Rebecca’s POV
As Kane’s car drove through the mansion gates, I forced myself not to look back. My fingers tightened around the fabric of my blue dress as the huge iron gates slowly disappeared behind us, watching the pack house shrink into the distance.
This was it.
I swallowed the heavy lump forming in my throat and stared straight ahead.
Rebecca, you are doing the right thing, I told myself, clutching my hands tightly in my lap. You cannot stay with a man who tortured you, hurt you, and made you wish for death.
I couldn’t forget the nights I had cried myself to sleep because of him. I couldn’t forget the accusations, the humiliation, the fear, or the moments when the pain had become so unbearable that I had wished for death.
Maybe Kaden had changed. Maybe the man I had spent time with these past few days was who he truly could have been.
But that didn’t erase what happened. Those memories were still burned inside my head. The pain was still there. And until I was far away from him, somewhere I could breathe without being afraid of what he might remember or what he might do, I couldn’t even begin to understand how I truly felt about him.
Leaving was the right thing to do. It had to be.
"Are you okay?" Kane asked, breaking the heavy silence inside the car. His hands were firm on the steering wheel, his eyes scanning the rear-view mirror.
"Yes," I answered quietly. "Just thinking."
"You’ve been quiet since we left."
"I just have a lot going through my head."
Kane nodded slowly, his jaw tightening slightly. "Logan is behind us."
My entire body stiffened. My heart instantly plummeted into my stomach, and my breath caught in my throat as sheer panic flooded my veins. "What? Did Kaden find out? Does he know I’m trying to escape?"
I immediately started turning around, but Kane stopped me.
"Don’t. Relax. I already know why," Kane said, his voice calm and steady. "Logan alerted me a few minutes ago before we left. Kaden asked him to secretly follow us because he was worried I might hurt you when you break up with me. Luckily, Kaden sent Logan instead of coming himself or sending someone else."
I let out a long breath, sagging back against the leather seat. Relief washed over me, but right behind it came a sharp, unexpected sting of guilt. Kaden was only trying to protect me. He had sent his most trusted man just to ensure my safety, completely unaware that I was orchestrating my grand escape.
"He thinks you might hurt me?" I whispered. "But he knows you’re not like that."
"He does. That’s the funny part." Kane shook his head. "Logan said Kaden admitted he doesn’t actually believe I would hurt you. He’s just so worried about you that he doesn’t want to take any chances."
Something painful tightened inside my chest. Kaden had sent Logan to protect me. Even after giving me the phone. Even after I had promised him I would return. He was still worried enough to secretly send the person he trusted most after us.
For some reason, that made what I was doing hurt even more.
"So Logan is helping?" I asked, looking into the side mirror at the car far behind us.
"Yes. Logan is still with us. If Kaden had decided to follow us himself or sent someone who didn’t know the truth, we’d have a serious problem."
I leaned back against the seat and nodded slowly. My hand automatically moved toward the choker before my mind wandered back to the bedroom I had left behind.
The phone Kaden had secretly given me sat untouched on the nightstand, right beside Helen’s chain. I had left both items behind. I couldn’t carry anything that belonged to that life with me.
Nothing except the choker still locked around my neck. I touched it gently. Soon. Just a little longer, and I would finally take this thing off.
We drove in silence after that. The farther we traveled, the quieter the roads became. Buildings slowly disappeared, replaced by trees and long stretches of empty land. Every mile took me farther away from Kaden. I should have felt relieved, but my chest seemed to grow heavier.
Eventually, Kane turned onto a secluded, private road hidden behind a dense line of trees. The security guards at the gate opened it immediately when they saw Kane’s vehicle.
My eyes widened as we pulled up to a private airfield. Sitting on the tarmac was a private jet, its lights on and its engines humming quietly.
"Oh, Goddess," I breathed.
"Your flight," Kane said, parking near the hangar, completely away from any main roads.
Someone was standing near the bottom of the boarding stairs holding a small travel bag. I narrowed my eyes, and my mouth fell open. "Stephanie?"
Kane smiled faintly. "You’re going to need someone you trust. I wasn’t going to send you to another continent alone while you’re pregnant."
Tears immediately filled my eyes. "Thank you."
I opened the door and stepped outside, the evening breeze brushing against my face. Seconds later, the car behind us stopped, and Logan stepped out, walking toward us.
Stephanie rushed over and hugged me tightly. "Did you seriously think I was going to let you disappear to Africa by yourself?"
A broken laugh escaped me before I pulled away to look at Logan, my chest tight with emotion. "What are you going to tell Kaden?"
"Don’t worry about that," Logan said softly, giving me a reassuring look. "I know what to say to buy you enough time. I’ll handle Kaden."
"Thank you, Logan," I whispered, tears prickling at the corners of my eyes. "Thank you for everything."
"Just take care of yourself and the baby," he replied, offering a gentle nod. "Whatever happens from this point, don’t do anything reckless."
"I promise," I smiled through my tears.
Kane stepped beside me and checked his watch. "You have to leave now, Rebecca. You have a very long journey ahead of you. Everything you need is on the jet. Documents, money, the address, contact details. When you arrive, someone will be waiting to take you directly to the house."
"What about the choker?" I asked, touching the cold band around my neck.
"Keep it on until the jet is completely out of his territory," Kane instructed firmly. "We don’t know exactly how strongly Kaden will feel the bond when your wolf is released. The farther away you are when you remove it, the better. Once you land in Botswana, Alpha Darius will meet you, and you can safely take it off. Your new life starts there."
Tears welled up in my eyes. I turned to Kane and wrapped my arms around him, pulling him into a tight embrace. "Thank you, Kane. For saving my life. I wouldn’t be standing here without you."
Kane froze for a second before his arms slowly came around me, patting my back gently. "You are carrying my nephew or niece. I’m just doing what’s right."
"So that’s your excuse?"
"It’s the one I’m using." He pulled back, wiped a stray tear from my cheek, and gave me a small smile. "We shouldn’t waste any more time. Please, Rebecca. Leave."
I nodded, sniffing back my tears as Stephanie took my hand. Together, we walked toward the metal stairs.
Halfway up, I paused and looked back. Kane and Logan were standing beside the car. For one terrible second, an image of Kaden standing on the balcony flashed through my mind.
My chest squeezed painfully, but I turned away. I couldn’t think about him now.
We entered the jet, and the flight attendant closed the heavy door behind us.
Stephanie and I took our seats across from each other. Moments later, the jet began moving down the runway, accelerating before lifting smoothly into the night sky.
I sat down near the window, watching the glowing lights of Kaden’s territory, the mansion, and the life I was leaving behind disappear below the clouds.
Tears blurred my vision. I turned my head toward Stephanie, my voice barely a whisper against the hum of the cabin. "Stephanie? Tell me I made the right decision. Please."
Stephanie looked at me with deep sympathy, reaching across the small space to squeeze my hands. "Yes."
I looked back out the window at the endless darkness, my heart aching with a strange mixture of relief and sorrow. I was free, but as thousands of feet grew between me and the man I had once desperately wanted to escape, I wasn’t sure why freedom hurt this much.
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