Chapter 165: Stockholm syndrome
Chapter 165: Stockholm syndrome
Rebecca’s POV
The next morning, I wanted nothing more than to stay in bed and hide under the blankets forever. But I couldn’t. In this house, family breakfast was mandatory. I had no choice but to force my trembling body out of bed.
When I walked into the dining room, the air felt heavy. Sir Draven and Ma’am Cecilia were already sitting at the long table. Alpha Kane was there too. I looked quickly at the head of the table and felt a small wave of relief. Kaden’s seat was empty.
"Good morning," I whispered softly, keeping my eyes locked onto the floor.
Kaden’s parents gave me a polite nod and greeted me back. But Kane didn’t say a word. He didn’t even look up at me. He just kept aggressively cutting his steak, his jaw tight and his face hard as stone. The warm, sad man who had kissed me in the dark last night was completely gone. In his place sat a cold, angry stranger.
I sat down quietly and picked up my cup of coffee. But just as I was about to take a sip, the heavy wooden doors swung open.
Alpha Kaden walked in.
I choked on my breath, a harsh cough breaking the silence of the room. My hands shook so badly that I had to set my cup down. What was he still doing here? He was supposed to leave for his own pack territory today. He wasn’t supposed to be here at all.
Kaden acted like everything was perfectly normal. He sat down in his chair, smooth and calm. "Good morning, everyone," he said, his voice deep and relaxed.
His father frowned, staring at him with hard, questioning eyes. "Kaden, why are you still here? Don’t you have pack duties to take care of? You are the Alpha King. Your people need you."
Kaden didn’t answer right away. He calmly took a slow sip of his coffee, his sharp green eyes locking onto his father. Then, his gaze slowly drifted over to me.
"I will be staying here for the next month," Kaden said, his voice dropping into a cold, possessive tone. "Where my breeder is, that is where I should be. I have to protect her from the hawks flying around this place."
A deep feeling of dread sank into my stomach. My heart hammered against my ribs. I knew exactly who he was talking about. He wasn’t talking about real birds; he was talking about Kane. I frowned, staring down at my plate. I thought I was finally escaping Kaden for a whole month, but I was wrong. This monster had followed me down here, and he was never going to let me out of his sight.
A heavy, suffocating silence filled the room. Nobody spoke. The only sound was the sharp scraping of forks against plates. The air felt thick with electricity. I could feel Kane and Kaden glaring at each other across the table. The hatred between them was so loud it was deafening. If looks could kill, both brothers would have dropped dead right there.
As soon as the awkward meal was over, Kaden stood up. "I have a meeting to attend," he announced to the room.
This was my only chance. Before he could walk away, I quickly stood up, my chair scraping loudly against the floor. "Alpha Kaden, can I please have a word with you?"
He paused, looking down at me for a long second, and then gave a short, stiff nod.
I followed him outside into the courtyard. The cool morning air blew hard, sending my long hair flying across my face and covering my eyes. I raised my hand to tuck it behind my ear, but before I could, Kaden stepped directly into my personal space.
His large, calloused hand reached out and gently tucked the strands of hair behind my ear for me.
I froze, my breath catching in my throat. His touch felt so natural, so strangely gentle, that it terrified me. He stood back, his green eyes scanning my face. "Go on. What do you want?"
I swallowed hard, the terror inside me reaching a breaking point. Without thinking, I dropped straight down onto my knees on the hard, cold stones of the courtyard.
Kaden gasped, his green eyes widening in pure shock.
"Please, Alpha Kaden," I begged, tears instantly burning the back of my eyes. "Don’t punish Stephanie. Please."
Ever since I was taken away, my mind had been filled with horrible nightmares of what he might have done to her. For days, I had been losing my mind, wondering if she was even alive.
"She didn’t know anything, I swear," I sobbed, looking up at him from the ground. "Please, I beg you... don’t hurt her because of me."
The gentle look in Kaden’s eyes vanished instantly. His brow furrowed deeply, his face growing dark and angry. "Stand up," he grunted.
