<h4>Chapter 186: iming My Mate III.</h4>


    Kaito walked down to the hospital, his mind heavy. He wanted to check on Taros and Dr. Dave, to see if there had been any progress at all. Time was running out. If they did not find a cure soon, Kael would turn into something else, something no one could stop. The thought tore at him, because if that happened, he would never forgive himself.


    This time, he was ready to do anything to save Kael, even if it meant giving his own life in exchange.


    His phone beeped. He pulled it from his pocket and saw a message from Hiro. He wanted to take Kael to the Pit. A frown formed on his face. No matter how much they feared what Kael might be, Kaito could not ept him being treated like an animal, shut away and isted.


    He typed a firm no and sent it to Hiro. When he swiped, the next thing on his screen was the message he had written for Ang the night before but never sent. He read through it again. It was an apology. He wished they had spoken about the distance between them, that they had found a way to cool the storm growing between their hearts.


    He had not sent it, but when he heard she was having her firstbat test that morning, he had gone to support her. She had been surprised to see him there. He had left right after, not wanting to ruin her happiness. She had looked so full of life and he wanted her to keep that light. Maybeter they could talk and fix what had gone wrong between them.


    He pressed send atst. By evening, things would fall into ce. His wolf, restless all week and begging for Ang, might finally calm down.


    In less than ten minutes he arrived at South House. Hiro was inside. with Kael, both of them caught in a heated argument.


    "Hey guys," Kaito said from the doorway. Their eyes turned to him. "What’s going on? What is this I am hearing about the Alphas’ Pit?"


    "Kael’s idea," Hiro answered with a shake of his head, leaning against the wall.


    Kaito shut the door and looked at Kael, who sat on the couch with his bag beside him. "Why do you want to go? Did something happen?"


    Kael lowered his gaze. "No... I am fine, but my appetite has grown too much. And my eyes... they started changing. They are blue now, not golden anymore."


    Hiro’s fists clenched, his nails digging into his palms. His chest ached at Kael’s words. Kael was his Beta, yet he could not help him.


    "We are working on a cure," Kaito said, his voice firm. "You don’t have to hide from the others."


    But Kael only gave a brokenugh. "You do not understand. I am not doing this for myself. It is for the rest of the students. It is for Ang. I am a danger to her, and I will not be like Evan. I would rather leave than ever hurt her."


    Hot tears ran down Kael’s cheeks. Kaito walked closer and ced a hand around his shoulders. "Hey, I understand what you want to do, but I am not letting you go and live there alone. It’s true you are changing, but I know you won’t hurt Ang. You are stronger than whatever is trying to take control of you."


    Kael shook his head weakly. "See the way you guys believe in me. Hiro told me the same thing already. But what if I can’t fight it? What if I lose?"


    "We will stop you and still keep you safe, is that clear?" Hiro said, his voice steady even though his chest burned. He did not want the tears to fall. No matter how hard things got, he refused to lose another person he loved. "You are going to be fine, Kael."


    Kael sighed and leaned against Kaito. "If you insist, I will stay. But if anything happens, you must stop me, promise me that."


    "Trust me," Hiro said, sitting on the edge of the bed and facing him. "I will be the first to strike you."


    The three of themughed softly, and the weight in the air eased a little. Kaito felt relief that Kael had not insisted on leaving. He was about to go and check on Taros when it happened. A sudden pull inside him made his body stiffen. His eyes began to glow without his will. He turned quickly to Hiro, only to see the same light burning in his brother’s eyes.


    "Ang," Hiro muttered in rm.


    Kael frowned in confusion. "What happened to her?"


    "It’s Renn," Kaito said atst when he realized what had happened. A painful chuckle escaped his lips. He never saw iting. They had just been together barely an hour ago, and he never thought something like this would happen so soon. She wanted it to be Renn... and he should have known better.


    "Someone was going to do it anyway," Hiro sighed, trying hard not to let the jealousy inside him break loose. "She was always going to choose someone. I guess Renn was the right choice for her."


    Kael’s eyes widened as the truth settled in. "Oh, I see... Ang has been imed by Renn." The weight of the words sank deep. He looked at both of them, expecting anger, a fight, anything louder than this heavy silence. "Maybe it happened by ident... maybe she didn’t really mean..."


    "Don’t justify rubbish," Hiro snapped sharply, his voice cutting through the room. His anger rose so fast he had to stop and remind himself it was not Kael he should be angry with. He took a breath, but his tone was still rough. "Stay out of this, Kael."


    "This shouldn’t bring a fight between you and your brother," Kael tried again, his voice uncertain. "You can still im herter if—" He stopped mid-sentence when the sound of the door mming made him flinch. He turned quickly, only to see that Kaito was gone. His stomach sank. "Oh no. What’s going to happen now?"


    "I don’t know," Hiro growled, his jaw tight and his eyes burning. "But I think I need some time alone."