Rebecca’s POV
"You can’t be serious," Stephanie gasped, her eyes wide as she searched my face. "Tell me you’re not actually thinking about doing what I think you’re thinking!"
"I need that key, Stephanie," I said softly, my voice barely above a whisper.
"Not like that!" she practically screeched in a hushed tone, stepping right up to me and grabbing my arms. "Are you insane?! You spent all morning panicking because you kissed him back! You literally told him to stay the hell away from you! And now you’re going to deliberately use yourself—use what happened between you two—just to get him to unlock his private BDSM room for you?!"
"He’s avoiding me," I reasoned, swallowing around the dry lump in my throat. "He’s putting up walls. The only thing that breaks down Kaden’s defenses, the only thing that makes him lose control and drop his guard, is... me. If I push the right buttons, if I act like last night changed things..."
"It did change things!" Stephanie cut in fiercely, shaking me slightly. "That’s the whole point! Kaden already has feelings for you. His wolf already reacts to you. If you go to him and play with those emotions just to manipulate him into opening that door, you’re playing a game you cannot win. What happens when you’re inside that room with him, Rebecca? What happens if he touches you again? What happens if you can’t stop yourself from kissing him back again?"
My stomach twisted into an agonizing knot, every single word she said striking a terrifying chord inside me.
She was right. It was a suicide mission. Crossing that line with Kaden again wasn’t just dangerous for my mission—it was dangerous for my heart, my mind, and the secret I was hiding.
I looked down at the locket in my fist.
"I don’t have a choice," I whispered. "It’s the only way into that room. And that key is the only way I get my freedom."
Stephanie stared at me as though waiting for me to come to my senses. When I didn’t, her shoulders dropped.
"So what exactly is your grand plan, Rebecca? How far are you actually willing to go?"
"It’s just sex, Stephanie." Even saying the words made something uncomfortable twist inside my chest, but I forced my voice to sound far colder and more detached than I felt inside. "If sleeping with Kaden is what gets me inside that room, then I’ll do it. I need that key."
Stephanie stopped dead in her tracks. The anger in her face slowly melted into a look of absolute disappointment and disbelief. She shook her head slowly, stepping back from me as if I were a stranger.
"It’s one night," I added, more to convince myself than her. "One night, and I could finally get this thing off my neck. I can leave this territory. I can protect my baby. Isn’t that what we’ve been working toward this entire time?"
"Rebecca..." Her voice softened, heavy with suppressed frustration. "You and I both know this isn’t going to feel like just sex."
I looked away. Because that was the one part I didn’t want to think about. If it had been the old Kaden—the cold, cruel man who had imprisoned me—I could have separated my feelings from what I needed to do. I could have hated him through every second of it.
But this Kaden? The man who had given me Helen’s locket? The man who had stood beneath freezing water rather than take advantage of me while I was drugged? The man who had confessed that he liked me?
I tightened my fingers around the locket. "I can’t talk about this anymore. It doesn’t matter how it feels."
"I can’t talk to you anymore either," she whispered. She lifted both hands in surrender. "You’re going to do whatever you’ve already decided to do anyway. So do whatever the hell you think is right."
She turned and walked toward the door. Before leaving, she glanced back at me with no anger on her face anymore—just worry. "Just don’t lie to yourself about why you’re doing it."
The door closed behind her, leaving me alone in the quiet room. A hollow, terrifying ache bloomed in my chest. Was I doing the right thing? Was this insane? I didn’t know. But right or wrong, I was out of time, out of options, and completely out of patience. This was it.
I stayed in my room until nearly ten that night, watching the shadows lengthen across the floor until the packhouse fell into a heavy stillness. I stood in front of the mirror, staring at myself. My heart was beating ridiculously fast.
"Get yourself together," I whispered.
This was a plan. Nothing more. I wasn’t going to Kaden because I missed him, or because watching him avoid me all day had hurt, or because some stupid part of me wanted to feel his mouth against mine again. I was going for the key.
I repeated that to myself several times before stepping out into the corridor. The walk to Kaden’s suite felt much longer than usual. By the time I reached his door, my palms were sweaty and my stomach was twisting so badly I almost turned around. But I did not.
I sucked in a deep breath and knocked.
Several seconds later, the door swung open. Kaden stood in the entryway wearing loose black pants and a black shirt unbuttoned at the collar. His hair was slightly damp, as though he’d recently showered. The moment his eyes landed on me, his jaw hardened into a look of panic.
"Ruby," he said, his voice low and gruff as he tried to put up that cold wall between us. "What are you doing here?"
I opened my mouth, but nothing came out. If I started talking, I knew I’d lose my nerve.
So I stepped forward, caught the front of his shirt, rose onto my toes, and pressed my lips hard against his.
Kaden went completely rigid. His eyes widened in absolute shock for one brief second. Then his hands closed around my shoulders, firmly pushing me back.
"Stop," he growled.
My stomach dropped. Kaden immediately looked down both sides of the hallway before grabbing my arm and pulling me inside, shutting the door quickly behind us.
"Are you insane?" he hissed, his chest rising and falling heavily. Despite the anger on his face, I could see how much that one kiss had affected him.
"Yes," I whispered, my voice trembling with a mix of fear and desperation. "I think I am insane... for you."
His brow furrowed. "What?"
I stepped toward him again, but Kaden immediately stepped back.
"Ruby, you told me to stay away from you," he said, his voice low and strained. "You threatened to tell Kane if I touched you again. And now you’re standing in my bedroom at ten at night kissing me?"
His gaze searched my face suspiciously. "What changed?"
I had rehearsed a dozen explanations, but standing in front of him, every carefully planned sentence disappeared. So I gave him the simplest truth I could afford.
"You."
His expression shifted. I stepped closer, slowly this time.
"I spent the entire day trying not to think about what happened between us," I said softly. "And then you avoided me."
"You asked me to."
"I know. And I regret it."
He shook his head slowly, taking another step back as his jaw tightened. "No... no, Ruby. This can’t happen. You’re with my brother."
"Kane is cheating on me," I said, the lie slipping past my lips so easily.
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