Rebecca’s POV
I froze, my chest heaving as my eyes locked with Kaden’s. Caught completely naked in the middle of the room, my mind scrambled in panic.
"I—I was just going to the bathroom!" I blurted out, my voice high and trembling as I wrapped my arms around myself to cover my body, forcing a tired, frightened expression onto my face. "I woke up and felt pressed. I didn’t want to wake you."
Kaden blinked, the sharp edge in his green eyes softening as he looked at my terrified expression. There wasn’t even the slightest trace of suspicion on his face. He didn’t suspect a thing.
"Calm down, baby," he said smoothly, his voice still low and raspy from sleep as he climbed out of bed. "Go ahead."
He swung his long legs off the mattress, grabbed his dark silk robe from the foot of the bed, and wrapped it securely around his waist. I practically darted into the adjoining bathroom, grabbing a towel to wrap around myself and shutting the door just enough to peek through the tiny crack. My heart was hammering so hard against my ribs I thought it would burst.
Outside, Kaden walked over to the bedroom door and unlocked it, opening it only slightly to block anyone from seeing into the room. Standing in the dimly lit hallway was his personal guard, breathing heavily as if he had run straight up the back stairs to avoid being seen.
"What?" Kaden demanded, clearly irritated by the interruption.
"Alpha," the guard whispered urgently, his eyes darting down the corridor. "Alpha Kane is back. He’s searching the main floor for Miss Ruby. He’s screaming, tearing things apart, and demanding to know where she is."
My blood instantly ran cold. Of all the nights Kane could decide to return, why did it have to be tonight?
Kaden’s jaw set into a hard, rigid line, all traces of sleep completely vanished.
"Leave," Kaden commanded, his voice dropping into that dangerous tone that made the air in the room feel heavy. "I’ll handle my brother."
"Yes, Alpha." The guard gave a quick, respectful nod and retreated down the back staircase, vanishing into the shadows.
Kaden locked the door behind him and turned toward the bathroom, his dark eyes fixed on the door. For several seconds, the atmosphere inside the room shifted instantly. Whatever softness had been on Kaden’s face minutes earlier was gone, replaced by a wave of guilt settling over him as reality came crashing back. Kane was downstairs. His brother—the man Kaden believed I belonged to.
"This is bad," Kaden muttered, dragging his hands over his face. "Get dressed."
I didn’t argue. I stepped out of the bathroom and immediately began gathering my clothes from around the room, but my eyes betrayed me—flickering toward the keychain on the wall. I had been seconds away. Now Kaden was awake, Kane was downstairs, and I had no idea when I would ever get another chance.
"Ruby," Kaden called out softly, watching me. "You’re panicking."
"Of course I’m panicking!" I whispered back, pulling my shirt over my head. "How are you planning to explain where I’ve been all night?"
"You don’t explain anything," Kaden said, his jaw hardening. "I’ll handle Kane. He won’t find out."
"You can’t go downstairs acting defensive," I countered, moving closer to him. "We said we’d keep this secret. So act normal, and keep it secret."
Kaden stared at me before finally nodding. "Fine." He reached out for my hand, but I instinctively stepped backward. Something painful flashed across his face before he lowered his arm, realizing we couldn’t walk downstairs looking like lovers.
He turned toward the door. "Let’s go."
My stomach dropped. I couldn’t leave without that pin. I needed a distraction.
"Calm down," Kaden said, his voice dropping into that steady, grounding tone he always used when he was trying to keep control of a room. "You’re not going downstairs with me. We’ll use my private elevator. I’ll drop you at the rooftop garden. If anyone asks, you’ve been up there all night getting fresh air because you couldn’t sleep. Meanwhile, I’ll go downstairs and meet Kane."
I let out a slow breath, nodding along, but my mind wasn’t anywhere near Kane. Kane was the least of my fucking problems. My chest burned with a deep, sickening wave of frustration. I had been inches away from that pin. My fingers had literally touched the key that held my freedom, and now I was walking out of this room empty-handed. My gaze drifted toward the wall again before I could stop myself—the small keychain remained exactly where it was... the thin silver pin hanging among the other keys. I sighed softly, forcing my face to show relief rather than the absolute defeat crashing over me.
Kaden misunderstood it completely. "Don’t worry," he said, moving closer. "I won’t let him find out about us."
I forced myself to nod. "Okay."
"Let’s go."
God, I wished I could stay back. For one desperate second, I considered telling him I wanted to stay behind—maybe claim I needed another minute to dress or use the bathroom again. But there was no believable reason for Kaden to leave me alone inside his most private room.
So I followed him out.
The moment we stepped into the hallway, Kaden pulled the heavy door shut behind us.
Click. The lock engaged automatically, and my heart sank. There went my chance.
I glanced at the door one last time before forcing myself to follow Kaden toward the private elevator. When we reached it, Kaden pressed his thumb against the digital scanner; it flashed green, recognizing his fingerprint, and the doors slid open silently.
Another problem, I realized grimly. The elevator required his fingerprint, the BDSM room required an eight-digit code, and the sixth-floor stairwell was locked. Even if I somehow returned later, getting back here without him was going to be nearly impossible.
We stepped inside, and the heavy doors closed us into a suffocating, heavy silence as the elevator began its smooth climb toward the top floor.
Kaden stood rigid beside me, staring straight ahead at the metal doors. "I’m sorry, Ruby," he said quietly, the guilt thick in his voice. "I shouldn’t have let things get this complicated. Dragging you into this mess, not with Kane back."
"Don’t be," I replied softly. "You didn’t. I came to your room, remember?"
He stared at me before releasing a heavy sigh, running a hand over his face. My fingers went instinctively to the locket beneath my shirt. I had the locket. I knew where its key was. Yet somehow I felt farther away from freedom than I had yesterday.
The elevator slowed to a stop with a soft chime, the doors sliding open to reveal the cold night air and lush greenery of the private rooftop garden, surrounded by a stone railing overlooking the dark territory below.
"Just stay here for a little bit," he instructed, turning to face me. "I’ll go downstairs and deal with Kane. Give me a few minutes, and my guards will find you."
"Okay," I nodded.
He stared at me, then suddenly stepped forward, cupping the back of my neck to pull me into a hard, sudden kiss that felt so passionate. When he pulled away, his forehead remained against mine.
"Fuck..." he muttered against my lips, his dark eyes troubled as he shook his head as though stopping himself from saying whatever was on his mind. He pressed a brief kiss to my forehead. "Stay here."
"I will."
Before I could say anything else, he stepped back into the lift. The doors slid shut between us, and the display showed him descending straight down to the main floor to face his brother.
Standing alone on the cold, wind-swept roof, I let out a long breath and gripped the stone railing, looking down at my trembling, empty hands.
"Fuck!"
I had failed. I had slept with Kaden, lied to him, allowed him to believe we were beginning some secret relationship—and after all of that, I had still walked out of that damn room without the pin.
I squeezed my eyes shut. Think, Rebecca. There has to be another way.
My eyes opened, turning slowly toward the elevator. I had lost the key, but as I wrapped my arms around myself against the chill, one thing became crystal clear: I was going to get back inside that room, no matter what it took.
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