take me for?" My eyes hardened. "A coward?"

The elevator doors opened with a soft ding. I stepped out immediately, leaving Ryan scrambling after me.

Behind us, the tension in the building had already spread. I didn’t care. My only thought was the Intelligence Bureau. Someone had attacked my people. And whoever was responsible had just crossed a line that could not be undone.

As I moved toward the exit, I heard Ryan barking orders behind me. "You guys, prepare a convoy to follow the Alpha!"

His voice grew louder as he addressed the special guards stationed near my office.

"Make sure every member of the convoy remains alert! From now on, nobody lets their guard down!"

I didn’t turn around. I was already heading toward the Army Base. Whatever had happened there, I intended to see it with my own eyes.