Chapter 406: Misunderstood

REBECCA’S POV

"What do you mean, what am I talking about?" I demanded, glaring at him. "I know perfectly well that you and Rola met today, Kaden. There’s no point pretending otherwise."

Kaden stared at me for a moment before shaking his head. "Rebecca, I honestly don’t understand where you’re getting this information from. Who told you that Rola and I met today?"

"Melvin!" I snapped. "Melvin called me this afternoon, and he told me that Rola had left to meet you. So please don’t stand here and act as though you have no idea what I’m talking about."

Kaden’s eyebrows rose in surprise. "Melvin told you that?"

"Yes!"

"Melvin?"

"How many times do you want me to repeat his name? Yes, Melvin! He told me that Rola left this morning to meet you, and considering that you also left this morning and didn’t return until after midnight, what exactly am I supposed to think?"

Kaden looked at me for several seconds before letting out a tired sigh. He removed his hands from my waist and stepped back slightly, running a hand through his hair.

"Rebecca, I don’t know what Melvin told you, but Rola and I did not meet today."

I scoffed. "Oh, please!"

"I’m serious. Yes, Rola and I spoke on the phone this afternoon, but we didn’t see each other. In fact, I haven’t seen her in person since our wedding."

I stared at him in disbelief. "You expect me to believe that?"

"Why wouldn’t you?"

"Because you’re obviously trying to make excuses!"

Kaden frowned. "Excuses for what, exactly? Rebecca, Rola is my girlfriend. We both know that. Why would I need to lie to you about seeing her?"

I opened my mouth to respond, but nothing came out. Unfortunately, he had a point, and I hated it. There was absolutely no reason for him to hide his relationship with Rola from me. We had discussed our respective relationships several times, and I had made it perfectly clear that I loved Melvin. Still, something about the situation didn’t make sense.

"Well, Melvin wouldn’t just make something like that up," I insisted. "He specifically told me that Rola left to meet you."

"And I’m telling you that we didn’t meet. I don’t know why he said that, but I have no reason to lie about it."

I shook my head. "Whatever, Kaden. You don’t have to explain anything to me. I don’t even know why we’re having this conversation. I’m tired, and I want to sleep."

I turned toward my bed, intending to end the conversation, but Kaden gently caught my hand before I could walk away.

"Rebecca, wait."

"What now?"

"Sit down."

I frowned. "Excuse me?"

"Please, sit down. We need to clear this up."

"There’s nothing to clear up! I already told you that I don’t care whether you met Rola or not."

Kaden gave me a long, thoughtful look. "Then why are you so upset?"

"I’m not upset!"

"Rebecca, you practically interrogated me the moment I stepped into the palace. You accused me of spending the entire day with another woman, and now you’re refusing to listen when I tell you what actually happened. How am I supposed to understand what’s going on if you won’t even talk to me?"

I looked away, feeling my cheeks grow warm. "I don’t want to argue with you, Kaden."

"Neither do I. That’s exactly why I’m asking you to sit down."

I tried to pull my hand away, but he held it gently, making no attempt to force me closer. His expression was serious now, and when he spoke again, his voice was quieter.

"Rebecca, do you remember why our relationship didn’t make it three years ago?"

My heart gave an uncomfortable little twist. Of course, I remembered. How could I possibly forget?

"What does that have to do with anything?" I asked.

"Everything," he replied. "One of the reasons our relationship fell apart was because we allowed misunderstandings to grow between us. We stopped listening to each other. We made assumptions, got angry, and refused to hear the other person’s side of the story. By the time we realized how much damage we’d caused, things had already gone too far."

I remained silent, staring at him.

Kaden sighed. "I’m not saying we didn’t have other problems, Rebecca. We both know we did. But I don’t want us making those same mistakes again, even if we’re only going to be married for ninety days. We agreed to be friends, remember? And friends should at least be able to listen to each other."

His words made me feel strangely uncomfortable, mostly because I knew he was right. I had spent the entire evening imagining the worst, and when he finally returned, I hadn’t even given him a chance to explain himself.

"Fine," I muttered. "I’ll listen."

"Good. Now sit down."

I rolled my eyes but reluctantly walked toward the small sofa near my bed and sat down. Kaden pulled a chair closer and positioned it directly in front of me before sitting down as well.

For a moment, neither of us spoke. I stared at my hands, wondering what he intended to say next, but instead of explaining himself, Kaden reached into his pocket and brought out his phone.

I frowned. "What are you doing?"

"Clearing up the misunderstanding."

"How?"

He didn’t answer. Instead, he unlocked his phone, searched through his contacts, and tapped on a name.

My eyes widened when I saw who he was calling.

