Kaden’s POV
The hours ticked down like drops of burning acid, and my mind was spinning completely out of control.
I sat in the dark armchair across from the couch, a glass of heavy liquor tight in my hand. I couldn’t stop looking at her. One minute, absolute rage would rip through my chest—I would look at her still face and rember Helen, rember the blood, and want to wrap my hands around her cold neck myself. She was a killer. A prisoner. A heartless slave who deserved nothing but pain.
But the next minute, a strange, toxic protectiveness would take over my body.
I found myself standing up, moving toward the couch like a man possessed. I leaned down close to her, and that sll of nutg and sweetness hit my nose again, filling my head. My fingers brushed against her cold cheek. It was freezing, but I didn’t pull away. Then, my hand slid down, my palm flattening over her stomach.
Are you really carrying my pup?
My wolf, Xander, let out a low, rumbling sound in my head, pacing back and forth. He wasn’t acting like she was just a prisoner anymore. He was reacting to her with a wild, crazy possessiveness that made no sense. There was no mate-bond feeling—I didn’t feel that spiritual pull at all. This wasn’t love. It was a dangerous, dark obsession. I hated her for what she did, yet the thought of anyone else touching her made want to burn the world down. The universe was playing a sick trick on , turning my hatred into a madness I couldn’t control.
A quiet knock cut through the silence of the room.
The door opened slowly, and Kane walked in. He looked tired, his eyes darting imdiately to Rebecca’s sleeping form on the couch before looking at .
I stood up straight, pulling my hand away from her stomach, my eyes narrowing. "Brother," I said, my voice dropping into a hard, serious register. "We need to talk."
Kane stopped a few feet away, his expression tight. "Yes. We do need to talk."
"You go first," I ordered, crossing my arms.
Kane was silent for a long mont. He looked down at the floor, swallowed hard, and then looked right into my eyes. "I think Rebecca is my mate."
The words hit the room like a bomb. My entire body went dead rigid, the air freezing in my lungs.
"Take that back," I glared at him, a deadly, low warning vibrating in my throat. My claws began to slide out, poking through the skin of my fingers.
"No," Kane said, refusing to back down. He took a step closer to the couch, his eyes locked onto her. "When I first t her, I felt a spark, Kaden. A strange feeling I’ve never felt with any other female wolf. My heart raced, and my instincts told to protect her at all costs. I can’t ignore it anymore."
"Nonsense," I hissed, a burning, ugly wave of jealousy exploding in my chest. It felt like fire in my veins. "Did your wolf say she is your mate? Did he howl for her?"
"No," Kane admitted, his voice dropping. "He didn’t. And that is exactly why I am here."
Kane looked up at , his eyes begging. "I need you to take off the suppressing choker wrapped around Rebecca’s neck. Her wolf is completely locked away by that silver tal. You know how the magic works, Kaden. I think if her wolf is released, my wolf will fully feel the mate bond. And Rebecca will feel it too. She needs her wolf free for the bond to snap into place."
Pure rage exploded inside . The thought of Rebecca being Kane’s mate—the thought of him touching her, claiming her, taking her away from —made my wolf roar in pure madness. I wanted to smash his face into the wall just for saying it out loud.
"I am not taking any damn choker off her," I snarled, stepping between Kane and the couch, completely blocking Rebecca from his sight. "If she is your mate, choker or no choker, your wolf would know it! He would announce it, he would feel her scent! You wouldn’t need a test!"
"Brother, please, you know the law of the bond," Kane argued, his voice getting desperate. "You know if we are fated, I won’t feel it fully unless her wolf is released to answer mine. Just take the choker off for at least two minutes. Let know if my feelings are right. If it isn’t, if I’m wrong, you can put it right back on her. Two minutes, Kaden. That’s all I’m asking."
My heart was racing like a trapped animal against my ribs.
I stood there, staring at my brother, my fists shaking with raw fury. Deep down, a tiny atom of truth in what Kane was saying hit . He was right about the choker—a suppressed wolf can hide a mate bond from forming properly.
But I didn’t want to take the choker off.
A terrifying, suffocating fear mixed with my jealousy. What if I took it off... and it was the truth? What if the bond snapped into place between them right in front of my eyes? The re thought of losing my grip on her, of her belonging to soone else—even my own brother—made want to rip Kane’s throat out right here.
"Get the fuck out of my room," I growled, my voice dropping so low the floor beneath our feet seed to vibrate.
Kane didn’t move. He stood his ground, his jaw tight, looking past my shoulder at the blanket-covered shape on the couch. That look in his eyes—that stubborn, hopeful look—made a dark, murderous urge claw at my throat.
"Kaden, just two minutes," Kane argued again, taking a half-step forward. "If I’m wrong, I’ll never ntion her na again. I’ll leave imdiately if that’s what you want. Just give two minutes to know the truth."
"I said, get out!" I roared, the pure force of my Alpha voice slamming into him like a physical blow.
Kane frowned, his chest heaving as he fought the natural urge to submit to my command. He swallowed hard, his fists clenching at his sides, but the raw defiance in his eyes didn’t fade. He gave one last, deeply disappointed look before turning around and walking out, slamming the heavy door behind him.
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