Chapter 166: The Surprise
Chapter 166: The Surprise
Rebecca’s POV
All day, the four walls of my bedroom felt like they were slowly closing in on me. I lay completely still under the heavy blankets, staring at the shadows moving across the ceiling. I couldn’t escape them. I couldn’t escape him.
"You disgust me, Rebecca... You’re nothing but a willing toy for him."
Kane’s voice rang in the quiet of my mind, over and over, like a hard slap. Every time I remembered his words, I felt sick to my stomach. A painful, pounding headache started behind my eyes and spread across my forehead. The dim light coming through the curtains made my head hurt even more, but I refused to open them. I wanted the darkness. I wanted to disappear.
Was I really that broken? Had Kaden successfully destroyed my mind along with my body?
By the time the sky outside turned a dark, dusty purple, I was completely worn out by my own thoughts. My throat was dry, and my skin felt hot and sweaty.
Knock. Knock.
The sound was soft and quiet, but it still made me jump. I pressed my hands against my head, letting out a weak, shaky breath. It was evening. It was probably a maid with a dinner tray I wouldn’t touch, or maybe Ma’am Cecilia checking to see if I was okay.
Part of me wanted to ignore it. I wanted to crawl deeper into the dark. But the knocking came again, gentle but persistent.
As I dragged myself out of bed, my arms and legs felt heavy, as if they were made of stone. I walked across the cold floor, my hand shaking as I unlocked the door and opened it just a little bit, ready to tell whoever it was to go away.
But my breath completely stopped in my throat.
Standing in the dark hallway was Stephanie.
I blinked hard, my aching head spinning. I thought I was seeing things. I thought the fever and the guilt had finally made me lose my mind. But she was really there. She was alive, healthy, and her cheeks had color in them. She wasn’t wearing her stiff maid uniform; she was dressed in a simple, clean dress.
"R-Rebecca?" she whispered, her voice shaking.
"Stephanie!"
The cry ripped from my throat before I could stop it. I threw myself forward, hugging her tightly. Stephanie caught me, wrapping her arms around my shoulders as we both held on to each other. I buried my face in her neck, breathing in her familiar, comforting scent of vanilla and clean soap. She was warm. She was breathing. She was alive.
Gently, Stephanie led me back into the room, shut the door behind her, and locked it. She turned me around, her eyes quickly searching my face, checking to see if I had any new injuries.
"What is happening?" I gasped, my voice shaking badly. "How are you here? What did Kaden do to you? I thought... I thought he killed you."
Stephanie managed a small, sad smile, wiping a tear from her own cheek. "Yesterday, Alpha Kaden came to our packhouse. I was terrified, Rebecca. When his guards brought me to him, I thought I was going to die. But... he didn’t hurt me. He told me to pack my things. He said he was ordering me to stay here with you, to be your maid, until your month here is over. And then we will all go back together."
The heavy fog in my aching head cleared for a split second.
A surprise.
That was what Kaden had meant. He had brought her here to be with me.
For one fleeting, strange second, a soft warmth filled my chest. He did this for me. He had listened to my silent prayers, even when he was acting like a monster. But before that warmth could spread, Kane’s harsh, cruel words crashed back into my mind, freezing my blood. I forced the warm feeling down, a sudden wave of fear replacing the relief. No. It’s a trap. It has to be a trap to make me let my guard down.
"Rebecca, come sit," Stephanie said softly, noticing the way I had suddenly gone stiff. She pulled me toward the small sofa in the corner, holding my hands tightly in her lap. "Tell me what’s wrong. You’re shaking."
"I’m fine," I whispered automatically, staring down at our hands.
"You’re not fine," Stephanie said, her voice full of worry. She reached up, gently brushing a stray piece of hair from my forehead. "Physically, you look so much better. Your skin has color, and you’ve gained a little weight. They are treating you well here. But your eyes... Rebecca, you look terrified. Is the plan not working? What happened?"
The dam broke. The tears I had been fighting all day finally spilled down my face, hot and fast.
"Stephanie... everything is completely ruined," I cried, my voice shaking.
She squeezed my hands. "Why? Tell me."
