Nelly's eyes darkened. "Well, he didn't disappear like everyone hoped. He slithered into human territory, reinvented himself—and now he's May's husband."
The silence was explosive. "What?!" Kade gasped.
"Yes." Nelly's words were calm. "She didn't even know she was married to him. He forged her signature, manipulated documents…her family sold her like cattle to settle debts. Kingsley locked her away like a prized possession. He tortured her, Kade. Starved her, beat her, kept her under lock and key for months because she wouldn't give in to him."
Kade's fists curled at his sides, his claws threatening to break skin. His wolf snarled beneath the surface, demanding blood. He turned his gaze to Lucas, as if searching for confirmation that this couldn't possibly be true.
But Nelly didn't stop. "She escaped—barely. And she came to me. But he's found her now. He came pounding at my door last night, threatening us."
Lucas let out a low whistle, though his eyes were sharp now. "Kingsley Kincaid, hiding in human territory. That's a story I wasn't expecting to hear today."
"Does she…does she know?" Kade's gaze flicked between them, haunted. "Does May know that he's a werewolf?"
"No," Nelly said firmly. "I am guessing, coming here, she already has questions. A human, I can handle. But a rogue werewolf alpha—" her lips pressed into a thin line, and her gaze flicked between Kade and Lucas, "—that is something I cannot handle by myself."
"I'll send Kade to speak with him," Alpha Lucas decided. "Get him to back down. If anyone can, it's him."
To face Kingsley was one thing. To stand across from the male who had tortured his mate—that was a test of his restraint he wasn't sure he could pass. Still, he nodded. If his Alpha willed it, he would do it.
"Thank you, Alpha." Nelly dipped her head, relief flashing briefly across her face. Then she glanced at the clock on the wall and pushed up from her seat. "I'd better start going then. Before something happens to spook May, and I'm forced to answer questions I don't even have answers for yet."
"I'll drive behind you," Kade said instantly. He needed to see her—his mate. The mate who still had no idea what he was. The mate who belonged to another man, though every instinct in his body screamed she was his.
Nelly paused mid-step, giving him a look that said she both understood and pitied him.
"Wait one minute, Kade." Lucas said. Kade turned as soon as Nelly left. "This is human territory. You have to keep your wolf in check. No slips, no glowing eyes, no snarling, nothing that'll have the Council sniffing at our borders again. Do you understand me?"
Kade met his Alpha's gaze. "I'll be fine." Fine was a lie. He wasn't fine. But fine was what he had to be.
"Do you want John to go with you?" Lucas asked after a pause, testing him, perhaps even offering him a tether to keep him steady.
"I'd rather do this alone." The answer came out quicker than he intended, almost a growl. He needed this, needed to face Kingsley without another male hovering at his shoulder, without anyone else seeing the raw desperation in his eyes when it came to May.
Lucas studied him for a beat longer, then finally gave a curt nod. "Fine. Be careful."
Kade inclined his head, bowing slightly in the old gesture of respect. But his chest felt tight as he turned away. Be careful. As if that was even possible when every instinct screamed at him to fight, to claim, to protect.
He left the Alpha's chambers. By the time he reached his flat, his mind was a storm. He moved on autopilot, throwing a few essentials into a travel bag. Clothes. Cash. He slammed the door behind him, his jaw clenched as he stalked down the hall.
Minutes later, his car roared to life.
He spotted them just ahead, Nelly ushering Adelita into the back seat while May stood by the passenger side door, her hair catching the sunlight. She looked fragile and strong all at once, shoulders squared as though she was bracing for a world she didn't understand.
Kade pulled up behind them, his car purring low.
Her eyes lifted, caught his across the distance.
The world stopped.
"Mr. Kade?" May whispered. She turned to Nelly in panic, her wide eyes betraying her unease. "Why is he here?" she mouthed.
"He is the only one that can help," Nelly said firmly.
May glanced back again, her eyes colliding with Kade's for the briefest moment. Heat flooded her chest. His gaze was steady as though he could see straight through her skin into her bones. She quickly turned back around, swallowing against the knot in her throat. Gods, if Nelly had told him everything—if he knew about Kingsley, about the nights of torment, the shame she carried—she would die of humiliation.
Kade merely waited until they pulled out. The car rolled forward, and he drove behind them.
May closed her eyes, pressing her forehead against the cool glass window. She tried to convince herself that his presence was nothing, just another burden added to her already breaking world. But part of her—some secret, reckless part—felt strangely safer knowing he was there.
*****
Mark stood outside Nelly's house, his arms crossed tightly over his chest as the red-and-blue flashes from the police cruiser painted him in fractured light. The night air was damp and heavy. He dragged a hand through his hair for what felt like the hundredth time, pacing in restless circles while the officers scribbled half-hearted notes on their pads.
"Sir, as we said before, we cannot declare anyone missing until at least forty-eight hours have passed," one of the policemen repeated.
"Do you even hear yourself? The glass to the door is broken. The entire house is empty. Nelly, May, Adelita—gone. Just like that. Doesn't that strike you as suspicious?"
The officer gave him a long-suffering look, clearly unconvinced.
Mark pushed forward, desperation seeping into his words. "Listen to me—this isn't paranoia. May hasn't been herself for days. She's been looking over her shoulder, terrified. And now—now she's gone." His chest rose and fell in harsh bursts, his throat dry as he tried to keep his composure.
He thought of the lawyer—May's lawyer—disappearing without a trace only weeks ago. He thought of May's trembling hands every time the phone rang, the way she would freeze at the sound of a car pulling up outside. "First her lawyer vanished. And you want me to wait two days before you do anything?"
The officers exchanged a skeptical glance but said nothing. Their silence mocked him.
Mark swallowed hard, fury burning in his veins. He wanted to shake them, make them see sense, but all he could do was stand under the suffocating weight of helplessness. For the first time, he realized that whatever May had been running from, whatever shadows she had been trying to escape—they were real threats.
But then, just as Mark's frustration had reached its peak, headlights cut across the darkened street. His eyes immediately caught the first sedan that belonged to Nelly—but it was the second car, sleek and dark, that made his blood run hot. He had seen that car before. Kade's car.
"They're here," Mark breathed, stepping toward the cruiser with his finger pointed.
The doors opened, and May was the first to step out. The porch light caught her face, pale but unhurt, and Mark felt the air rush back into his lungs. His whole body sagged with relief. Within seconds he was crossing the gravel drive, until he reached her.
"My God!" His arms went around her, clutching her to his chest as if holding her would make the nightmare vanish. He pressed his nose into her hair. "Where have you been? I thought the worst, May. I thought—" His throat closed on the words.
For one long moment she let him hold her, feeling the tremor in his body, the desperation in his touch.
"You called the police?" she asked.
"Yes," he said quickly, pulling back just enough to see her face. His eyes searched hers, hungry for reassurance. "I saw all the broken glass, and when the house was empty—God, May, I panicked. I thought something terrible had happened. I'm so glad you're okay."
Her cheeks warmed under the weight of his affection. With a duffel bag slung over his shoulder, Kade strode past them. His jaw was tight, and he didn't spare the "lovey-dovey couple" a single glance.
Mark noticed the deliberate avoidance and bristled, holding May a little closer, his chest puffing in silent territorial claim.
Meanwhile, Nelly approached the officers with Adelita fast asleep in her arms. Her face was composed, almost serene, but her eyes were sharp as glass. "We had a break-in," she explained smoothly. "The moment I heard the noise, I got up. They must have realized I was still awake, so they bolted. Likely a couple of local kids testing their luck."