Chapter 122: Stay
Chapter 122: Stay
Rebecca’s POV
The heavy warmth of the bathroom faded the moment Kaden turned off the shower valve. The sudden silence in the room was deafening, broken only by the sound of our ragged, echoing breaths and the slow drip of water from the showerhead.
I stood there for a second, my mind completely hazy from the overwhelming pleasure that had just ripped through me. But as the steam began to clear, reality rushed back into my mind. I was standing naked in Kaden’s private bathroom. He was my captor, the powerful Alpha who blamed me for the death of his late wife, yet my body was completely addicted to his touch.
Kaden grabbed a fresh, dry towel from the rack and handed it to me. His expression had shifted, returning to his usual calm, unreadable mask, but his green eyes still held a lingering warmth from the heat we had just shared.
"Let’s go," he said softly, his voice a low rumble.
I quickly wrapped the towel tightly around my shivering frame and walked out into his massive, dimly lit bedroom. The cool air hit my wet skin, making me shudder as I stood near the edge of his bed, my fingers knotting into the fabric of the towel.
The silence between us felt heavy, filled with an unspoken tension. I needed to leave. If I stayed here any longer, I was afraid I would completely lose whatever sanity I had left.
"Alpha Kaden," I began, keeping my eyes fixed on the floor so he wouldn’t see the confusion in my gaze. "I... I will return to my quarters now."
I took a single step toward the heavy wooden door, but before my foot could even land, his voice cut through the quiet room.
"Stay."
I froze, my breath catching in my throat. I slowly turned my head to look at him. Kaden had slung a towel low around his lean hips, his dark hair still dripping wet. He didn’t look angry or harsh, but there was a quiet command in his posture that I couldn’t ignore.
"You will spend the night here," Kaden continued, walking over to his wardrobe to pull out a fresh pair of sweatpants. "In my bed."
A sharp wave of confusion and tension pierced my chest. I stared at him, my heart racing. "But... why? You don’t need me for anything. Why do I have to stay here tonight?"
Kaden stopped, his back turning to me for a brief second before he pulled on his sweatpants. When he turned around, his green eyes locked onto mine. For a split second, something complex and intense flashed in his gaze—something that looked almost like conflict—before it vanished behind his usual dominant mask.
"You are my breeder, Rebecca," Kaden said, his voice dropping into a low, even tone as he walked closer to me. "And despite what happened in that shower, we cannot forget why you are in this pack. You are here to bear my pup."
He kept reminding me why I was here, yet every action he took contradicted his own words.
He stopped just a foot away from me, the heat radiating from his bare chest brushing against my skin. He reached out, his hand hesitating for a second before his fingers gently gripped my chin, tilting my face up to meet his gaze.
"I want you where I can see you tonight," he murmured, his thumb brushing lightly against my jaw. His touch wasn’t cruel; it was possessive, almost protective, even if he would never admit it. "I don’t want you sleeping alone in that wing after what that guard tried to do. You stay under my watch, in my bed, where you belong. Don’t argue with me."
He released my chin, walked past me, and climbed into the massive bed, pulling back the heavy duvet.
"Get in," he muttered quietly into the dark room.
I stood there for a long moment, my mind a complete whirlwind. He still spoke about his late wife, still reminded me of my purpose as a slave, yet the way he looked at me, the way he kept me close... it didn’t feel like pure hatred anymore. It felt like he was fighting against something deep inside himself.
Slowly, my hands trembling, I walked over to the opposite side of the bed and climbed under the covers. I kept as much distance between our bodies as possible, staring out into the shadows of the room.
The minutes ticked by painfully slowly. The room was completely quiet, save for the crackling of the fire, but my mind was racing too fast for me to even close my eyes. I kept shifting beneath the heavy duvet, trying to find a comfortable position, but the tension in my body wouldn’t let me relax.
"You’re restless," Kaden’s deep voice suddenly cut through the dark.
I stiffened, turning his head slightly to find him watching me. He was lying on his back, one arm propped behind his head, staring at me with a calm, unreadable expression.
"I’m sorry," I whispered, looking away. "I just... I can’t sleep."
Kaden let out a soft sigh, turning his head to look at the digital clock on his nightstand. "It is barely seven in the evening, Rebecca. It is too early to sleep anyway." He shifted, turning onto his side to face me fully. "If you don’t want to sleep, what do you want to do?"
I swallowed hard, surprised by the lack of anger in his voice. I looked toward the large glass windows leading to his private balcony. I felt trapped inside my own head.
"Can we go for a stroll?" I asked quietly, almost bracing myself for him to say no.
To my utter shock, Kaden didn’t refuse. He simply studied my face for a long second, threw the duvet off his body, and stood up from the bed. He walked over to his wardrobe, rummaged through it for a moment, and then tossed a piece of dark fabric onto the bed right next to me.
"Put it on," he murmured.
I picked it up and realized it was one of his black button-down shirts. It was massive in my hands, smelling strongly of his intoxicating scent—cedarwood, rain, and pure alpha dominance. My heart fluttered foolishly as I slid my arms into the sleeves. The hem of the shirt fell all the way down to my mid-thighs, completely swallowing my frame, but it felt incredibly warm and safe.
Kaden slipped on a dark hoodie, and without another word, he led me out of his private chambers.
We walked down the quiet, grand corridors of the mansion and stepped out into the sprawling back gardens. The night air was cool and crisp, brushing gently against my face and instantly clearing the heavy fog in my mind. We walked side by side along the stone pathway, the silence between us surprisingly peaceful for the first time since I arrived here.
I looked over at him. His hands were shoved into his pockets, his gaze fixed on the moonlit path ahead. He looked so calm, so distant from the monster who usually demanded obedience. A sudden, daring thought popped into my head. I wanted to see a different side of him.
"Let’s play a game," I blurted out.
Kaden stopped walking instantly. He turned his head, his green eyes narrowing as he glared down at me, looking thoroughly annoyed by the suggestion.
"I’m sorry," I quickly backtracked, my cheeks flushing with embarrassment. "Forget I said anything. It was stupid."
I started to walk ahead, but Kaden’s deep voice stopped me in my tracks.
"What kind of game, Rebecca?"
I turned back to look at him, blinking in surprise. The annoyance in his eyes had softened into a faint look of curiosity.
I took a deep breath, pointing to a smooth, grassy patch right under a massive willow tree. "Sit on the floor of the garden with me."
Kaden stared at the grass, then back at me, his brow arched in disbelief. An Alpha of his stature sitting on the dirt just because a captive asked him to was completely unheard of. For a second, I thought he was going to snap at me. But instead, he let out a low huff, walked over to the grass, and lazily sat down, crossing his long legs.
I smiled softly, a genuine spark of happiness bubbling up in my chest. I walked over and sat down directly across from him, tucking Kaden’s oversized shirt around my knees.
Our eyes locked.
"Alright," Kaden murmured, a tiny, almost invisible smirk tugging at the corner of his lips. "What do you have in mind?"