It started small.
Too small.
Kael didn't run that morning.
He didn't argue with Ryn over who got the bigger blanket.Didn't try to climb anything.Didn't follow Theron around like a shadow.
He just… stayed close.
Too close.
Aiden noticed immediately.
Kael clung to him, small arms wrapped tightly around his neck, face pressed into his shoulder. His usually steady amber eyes were half-lidded, unfocused.
"…hey," Aiden murmured, adjusting him on his hip. "What's wrong, big guy?"
Kael didn't answer.
He just shifted closer.
Aiden's hand moved to his back automatically—
—and froze.
Warm.
Too warm.
Aiden's expression changed instantly.
"Theron."
The Alpha King was already moving.
He crossed the room in two steps, eyes sharp, instincts snapping awake. His hand came up, pressing against Kael's forehead.
Heat.
Not normal.
Not safe.
Something in Theron's aura shifted.
The air itself seemed to tighten.
"…he's burning," Theron said, voice low.
Aiden's grip tightened around Kael.
"I know."
Kael made a small sound, barely there, and buried his face deeper into Aiden's neck.
That was worse than anything.
Kael didn't hide.
He observed. Endured.
But this?
This was instinct.
Seeking safety.
Aiden's voice softened immediately.
"I've got you," he murmured, pressing a kiss into Kael's hair. "I've got you, okay? You're fine."
Behind them—
"Papa?"
Ryn stood a few steps away, clutching Lior's sleeve.
Lior's ears were lowered slightly, his small body pressed against his brother's side.
They could feel it.
The shift.
The tension.
Theron turned.
His eyes flicked to them—and softened instantly.
"Stay there."
They didn't move.
Eirik stepped forward quietly, placing a steady hand on Ryn's shoulder.
"It's alright," he said gently. "Your brother just isn't feeling well."
Ryn frowned.
"Sick?"
Aiden's jaw tightened.
Kael shifted again, a weak whine slipping from his throat.
That sound—
That small, broken sound—
Something inside Theron snapped.
The temperature in the room dropped.
Not physically.
Something deeper.
Older.
The air grew heavy.
Power.
Uncontrolled.
The mark of something divine trying to respond to something it couldn't fix.
"…who did this," Theron said.
Aiden's head snapped up.
"No one did anything."
Theron's eyes were burning now, faint gold flickering beneath the amber.
"He's in pain."
"He's sick," Aiden snapped back, sharper than intended. "It happens."
"It shouldn't."
The words came too fast.
Too intense.
Too absolute.
Silence hit the room.
Even the pups froze.
Aiden stared at him.
"…Theron."
But the Alpha King wasn't looking at him anymore.
He was looking at Kael.
And for the first time—
He looked afraid.
Not of enemies.
Not of war.
But of something he couldn't control.
"…call the healer," Aiden said, quieter now.
Eirik nodded immediately.
"I'll go."
He didn't wait for permission.
Didn't hesitate.
He simply turned and left, snow crunching under his boots as he disappeared into the forest.
Inside the den, Kael whimpered again.
Aiden sat down quickly, cradling him closer, one hand gently brushing through his hair.
"Hey… hey, stay with me," he murmured. "You're okay. Just a fever."
Kael's small fingers curled weakly into his shirt.
"Mama…"
Aiden swallowed hard.
"I'm here."
Theron dropped to his knees in front of them.
Careful.
Controlled.
But the tension in him hadn't faded.
His hand hovered near Kael—like he was afraid to touch him now.
"…he shouldn't be this fragile," Theron said quietly.
Aiden's gaze snapped to him.
"He's not fragile."
"He's burning."
"He's a child!"
The words hit harder than expected.
Aiden's voice cracked at the end.
Silence followed.
Heavy.
Raw.
Then, softer—
"They get sick," Aiden said, breathing uneven now. "They fall. They cry. That's what kids do."
Theron didn't respond.
His gaze dropped.
"…I can't fix it."
That was the truth.
The thing that shook him.
A god.
A king.
Power over life, over wolves, over fate itself—
And he couldn't take away his son's fever.
Aiden's anger faded instantly.
He shifted slightly, reaching out with his free hand and grabbing Theron's wrist.
"Then don't," he said quietly.
Theron looked up.
Aiden's grip tightened.
"Just stay."
Kael shifted weakly between them.
Ryn and Lior watched from across the room, pressed close together, unusually quiet.
The den felt smaller now.
Closer.
Full of something fragile.
Time passed slowly.
Too slowly.
Then—
Footsteps.
Fast.
Eirik returned, the healer close behind.
The moment they stepped inside, the tension shifted again.
The healer moved quickly.
"Lay him down," they said.
Aiden did.
Reluctantly.
Kael's small body looked even smaller on the blankets.
The healer checked him carefully—hands steady, calm, experienced.
"A fever," they confirmed. "Strong, but not dangerous yet."
Theron's shoulders tensed.
"Yet?"
The healer didn't flinch.
"He's young. His body is learning."
Aiden exhaled slowly.
Ryn sniffled.
Lior whimpered softly.
Eirik crouched beside them, keeping them close.
"It'll pass," he murmured gently.
But his eyes—
His eyes flicked once toward Theron.
Then to Aiden.
Then to Kael.
Something unreadable passing through them.
Because this?
This was exactly what Nyx had meant.
Cracks.
Small.
But real.
And for the first time—
Eirik saw it clearly.
Even gods… couldn't protect everything.