Chapter 307: Staying here

Kaden’s POV

​Dragon lords rarely left their own territories without a heavy diplomatic reason, and they certainly didn’t show up unannounced at a wolf pack’s territory with a full escort. The guards bowed respectfully before leading him inside.

​I told myself it was private pack business between Callum and Maria, and that it had nothing to do with me. More importantly, I told myself it had nothing to do with Rebecca. I turned around to walk back to the armchair, but after three steps, I froze.

​"Fuck this," I growled.

​I needed to see for myself.

​I opened my door and walked down the hallway, stepping onto the balcony at the top of the grand staircase. Down in the main foyer, voices floated up clearly.

​"Rebecca, I don’t believe you’ve met Lord Callum," Maria was saying smoothly.

​I stopped near the railing. Of fucking course.

​I moved closer and looked down over the marble banister. Rebecca was standing beside her mother near the main entrance. Callum stood directly in front of her, holding her hand politely—and he was smiling at my mate.

​Something dark, hot, and possessive flared through my chest. Titan was on his feet instantly, snarling in my mind.

​Mate.

​"I can fucking see him," I snapped back internally.

​"It is a pleasure to finally meet you, Lady Rebecca," Callum said, his rich voice echoing up the stairwell.

​Rebecca gave him a small, polite smile. A fucking smile. She had literally told me to fuck off less than an hour ago, but Lord Fucking Callum got a warm greeting. My fingers gripped the wooden railing tight enough to make the timber groan.

​"When I heard Alpha Maria’s lost daughter had finally returned, I knew I had to come personally," Callum continued, his tone calm and respectful. "I apologize for missing your welcome celebration last night, Lady Rebecca. I had several urgent matters in my territory and couldn’t travel in time."

​Rebecca nodded politely. "It’s completely fine, Lord Callum. You didn’t have to come all this way just to welcome me."

​"I wanted to."

​My eyes narrowed. There it was. I was a man, a king, and I recognized that subtle shift in a man’s posture and tone when he was interested in a woman. Callum wasn’t just paying a polite diplomatic visit. He was courting her.

​Without thinking, I began descending the stairs, my heavy boots striking the marble steps with deliberate, aggressive force.

​The loud noise immediately cut off their conversation. Maria, Callum, and Rebecca all turned their heads toward the staircase.

​Rebecca saw me first, and the small smile instantly vanished from her face. Wonderful.

​Callum turned next. For the first time since he arrived, his calm, polished expression shifted, his dark eyebrows drawing together in genuine shock.

​"Alpha King Kaden?" Callum asked. "What... are you doing here?"

​I didn’t answer right away. I took my time finishing the walk down the stairs, stepping onto the foyer floor and standing at my full height before meeting his gaze directly. My expression settled back into the unreadable, cold mask I had worn for years as Alpha King.

​"Yes," I said, my voice cold and even. "Why do you look so disappointed, Callum?"

​Callum scoffed quietly, quickly recovering his composure and adjusting the cuffs of his tailored jacket. "Not disappointed, King Kaden. Just... surprised. I didn’t expect the ruler of the werewolves realm to be staying in a local pack house."

​I kept my face completely unreadable, offering no explanation.

​Callum glanced between me and Rebecca, his eyes sharpening as he put the pieces together. "So... are you here to pay a visit to Lady Rebecca as well?"

​For once, I didn’t have an immediate answer.

​I turned my head to look at Rebecca. She was already staring at me, her arms crossed over her chest, her eyes practically daring me to say something stupid.

​A bitter taste filled my mouth. What exactly was I supposed to tell him? That Rebecca was my mate? That she was carrying my child? That I loved her?

​All of those things were true. But I had no right to stand here and claim her like she belonged to me. Not after everything I had done to her. Not after she had asked me to reject her only last night. Rebecca wasn’t mine to control, and she certainly wasn’t mine to speak for.

​I turned back to Callum. "Yeah," I said quietly. "I’m here to see Rebecca."

​Callum’s gaze moved slowly between my tight jaw and Rebecca’s distant, guarded expression. He was far too intelligent not to notice the suffocating tension in the air. A slow, knowing smirk spread across his face as he leaned back slightly on his heels.

​"Well," Callum murmured, adjusting his shirt cuff once more. "It seems I have a very powerful competitor."

​My jaw tightened until my teeth ground together, Rebecca’s eyes widened slightly in irritation, and deep inside my chest, Titan let out a low, possessive growl.

​I stared at Callum. Callum stared right back at me.

​Neither of us said a word. He might have been smiling, but I wasn’t stupid. There was nothing friendly about the way he was looking at me now. And from the slight tightening of his jaw, he understood there was nothing friendly about the way I was looking at him either.

