Chapter 154: Excuses
Chapter 154: Excuses
Kaden’s POV
She was daring me. Begging me to do the one thing that would clear her name immediately. But I couldn’t do it. If I ordered her, the truth would come out, and she would demand the freedom I was too scared to give her.
I forced a cold, mean laugh to come out of my chest, hiding the deep panic in my throat. I looked down at her, forcing my eyes to turn as sharp and unfriendly as ice.
"You think finding the truth is that simple, Rebecca?" I said, my voice dropping into a harsh, smooth whisper. "Monica and Brandon are already broken. If I use the command on them now, they will die before a word leaves their lips."
She opened her mouth to argue, but I stepped closer, using my large frame to completely crowd her.
"And you? Look at you. You’re too desperate," I continued, my eyes staring straight into hers. "A desperate wolf can fight back just enough to fake the truth, hurting their own soul in the process. I want real, physical proof—not words forced out of your mouth."
Rebecca jumped slightly, but her jaw stayed tight. "The Alpha Command is powerful, Alpha Kaden! No one can lie under the King’s command!"
"And a confession under Alpha Command can be easily challenged!" I fired back, my panicked voice echoing through the room, but to Rebecca, it sounded like I was annoyed. "A desperate criminal will just tell the pack elders that I forced them to say what I wanted to hear. The Alpha Command isn’t accepted as legal proof in a royal murder trial, Rebecca. I need proof... if you want to prove your innocence... give me proof."
I turned my back to her, crossing my arms over my chest to hide how badly my hands were shaking. Every word I spoke was a shield to protect my own selfish fear of losing her.
"An Alpha Command is the last weapon of a King," I muttered coldly over my shoulder. "It isn’t used until every other way has failed. Until my men find that missing footage, you stay exactly what you are."
I heard her take a sharp, painful breath behind me. The cold wall between us grew so thick it felt like an ocean of ice. I had successfully hidden my secret, but feeling the total sadness in her scent, I knew I had just pushed her one step further away from me.
I wanted to turn around. My arms practically ached to pull her small, trembling body against mine, to whisper that I was sorry, and to hold her... I missed her so much it felt like a physical sickness clawing at my throat. I couldn’t bear the thought of walking out of this room and leaving her alone in this room—or worse, giving Kane the chance to sneak in.
I needed an excuse to stay. There was no way I was leaving her alone... or sleeping on the other side of the room while she lay within reach.
"I am sleeping in this bed tonight," I stated flatly, keeping my back turned so she couldn’t see the desperation in my eyes.
"What?" Rebecca gasped, her voice full of shock. "No! You can’t stay here, Alpha Kaden. This is Alpha Kane’s packhouse!"
I turned around slowly, forcing my face into a hard, suspicious look to hide the fact that my heart was racing.
"I can sleep wherever I please," I said smoothly, walking right up to the edge of the mattress. "My brother is entirely too interested in you, Rebecca. Who knows what he might try to do in the middle of the night if I leave you unguarded? You are still my property, and I don’t trust him around what belongs to me. I will be right here to make sure he stays away."
Rebecca flinched as if I had snapped at her, her face turning incredibly pale. "I am not sleeping with your brother," she whispered, her voice tight with annoyance. "At least not yet...."
"You won’t dare!" I interrupted coldly, trying my best to control my emotions. "If he touches you, I will cut his hands off... don’t dare me."
Rebecca stared at me for a long moment, her chest rising and falling with quiet anger. It looked like she wanted to argue, but the exhaustion in her eyes won. Without another word, she turned away from me and climbed back onto the bed.
She pulled the blanket tightly around herself and lay down with her back facing me, leaving as much space between us as the mattress allowed.
I watched her for a second before walking to the other side of the bed. I pulled back the blanket and lay down, careful not to let even a single part of my body brush against hers.
The silence between us was suffocating.
I lay on my back, staring at the ceiling while my wolf growled in frustration. Move closer. Hold her. Tell her the truth.
But I forced myself not to. I clenched my fists under the heavy blanket, keeping my body frozen on my side of the mattress. I had already lied to her face, used my brother as an excuse, and called her my property. If I reached for her now, she would see right through the mask.
The hours dragged on in heavy, agonizing silence. Rebecca’s breathing finally slowed down, signaling she had fallen into a deep, exhausted sleep. But I couldn’t close my eyes. Every time I did, the terrifying fear of her walking out of my life kept me wide awake.
Around two in the morning, the quiet room shifted.
Rebecca stirred, letting out a soft, tired sigh. Slowly, she pushed the blankets off her shoulders and swung her legs over the edge of the mattress. In the dim light of the room, I watched her try to stand up, her throat dry as she looked toward the glass pitcher of water across the room.
But she forgot about her injury. The moment her left foot pressed into the carpet, her swollen ankle completely gave out under her weight.
With a sharp gasp of pain, her body tilted forward.
Before she could even hit the ground, my Alpha reflexes kicked in. I lunged across the mattress, my arm hooking tightly around her waist. In one swift movement, I caught her and pulled her small frame flush against my chest before she could crash into the floor.