Novel Full Chapter 108: He Likes Her
Chapter 108: He Likes Her
Rebecca’s POV
Yes, that was the exact same question I asked myself. Why on earth would Kaden ever call me Rebecca?
But I knew what I heard. I was completely sure of it. Or... was my mind just playing tricks on me? I looked down at my hands, my chest tightening. Maybe it was because I wanted him to call me Rebecca so badly. Maybe I was so desperate for him to see me, to care about my life, that my dying brain had created a beautiful lie while I was underwater.
But then, I remembered the kiss.
Oh gods, the kiss. That was definitely not a hallucination. My lips were still tingling from the heat of his mouth, and the memory of how he had held me so tightly made my heart race.
I swallowed hard, looking up at him as he sat on the edge of the bed. "Alpha Kaden..." I started, my voice small and hesitant. "You kissed me. Or was I hallucinating that part too?"
Kaden scoffed, a dark, handsome smirk appearing on his face as his green eyes locked onto mine. "Should I do it again right now to show you that the kiss was real?"
My breath hitched, and I quickly pressed myself back against the pillows. He kissed me. There was no denying it anymore. No, wait—he didn’t kiss me. He kissed Stephanie. And he had kissed her so passionately, right in front of his entire squad of warriors.
A cold wave of sadness washed over me as the brutal truth settled into my chest. He wasn’t joking around earlier when he said Stephanie was the one he truly wanted. The panic I saw in his eyes, the pure fear when he thought I was dead, the tenderness in his hands right now... it was all real. This intense care, this sudden love—it was all for the sweet palace maid. He really wanted Stephanie.
My heart broke into tiny, sharp pieces. It ached so badly that it was physically hard to breathe. I was trapped inside my friend’s body, watching the man who hurt me offer his whole heart to a version of me that wasn’t even real.
Kaden must have noticed the sharp shift in my expression. His smirk vanished, and his eyes narrowed slightly with concern. "What’s wrong?" he asked softly.
I quickly looked away, blinking back the hot tears that wanted to fall. I needed to change the topic right now before I completely broke down in front of him.
"I... I am just wondering who kidnapped me," I whispered, gripping the blanket tighter.
Kaden’s entire posture went stiff, his aura turning cold and dangerous in a split second. "Tell me exactly what happened."
I took a shaky breath and explained everything. I told him about the guard who drugged me in my room, waking up chained to the chair, and the tall masked men. "Before they pushed me into the pit," I added, shivering at the memory, "the masked man told me that I had annoyed someone I shouldn’t have. He said this was where it ended for me."
Kaden’s jaw clenched so hard a vein popped out on his neck. "Do not worry, Stephanie," he said, his voice dropping into a deep, deadly growl. "I will handle it. No one touches what is mine and lives to see tomorrow."
I nodded slowly, feeling completely overwhelmed. I couldn’t stay in his bed anymore. It felt wrong. It felt like I was stealing a life that belonged to someone else. I swung my legs out from under the covers, making a move to leave the bed.
"Where do you think you are going?" Kaden asked, his hand instantly reaching out to gently catch my wrist.
"I want to go back to my room," I said, not looking him in the eye. "I shouldn’t be here."
"Relax," he commanded softly, completely ignoring my words as he let go of my wrist and stood up. "You are staying right here tonight. I will go set the bathtub for you, and you will take a warm bath to get the mud off your skin."
I stared at him, my eyes widening in shock as he walked toward the bathroom.
Who is this man?
This was the ruthless Alpha King Kaden. The beast who had locked me up, the man who swore to punish me as his breeder, the king who showed no mercy to anyone. But as I watched him personally check the water temperature for a servant girl, a painful realization hit me.
Even a beast softens for the ones they love and care about.
For a single, agonizing moment, I felt a deep, ugly wave of envy. I envied Stephanie with everything I had. How did I never notice that Kaden had liked her this whole time? Did Stephanie know about his feelings? Did she know the Alpha King was in love with her, and she just never told me?
After a few minutes, he came back out of the bathroom and said I should go in and bathe.
I nodded numbly, lifting myself from the mattress. I walked into the adjoining room, the warmth of the steam hitting my face, but it did nothing to ease the chill inside my bones. I stepped into the water and began to wash, feeling completely detached from my own movements. The hot water rinsed away the dirt and mud from the mines, but it couldn’t wash away the heavy ache in my chest.
After bathing, I dried off and walked back into the bedroom wrapped tightly in a towel. Kaden wasn’t in the room anymore, but a fresh, clean dress had been left out on the bed for me. I quickly put it on, pulling the fabric over my shoulders just as the heavy wooden door clicked open.
Kaden walked back in, and right behind him was a maid carrying a tray loaded with a warm meal. The maid kept her head down, carefully setting the tray on the table before scurrying out.
Kaden looked at me, his expression unreadable. "Eat," he said simply.
I nodded and sat down, picking up the utensils. I ate slowly, forcing the food down while he sat across from me, watching my every move in absolute silence. The weight of his gaze was suffocating, adding to the storm of thoughts raging in my mind.
Finally, I finished eating and set my fork down. I couldn’t keep it inside anymore. I looked up, meeting his piercing green eyes, and spoke the one terrifying question that had been burning in my mind this entire time.
"What if Rebecca wakes up... what then?"