​Two kings standing in the same room, interested in the same woman. Fucking perfect.

​Titan growled again inside me, snarling wildly against my ribs.

​Make him leave.

​That’s not how this works.

​You are Alpha King, my wolf argued.

​And he’s a Dragon Lord, I sighed.

​Titan clearly didn’t give a fuck about politics.

​Noticing the suffocating tension threatening to boil over, Maria stepped between us before either Callum or I could say something that would turn an uncomfortable meeting into an international problem.

​"Well, Lord Callum," Maria said, her voice calm and authoritative as she expertly broke the heavy silence. "You mentioned earlier that you will be staying at the pack house for a week, correct?"

​My head snapped toward her, my eyes widening slightly. A whole week? What the fuck? Under the same roof as my mate?

​Callum finally tore his gaze away from me and turned toward Maria, giving her a charming smile. "Yes, Alpha Maria. A week should be enough. Since our territories are finally finalizing the new trade routes and territory defense agreements, I figured it would be far more efficient for me to oversee the diplomatic paperwork in person."

​My brows pulled together. "Enough for what?"

​All three of them looked at me. I didn’t care.

​Maria turned toward me, giving me a pointed look that silently warned me to keep my temper in check as she explained, "Stone Pack and the Dragon Realm have been negotiating a timber and mineral supply treaty for the past few months, Alpha Kaden. We are planning to open a protected trade route between our territories."

​"A trade route?" I repeated.

​Maria nodded. "Yes. Stone Pack has access to several rare healing plants that don’t grow naturally in the Dragon Realm. In return, Lord Callum’s territory has minerals we need for some of our weapons and protective barriers. Lord Callum’s presence here is purely business."

​Callum continued calmly, "There are also security issues to settle before either side agrees to open its borders to regular transport. I prefer to inspect the route myself rather than leave something this important entirely to representatives."

​It made logical sense. That was what irritated me most. It made complete fucking sense.

​A Dragon Lord personally visiting another territory over a major trade agreement wasn’t unusual. If the agreement involved opening a protected route into dragon lands, his presence was even more understandable. It was a completely valid political reason for a dragon lord to take up residence in a wolf territory, but to me, it felt entirely wrong. It felt like a direct threat.

​"If it’s just business," I said, "why does he have to stay here? Why don’t you stay in a luxury hotel in the city? The pack house is for family and pack affairs."

​Rebecca’s head slowly turned toward me, her arms crossing tightly over her chest as she glared at me. I knew immediately that I should have kept my mouth shut.

​"And why should he?" Rebecca snapped, her voice dripping with irritation. "You’re staying here, aren’t you? If you’re so concerned about pack privacy, Kaden, you could have picked a hotel, too."

​"That is different," I argued.

​Her eyebrows shot up. "How?"

​I opened my mouth, but my jaw snapped shut. Nothing came out. Her words bit deep, but I couldn’t even counter them without looking completely unreasonable—like exactly what I was trying desperately not to be. Possessive. Controlling. A fucking hypocrite.

​Rebecca gave me a look that said she knew she’d won and turned away.

​Callum’s smirk widened just a fraction, a dark glint of amusement in his eyes. He was enjoying this.

​"Well," Callum said calmly, looking around the large foyer, "I wasn’t aware Alpha King Kaden would also be staying here." His eyes returned to mine. "How fortunate. It seems Lady Rebecca makes a very fine point, Alpha Kaden. A full house will certainly make the week far more interesting."

​I glared at him, my jaw clenching so hard my molars ached.

​Maria quickly intervened before the foyer turned into an actual warzone. "Lord Callum, you must have had a long flight from the dragon territories. Please, let my staff show you to your suite so you can refresh yourself before we meet later this afternoon to go over the route plans."

​"Yes. That would be appreciated," Callum replied. He bowed his head respectfully to Maria, then turned toward Rebecca, offering her a soft, courteous nod. "It was a pleasure finally meeting you, Lady Rebecca. Hopefully, we’ll have more time to speak while I’m here."

​Rebecca gave him another polite, warm smile. "Of course."

​Titan snarled. I ignored him. Barely.

​As the head guard stepped forward to lead him toward the guest wing, Callum paused and turned to me. For a few seconds, neither of us spoke.

​Then that calm, sharp grin returned to his face as he looked over his shoulder.

​"Alpha King Kaden, I’ll see you around."

​My eyes narrowed. Something told me that wasn’t a simple goodbye. Callum held my gaze for another second before turning and following the staff member toward the guest wing.

​I watched him leave, my blood boiling.

​One week. He was staying here for one fucking week. Exactly as long as I was.

​Wonderful.