"Last night... Alpha Kane came into my room," I whispered, leaning closer so no one outside could hear me. "He was so sad, so desperate. He stepped close and... he kissed me, Stephanie. He told me he hasn’t been able to sleep or think straight since I got here. His mother warned me about him, too. I think... I think he actually has feelings for me."
Stephanie’s mouth fell open, her eyes wide with shock. "Alpha Kane? But he’s Kaden’s twin! If Kaden finds out—"
"It’s worse than that," I interrupted, a bitter laugh escaping my lips through my tears. "Today, Kaden forced me to kiss his cheek in the yard. But at the very last second, Kaden turned his head. Our lips met. And Kane... Kane was standing right by the door. He saw everything."
My hands shook so hard that Stephanie had to hold them tighter.
"Kane thinks I wanted it," I sobbed, the shame burning fresh in my chest. "He said the most awful things to me, Stephanie. He looked at me with so much disgust. He asked if I had Stockholm syndrome because I was blushing. He yelled at me... he reminded me of how Kaden starved me, beat me, and treated me like a slave. He asked how I could kiss him like a loyal little pet after everything he did to me."
I squeezed my eyes shut, but the tears wouldn’t stop.
"He told me I deserve exactly what Kaden does to me. He said I’m just Kaden’s willing toy." I looked at Stephanie, my heart breaking in two. "And the worst part, Stephanie... is that he’s right. He is absolutely right. Why did my heart beat so fast? Why did I blush? Maybe I really am that pathetic."
Stephanie listened to me sob, her own eyes filling with tears of pity and anger. She didn’t look at me with disgust like Kane had. Instead, she pulled me back into her arms, squeezing me tightly while I wept against her shoulder.
"Shh, Rebecca. Stop saying that," Stephanie whispered fiercely, rubbing her hands up and down my shaking back. "Look at me. Look at me right now."
I pulled back slowly, wiping the hot tears from my cheeks, my head still throbbing with that terrible pain.
"You are not pathetic," Stephanie said, her voice firm and strong. "And you are not a willing toy. Rebecca, you are a survivor. You have been through absolute hell. Kaden broke you, starved you, and hurt you in ways that would make anyone else give up completely. Your body and your mind are just trying to stay alive. If your heart beats fast or if you blush, it is because you are terrified and confused, not because you like it!"
She gripped my hands tightly, her eyes burning with anger.
"Alpha Kane has absolutely no right to say those horrible things to you," she went on, her voice rising in anger. "Who is he to judge you? He doesn’t know what you have been through. He hasn’t felt the pain Kaden caused you. He stays in this beautiful house while you are treated like an animal. For him to stand there and call you disgusting, to say you deserve Kaden’s cruelty... he is the one who should be ashamed! He is just using his own anger to hurt you because he is mad about a kiss!"
I swallowed hard, listening to her words. They made the heavy weight in my chest feel just a little bit lighter, but the fear was still there.
"But Stephanie, he was so angry," I whispered. "He looked at me like I was filth."
"Then he is a fool," Stephanie spat. "He doesn’t see your strength. Don’t you dare let his words make you feel guilty. You did what you had to do to survive. If Kaden tells you to kiss his cheek, you have to do it, or he will hurt you. Kane is blind if he can’t see that you are just trying to—"
Suddenly, Stephanie stopped talking. Her mouth stayed open, and her body went completely stiff.
A second later, a deep, heavy scent drifted under the crack of the bedroom door. The smell of rich wood and wild pine filled the air.
My heart skipped a beat, and then began to race like a wild animal in a cage. My breath caught in my throat. I knew that smell anywhere. It wasn’t Kaden’s heavy mint and rain.
It was Alpha Kane.
I panicked, my eyes wide as I grabbed Stephanie’s arm. "He’s here," I breathed, my voice barely audible. "Stephanie, he’s right outside."
Knock. Knock.
The knock on the wood was loud and heavy, making both of us jump. The silence that followed was suffocating, filled only with the sound of my blood rushing in my ears.
"Rebecca," Kane’s deep, rough voice called out from the other side of the door. He sounded tired, but his voice still carried that powerful alpha tone that made my bones shake. "Open the door. Please. We need to talk."