CHAPTER 349: DIAGNOSIS

ADAM

The meeting had left a strange weight in my chest—like a knot I couldn’t quite untangle. Even now, as I sat at the long dining table with my family, the echoes of Sage’s voice lingered in my head.

The confidence in her tone, the way her eyes had met mine—steady, unyielding. It had been years since anyone dared to look at me like that.

And then there was Darius.

The way those two had exchanged glances and laughed as if they shared an old secret—it gnawed at me. I couldn’t decide what irritated me more: their ease with each other or the fact that she had laughed at all.

Laughed, in my presence, when every other soul in that room could barely breathe under the tension.

Now, the table buzzed with conversation. Everyone had something to say about her.

"She’s a spy," my father said bluntly, his voice cutting through the murmurs. "No woman that unpredictable can be trusted. She’s hiding something."

He wasn’t wrong. I’d thought the same more than once. Sage didn’t just walk into a room—she studied it, claimed it, twisted its energy until every gaze turned her way. And every time she smiled, I wondered what thought hid behind it.

"Perhaps she is here to scout the pack, report to whosoever has sent her here," Noah added grimly, leaning forward. "It would explain her arrogance. But who would dare do that?"

No one answered, because none of the kingdoms surrounding them would dare send a spy into their midst. They weren’t conquerors, the largest wolf territory for mouths’ sake.

"Or," Daniel interrupted, his tone sharp, "she’s simply too proud for her own good. The way she spoke to Father today was unacceptable. We should teach her a lesson before the contest."

I said nothing, listening, my fingers tracing idle circles on the table. Didn’t they understand yet? That we needed her? That she was the only solution to our problems with the vampires?

Other witches’ communities would not help us, because Queen Aliana had made sure of that.

My father’s gaze shifted to me. "And what do you think, Adam?"

I looked up slowly. "I think you’re all right—partly," I said, my tone measured. "She’s a spy, possibly. She’s dangerous, certainly. But that doesn’t change the fact that we need her help. Without her and Darius, the dome can’t be extended. The colonies are falling apart. We might be able to defend ourselves if we strap in really, but do we have to risk it all?"

Mother sighed quietly, dabbing her lips with a napkin. "And what happens after she helps us? What will she demand in return? She’s too suspenseful for our own good."

A pause. "Yet I understand that we need her."

But her earlier question lingered still. What would she ask for? Gold? Land? Power? The kingdom itself?

I wouldn’t put it past her. That smile of hers haunted me more than I cared to admit. There was something behind it, something ancient and calculating. And the way she’d looked at Darius, as though sharing an unspoken understanding... it made my stomach twist again.

Were they working together? Was the contest even real anymore, or had the two of them already planned how to manipulate it?

My mind drifted, replaying that moment when she’d smirked across the table, when she’d met Darius’s eyes and laughed. My hands clenched involuntarily under the table.

"Adam."

I blinked, realizing Noah had been calling my name. Both he and Daniel were staring at me, expectant.

"What?" I said, sharper than intended.

"What are you thinking about?" Noah asked, suspicion lacing his voice.

"The situation on ground," I said curtly. "The colonies. The vampires. Everything."

As if summoned by the word itself, a sharp pulse tore through my mind—the familiar tug of a mindlink. I stiffened. It was one of the warriors I had stationed at the border colonies.

Alpha, the voice said, breathless and tight. We found more bodies.

My chest tightened. How many?

Six. Maybe more. Some were... burned. Not by fire, sir. The flesh looked—melted. And we found ash. Fried ash.

My blood went cold. "Ash?" I echoed aloud, unaware I’d spoken until I saw everyone’s faces turn toward me.

Yes, Alpha, the warrior continued. The scent’s strange. Not wolf. Not human. We think the vampires are... experimenting. Or worse—turning some of ours.

For a moment, my mind went blank. When I finally raised my head, the room had gone silent.

"What happened?" Father asked, his voice tight.

I relayed the message, each word heavier than the last. By the time I finished, even Daniel’s bravado had drained from his face. Noah muttered a curse.

"This is bad," Mother whispered, her hand trembling slightly around her cup. "They’re evolving."

"Or they’ve found help," Father said darkly. His gaze swept the room. "From witches."

The word hung like poison in the air.

I wanted to dismiss it—but deep down, I couldn’t. The witches, especially Queen Aliana and her community, had every reason to hate us after what happened six years ago.

