Breeder To The Brutal Alpha King

​Rebecca’s POV

​A few moments passed before the door swung open.

​Kaden stood there, his hair still slightly damp, his chest rising and falling in surprise. Shock flickered across his dark features the moment his eyes landed on me.

​”Ruby?” he asked, his brow furrowed.

​”Can I come in?” I asked quickly, trying to sound natural.

​He leaned against the doorframe, his expression darkening slightly. ”I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

​I could tell he was actively trying to keep his distance, holding back because of everything that had happened between us. But I couldn’t let him push me away right now.

​”Please,” I urged, taking a tiny step closer. ”It’s really important that we talk.”

​Kaden sighed, resting a hand on the frame. ”If it’s important, we can walk down to the living area and talk downstairs.”

​”No,” I insisted, shaking my head. ”It’s... it’s a secret. We can’t talk out in the open.”

​He studied me for a long, tense moment, searching my eyes for any sign of a game. Finally, he gave a faint nod and stepped to the side.

​”Five minutes,” he warned softly.

​”Thank you,” I murmured, slipping past him into his broad, shadowy bedroom.

​I took a few slow steps toward the center of the room, holding my breath and waiting for the choker around my neck to react. I waited for that intense, burning thrum against my skin, waiting to feel the key’s presence hidden somewhere near his bed or his wardrobe.

​But I felt nothing.

​The metal against my collarbones remained smooth, silent, and freezing cold.

​Shit, my mind screamed, panic surging through my veins. It’s not here either! It’s not in his room!

​”So,” Kaden’s low voice broke through the heavy silence as he closed the door behind us, folding his arms across his broad chest. ”What is it you wanted to talk about?”

​My throat went completely dry. I was standing in his private bedroom, late at night, with zero real reasons to be here. I had to come up with an excuse—and fast.

​”It’s... it’s about your brother, Kane,” I stammered out, my voice sounding far less confident than I wanted.

​Kaden’s dark eyebrows pulled together, his gaze instantly sharpening. ”What about Kane?”

​I swallowed hard, my heart hammering like a trapped bird inside my chest as I desperately tried to invent a believable lie on the spot.

​”I feel...” I began, my voice trembling slightly as I looked down at the tiled floor. ”I feel like he’s seeing someone else.”

​Shit.

​The second the words tattered out of my mouth, I wanted to pull them back. Why on earth would I say that? Of all the absurd lies I could have come up with, why that?

​I held my breath, bracing myself for Kaden to get angry, call me crazy, or laugh at the ridiculous thought. But as the silence stretched between us, I slowly lifted my gaze.

​The sharp, guarded look on Kaden’s face was completely gone. His dark eyes had softened, a heavy wave of concern washing over his features. He lowered his arms, taking a slow step toward me.

​”No,” Kaden said softly, shaking his head. ”Why would you think that, Ruby?”

​I was completely trapped in my own lie now, forced to build a wall out of thin air. I wrapped my arms around myself, trying to shrink away from the intense focus of his eyes.

​”Because... because I just feel it,” I stammered, forcing a shaky breath. ”My instincts... I’m just scared, Kaden. I’m worried about everything right now. He’s gone all the time, and I feel like he’s pulling away from me. I feel so alone.”

​Kaden didn’t say anything at first. He just stood there, searching my face with a look that cut straight through every defense I had built. The quiet in the room grew heavy, filled with the unspoken weight of last night—his hand resting warm on my stomach, keeping the pain away when no one else was there.

​Before I could say another word, Kaden bridged the remaining distance between us.

​He didn’t hesitate. His broad arms reached out and wrapped firmly around my shoulders, pulling me flush against his broad chest. I froze in shock, my breath catching in my throat, but the familiar, intoxicating scent of cedar and mint instantly filled my senses.

​Slowly, almost helplessly, my hands crept up to touch his lower back, anchoring myself to the steady heat of his body.

​”He isn’t seeing anyone else,” Kaden whispered right against my ear, his deep voice sending a quiet vibration through my whole body. ”Kane cares about you, Ruby. He’s just trying to handle things.”

​Hearing him defend Kane while holding me so close sent a sudden, overwhelming wave of emotion crashing through my chest. A painful knot formed in my throat, and before I could stop them, hot tears spilled over my lashes, soaking straight into the fabric of his shirt.

​Kaden felt the tremor in my body. He slowly pulled back, his broad, warm hands rising to cup both sides of my face. His thumbs brushed across my cheekbones with unbelievable gentleness, wiping away the falling tears.

​”Stop crying,” he murmured softly, his eyes searching mine with a raw intensity that made my heart ache. ”Please.”

​I squeezed my eyes shut, my chest heaving with quiet sobs. I felt so foolish. I didn’t even know why I was crying so hard. I knew for a fact Kane wasn’t seeing anyone else—that wasn’t the reason at all. Deep down, these tears were coming from a completely different place. It was the exhaustion, the fear, and the terrifying truth that being in Kaden’s arms felt more like home than anywhere else in this packhouse.

​”Look at me,” Kaden coaxed gently, his thumbs still making soft circles against my skin.

​I opened my eyes, meeting his dark, mesmerizing gaze.

​”I will look into this,” Kaden promised, his tone low and fierce with protectiveness. ”I’ll talk to Kane myself and find out what’s going on, okay? You’re pregnant, Rebecca. You shouldn’t be stressing yourself out like this. It isn’t good for you, or the pup.”

​His dark eyes slowly dipped down to my lips.

​In an instant, the air in the room turned thick and electric. Time seemed to stop completely. The gentle comfort transformed into a heavy, suffocating tension that made my breath catch in my throat. He leaned down just a little, his face coming so dangerously close that I could feel the heat of his breath against my skin.

​He wanted to kiss me. I could see the raw struggle in his eyes, feel the rigid, tight line of his jaw as he fought against his own control.

I saw the battle in his eyes—the part of him that wanted to close the distance, and the part that refused to betray his brother.

​My heart did a violent flip in my chest. Every instinct inside me screamed for him to just close the tiny gap, to forget the rules, to forget his brother, and just touch me.

​For a second, I thought he would.

​But with a strained, heavy exhale, Kaden pulled back just an inch. He shifted upward and gently pressed a soft, warm kiss directly onto my forehead. He held his lips pressed against my skin for a long, lingering moment, as if trying to imprint the warmth onto me before stepping back.

​”Go get some sleep,” he said, his voice rough and thick with restraint.

​I gave him a silent, rigid nod, completely speechless.

​Shit... I don’t want to leave.

​Kaden was acting so different tonight—so patient, so fiercely protective, so soft with me. Being wrapped in his arms made me feel safe in a way I hadn’t felt in days. Walking out of his warm, scent-filled room and stepping back out into the cold hallway felt like pulling away from a lifeline.

​I forced myself to snap out of the daze, reminding myself of the choker, the search, and the dangerous boundary lines we were walking. I needed to leave before I lost my mind entirely.

​”Thank you, Alpha Kaden,” I murmured softly, my voice barely above a breath.

​I turned around, opened the door, and stepped out of his room.