"No, please, just tell me—"
"I said, stand up!" he growled. He didn’t wait for me to move. He grabbed my arms in a painful grip and pulled me roughly to my feet. He loomed over me, his jaw clenched. "She’s alive," he said flatly.
The words didn’t bring me any comfort. "Alive" didn’t mean she was safe. With Kaden, surviving was never the same as being unharmed.
"But... what did you do to her? Is she—"
"That is enough," Kaden interrupted, cutting me off with an icy glare. "You should be grateful she is alive. That is more than enough for you."
I swallowed back my tears and nodded slowly, lowering my head in defeat. I was so foolish to think a monster like him would actually listen to my pleas. Heaven only knows what awful things he must have done to her. Poor Stephanie... ever since I came into her life, I had brought her nothing but pain and trouble.
Suddenly, Kaden’s voice changed, turning lighter, almost playful. "But I have a surprise for you." He checked his wristwatch, a small, dark smirk touching his lips. "It should be here any moment now."
I blinked away my tears, completely confused. "What? What surprise?"
"When you see it, you will know," he said smoothly. Then, he tapped his left cheek with a finger. "Now, give me a peck."
I furrowed my brows, stepping back slightly. "What?"
"Don’t make me say it twice, Rebecca," he warned, his voice dropping into that scary, commanding Alpha tone I hated.
My heart hammered against my ribs. I swallowed hard and moved closer to him, my body trembling. I leaned in, intending to just give him a quick, meaningless kiss on the cheek just so he would leave me alone. But right as my face got close, at the very last second, he turned his head.
My lips landed on his instead.
I gasped against his mouth, shock turning my blood to ice. I instantly pulled back, my face burning with a mix of shame and fear. Kaden just scoffed, looking at me with a twisted, satisfied smile. Without saying another word, he turned around and walked away, leaving me alone in the courtyard.
I stood there for a long time, my heart racing wildly in my chest. Something was definitely wrong with that man. One minute he was a brutal beast, and the next he was forcing me into these sick, romantic games.
As I turned around to head back inside, I stopped dead in my tracks.
Kane was standing by the door. He had been there the entire time. He had seen the kiss.
I swallowed hard, a heavy feeling of guilt washing over me for no reason. I slowly walked up the stone steps toward him, opening my mouth to explain. "Alpha Kane, I—"
"You disgust me, Rebecca," Kane said.
His voice wasn’t loud, but the words hit me like a physical slap across the face. His brown eyes, which had been so full of warmth and sadness last night, were now filled with pure hatred and scorn.
I stepped back, deeply hurt. "What?"
"Is this some kind of sick Stockholm syndrome?" Kane sneered, stepping closer until he was looking down at me with absolute disgust. "Look at you. You are actually blushing. You are turning red over a kiss from a man who literally broke you."
"Alpha Kane, please, it wasn’t like that—"
"He starved you!" Kane shouted softly, his voice shaking with a mix of anger and bitter disappointment. "He beat you! He dragged you through the dirt like an animal and treats you like a slave! He hurts you, he forces himself on you, he treats you like garbage... and yet, you are out here kissing him like a loyal little pet!"
Every single word felt like a knife driving straight into my chest. Tears instantly rushed to my eyes, blurring my vision.
"No!" I cried, shaking my head violently. "He ordered me to kiss his cheek. He turned his head. I didn’t—"
He scoffed. "I thought you wanted to be free... but maybe I was wrong. I can’t believe I actually felt sorry for you," Kane spat, looking at me like I was the filthiest thing he had ever seen. "You deserve exactly what he does to you. You’re nothing but a willing toy for him."
He turned on his heel and walked away.
I stood alone on the porch, the tears finally spilling over my eyelids and running hot down my cold cheeks. I looked down at the floor, my hands trembling as I nervously rubbed the silver collar around my neck.
Alpha Kane was right.
Maybe I really was pathetic.
What kind of woman blushes after being kissed by the man who destroyed her life?