Novel Full Chapter 101: Care For Her More Than Me
Chapter 101: Care For Her More Than Me
Rebecca’s POV
I watched from the ground, my breath coming in short, painful gasps as Kaden completely destroyed the warrior.
The sound of his fists hitting the man’s face was awful. Blood sprayed onto the dusty ground as Kaden landed punch after punch, almost ruining the man’s face entirely. He looked like a demon, driven by pure, wild rage. For a second, I thought he was actually going to kill him right there in front of the whole pack.
But suddenly, Kaden stopped. His shoulders heaved as he forced himself to get control of his breathing. He stood up slowly, wiping the warrior’s blood from his knuckles, and turned to face the crowd.
"None of you should ever touch her! Do I make myself clear?!" he yelled, his deep voice booming across the field like thunder.
The entire training ground shook. Every single warrior quickly bowed their heads, trembling. "Yes, Alpha King," they muttered in fear.
Kaden turned his sharp, glowing green eyes to me. He stared at my injured face—at the blood still dripping from my nose and the heavy swelling on my lip. His jaw clenched tightly.
"Come," he ordered coldly.
Terrified and shaking, I pushed myself up from the dirt and followed him. My legs felt like jelly as we walked back into the grand palace and climbed the stairs up to his private chambers. The moment we stepped inside, the heavy doors shut behind us, and my panic reached a whole new peak.
"Sit down," he said, his voice quiet but full of power.
I didn’t wait for him to ask twice. I quickly sat on the edge of a chair, my hands gripping my apron tightly. Kaden walked over to a heavy wooden drawer and pulled out a small first-aid kit. When he walked back over to me, I held out my hand, trying to be a helpful servant.
"Let me clean your fists, Alpha King," I whispered, reaching for the medicine.
Slap.
He slapped my hand away. It wasn’t hard enough to hurt, but it was enough to make me freeze.
"Stay put. I’ll clean your wound," Kaden muttered.
I sat there in absolute shock, my mouth slightly open as he ignored my wide eyes. He pulled up a chair right in front of me, sitting so close our knees were almost touching. He dipped a piece of clean cloth into a bottle of antiseptic and leaned in close.
He didn’t yell. He didn’t mock me. Instead, Kaden began to clean my cuts. His large, scarred hands—the same hands that had just broken a warrior’s bones—were incredibly gentle. He tenderly dabbed the wet cloth against my split lip, his green eyes focused entirely on my face.
"Does it hurt?" he asked softly, his eyes flicking up to mine for a split second. "Do I need to call the healer?"
Hearing those soft, caring words completely broke my heart.
A heavy wave of pain and reality hit me all at once, crushing my chest. It was that sharp, horrible pain you feel when a man who has been nothing but a monster to you is suddenly attending to another woman with pure calmness.
I sat there, staring at his handsome face, and felt a burning sting of jealousy that almost made me cry. Why was he being so kind to Stephanie? Did he really like her this much? Did he really want her to bear his children?
If it were me—if I were in my true body, Rebecca—and a guard had punched me in the face, Kaden wouldn’t have cared at all. He probably would have snapped and told me I deserved it. He had treated me like a criminal, a traitor, a piece of trash beneath his boots. But the moment a guard hits Stephanie, he goes completely wild, throws a tantrum on the combat ground, and now he is sitting here, treating her wounds as if she were a fragile piece of glass.
He was being the man I had always secretly wished he would be—but he was being that man for someone else.
"It’s fine," I choked out, my voice sounding tight and thick with an emotion I couldn’t hide. I had to look away from his intense gaze before the tears in my eyes spilled over. It hurt too much to watch him care for a face that wasn’t mine.
"The cut is small," Kaden murmured, his thumb lightly brushing the skin just beneath my lower lip. "It will heal quickly."
I nodded, my throat tight as I stared down at his chest. "Thank you, Alpha King."
He pulled the cloth away and closed the kit, his expression hardening back into a strict line. "I told you before that your only duty is to look after Rebecca. Why were you out on the combat grounds?"
"The head maid sent me," I told him, my voice trembling slightly. "She told me the warriors needed more snacks and water, and that I had to help."
Kaden frowned deeply, his green eyes flashing with instant displeasure. "I am the Alpha King. My word is final. When I give an order, no one in this palace has the right to change it. You belong in that room, nowhere else. Do you understand me?"
"I understand," I whispered, nodding quickly.
Before he stood up, he reached out and held my jaw one last time, staring intently at the swelling wound on my lip for a long, quiet moment. His touch was warm, sending a strange, confusing shiver straight down my spine. Then, he let go and turned his back to me, walking over toward the large window.
I watched his broad, powerful shoulders, and I couldn’t hold myself back any longer. The burning questions, the heavy jealousy, and the raw pain inside my chest were suffocating me. I had to know the truth.
"Do you really want me?" I asked suddenly, the words bursting out into the quiet room.
Kaden froze, but he didn’t turn around.
"If Rebecca dies tonight... will you actually be happy?" I pressed on, my voice cracking with desperation. Because his back was turned against me, I couldn’t see his expression. I couldn’t see if his eyes widened or if his jaw clenched. I just needed to know if he had secretly been into Stephanie this entire time. "Did you really release me from the dungeon just because Rebecca pleaded? Or did you use that as an excuse just so you could finally have a reason to get close to me?"
The thoughts raced through my head like wildfire, making my blood run hot. Yes, Stephanie was beautiful. She had soft, smooth skin, wide brown eyes, and nice, full curves that could easily draw any man’s attention. Had Kaden been watching her from the shadows all along, waiting for the perfect moment to discard me and claim her?
Oh my gods, I was feeling so incredibly jealous. Why should I be jealous of my friend? Why did it hurt so badly to think that he preferred Stephanie over my true self? Rebecca was the one who had suffered under his wrath. But here I was, trapped in another girl’s flesh, completely heartbroken because he was offering her the passion and protection he had always denied me.
I stared at his silent back, my heart pounding loudly against my ribs, waiting for him to tell me I was wrong. I wanted him to say it was all a lie.
But Kaden didn’t answer my questions. He didn’t deny it, and he didn’t explain.
Instead, his voice came out completely cold and detached.
"Leave."