Chapter 72: Chapter 72

KAIROS

“Adelie isn’t here?” I blurted out, bypassing the mind-link entirely.

My words echoed around us, reaching everyone’s ears. I hadn’t bothered to lower my voice, and honestly, I didn’t care who heard.

The only thing that mattered was that Adelie wasn’t with Madeline.

“Wait, what?” Esty’s voice rang out, her surprise outweighing her fear of approaching us.

~“She’s not with me,”~ Madeline’s voice echoed in my mind. ~“I’m alone,”~ she added.

“How is that possible?” I stammered, a wave of fear washing over me. “If she’s not with you, then where is she?”

Esty stepped in front of me, her eyes wide with concern. “Kairos, what’s going on?” she asked, but I brushed her off.

“Can’t you just shift back?” I nearly shouted, though I knew the answer. Without Adelie, Madeline couldn’t shift back, just like Kye needed me to shift.

~“She’s not here! Or maybe she is… but she feels distant. I don’t feel right,”~ Madeline confessed, her face contorted in confusion.

~“What do you feel then?”~ I asked through the mind-link, not wanting to air our conversation to the others.

~“I feel… awful,”~ she admitted.

~“Why?”~ I pressed. Most wolves would be thrilled to finally have their own form.

~“I don’t like my body.”~

Her voice in my head was shaky, filled with unease. It was clear that Esty had messed up.

I glanced at Esty, who was still watching Madeline. The once intimidating figure now looked fragile and weak as she slumped to the ground, avoiding everyone’s gaze.

Despite her vulnerable state, I kept my distance.

I turned to Esty, my anger flaring. “What did you do to Adelie?” I demanded. “Why isn’t she here?”

Esty shook her head, her eyes wide with fear. “I… I don’t know,” she stammered, but I wasn’t about to let her off the hook.

I needed Adelie back.

“You got what you wanted. You used her to create a wolf and she did. Now bring her back!” I yelled.

“I… I didn’t mean for this to happen. I just wanted her to have a normal wolf form. I did everything I could to make that happen. I gave her a wolf,” she defended, speaking as if she’d done something commendable.

“Then where is Adelie? Why can’t she shift back?” I demanded, my voice echoing around us.

Esty looked down, her breath hitching. “The dose… it must have been too strong,” she admitted, her arms wrapped tightly around herself.

Suddenly, John pushed past me, confronting Esty. “What dose?” he demanded.

“I injected her with a formula to help her gain her wolf form. I tested it on animals, even humans. It worked, but the human was too weak.

“I refined it. I spent a long time perfecting it for Adelie. I made sure it would work with all aspects of her. I calculated everything.

“It had to be perfect. She had to be perfect,” she rambled, tears welling in her eyes.

“I tailored it for nymphs. I even found a death angel. I did everything I could to make it work. She was supposed to be a beautiful, strong wolf, still able to shift.

“I ran countless experiments, checked and rechecked my work. This wasn’t supposed to happen!” She was shaking, her voice filled with panic.

John’s voice echoed again, “What was in that dose?”

She straightened up, meeting his gaze. Her confidence was evident, but her expression hinted at an unpleasant revelation.

“To give her a new life, I had to take a few,” she confessed.

“What does that mean?” I interjected.

“The dose contains blood from the heart of werewolves, nymphs, and a death angel,” she explained. “Plus, other elements to bind them together.”

My gaze shifted back to Madeline. She stood amidst us, having made a pact with Esty to protect the pack, having witnessed what Esty did with Raphael.

She was kind. Her heart was pure. But Esty had corrupted her blood with death—multiple deaths. Adelie was a savior, not a harbinger of death.

John’s questioning and Esty’s remorseful responses became a distant murmur. This was supposed to save lives, but it ended up claiming more.

“Did she know?” I blurted out, unable to shake off the thought.

“Pardon?” Esty responded.

“Did she know what was in it?” I pressed. “Did she know that her wolf would come at the cost of someone’s life?”

Esty’s gaze dropped to her feet. “She didn’t. I thought she wouldn’t go through with it if she knew,” she admitted, confirming my suspicion.

I turned to John. “We need to bring Adelie back,” I told him.

