Chapter 134: Caught
Chapter 134: Caught
Rebecca’s POV
It was Alpha Kane... Alpha Kaden’s brother.
I gasped, my hand flying to my chest as my heart pounded against my ribs. Out of all the people I expected to see lurking in my room, Kane was the last one. He was sitting calmly in the small chair by the corner, but the moment he saw us, he stood up, his posture relaxed but his expression completely serious.
"Rebecca," he murmured, his eyes scanning my pale face. Then, he turned his gaze to my assignment. "Stephanie, please excuse us for a moment."
Stephanie instantly went pale. She looked between me and Kane, her entire body shaking with anxiety. "A-Alpha Kane..." she stammered, her voice panicked. "Alpha Kaden is around. He is just returning from the borders. If he comes here and finds you in this wing... he will get so angry. Please, you shouldn’t be here."
Kane didn’t blink. He took a step forward, his voice dropping into a firm, commanding tone. "Stephanie, leave. I will handle my brother. I just need a word with Rebecca. Go."
Stephanie bit her lower lip, glancing at me one last time with wide, terrified eyes. Seeing no other choice, she slowly backed out of the room, closing the heavy wooden door behind her.
The moment the latch clicked, the room fell into a heavy, tense silence.
"How have you been?" Kane asked, his voice softening slightly as he stepped closer to me. "I heard what happened. About the poison. About your womb."
A bitter wave washed over me, Kaden’s cruel words from the garden still echoing in my head. You are worthless to me now.
"I’m fine," I said shortly, my voice sounding raw and cold. I wrapped my arms around myself, feeling incredibly vulnerable under his gaze. "And please... you have to leave. If Alpha Kaden walks in on us right now, I will be the one in deep trouble. He already despises me. I can’t take any more of his wrath."
Instead of turning to go, Kane’s eyes flashed with a strange, intense look. He stepped even closer, lowering his voice to a whisper. "I have a plan to take you out of here, Rebecca."
I froze. My breath hitched in my throat, and I furrowed my brows in complete disbelief. "What? I... I don’t understand. What are you talking about?"
"My plan will be in motion next week," Kane continued rapidly, ignoring my confusion. He reached out, his hand gripping my shoulder firmly. "When the time comes, you just need to play along. Do you hear me? No matter what happens, play along."
"What plan?!" I demanded, panicking as I tried to pull away from his grip. My mind was spinning. "What am I playing along with, Alpha Kane? Tell me!"
"Don’t worry, you will understand everything when it happens," he whispered urgently, his ears twitching as if he heard something outside in the hallway. "Just play along and trust me. You will be free from Kaden once and for all. I have to go."
Before I could ask another question, Kane let go of my shoulder. He moved like a shadow, pushing the heavy wooden door open and stepping out into the hallway, shutting the door firmly behind him.
I stood in the center of the room, my heart hammering against my ribs. Free? The word echoed inside my mind. Free from Alpha Kaden? Free from this palace? Free from this nightmare? How was any of that even possible?
But my thoughts were instantly shattered by a loud, violent sound from the hallway.
BANG!
A gasp escaped my lips. It sounded like a body hitting the wall. Without thinking, pure adrenaline took over my weak limbs. I rushed to the door, pulling it open just a crack to peek outside.
My blood turned to pure ice.
Just a few feet down the hallway, Alpha Kaden was standing there, looking like a possessed demon. His hands were wrapped tightly around Kane’s collar, lifting his own brother slightly off the ground and slamming him brutally against the hard stone wall. Kaden’s chest was heaving wildly, his jaw clenched so tightly the bones looked ready to snap.
"What the hell are you doing in her room?!" Kaden spat, his voice a low growl that vibrated through the very floorboards. His dark green eyes were completely gone, replaced by the terrifying, pitch-black gaze of his dominant wolf.
Kane, despite being pinned to the wall, remained eerily calm. He didn’t claw at Kaden’s hands. He just looked his brother dead in the eyes and said quietly, "Let me go, Kaden."
"Give me one reason," Kaden growled through gritted teeth, "why I shouldn’t rip your throat out right here and now." His grip tightening until the fabric of Kane’s shirt began to tear. The raw aura of the Alpha King flooded the narrow hallway, making it difficult to even breathe.
"Stay the hell away from her!" he roared, his voice echoing through the corridor. "If I ever catch you alone with Rebecca again, I swear I will forget you’re my own brother."
Suddenly, as if sensing my presence, Kaden’s head snapped toward my door.
Our eyes met. His eyes were bloodshot, burning with a wild, uncontrollable fury that made my entire body tremble. He looked completely feral, ready to kill anyone and anything in his path.
Out of pure fear, I slammed my door shut.
My hands shook violently as I turned the heavy metal lock, clicking it into place. I stumbled backward, my breath coming in short, panicked gasps as I pressed my back against the wall.
Thud. Thud. Thud.
The heavy sound of Kaden’s boots began to approach my door. Each step sounded like a beast approaching.
I completely panicked. My heart was racing so fast I felt dizzy, my weak legs trembling so much I could barely stand.
BAM! BAM! BAM!
The door rattled violently on its hinges as Kaden smashed his fist against the wood.
"Open up, Rebecca!" he roared from the other side, his voice booming through the room like thunder. "Open this damn door right now!"