Chapter 28: This is Reckless
Adam’s dark brows pulled together, a harsh line carving across his forehead. "What did you do, Rhea?" he asked, his deep baritone dropping into a low rumble. He stepped closer, his fierce amber eyes locking onto hers, demanding answers.
Rhea drew a slow breath, the cool mountain air calming the frantic beat of her heart. "Come with me," she whispered, turning on her heel. "I will show you."
"Show me?" Adam muttered, his confusion turning into a protective edge as his long strides easily tracked her through the stone corridors.
Rhea led him deep into the quietest wing of the fortress, far from the rowdy cheers of the victorious warriors in the courtyard. She stopped abruptly in front of a modest oak door, her silver eyes flashing as she glanced back at him.
Adam’s nostrils flared, picking up a shift in the air. "What is going on, Rhea? Why have you brought me to the master servants’ quarters?"
Rhea offered no explanation. She simply lifted her hand and knocked firmly against the wood. A moment later, the brass lock rattled, and the door swung open. A young maid peeked out, her eyes widening in sheer panic as she caught sight of the towering Alpha King. She immediately bowed, her scent spiking with submissive fear.
Adam barely acknowledged the girl. His intense, questioning gaze was entirely pinned to Rhea.
"Come inside," Rhea murmured, stepping past the threshold into the dim, candle-lit room.
The moment Adam stepped into the space, his chest expanded. His nostrils flared once, even before his eyes found the child in the bed in the corner.
Rhea stepped toward the mattress, pointing down at the toddler curled peacefully beneath the heavy blankets.
Adam’s eyes widened, shock rippling through his massive frame. "Is that—?" He cut himself off, his jaw locking so tightly a muscle leaped beneath his stubble. His gaze snapped to Rhea, his aura exploding into the small room, heavy and suffocating. "What is Kaleb’s heir doing here? Why is that pup within my walls, Rhea?"
"Calm your beast, Adam," Rhea said, her voice steady. She didn’t flinch under his alpha pressure. Instead, she stepped closer. "This is exactly how Kaleb would have fought this war. He respects nothing but brutality."
"What does that mean?" Adam shot back, his voice a harsh whisper that made the candlelight flicker. "You have brought the crown prince of Ironfang into a BloodVeil stronghold! This is an act of total war!"
"No, Adam," Rhea countered, her silver eyes narrowing into slits. "The true prince of Ironfang is sleeping outside his home, or worse, he is rotting cold in a shallow ditch."
She leaned in closer, the metallic scent of her raw, motherly wrath flooding his senses. "They are going to tell me what they did to my Eli, or they will never see their own boy again. Now, you need to decide right now if you are going to stand with me, or get out of my way."
"Stop acting like you do not need me, woman." Adam paused, his chest heaving as he stared down at her, his amber eyes darkening with a possessive, dangerous intensity. He reached out, his hand hovering just inches from her arm, his heat enveloping her. "Are you even remotely ready for the consequences this will bring to your doorstep?"
"I guess we will find out very soon," Rhea whispered, a cold smile touching her lips. "Right now, what I need from you is ink and parchment."
Adam dragged a hand across his jaw. "This is reckless." He stared at her for a long moment. "And yet I am about to help you do it."
Adam stared at her for a long beat, as if he was judging the sanity behind her wild silver gaze. Finally, he gave a curt nod to the trembling maid. The girl rushed to the desk and brought back a piece of heavy paper and a quill.
Adam and the maid watched in total silence as Rhea leaned over the table, the scratch of the nib loud in the quiet room as she scribbled jagged, frantic lines. When she finished, she blew on the wet ink, folded it, and shoved the note directly into Adam’s palm.
"I need this message delivered across the border to Kaleb tonight," Rhea said, her voice cutting through the tension. "Before his vanguard can even lick their wounds. Help me send it."
Adam looked down at the parchment, unfolding it to read the words she had written. A slow, deeply intrigued smile tugged at the corner of his lips. He looked back up at her, a dark admiration gleaming in his eyes. "You are far more ruthless than I gave you credit for."
"You have not seen me ruthless, Adam," Rhea replied, her tone dropping. "Whatever you do in this lifetime, make sure you never incur the wrath of a mother."
The hint of a smile disappeared from Adam’s face. He closed his fist around the note. "I am ready to fight beside you," he said, his voice deep and anchoring. "As your partner. Not your keeper."
"I just need to find my son," Rhea murmured, her hand drifting instinctively to her side, where the memory of her loss still ached. "That is the only thing left in this world that can make me burn."
Adam nodded, but there was a fierce, calculating look in his eyes that Rhea couldn’t quite untangle. "I’ll have my fastest scout run this note immediately," he said, stepping closer. "And if our border battles keep going as beautifully as they did tonight, I will soon reclaim every inch of the ancestral land Kaleb’s father stole from me. When I break Ironfang completely, I will let you have the territory."
Rhea’s eyes snapped to his, narrowing. She stepped back, breaking the intoxicating pull of his heat. "I do not need anyone to hand me charity, Alpha Thorne."
Adam’s brows rose in surprise.
Rhea lifted her chin with a fierce pride. "If I decide I want that land, I will not wait for it to be gifted to me. I will march across the border and tear it away with my own hands. But for now, nothing else in this world matters except the truth about my boy."
Adam stared at her for a long moment. Something unreadable flickered across his face, his gaze fixed on her as though he couldn’t quite look away. Without another word, he turned on his heel, the note clutched tightly in his fist as he strode out to mobilize his scouts.
Rhea turned back to the bed, looking down at Kaleb’s sleeping nephew. Her jaw hardened into stone, all the warmth draining from her face.
"You will help me learn the truth," she whispered into the quiet room. Her eyes lingered on the sleeping boy. "Because if your parents lied to me about Eli, I will make them wish they had never spoken my name. "
Turning on her heel, she swept out of the room, shutting the heavy door behind her with a sharp, echoing click.
