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"You really need a hug?" Xavier asked, his tone dripping with sarcasm.
Kai grinned, nodding eagerly.
"Sure," Xavier replied, stepping closer with an amused smirk.
Kai's grin widened, his eyes fluttering shut, arms outstretched for the hug—
BOOM!
"Argh!" Kai howled, staggering backward, clutching his jaw.
"Damn it, I said a hug, not a punch, you asshole!"
Xavier chuckled, cracking his knuckles. "That wasn't as hard as I expected."
"Even you, Horace?" Kai groaned as the Alpha spoke up from behind his desk.
Horace leaned back, lips curling into a smirk. "I don't think I'll ever miss someone like you, Kai. You're that one fly that never lets me rest."
Laughter erupted around the room.
Just then—
"Kai!"
Eva's voice pierced through, bright and warm. She rushed in and wrapped her arms around him.
"I've missed you so much," she said, casting a quick, stolen glance at Horace, who pretended to be deeply engrossed in his system.
Kai grinned, patting her back. "Now this is the kind of welcome I was expecting! Eva, you're the best."
She smiled. "How was your trip?"
"It was… an adventure. You won't believe half of what I saw," he said, his eyes glinting mischievously.
"I bet you brought me something?" she teased.
"Of course, princess. Who else would I spoil?" He handed her a pair of shopping bags filled with gifts.
"Wow, Kai! You're the best," she squealed.
Horace's head shot up. "Seriously? What about me, your one and only brother?"
Eva turned, lips curling into a teasing smile. "You know no one could ever replace you in my heart, Brother Horace."
Kai frowned dramatically. "Wait—what about me? You literally just said I was the best!"
Before Eva could answer, Samuel walked in with a file. "You can't compete with the Alpha," he said dryly, dropping the file on Horace's desk.
"Where's Alex?" Horace asked, flipping through the documents.
"He escorted Alicia to Aretha—the witches' library."
At the mention of Alicia, Xavier's smile fell.
Eva left, her laughter echoing down the corridor.
Horace finally looked up at Kai. "I've missed you, Kai."
Kai smirked. "Of course you have, Alpha."
"How's the North?" Horace asked.
Kai sighed, dropping his playful tone. "Stable, but crawling with snakes. Men who smile to your face and plot behind your back. I made sure every one of them knows the Naaorth answers only to you."
Horace chuckled lowly. "Let them play their little games. They forget I can smell deceit better than blood."
Xavier added coldly, "They grovel before your grandfather, pretending loyalty while they hunger for your power."
"And they'll choke on that hunger," Samuel muttered.
Just then, a robotic voice interrupted:
"SYSTEM ALERT: INCOMING VISITOR – KRAVEN. ACCESS GRANTED."
The door opened.
"Greetings, Alpha," Kraven bowed, stepping inside.
"Beta. Kai. Good to see you again."
"Krav! My guy!" Kai greeted, slinging an arm around him.
Horace leaned forward. "Report."
Kraven straightened. "We've subdued most of the feral Lycans who lost their mates during the war. The rest are under control."
Xavier's expression tightened at the mention of mates, a shadow passing through his eyes. Horace noticed, but said nothing.
Kraven continued, "Hunters across the cities have done well—capturing rogue creatures who broke your laws, killing and torturing humans. They're being shipped off to the outlands as slaves."
Horace's lips curved into a dark smile. "Good. Send a few to the castle. I'd like to… personally make sure they experience Tartarus on Earth."
The air turned cold.
Kai broke the silence with a grin. "So… we're going home?"
"Soon," Xavier replied, finally relaxing.
--------------------
After a night in the Northern City, they departed at dawn.
By noon, they arrived at Irel—the City of the Unknown.
Ariel looked frail and hollow-eyed, her lips cracked, her body trembling as she struggled to walk.
When they reached the river, the hunters released the slaves to drink. Ariel stood still, watching them fall to their knees, gulping water like starved animals.
"Not thirsty?" a voice asked softly behind her.
It was Haven.
Ariel said nothing, only stepped forward, staring at her reflection rippling in the river.
Haven knelt, scooping water into his palms before drinking.
He laughed when Ariel suddenly bent down and plunged her face into the river, drinking deeply.
"Time's up," one of the hunters barked.
The group moved on.
They hadn't walked twenty miles before someone collapsed.
The slaves gathered around.
"A Shadow sprite," an elf scoffed, his tone dripping with disdain. "Poor, weak thing."
Ariel trembled as she stared at the lifeless woman on the ground.
"Check if it still alive," ordered the lead hunter.
A woman stepped forward, kneeling beside the fallen slave.