Chapter 114: ACT
Chapter 114: ACT
Rebecca’s POV
My eyes widened in pure shock. More than a breeder? My mind spun in a thousand directions. What did he mean by that? Was this another one of his cruel jokes? Another twisted game to make me look foolish?
Before I could even find my voice to speak, Kaden pressed on, his green eyes dark with an emotion that terrified me.
"Yes, I hate you," he ranted, his grip on my metal choker trembling as his harsh breath fanned across my lips. "I hate you for destroying my life. There are times I want to kill you with my bare hands for what you’ve done to me... but you have somehow become more than a breeder to me."
He paused, a rough, broken sound escaping his throat as he glared down at me.
"I’m ashamed," he whispered, his voice cracking slightly as the terrifying truth ripped right out of him. "I am so fucking ashamed to say it... to admit to myself that I care for you. That I am actually worried about you. Yes! I don’t want you to die, Rebecca. And it’s not because I want you to finish your punishment. It’s because... because I can’t imagine life without you."
I lay there, completely numb against the pillows.
I couldn’t move. I couldn’t breathe. My entire body felt paralyzed as I stared up at the fierce tyrant towering over me. What is he saying? Does he even know what is coming out of his mouth right now? This was Alpha Kaden—the cold, heartless man who had kept me locked away as a captive. The man who, just hours ago, I believed was hopelessly in love with Stephanie. Yet here he was, looking at me with a face full of agony, confessing that he was losing his mind over me.
"I don’t know what the hell you are to me," Kaden muttered, his eyes flashing with a desperate, chaotic anger as he slowly let go of my metal collar. "But you are sure as hell more than a sex slave and a breeder."
Suddenly, he pulled back, stepping away from the mattress as if my very presence burned him. He didn’t look at me again. He just turned on his heel and walked away, leaving me alone in the suffocating silence.
I sat there on the edge of the mattress, my mind completely tangled in a web of confusion. Was he serious? Was Alpha Kaden actually capable of feeling something real, or was this just a new, twisted way to torture me?
I can’t believe this man. One second he’s treating me like trash, and the next he’s choking back tears on my bed, claiming he can’t breathe without me. I honestly didn’t know whether to scream at him or pinch myself to make sure I wasn’t still dreaming.
Before I could think about it any further, the door clicked open. Stephanie slipped inside, quietly locking it behind her.
I raised a doubtful brow at her, my guard instantly going up. But instead of looking like the lovesick woman who had just claimed my captor, Stephanie just chuckled.
"What?" she teased, crossing her arms. "How was my acting?"
My brow furrowed deeply as the weight in my chest lifted. "So... it was all just an act?"
"Yes, of course!" Stephanie laughed, walking closer. "What did you think? I just wanted to make Alpha Kaden panic. I needed to stir the pot and see how he would react if he thought he was losing his chance with his real target."
I let out a long, heavy breath of relief. For a terrifying moment, I truly thought Stephanie wanted him. I thought the only person in this entire pack who was like a real sister to me was about to become my worst enemy.
I almost had a mini heart attack! I was ready to pack my bags and disappear into the woods forever if my only friend turned on me.
Stephanie sat down on the edge of my bed, her eyes shining with curiosity. "So, tell me how it went. Did my little act provoke him into saying anything?"
I frowned, the memory of his rough grip on my collar making my skin prickle. "Stephanie... he said I’m more than a breeder to him."
A huge smile broke out across her face. "See? It’s so obvious!"
"How is it obvious?" I countered, shaking my head. "He’s a tyrant."
"Rebecca, if you were just a breeder to him, he wouldn’t have run the way he did," Stephanie explained, leaning in. "You didn’t see it, but the moment the maid screamed that you were awake, he bolted out of his bedroom like his entire world was on fire. And just look around this room! Look at the medical equipment hooked up to you. He ordered the absolute best, most expensive machinery in the territory just to keep your body stable. A man doesn’t do that for a mere prisoner."
I swallowed hard, the cold stone of reality pressing against my thoughts. "But what about his feelings for you, Stephanie? He literally told me to my face that he liked you."
"He doesn’t," Stephanie said firmly, rolling her eyes. "It is so incredibly obvious that he doesn’t. In fact, Rebecca... I think Kaden knew you were inside my body the entire time."
My heart stopped. I stared in disbelief. "What? How? No... that’s impossible."
"I can’t fully explain it, but I just know he does," Stephanie insisted, her face turning serious. "Because the exact second I woke up in his bed this morning, he looked at me and instantly recognized that it wasn’t you in me. The disappointment on his face was brutal."
I frowned, my fingers tightening against the bedsheets as Helen’s words echoed in my mind. Trust your guts.
If he knew... then every single touch, every kiss, and every tender word he gave me over the last few days wasn’t for Stephanie. It was for me.
I tilted my chin up, a spark of my old defiance finally flaring back to life.
"Well," I murmured, staring at the closed door. "There is only one way to find out."