Rebecca’s POV
Right at the entrance stood Kaden.
The moment our eyes met, everything and everyone around us seemed to disappear. The music, the laughter, the chatter, and even the grand hall itself faded into the background until there was only him.
Kaden looked tired. More than tired. There were dark shadows beneath his eyes, and even from where I stood, I could see the strain on his face. But none of that stopped the pull I felt the second our eyes locked. My gaze stayed fixed on him as he began walking toward me, taking slow steps across the crowded hall.
Low murmurs immediately spread through the room.
"The Alpha King is here..."
"It’s Alpha King Kaden."
"What is he doing here?"
The crowd quickly moved aside for him. One after another, people bowed their heads in respect. Alphas lowered their heads, Lunas stepped back, and even several elders bowed as he passed.
For a moment, I had almost forgotten who Kaden was to the rest of the world. The Alpha King. A powerful ruler feared and respected by almost everyone.
Beside me, even Mother lowered her head slightly to acknowledge his presence.
I didn’t.
I stood completely still as Kaden drew closer. I couldn’t bow to him. Not after everything that had happened between us.
Kaden didn’t seem to notice anyway. His eyes hadn’t left mine once.
With every step he took toward me, my heartbeat grew louder. I had spent the entire day telling myself I would be ready when he came. I had even told Stephanie exactly what I planned to do. I would face him, tell him I wanted the bond gone, and finally put an end to everything between us.
But standing there and actually watching him walk toward me was different.
This was Kaden.
Not the Kaden who knew me only as Ruby. Not the man who looked at me with confusion whenever something about me felt familiar. This was the Kaden who remembered everything now.
When he finally stopped in front of me, the mate bond became almost unbearable. Heat spread through my chest, and Laura pushed forward with so much force that I had to fight to keep my expression calm.
Mine!
I swallowed hard. No.
I could feel the eyes of everyone in the hall on us. They were whispering, staring, probably wondering how Alpha Maria’s newly returned daughter knew the Alpha King and why he was looking at me as if I were the only person in the room.
Kaden just stared. His chest rose and fell heavily, and his eyes moved slowly over my face before dropping briefly to my bare neck.
The choker was gone. There was nothing hiding me from him anymore.
His hand slowly lifted toward me, but he stopped before touching me. His fingers trembled slightly in the air before falling back to his side.
"Rebecca..." he whispered.
My chest tightened at the sound of my name.
I became painfully aware of the hundreds of people watching us.
"Please," I said quietly. "Not here."
Kaden immediately nodded.
I turned toward Mother. She was watching the two of us carefully, and I could see the questions in her eyes.
"Mother, please give us a moment."
She glanced at Kaden before looking back at me. "Are you sure?"
"Yes."
Mother hesitated for a moment before nodding. "Of course."
Without waiting for anything else, I turned and started walking toward the exit. I heard Kaden’s footsteps behind me almost immediately. I didn’t have to look back to know he was following. I could feel him. The mate bond made his presence impossible to ignore.
As we crossed the hall, the whispers around us grew louder, but I kept my head high and continued walking until we were outside.
The cool night air hit my skin, but it did nothing to calm the heat rushing through my body. I led Kaden away from the hall and toward the garden, walking until the sounds of the party became distant.
Only when the music and voices had faded into the distance did I finally stop.
For a moment, I kept my back to him.
I could hear Kaden breathing behind me. I could feel him too, every part of me painfully aware that my mate was standing only a few feet away. Laura wouldn’t settle. She kept pushing against me, wanting me to turn around, wanting me to go to him.
But I ignored her.
My hands were already shaking when I finally turned to face him, so I folded my arms tightly across my chest to hide them.
"What do you want, Kaden?"
He didn’t answer. He stood several feet away from me, staring as though he still couldn’t believe I was really there.
I waited, but nothing came. His eyes moved over my face again, then down to my neck where the choker had once been.
That silence started making me angry.
"Say something. You have your memories back now, don’t you?"
"I do," he answered, his voice rough.
My chest tightened. "All of them?"
Kaden swallowed hard. "Everything."
I stared at him for a moment, trying to understand what that truly meant. "So you remember accusing me of killing Helen?"
Pain flashed across his face. "I remember."
"You remember putting that choker around my neck?"
His gaze immediately dropped to my bare neck. His jaw tightened, and for a moment, he couldn’t seem to answer.
"Kaden?"
"I remember," he whispered.
My throat burned. "And keeping me prisoner? Do you remember that too?"
Kaden closed his eyes briefly before looking at me again.
"I remember everything I did to you, Rebecca."
The words hit harder than I expected.
The cell. The accusations. The fear. The humiliation. The choker around my neck. Every memory came rushing back at once.
I let out a bitter laugh and shook my head. "And you came all the way here for what?"
Kaden took a slow breath. "Rebecca, I came to apologize. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry."
"Sorry?" I scoffed, shaking my head as another bitter laugh escaped me. Not because anything was funny, but because I couldn’t believe that was all he had to say. The word felt useless compared to everything he had done to me.
"Sorry for what, Kaden? Tell me, what exactly are you sorry for? Are you sorry for deciding I killed your wife without ever doing a proper investigation? Are you sorry for watching people treat me like a murderer? For locking me in a cell? For calling me a criminal and treating me like I was nothing?"
Kaden flinched as if every word had struck him. "Rebecca, please..."
"Or are you sorry for finding out later that I was innocent and still keeping me captive anyway?" My voice cracked, but I refused to stop. "You knew, Kaden. You knew I didn’t kill Helen, and you still let me suffer. You let me keep begging for someone to believe me when you already knew the truth. You watched me live every day thinking my life was still hanging on whether someone finally believed I was innocent."
"I’m sorry."
"What are you sorry for?" I shouted, tears finally spilling down my cheeks. "Which part? The torture? The prison? Accusing me of murder? Knowing I was innocent and saying nothing? Which one are you sorry for, Kaden?"
"All of it," he whispered.
I stared at him through my tears.
"All of it, Rebecca."
I glared at him. "I will never forgive you."
Pain twisted across Kaden’s face as he stared at me.
Then, before I could understand what he was doing, he dropped to his knees in front of me.
I froze. For several seconds, I couldn’t even breathe.
The Alpha King was kneeling in the dirt at my feet. The man I had watched entire rooms bow to only minutes ago was now on his knees in front of me.
"Kaden..."
"I know what I did to you," he said, his voice breaking. Tears ran freely down his face, but he didn’t look away from me. "I know saying sorry doesn’t erase anything. It doesn’t erase the choker, the prison, or the way I treated you. I remember every time you begged me to believe you. I remember the way you looked at me when I accused you. I remember all of it now, Rebecca, and I hate myself for it."
My throat tightened. "Then why? Why didn’t you tell me when you found out I was innocent?"
Kaden closed his eyes.
"Why?" I asked again.
"Because I was scared."
I stared at him, then scoffed. "You were scared?"
"Yes."
"Of what?"
"Losing you."
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