But to side with vampires? That was suicide to them, wasn’t it?

Still, I couldn’t ignore the growing pattern: the silent attacks, the strange burns, the ash that wasn’t ash, their growing confidence.

For the first time, a dangerous thought crossed my mind—one I didn’t dare voice.

Maybe it would be easier to strike a deal.

Maybe if we offered the vampires a steady supply of abstenum—the one thing they craved most—they would leave us alone.

But the thought died as soon as it formed. Deals with monsters only led to deeper graves. Especially if they were working with someone else, some other species.

Sage chose then to slither into my thoughts.

My jaw tightened. I rose from the table abruptly. "Excuse me," I muttered.

"Adam—" Father started, but I was already halfway down the hall.

–

My office was dark when I entered. I didn’t bother turning on the light. The shadows suited me fine.

I stood before the window, staring out at the silver-touched fields. My reflection in the glass looked like a stranger—hard eyes, clenched jaw, exhaustion etched into every line of my face.

The image of Sage flashed again in my mind—her mocking grin, the tilt of her head, the spark in her gaze that said she knew more than she should.

"What are you planning?" I whispered to no one. "Who are you?" And why can’t I stop thinking about her!

I slammed my fist into the wall, the sound echoing through the quiet. The pain grounded me, but it didn’t erase her from my thoughts.

I shouldn’t be thinking about her. Not like this. Not when I have the attacks to consider.

Cursing under my breath, I tried to focus on the reports, the colonies, anything else—but the memory of her lingered like a scent I couldn’t wash off. That sly defiance. That refusal to bow.

Finally, I gave up and reached out through the mindlink. Doctor Rowan, I called. Where are you?

His response came quickly. At the caves, Alpha. The priest and I are reviewing the blood samples from the border victims.

"I’m coming," I said aloud, already grabbing my cloak.

Within minutes, I was outside, striding across the misted courtyard. The night air bit cold against my face, but I welcomed it. A single guard followed me wordlessly. We didn’t speak as we made our way down the rocky trail leading to the old caves.

The smell of damp stone and herbs greeted me as we entered. Rowan and the priest were waiting beside a makeshift altar, their faces pale in the torchlight.

"Alpha," Rowan greeted, bowing slightly. "We’ve been expecting you."

The priest looked uneasy, shifting from foot to foot. "You needed to know... before the next contest."

I frowned. "Know what?" Why are they expecting me?

Rowan hesitated before gesturing to the priest to speak.

I watched the priest count his words in his mind, watched him shift uneasily, the movement causing anxiety to spring within me. I didn’t like unnecessary anxiety.

"Folank, can you say something? I don’t have all the time..."

Folank chose then to pick up a thread of cloth, bloodied, from the table.

My brows furrowed. "What is that? Whose?"

"Sage’s."

My frown deepened. "What are you doing with it? Where did you even get it?"

"From her last battle with one of ours. We saw it while undressing me... maybe stuck when he shifted and cut her..." A pause. "Curiosity made us check it out..."

Rowan swallowed hard, and took over. "The results were... undeniable. Your energies align perfectly. The resonance is absolute."

My heart began to pound then. "What are you saying?"

The priest’s voice trembled as he spoke. "Sage is your mate, my King."

The words hit harder than any blow I’d ever taken. I stared at them, uncomprehending.

"No," I said quietly. "That’s impossible."

So, my wolf has been right all along? He didn’t even gloat, choosing to remain still within.

I shook my head. "I know I felt restless around her, but... impossible."

"It isn’t," Rowan was saying. "The bond is old—older than you realize. It’s why she unsettles you. Why your instincts war every time she’s near. The bond hasn’t fully linked yet, but it’s there. Have you met her before now?"

I took a step back, shaking my head. "No. I think you are wrong, Rowan."

But deep down, I already knew he wasn’t. The signs had been there—the inexplicable pull, the anger, the fascination. The way my pulse always betrayed me when she walked into the room.

The truth settled like ice in my veins.

A witch as my mate. The same that haunted my dreams, sometimes with the faces of old lovers. Should I pay more attention to my wolf now?

Yet if I did, then I would have to believe him when he said Sage was Maya, and also Dora. And that was crazy. That was impossible.

And it was how I knew that their diagnosis might be wrong.

I turned sharply then, head filled with more questions, my cloak sweeping behind me as I left the cave, ignoring their calls about the link to a certain prophecy. I thought I’d heard enough.