Kaden’s POV
It had been thirty fucking minutes since Ruby and Kane left, and I still hadn’t heard anything from Logan.
I sat behind my desk, staring at the clock on the wall. 6:38 p.m. My heart was hammering against my ribs, and my fingers tapped anxiously against the wooden surface.
Maybe I was overreacting. If Logan hadn’t contacted me, it probably meant nothing had happened. That was good. That was exactly what I wanted. Still, the deep, heavy anxiety in my chest refused to fade, and I couldn’t sit still any longer.
I opened the mind-link. Logan.
His response came a few seconds later. Yes, Alpha?
How are things going?
There was a short delay before Logan’s voice sounded in my head. Everything is fine, Alpha. It’s going smoothly. They’re at the restaurant, having a meal right now.
My shoulders relaxed slightly. And Kane?
He’s calm. Nothing has happened.
I let out a tense breath. Be watchful. Tell me the second anything goes wrong.
Yes, sir.
I ended the mind-link. Everything was fine. They were having dinner, Kane wasn’t angry, and Ruby was safe.
So why the fuck was my heart still beating like something terrible was about to happen?
I leaned back in my chair and rubbed both hands over my face. "Calm down, Kaden. Everything is going according to plan. She’s coming back."
My wolf paced restlessly inside me, refusing to settle. He didn’t seem convinced, and honestly, neither was I.
I tried returning to work, but it was fucking impossible. I read the same paragraph three times before giving up and tossing the document onto the desk. My fingers started tapping again, and my leg started bouncing.
"For fuck’s sake."
I stood up and walked over to the window. The sky outside had grown darker. Lights were beginning to come on around the pack grounds, and guards were changing shifts near the front gates. Everything looked normal.
Ruby was simply having dinner with Kane. She was ending their relationship. Then she would come home. To me.
I sucked in a deep breath and slowly released it, trying to reason with myself. "Stop acting fucking crazy."
Minutes dragged by painfully. 6:47. 6:55.
By the time the clock ticked past 7:00 p.m., I couldn’t take the silence anymore. I opened the mind-link again.
Logan, what’s the update?
We’re on our way back to the territory now, Alpha, Logan replied smoothly. The breakup went well. It went even better than expected, actually. It turns out Kane was ready to end things too. He told her he loves someone else, so they ended it mutually and agreed to co-parent peacefully. They’re driving back now, and I’m right behind them.
For a second, I couldn’t move. Then a massive wave of relief washed over me, and all the tension I’d been carrying since morning disappeared at once.
I sank back into my chair, resting a hand over my chest, and closed my eyes. "Thank you, Moon Goddess," I prayed silently.
Inside me, my wolf threw his head back and let out a loud, triumphant howl—pure fucking joy.
She was coming back to me. No more sneaking around. No more wondering if I was crossing a line with my brother’s woman. No more pretending I wasn’t completely fucking in love with her. She was free.
"I’ll cherish her," I whispered, staring toward the window. "I swear to you, Moon Goddess. I’ll take care of her. I’ll protect her and that baby. I’ll make her happy."
I didn’t care that the child wasn’t mine. That baby was part of her. If Kane truly wanted another woman, then I would step up. I would raise that child like my own if Ruby allowed me.
I opened the mind-link again. Keep following them until they reach the mansion gates, Logan.
Of course, Alpha.
Don’t leave until they’re safely through the gates.
Yes, sir.
The link closed, and a wide, stupid smile spread across my face.
Before I could even stop myself, I stood up from my desk and did a quick, foolish victory dance right there in the middle of my study. I took two ridiculous steps, threw one fist into the air, and laughed.
"What the fuck are you doing?" I asked myself, shaking my head.
I couldn’t even remember the last time I’d danced. Here I was, the fucking Alpha King, alone in my study acting like some stupid teenager whose crush had finally agreed to be his.
"She’s single," I muttered.
My wolf growled happily. Yes, I fucking know. Relax, she’s coming back.
Those words made my smile soften. She’s coming back.
I walked toward the window to watch the road leading toward the mansion, ready to head downstairs. I was about to leave the study when Logan’s voice suddenly exploded through the mind-link, sharp, distorted, and flooded with sudden terror.
Kaden!
I froze instantly, my smile vanishing. My blood ran cold. Logan had never spoken to me like that. Logan? What happened?
Kaden... help... Logan gasped, his voice raspy and weak, cutting in and out through the link. Three cars... three cars just hit my vehicle... rammed into us...
A terrible, wet coughing sound echoed through the link—a horrible cough like he was choking on his own blood.
Panic seized my entire body. "What?" I grabbed the edge of my desk. Logan! Where the fuck are you?! Where are Ruby and Kane?!
I... I don’t know... Logan choked out, his voice fading fast. I’m... I’m barely alive, Alpha...
Stay with me! Do you hear me? Stay awake! Panic ripped through me as I roared into the link, already running toward the door of my study. Give me anything! A road! A landmark! Where are you?!
About five minutes... from the pack house... send help...
I ripped the study door open, my heart stopping completely as the mind-link went dead silent.
"Guards!" I screamed, my voice echoing violently off the high, vaulted ceilings of the hallway.
I didn’t wait for a response. I sprinted toward the staircase, ignoring the elevator entirely. My heart raced rapidly as I hit the top of the stairs and took them three, four at a time, my boots thundering down the polished marble steps.
Panic choked me.
"Guards! Get the enforcement unit! Now!" I roared as I rounded the landing, nearly tearing the railing from its post. Warriors scrambled into the grand foyer below, their faces pale with shock as they looked up at me.
"No... no, no, no!" I slammed my palm against the bottom banister, throwing myself through the front doors into the cool night air. "Moon Goddess, please... no!"
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