"Wait! Kaden, what are you doing?"

He raised a finger to his lips, silently asking me to keep quiet.

I stared at him in disbelief. Was he seriously calling Rola at this hour? Before I could protest again, he placed the phone on the table between us and switched on the loudspeaker.

The phone rang several times before someone finally answered.

"Kaden?" Rola’s sleepy voice came through the speaker. "Is everything alright? Why are you calling so late?"

"Hey, sweetheart," Kaden replied calmly. "Sorry for disturbing you. I just wanted to check on you and make sure you’re alright."

"Oh." She sounded surprised. "I’m fine. Is something wrong?"

"No, nothing’s wrong. I’ve just had a very long day, and I realized I hadn’t checked on you properly."

"That’s alright. I know you’ve been busy. How are you feeling?"

"Exhausted, honestly. I only just got home."

"Oh, Kaden. You really need to stop working so much. You’re going to make yourself sick again."

He chuckled softly. "I’ll be fine. Don’t worry about me."

I sat there silently, listening to their conversation. Hearing him speak so gently to Rola made something uncomfortable twist inside my chest, but I quickly pushed the feeling aside.

After a brief pause, Kaden spoke again.

"By the way, sweetheart, I know we haven’t seen each other since the wedding. I’m sorry about that. Things have been extremely hectic lately, but don’t worry. I’ll find a way for us to spend some time together soon."

My eyes immediately shifted toward the phone.

There was a short silence before Rola replied.

"That’s alright, Kaden. I understand. You have a lot of responsibilities, and I don’t want to put more pressure on you."

"Thank you for understanding."

"Of course. Just make sure you’re taking care of yourself, okay?"

"I will. Anyway, it’s late, and I don’t want to keep you awake. I just wanted to make sure you were doing alright."

"I’m fine, Kaden. Thank you for calling."

"Goodnight, sweetheart."

"Goodnight."

The call ended, and Kaden picked up the phone from the table before leaning back in his chair.

For several seconds, I couldn’t bring myself to look at him.

Well, fuck.

That hadn’t gone the way I’d expected.

"Are you satisfied now?" he asked quietly.

I swallowed and shifted uncomfortably on the sofa. "But Melvin told me that Rola left to meet you."

"I heard you the first time, Rebecca."

"Then why would he say that?"

"I honestly don’t know. Perhaps Rola told him she was planning to see me, and he assumed we eventually met. Or maybe there was some misunderstanding. Whatever the explanation is, I can’t tell you what happened between them because I wasn’t there."

I frowned, trying to make sense of it. Melvin had sounded certain when he told me Rola had left to meet Kaden. Then again, he hadn’t actually said that he’d seen them together. Perhaps he had simply assumed that their meeting had taken place.

"Well, that’s strange," I muttered.

"It is," Kaden agreed. "But Rebecca, I want you to understand something. If I decide to meet Rola, I won’t hide it from you. I have absolutely no reason to. Just as I wouldn’t expect you to hide it from me if you wanted to spend time with Melvin."

I looked up at him.

"In fact," he continued, "I would have told you if I were going to see her today. We’re trying to maintain a peaceful relationship, aren’t we? There’s no point creating unnecessary misunderstandings."

I nodded slowly. "I suppose you’re right."

"Good."

He leaned forward slightly, resting his elbows on his knees.

"Now, can I finally explain where I was today?"

I felt another wave of embarrassment wash over me.

"Fine," I muttered. "Go ahead."

Kaden sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. "I went to the Northern Territory this morning. There’s been a serious dispute between the Silver Crest Pack and the Blackwood Pack over a piece of land along their shared border. Both packs are claiming ownership, and the situation has been getting worse for weeks."

I frowned. "A land dispute?"

"Yes. Normally, something like that would be handled by the regional council, but the two Alphas have been refusing to cooperate. Last night, their warriors clashed near the border, and several people were injured. One of the commanders was seriously wounded, and both sides started threatening retaliation."

My expression changed immediately.

"Oh, Moon Goddess."

"Exactly. By the time the report reached me, both packs were preparing for another confrontation. I couldn’t allow that to happen, so I decided to go there myself."

I stared at him, suddenly understanding why he had looked so distracted during breakfast.

"Why didn’t you tell me?"

"Because I didn’t want to worry you unnecessarily. Besides, I thought the matter would be resolved within a few hours. I had no idea it would take the entire day."

He paused and leaned back in his chair, looking exhausted just from remembering everything that had happened.

"When I arrived, neither Alpha was willing to listen. They spent almost two hours arguing in front of me, accusing each other of stealing territory and violating old agreements. I eventually had to order both of them to shut up before we could even begin discussing a solution."

