Chapter 159: His Mother’s Words
Chapter 159: His Mother’s Words
Rebecca’s POV
I followed Kane’s mother out to the back garden, hopping carefully on my good foot. The morning air was crisp, carrying the sweet scent of blooming jasmine, but my chest felt incredibly tight. The older woman didn’t speak until we reached a secluded white bench shaded by a massive willow tree.
She sat down gracefully and patted the spot next to her. I sat down, keeping a polite distance, my hands nervously smoothing over my gray tracksuit.
"Rebecca," she began, her warm eyes searching my face. "First, I want to apologize for how my son Kaden treats you. Hearing all the terrible things he did to you... it breaks my heart. He was such a sweet boy growing up. He used to have so much joy in him."
She let out a soft, heavy sigh, looking out over the manicured lawn. "But being a leader and a king changed him. The weight of the crown is heavy, and it hardens a man. And then... Helen’s death. He loved Helen so much, and losing her completely shattered whatever warmth he had left. He lets his grief blind him."
A familiar ache tightened in my throat. I looked her dead in the eyes, my voice cracking but firm. "I didn’t kill Helen. I swear to you, I didn’t."
Kane’s mother offered me a gentle, reassuring smile and placed her hand over mine. "We all know that, my dear. And Kane will prove your innocence. You can trust him."
"I do," I whispered, feeling a genuine wave of gratitude. "I trust Alpha Kane completely. He’s the only one who has truly protected me since all this nightmare started."
The mother nodded slowly, but her smile shifted into something a bit more complex, a tiny flicker of worry crossing her beautiful features. She pulled her hand back, linking her fingers in her lap.
"Yes, Kane is doing everything he can for you," she murmured, watching me closely. "Actually... I see the way he looks at you, Rebecca. I noticed it the moment we arrived last night, and even more so at the table this morning. The way he watches over you, the way he lingers... Kane has always been protective, but with you, it seems quite different. He cares for you deeply. Perhaps... more than he should."
My heart skipped a beat. My eyes widened slightly as I digested her words. Before I could find my voice to answer, she leaned in just a little closer, her eyes flashing with a strange, deep intensity.
"Tell me, Rebecca... when all this is over, and your innocence is finally proven, what will you do?"
The question caught me completely off guard. I stared at the grass, my mind going blank. "I... I have no idea," I admitted honestly, a hollow feeling opening up in my chest. "But definitely, I can’t go back home. That place was never really my home to begin with. There is nothing left for me there."
Kane’s mother nodded, her expression growing deeply thoughtful, almost calculating as she weighed my response.
"Then, would you stay back here?" she asked, her voice dropping into a low, guarded whisper. "In this pack? With Kane? Because a mother knows her sons, Rebecca. And right now, I see a dangerous storm brewing between my boys. Kane is stepping into a territory that might not belong to him, and if you choose to stay by his side... it could start a war. My sons have never fought over the same thing before, but looking at you, I fear Kane is willing to cross a line."
I swallowed hard, my eyes widening. A storm between her boys? A war? What does she mean?
"I think Kane has developed some liking to you," she added, her eyes locking onto mine with complete seriousness.
I laughed awkwardly, the sound nervous and tight in the quiet garden. "Ma’am, he is just being nice. He’s only helping me because he knows I am innocent. He is a good Alpha."
The mother shook her head slowly, her expression unchanged. "I know my sons, Rebecca. I know when Kane is just being nice... and this isn’t that."
I swallowed hard, a cold sweat breaking out on the back of my neck.
"And Kaden..." she continued, her voice dropping even lower, full of a heavy, dark warning. "He isn’t letting go of you. Whether you are innocent or not, he will never let you walk away completely." She paused, letting the weight of her words sink into my chest. "Rebecca, I see a war between them. I just hope Kane will let you go when the time comes. Because Kaden... he will die before doing that."
Panic rose up in my chest. "Ma’am, you are wrong," I said quickly, my voice trembling as I scrambled to find excuses. "Alpha Kane doesn’t see me that way, and Alpha Kaden only hates me! He thinks I am a criminal. There won’t be a war. They are brothers."
Kane’s mother stood up slowly, looking down at me with a sad, worried sigh. "I pray so, darling. I pray I am wrong."
Without another word, she turned and walked back toward the house, leaving me completely alone under the heavy shade of the willow tree.
I sat there on the bench, my mind spinning into a chaotic mess. Alpha Kane? Likes me? No... it wasn’t possible. I shook my head violently, trying to clear the terrifying thoughts. He couldn’t like me. Please, he shouldn’t. If he did, everything his mother just said would come true, and a bloodbath would destroy both brothers.
I was so deeply lost in my terrifying thoughts, clutching my head in my hands, that I didn’t even hear the rustle in the tall grass near my feet.
Suddenly, a sharp, blinding pain shot through my ankle.
My eyes widened in absolute shock. I gasped, jerking my leg back as a sickening, burning sensation exploded through my skin. I scrambled to look down, only to freeze in pure horror. Sliding quickly away through the green blades of grass was a thick, dark snake.
"Ah!"
A loud, terrified scream tore from my throat as the burning venom immediately began to pump through my veins. The world tilted violently around me. My vision blurred, and my strength completely vanished. With a weak cry of pain, I slipped off the wooden bench, dropping heavily onto the cold grass below as darkness started to edge into my mind.