Kaden’s POV
The second my fingers brushed the choker around Ruby’s neck, something shifted inside me. I froze. It wasn’t a memory this time. There was no sudden image flashing through my head, no distorted voice, no stabbing pain behind my eyes. It was a feeling. A strange pull traveled through my fingertips, down my arm, and straight into my chest. My wolf, who had been restless only seconds ago, suddenly went completely still. Then he surged forward so violently that my breath caught.
Ours.
My brows pulled together. What the fuck? My gaze dropped instinctively from Ruby’s face to her stomach. There, I could feel something. It was faint, so fucking faint that if my wolf hadn’t reacted, I probably wouldn’t have noticed it at all.
A tiny presence, a soft pulse of energy buried beneath Ruby’s own aura. The baby.
My hand fell away from her throat as I stared at her stomach. My wolf pushed against me again, suddenly alert. Protect. A strange warmth spread through my chest, feeling almost like recognition, like some invisible part of me had reached toward the tiny life growing inside her and received an answer. That made absolutely no fucking sense.
"Kaden?" Ruby’s voice pulled me from my thoughts. I looked up to find her staring at me with wide eyes. "What’s wrong?"
I didn’t answer immediately, my gaze dropping back to her stomach before I forced myself to speak. "I felt something."
Her body went rigid, though I barely noticed in the moment. "What... what did you feel?"
"The baby."
The color seemed to drain from her face. "What?"
"I don’t know how to explain it," I said, rubbing my palm against my chest to calm the strange sensation still lingering there. "When I touched your choker, my wolf reacted. He reacted to the baby."
Her lips parted. For one brief second, something that looked almost like panic flashed across her face before she forced a quick, strained laugh.
"That’s not strange."
I frowned. "It isn’t?"
"No." She waved her hand dismissively, but I didn’t miss the slight tremble in her fingers before she lowered them into her lap. "Come on, Kaden. You’re Kane’s identical twin brother. You’re practically related to the baby as closely as anyone can be without being its father. You’re his uncle. Kane is your twin, so you share the same blood, the same family, probably almost the same scent and aura. Maybe your wolf can sense that."
I looked down at her stomach again. Maybe. Except that wasn’t what my wolf had felt. This hadn’t felt like recognizing Kane’s child; it had felt personal, possessive... ours. My jaw tightened. No. I was already fucking his woman, and the last thing I needed was my wolf becoming confused about his child, too.
"Maybe you’re right," I muttered.
"Of course I’m right."
My eyes lifted sharply to hers. Ruby gave me a smile, but there was a telltale tension around her mouth. "Why are you suddenly nervous?"
"I’m not nervous."
"You are."
"I’m pregnant, wearing a magical choker that’s messing with my wolf, and you’re standing over me saying you can suddenly feel my baby," she shot back. "Forgive me for being a little uncomfortable."
Fair enough. I stepped back, giving her some space. "Sorry."
She exhaled quietly, but my wolf refused to settle. I walked back toward the sofa and sat opposite her again, rubbing my palms together as I tried to make sense of it. I’d never felt anything like that, not even when Helen had been pregnant. The thought hit me so suddenly that my chest tightened. Helen. I slowly lifted my head. That couldn’t be right; surely I’d felt something when Helen was carrying my child, hadn’t I? I tried to remember, but nothing came. My memories from those months were still a broken fucking mess.
Ruby shifted on the sofa. "We should probably stop thinking about it."
"Why?"
"Because you’re going to give yourself another headache trying to understand something that probably means nothing."
Probably. My wolf growled at the word, but I ignored him. Ruby reached for her tea, only to realize the cup was empty, placing it back down almost immediately with a barely visible shake in her hand.
Something inside me sharpened. "Ruby. Come here."
Her eyes widened slightly. "Why?"
"Just come here."
She hesitated before getting up and walking toward me. I reached out, took her hand, and gently pulled her between my knees. Then, before she could ask what I was doing, I placed my palm carefully against her lower stomach.
Ruby stopped breathing, and so did I.
For several seconds, there was nothing. Then, there it was again. That faint, unmistakable pulse. My wolf surged so violently inside me that my eyes flashed gold. Ours.
Fuck. I snatched my hand away as if burned, making Ruby stumble backward.
"Kaden?"
I stared at my palm, my heart pounding in my ears. "No."
Her face paled. "No what?"
I slowly looked up at her. "That wasn’t because I’m Kane’s twin."
Her throat moved as she swallowed. "How do you know?"
"I don’t," I said, standing to my full height. "But my wolf does."
Ruby took another tiny step backward. I noticed it this time, my eyes narrowing. "Why are you backing away from me?"
"I’m not."
"You just did."
"Kaden, you’re frightening me."
That stopped me immediately, and I forced myself to relax, dragging a hand through my hair. "I’m sorry."
I turned away, trying to rationalize it. Maybe the healer was right; maybe my wolf was becoming confused because of my deep attachment to Ruby. I’d slept with her, I had feelings for her, and her scent was constantly around me now. Perhaps my wolf was simply extending that possessiveness to her child. That had to be it, because the alternative made no fucking sense.
I released a heavy breath and turned back toward her. "Forget it. My wolf is probably confused because of how I feel about you. Apparently, the bastard has decided everything connected to you belongs to him."
The tension in her shoulders loosened slightly, too slightly for anyone else to notice, but I noticed. And for the first time that morning, a quiet, terrifying question slipped into my mind.
What exactly are you so afraid I’ll remember, Ruby?
Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!
Use arrow keys (or A / D) to PREV/NEXT chapter