Despite myself, I almost smiled. I could easily imagine Kaden losing his patience with two stubborn Alphas arguing in front of him.

"Then we discovered that the dispute wasn’t as simple as either side had claimed. There were conflicting boundary records, and one of the agreements had apparently been altered years ago. We had to summon the regional officials, examine the original documents, and question several witnesses."

"That sounds exhausting."

"It was. And just when I thought we were finally making progress, I received another report that a group of warriors from the Blackwood Pack had attacked a Silver Crest patrol."

My eyes widened. "What?"

Kaden nodded grimly. "Apparently, some of the warriors weren’t willing to wait for their Alphas to reach an agreement. They decided to take matters into their own hands."

"Was anyone killed?"

"Thankfully, no. But several warriors were injured, and one of them nearly lost his life. I had to send royal guards to secure the border and personally warn both Alphas that if another attack occurred, I would place their territories under temporary royal administration."

I stared at him in disbelief. I had spent the entire day imagining him enjoying a romantic outing with Rola, while he’d actually been trying to prevent two packs from going to war.

"Did they finally agree to stop fighting?" I asked.

"Eventually. I ordered an immediate ceasefire and appointed an independent team to investigate the boundary dispute. Until the investigation is completed, neither pack is allowed to occupy or develop the disputed land. Both Alphas also had to sign an agreement accepting the temporary arrangement."

"That must have taken forever."

"It did. We didn’t finish until almost ten o’clock. Afterward, I had to meet with the injured warriors and speak with the regional council before returning. By the time I got into the car, I was so exhausted that I barely had the energy to look at my phone."

I stared at him, feeling increasingly ashamed of myself.

No wonder he looked so tired.

While I had been lying comfortably in my bedroom, imagining him spending the day in Rola’s arms, Kaden had been dealing with injured warriors, angry Alphas, and the possibility of a violent conflict between two packs.

And what had I done when he finally returned home?

I had shouted at him.

Accused him of lying.

And practically demanded to know how many times he’d slept with his girlfriend.

Oh, Moon Goddess.

I wanted the floor to open and swallow me.

"Rebecca?" Kaden called.

I looked up. "Hmm?"

"Are you alright?"

I swallowed. "Yes."

He studied my face for a moment before giving me a faint smile.

"Listen, I’m not angry with you. I understand that you might have been worried when I didn’t return on time. I should have called, and I’m sorry about that."

His apology made me feel even worse. Here he was, apologizing to me when I was the one who had behaved like a complete idiot.

"Kaden..." I started, the apology thick and heavy on my tongue. But looking at the tired lines carved deep around his eyes, the words dissolved before I could form them.

He gave me a soft, understanding look, as if he already knew everything I was struggling to admit. "Get some sleep, Rebecca. We can talk more tomorrow."

I wanted to protest, to say we should talk more right now, to clear away every last bit of the tension between us before the night ended. But my mind was too foggy, my chest too tight with guilt. I nodded mutely, and with a quiet, exhausted goodnight, we parted ways.

Hours dragged by. I lay in the dark, staring up at the ceiling, sleep refusing to claim me. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw his exhausted face and thought of the chaos he had managed while I sat in judgment. By two in the morning, the heavy weight in my chest was entirely unbearable.

I slipped out of bed, unable to just stay there stewing in my own regret. Without really thinking about where my feet were taking me, I walked down the hall and straight to his room.

I raised my hand and knocked softly against the wood.

No answer.

I frowned and tried the door handle. To my surprise, it wasn’t locked. I slowly pushed the door open and stepped inside.

The room was dark and quiet. I looked around but couldn’t find him anywhere. Just as I was about to call his name again, I heard the sound of running water coming from the bathroom.

Was he taking a shower?

For a moment, I stood there, wondering what to do. A part of me wanted to turn around and return to my room before I embarrassed myself, but another part of me wanted to stay.

Before I could change my mind, I stepped further into the room and slowly began taking off my clothes.

What the hell are you doing? I asked myself.

My heart was beating so fast that I could barely think straight. I knew I should stop, but I had already made up my mind. One by one, I removed my clothes and dropped them on the floor until I was completely naked.

Taking a deep breath, I walked toward the bathroom. I could still hear the shower running, so I carefully pushed the door open and stepped inside.

The bathroom was filled with steam, making it difficult to see clearly. Just then, the sound of running water stopped.

I froze for a moment, afraid that he might turn around and see me before I was ready.

But before I could lose my courage, I quietly walked toward him. He was still standing beneath the shower, with his back facing me.

Without saying a word, I moved closer and wrapped my arms around his waist, pressing my naked body against his wet back.