Chapter 177: Love Isn’t Free Of Charge

Marina’s words hung in the quiet living room, suffocating and sharp.

​"Marina—" I started, my raspy voice catching in my throat.

​"I’m serious, Kain," she interrupted, her voice cracking slightly as the corporate mask cracked entirely. "Look at what this arrangement is doing to you. You were supposed to protect your identity at all costs. That bastard Edward found out somehow, now two of your teammates know your secret, your Alpha’s rut almost knocked you out of the game for good, and you’re gambling your health on black-market drugs and fake hospital visits."

​She paused, taking a long, shuddering breath as her dark eyes moved back and forth between me and Reid. The silence stretched so thin it felt as if a single word would shatter the room.

​"Is this relationship really the best way to go?" Marina asked softly, laying the raw, brutal question right out in the open. "Because from where I’m sitting, Kain... it looks like loving him is going to burn your entire world to the ground."

Marina’s words didn’t just pierce my defenses; they dragged the ugly, unspoken truth out into the cold daylight.

​Every other doubt I’d brushed off in the past had been easy to discard. When the media brought up speculations of my relationship with Reid, when rivals sneered at a Beta standing in front of Alpha’s as their captain, I could dismiss it. They were blind and the truth was far off their reach. They were reacting to an illusion I had painstakingly crafted for ten years.

​But Marina wasn’t blind like the rest of them. She was the one who helped me pull off the impossible. She knew every sacrifice, every close call, and every drop of blood I had spilled to keep my dream alive.

Hearing her lay out the sheer recklessness of my choices—questioning if loving Reid was worth the imminent collapse of my life—sent a sharp, agonizing burn straight through my chest.

​How long can we really keep this a secret? The question echoed in my mind, relentless and brutal. How long before a leak, a missed test, or another unpredictable biological storm inevitably destroyed us both?

​I looked at my sister, my fingers digging so hard into my knees that my knuckles throbbed beneath the fabric of my trousers. Beside the couch, I could feel Reid going rigid, his scent flaring with a quiet, desperate tension as he waited for my answer.

​"Love isn’t free of charge, Marina," I said softly, my voice quiet, but stripped of all hesitation.

​Marina’s eyes narrowed slightly, but she didn’t interrupt.

​"For ten years, I lived in a cage," I said, holding her gaze firmly despite the raw ache in my throat. "I built an iron vault, just like you said. I calculated every breath, every touch, every single second of my life so I wouldn’t get caught. I was safe... but I was completely alone. I was surviving, Marina. I wasn’t living."

​I took a slow, painful breath, turning my head just enough to glance up at Reid. He was staring down at me, his grey eyes wide, caught in a suspended breath as he listened to every word.

​"Reid is a risk. I know that," I continued, looking back at my sister. "He’s unpredictable, he’s loud, and his biology almost just blew my entire life to pieces. But he’s also the only person in the world who sees me. Not Captain Evans. Not a fake Beta. Me. He stands by me on the ice, and he holds me when my body breaks down. If I have to fight to keep both my career and the man I love, then I’ll fight. I won’t give up one for the other."

​Marina stared at me, her expression unreadable, though the sharp, aggressive edge in her posture softened by a fraction of a millimeter.

​"You ask how long we can keep this secret before it destroys us," I whispered, the weight of the reality settling heavy on my shoulders. "I don’t know the answer to that. Maybe tomorrow another crack opens. Maybe next season the vault breaks completely. But I am not going to live in fear of a future that hasn’t happened yet. I made my choice, Marina. I love him."

​Reid let out a low, shuddering breath, his hand coming down to rest flat against the back of my shoulder over the thick turtleneck. The solid, grounding heat of his palm anchored me completely.

​Marina didn’t speak for a long moment. She closed her eyes, letting out a heavy, tired exhale that seemed to drain the dark cloud hovering over her head.

When she opened them again, the harsh corporate killer was gone, replaced by the weary, fiercely protective older sister who had always had my back.

​"You’re an idiot, Kain," Marina said softly, rubbing her temples as she leaned back against the armchair. "A stubborn, romantic idiot. I definitely did not picture this happening to you at all, yet here it is." She sighed. "Maybe being a helpless romantic runs in the family," she muttered and I guessed she was referring to herself as well.

Marina turned her sharp gaze to Reid, pointing a manicured finger directly at his chest.

​"And you. If my brother suffers even a single complication from this pill, or if your little line-mates let a single word slip to the press, I will use every legal and illegal resource at my disposal to make your life a living hell whether you’re a McCoy or not. Am I clear?"

​Reid didn’t flinch. He squared his broad shoulders and looked her dead in the eye. "Crystal clear. I’d expect nothing less."

​"Good," Marina grunted, standing up and smoothing down the front of her tailored suit coat. "Now, give me the details for the private clinic. If we’re putting on a show for Coach Devin, I’m going to make sure the hospital room looks expensive enough to keep him from asking questions."

Marina left thirty minutes later, her heels clicking authoritatively against the floor as she rushed off to secure an elite, off-the-books suite at a private clinic and draft the airtight press cover story for Coach Devin.

​The silence that settled over the penthouse was heavy, thick with the quiet countdown ticking away in both of our heads.

​"I’m driving," Reid said firmly, grabbing his car keys off the counter as I pulled on a heavy winter coat over my thick wool turtleneck.

​"I’m coming with you," I said, my raspy voice leaving zero room for debate as I zipped the jacket up to my chin, entirely hiding every purplish bite mark painted over my throat.

​Reid’s brow furrowed, his jaw tightening as he stepped into my space. "Kain, you can barely keep your knees straight. Stay on the couch. I can go grab the pack from this Vance guy myself."

​"I’m not sitting in this apartment like a helpless invalid while my fate gets picked up at a dead-drop," I snapped, though there was no real venom behind it—just the stubborn, unyielding pride of a man fighting for his own life. I grabbed his wrist, my fingers locking around his pulse point. "I’m coming, Reid. Let’s go."