Chapter 305: He’s Here

Rebecca’s POV

​I woke up the next morning feeling like absolute hell. Having my mate sleeping somewhere under the same roof had apparently been enough to keep Laura restless almost the entire night.

Inside my head, Laura was already bouncing on her paws, her tail thumping in my mind as she pricked her ears.

Mate... she purred, her spirit stretching lazily against my ribs. He’s close. He’s so close, Rebecca.

"Please, just shut up," I muttered aloud into my pillow.

I groaned out loud as I rolled over on the bed, staring blankly up at the ceiling. I still couldn’t believe Kaden was actually staying here under the same roof. Why did he have to be so damn annoying?

Last night, I had practically begged my mother to find a way to kick him out, but she had just given me that helpless, defeated look. Apparently, because he was the Alpha King, he had the absolute right to visit any pack territory in the werewolf realm and stay for as long as he pleased. Unless he broke pack laws, nobody could tell him no without risking a major political disaster.

With a deep sigh, I dragged myself out of bed and walked straight into the bathroom. After a long, hot shower that did nothing to wash away my exhaustion, I pulled on a comfortable pair of sweatpants and a baggy sweater.

Standing in front of the full-length mirror, I pulled the front of my sweater tight against my torso. My belly had a slight, soft curve to it now. It wasn’t huge—most people wouldn’t even notice it if I were wearing loose clothes—but to me, the bump was definitely starting to show. The small curve that hadn’t been there before was becoming more obvious every day.

I gently rested both hands over my lower stomach, rubbing soft circles over my skin, and smiled widely.

"You are the only good thing that came out of all this mess," I whispered softly to the quiet room.

A warm feeling moved through my chest, and for a moment, everything else disappeared. Kaden, the mate bond, the past—all of it. There was only my baby.

A soft knock came at the door a moment later.

"Come in," I called out, dropping the hem of my sweater back down.

A young pack maid stepped inside with a polite smile. "Good morning, Lady Rebecca. Breakfast is set in the dining hall."

"Thank you," I said politely. "I’ll be down in a second."

She bowed her head and stepped back out into the hallway. I grabbed my phone from the nightstand, took a deep, steadying breath, gathered my courage, and finally stepped out of my bedroom.

The second the door opened, Laura started purring inside me. The intoxicating scent of cedar and mint hit me immediately, filling the entire hallway.

Fuck.

My body betrayed me immediately, a sudden wave of warmth rushing straight to my chest and making my skin feel overly sensitive as my pulse fluttered. I hated it. I hated how effortlessly this stupid mate bond could manipulate my physical reactions, even when my mind was completely set on cutting him out. How was I supposed to endure six whole months of this torture until the baby arrived?

I hurried down the stairs, forcing myself to keep my breathing steady. When I walked into the dining hall, a massive wave of relief washed over me. Only my mother was seated at the long table, sipping a quiet cup of coffee.

"Good morning, Mother," I said, stepping toward the table.

She looked up with a gentle smile. "Good morning, sweetheart. How was your night?"

I wanted to tell her it was completely terrible, that I hadn’t slept a full hour because my wolf kept waiting for a man who didn’t belong in my life anymore. But I just swallowed the bitterness down.

"It was fine," I replied, pulling out a chair to sit down and reaching for the bread basket.

Before I could even pick up a fork, a heavy set of footsteps echoed down the grand hallway outside the room. I didn’t need to turn around to know who it was. My entire body already knew. Kaden’s overwhelming aura spilled into the room ahead of him, thick and commanding, making the air feel instantly charged as his scent wrapped around me.

Inside my chest, Laura practically did a backflip.

Kaden walked into the dining hall, looking completely put together in a dark button-down shirt, though the faint dark circles beneath his eyes showed he hadn’t slept much either.

Mother immediately put her cup down and offered a polite nod. "Good morning, Alpha King Kaden."

Kaden stopped near the table and gave her a respectful bow of his head. "Good morning, Maria. And please, just call me Kaden while I’m here. You don’t need to use formal titles."

I rolled my eyes so hard it practically hurt. Of course he was already making himself comfortable.

Then Kaden turned his gaze toward me, his eyes softening instantly as they swept over my face. "Good morning, Becca."

"My name is Rebecca," I said flatly, keeping my eyes glued to my plate.

A tiny, bitter smile touched his lips, the corner of his mouth lifting slightly. "I know."

