Breeder To The Brutal Alpha King

​Rebecca’s POV

​Stephine stared at me for several seconds like she was waiting for me to deny it. When I didn’t, she slowly released my arm, her wild eyes softening into a quiet, heavy concern.

​”What do you really want, Rebecca?” she demanded softly. ”You heard me. What do you really want?”

​”I want the key,” I said, my chest heaving as I shook my head fiercely.

​”No. I know you want the key.” She took a step closer, folding her arms tight against her chest. ”I mean Kaden. Look at the way he looks at you! Look at what just happened out there!”

​”No,” I said instantly. ”No, Stephine. I am not turning back.”

​”Rebecca—”

​”I’m not!” I pressed my back hard against the door, my pulse hammering in my ears like a war drum. ”My mind is made up. I get the keys, I remove this choker, and I leave. That is the only plan. That has always been the plan.”

​”But you two almost kissed!” Stephine burst out, throwing her hands up in sheer frustration. ”You were inches away from him, Rebecca! You held onto him when he tried to walk away, and from what I saw, you weren’t exactly trying very hard to stop him!”

​My face burned all over again, the flush spreading down my neck. I turned away from her and walked toward the small table near the bed, dropping my tracksuit onto the chair beside it.

​”It was a mistake,” I muttered, looking away.

​”Was it?”

​”Yes!”

​Stephine sighed, taking a step toward me. ”Then why are you crying?”

​I froze. My hand instinctively went to my cheek.

​Damn it. I hadn’t even realized another tear had escaped. I quickly wiped it away with the back of my hand. ”I’m tired. That’s all.”

​”Rebecca. Look at me.”

​I didn’t want to. I kept my back turned, wrapping my arms tightly around myself over the towel.

​”Rebecca, please.”

​With a frustrated breath, I turned around. Stephine’s expression had completely changed—there was no judgment in her eyes now, only deep, aching worry.

​”You don’t have to lie to me,” she said quietly. ”I’ve been through too much with you for that. It’s not too late. You don’t have to keep playing this impossible game. If being around Kaden again is changing what you want... just tell me.”

​”It isn’t.”

​”Are you sure?”

​”Yes.” My answer came immediately, hard and unyielding.

​Stephine studied me for a moment, and I hated how easily she could read the cracks in my armor.

​”This Kaden is different,” I admitted softly, the words scraping painfully against my throat. ”I know that. He’s... softer. He’s patient. He listens. He laughs.” My throat tightened, tears burning the backs of my eyes. ”Goddess, Stephine, I didn’t even know he could laugh like that.”

​She remained silent, letting me speak.

​”And that’s exactly why this is dangerous,” I continued, wrapping my arms tighter around my ribs. ”Because I’m starting to like this version of him.”

​There. I had said it out loud.

​”But this version of Kaden doesn’t know me,” I said, my voice trembling. ”He thinks I’m Ruby. He thinks I’m Kane’s woman. He thinks this baby belongs to his brother.” I slowly rested one hand over my stomach. ”And what happens if his memories return tomorrow? What happens when he remembers everything he did to me? What happens when I remember everything clearly enough to stop being distracted by a few smiles and kind words?”

​”Rebecca...”

​”No.” I shook my head fiercely. ”I fought too hard for my freedom. I nearly died too many times to get here. I’m not throwing everything away because Kaden suddenly learned how to smile.”

​Stephine let out a long, heavy breath, her shoulders dropping. ”So that’s your final decision?”

​”Yes.”

​”Find the key?”

​”Yes.”

​”Remove the choker?”

​”Yes.”

​”And leave?”

​”And leave,” I repeated firmly, nodding.

​Stephine stared at me from the side, a sad, concerned look in her eyes.

​The brass door handle behind us jiggled, and before either of us could react, the heavy door swung inward.

​Both of us froze.

​Kane stood in the doorway.

​My blood turned instantly to ice. Oh, shit.

​For one horrible, breathless second, nobody moved. Since setting this entire charade into motion, I had agreed to share a room with Kane to keep up the pretense of being his woman to Kaden.

​Kane’s gaze darted rapidly between Stephine’s pale, panicking face and my flushed, wide-eyed expression before his eyes locked onto mine.

​Slowly, his eyes dragged down my body, taking in my wet hair, my flushed skin, and the plush, soaked towel wrapped tightly around my body. A sharp crease formed between his brows. He tilted his head slightly, his chest expanding as he drew a sharp breath through his nose, taking in the air around us.

​Then he stiffened.

​A low growl tore from the back of Kane’s throat, vibrating through the small space.

​Shit. He had smelled it. The overwhelming scent of mint and rain clinging to my damp skin and the wet towel. He had perceived Kaden all over me.

​Kane stepped inside and slammed the door shut behind him with a heavy bang that rattled the frame.

​”Out,” Kane rasped, his eyes fixed on me as he spoke to Stephine. ”Leave us.”

​Stephine hesitated, taking a protective step closer to me. ”Alpha Kane, wait—”

​”I said leave, Stephine!” Kane barked, his voice laced with Alpha authority.

​Stephine flinched, casting one last anxious, apologetic look at me before hurrying past Kane and slipping out into the corridor. The door clicked shut behind her, sealing us in the suffocating silence.

​Kane turned back to me, taking two slow steps forward until he was towering directly over me. The fury radiating from him was suffocating, his jaw set so tight the muscles twitched violently.

​”Explain to me,” Kane growled softly as he glared down at my dripping form, ”why you have the scent of Kaden all over you.”