He nodded, but offered no solution. I didn’t have one either.

“We need to move her to a safe place. My weapon house has ample space. It’s probably the best option for her,” I suggested, inching closer to Madeline.

~“Will you come with me?”~ I mind-linked her.

She didn’t respond, so I moved closer. It seemed safe enough.

~“Please,”~ I pleaded again. But her refusal was clear when her paw swiped across my face, leaving three bloody trails.

I looked back at Maeve and mind-linked her, ~“Prepare my weapon house. We might need chains to prevent her from escaping,”~ I instructed before returning to Madeline.

I connected with my wolf, Kye, and shifted, shredding my clothes. I let Kye take over, which seemed to stir Madeline.

~“Hello, Madeline,”~ Kye greeted, to which she promptly replied,

~“Hi, mate,”~ her voice was melancholic, but a glimmer of hope was evident.

Kye was taken aback by her battered appearance. ~“I never thought I’d meet you,”~ he confessed, his emotions a mix of disappointment and excitement.

Madeline didn’t respond immediately. ~“I don’t know where Adelie is,”~ she admitted, and Kye lowered his gaze. ~“I know she’s still with me but…”~ She couldn’t finish.

~“Let us help you,”~ Kye offered, stepping closer. It was then that I truly noticed Madeline’s abnormal size.

~“You can bring her back?”~ she asked.

Kye didn’t know. I didn’t know. But we couldn’t admit it.

~“Yes, of course,”~ he assured, as my heart twisted in dread, unable to shake off the worst possible outcome.

That’s how pessimistic I felt. You lower your expectations to lessen the pain, but the truth is, it never works. If it’s going to hurt, it will, no matter how hard you try.

And of course, Madeline missed Adelie. She was her other half…and mine.

Kye had always yearned for a mate of his own. It wasn’t that he didn’t cherish Adelie—he did. But Adelie lacked a wolf form, which cast a shadow of melancholy over Kye.

He adored Adelie as much as I did, and it surprised me that he didn’t make more of an effort to communicate with Madeline.

Now he had the opportunity, but he seldom seized it, and I knew it was a struggle for him. I could sense his restraint.

~“We can provide a safe haven for you until Adelie returns. Can you trust us?”~ he proposed to her, and she agreed to follow us.

I relayed everything to Maeve so she could update the rest. I couldn’t just let them leave without an explanation.

They had witnessed it all and deserved to know. Plus, Maeve needed to arrange protection for Adelie.

Madeline entered the armory and didn’t protest when we restrained her. I suppose Kye had a knack for persuasion, and what other options did she have?

We were aiding her; we just hadn’t figured out how yet. We needed to devise a way for Adelie to shift back. I couldn’t bear to leave her in the dark indefinitely.

Kye exited the armory, allowing me to take the reins. He remained unusually silent thereafter.

I returned home and got dressed. I was preparing to venture out in search of answers, but I could sense Kye’s unrest.

~“What was that all about?”~ I inquired, but he remained silent. ~“You finally had the chance to fully engage with your other half, and you just walked away.”~

~“There’s no time, we need to rectify this and bring Adelie back,”~ he responded dismissively.

~“I could spare you a few minutes at least. Don’t you have any questions for her? You’ve never spoken with her, only Adelie. I know you’ve yearned for a mate of your own. Why?”~ I pressed.

~“I love our mate, Adelie,”~ he declared.

~“I don’t doubt that, but what about Madeline? Don’t you love her too?”~ I asked.

Kye’s behavior was utterly baffling.

~“Madeline is an untouchable soul. She’s merely a figment of my imagination, a dream I can’t grasp. That Madeline out there is a botched experiment, a product of others’ blood.~

~“I never anticipated finding someone after Mia, but we did, and Adelie is the most incredible mate we could have hoped for.~

~“I’ve never wished for her to possess a wolf because this second chance—that she’s here—is sufficient. I don’t need her physical form. Her soul alone is enough for me.~

~“It’s simpler this way. I can’t afford to be sidetracked by the illusion of her, not until this situation is resolved. Not while Adelie is absent. Let’s bring Adelie back, then I’ll consider Madeline.”~

Kye was confident that we would retrieve Adelie. But what if…