"Then use it."

"Good morning, Rebecca."

I looked back down, stabbing my fork into my eggs harder than necessary.

Kaden pulled out a chair. There were literally four other empty chairs at the table, but of course he had to sit directly across from me, right in my line of sight.

I stared at him. He raised an eyebrow in response.

"You look so beautiful this morning," he said softly.

My stupid stomach took a traitorous little flutter at his words, but I forced my expression to stay cold as ice. I set my fork down and met his eyes directly.

"Alpha Kaden, the last time I checked, you were still a king," I said, leaning forward slightly. "Not just any king, but the ruler over every single pack in this entire werewolf world."

Kaden casually picked up a small glass of fresh juice and took a slow sip. "Yes."

"Don’t you have responsibilities?" I asked, narrowing my eyes. "You have meetings, councils, pack problems—probably hundreds of people waiting for you to make decisions. You shouldn’t be sitting here wasting time at the Stone Pack."

Kaden slowly set his glass down, his forearms resting on the table as his eyes locked onto mine with an intensity that made the room feel twenty degrees warmer. His gaze dropped briefly toward my stomach before returning to my face.

"What can I say?" His voice was so soft that a small shiver ran through me. "The two most important beings in my entire world are sitting right at this table. You and our baby are far more important to me than any kingdom, Rebecca."

I scoffed loudly, refusing to let his sweet words melt the wall I had built around myself. "That sounded rehearsed."

"It wasn’t."

"It definitely sounded rehearsed."

Mother cleared her throat, clearly trying her best to stay out of it. I grabbed a piece of toast, determined to ignore him, but Kaden clearly wasn’t done.

"I spoke with my healer this morning about the pregnancy," he said smoothly, taking a quiet, authoritative tone.

My hand froze halfway to my mouth. I slowly lowered the toast. "Why?"

"Because I was thinking," he said, buttering a piece of his own toast. "I’m arranging for a specialist who works specifically with supernatural pregnancies to come here. She’ll only check you if you agree, but she also recommended a nutritionist. Pregnancy changes what your body needs, especially with your power returning, so the nutritionist can create a proper meal plan for you."

I stared at him in sheer disbelief, my mouth falling open slightly. "A meal plan? For me?"

"And the baby," he continued, completely unaffected. "I also asked about supplements, and she said you need a proper sleeping schedule to rest while your body adjusts after the choker. I’m arranging regular checks for the baby’s aura to make sure everything develops safely, and I want a healer close by at all times—preferably staying here in the pack house."

"Kaden!" I cut in loudly, my voice echoing in the room.

He finally stopped and blinked at me. "What?"

"You have been here for less than one day," I said, my blood pressure rising by the second. "And you already have a specialist, a nutritionist, a meal plan, supplements, and a full pregnancy schedule planned for me?"

Kaden leaned forward slightly, his gaze softening. "Rebecca, I’m only trying to make sure you’re taken care of."

"I am taken care of!"

"I know, but you’re carrying my child."

"I know whose child I’m carrying!"

"I’m not saying you don’t," Kaden said softly, his tone dropping into something far quieter. He hesitated before speaking again. "I think you’ve had to take care of yourself for too long. You’re used to doing everything alone because people kept failing you... including me. I understand why you feel that way. But you don’t have to do everything alone anymore. I know I’m probably the last person you want help from, but this baby is mine too. I missed enough already without knowing. I don’t want to miss anything else."

My throat tightened. I hated that he could say something so sweet right after completely taking over my life. I hated that my heart reacted to it, and I especially hated the way Laura started purring again inside my chest.

I shoved my chair back so fast it made a loud, screeching sound against the marble floor. "I’m done."

"Rebecca, please sit down and finish your breakfast—"

"Fuck you!" I snapped, stepping back from the table. "I don’t want any of that! I don’t need your healer, I don’t need your nutritionist, I don’t need your meal plan, your supplements, or your schedule! And I definitely don’t need you managing my life!"

I grabbed my phone off the table, turned around, and practically stormed out of the dining hall.

Behind me, I heard the sudden scraping of Kaden’s chair as he instantly stood up to follow me.

"Rebecca, wait."

I heard Kaden’s chair scrape against the floor as he stood to follow me, but before he could take another step, my mother’s voice stopped him.

"Please, Alpha Kaden," she said gently but firmly. "Don’t go after her. Give her some space. Let her breathe."