Sold to Bastard Alpha after My Divorce! novel Chapter 221

Chapter 221: Chapter 221

Kael’s POV

"Eastern perimeter is compromised. Ronan’s unit is dark. I need a full defensive line established on the secondary perimeter within ten minutes. Pull Unit Seven from the southern watch and redirect to eastern flank. Unit Three holds the north—nobody moves from those positions, I don’t care what they see or hear."

"Yes, Alpha. What about—"

"I’m not done." I was already crossing the tent, grabbing my tactical vest from the rack. "Get Unit Nine mobilized for a forward push. Light formation—speed over force. I want them ready to move on my signal, not before."

"Understood. Anything else?"

"Get Damon."

I hung up.

Aria was watching me. She hadn’t moved from where she stood by the map table, but her whole body was taut.

"Kael—" 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

"I need you to go back to the house." I said it fast. Before she could argue. Before I could see the look on her face and waver. "Take the secondary guard detail. Go straight there. Don’t stop."

"What are you going to do?"

I pulled the vest on. Checked the straps. Tight. Secure.

"What I have to."

"Kael." Her voice sharpened. "What are you going to do?"

I stopped. Looked at her.

She was scared. I could see it—in her eyes, in the way her hand had gone to her stomach again, in the slight tremor she was trying to hide. But underneath the fear, something else. Steel.

My mate.

"I’m going to the front line," I said. "I’m getting Ronan and his unit back. And then I’m ending this."

She held my gaze. Didn’t blink.

"Come back to me," she said.

Not a request. An order.

I crossed the space between us in two strides. Kissed her. Hard and fast and thorough, one hand cupping the back of her neck, the other pressed flat against the swell of her stomach where our child was growing.

"Always," I said against her mouth.

Then I let go.

Walked out.

Didn’t look back.

Because if I looked back, I wouldn’t leave. And Ronan was out there somewhere—hurt or captured or worse—and twenty years of loyalty meant I didn’t get to choose my own comfort over his life.

---

Damon met me at the north checkpoint.

He was already geared up—vest, weapons, that wild look in his eyes he got when things were about to get ugly and he was glad about it. His wolf was close to the surface. I could smell it—leather and gunpowder and the sharp edge of adrenaline.

"Heard the call." He fell into step beside me. "How bad?"

"Bad enough. Ronan’s gone dark. Twenty-plus hostiles hit the eastern perimeter. They knew exactly where to strike."

"Inside information?"

"Rebecca."

Damon’s jaw tightened. He didn’t say anything for a moment. Then: "So what’s the play? We reinforcing the perimeter or—"

"I’m going out there myself."

He stopped walking.

I kept going for two steps before turning back to look at him.

"You’re going to the front line," he said. Flat. "Personally."

"Yes."

"Into what is very obviously a trap designed specifically to draw you out."

"Yes."

"And you know it’s a trap."

"Damon." I looked at him. Let him see it—the cold, calculated certainty that had settled over me the moment Ronan’s link went dead. "Magnus has been poking at us for weeks. Raiding supply lines. Hitting lookout posts. Killing young soldiers. Picking us apart piece by piece."

"I know—"

"This isn’t a raid," I said. "This is a challenge. He’s calling me out. And if I don’t answer—if I hide behind my walls and let him pick off my people one by one—then I’ve already lost." I held his gaze. "It’s time. He wants a fight? He gets one. The last one."

Damon stared at me for a long moment.

Then he grinned. Slow and savage.

"About damn time," he said. "What do you need?"

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