Chapter 311: Bad Father

Rebecca’s POV

I stormed back to the pack house, my blood still boiling. The moment I reached the stairs, I climbed them quickly, marched down the hallway toward Kaden’s guest room, and pushed the door open so hard that it slammed against the wall without knocking.

​Kaden was sitting in a large armchair near the window. His shirt was back on, though only half the buttons were done, his knuckles were bruised, and there was a small cut on his lip. A glass of whiskey rested in his hand. He didn’t jump or look surprised to see me; he simply raised the glass to his mouth and took a slow drink.

​I slammed the door shut behind me. "What the hell was that?"

​Kaden said nothing.

​"That was a friendly match, Kaden!" I shouted, taking a step closer. "A friendly match! And you almost blinded a guest in my mother’s pack! Are you completely crazy?"

​His face remained blank, his eyes staying on the whiskey.

​"Are you listening to me?"

​"Yes."

​"Then say something!"

​He finally looked at me. "I have nothing to say."

​I laughed bitterly. "Nothing to say? You almost beat another ruler unconscious in the middle of my mother’s pack and you have nothing to say?"

​His jaw tightened. "He’s fine."

​"Really?" My voice rose even higher. I paced away from him, then turned back. "Do you ever think before you lose control? Ever? You’re the Alpha King, Kaden. Everyone there was watching you—hundreds of people, young warriors who probably look up to you. And what did you show them? That the second somebody says something you don’t like, you beat the shit out of them?"

​His eyes hardened. "Rebecca."

​"No! Don’t ’Rebecca’ me!" All the anger I’d been carrying since yesterday came rushing back at once—no, not just since yesterday, but since the prison cell, the choker, the lies, and every time he’d looked at me like I was nothing. "You come into my home, act like you own the place, and then beat someone into the dirt because he said something you don’t like! And you keep telling me you’ve changed. You keep saying you’re sorry and that you’re going to do better, but the second someone gets under your skin, you’re right back to the same violent man you always were."

​Kaden’s fingers tightened around the glass, but he said nothing, which only made me angrier.

​"You know what scares me the most?"

​His eyes lifted to mine. I stepped closer and placed one hand over my stomach. "This."

​His expression immediately changed. "My baby."

​"Rebecca," he called quietly, as if sensing what I was about to say.

​I ignored him. "You keep saying you want to be part of his life. You keep talking about protecting him, raising him, being there for him." My voice shook as I continued. "But after what I just saw tonight, maybe I don’t want my child growing up around that."

​Kaden went completely still. I should have stopped there—some small part of me knew I was already crossing a line—but I didn’t.

​"You don’t deserve to be a father."

​The room seemed to go completely silent as Laura whimpered inside my head (Rebecca...), but I ignored her.

​"You would be a terrible father," I continued, my anger pushing the words out before I could think. "And I will never let my baby grow up around a monster who can’t control himself."

​The second the words left my mouth, something inside me dropped. Kaden stared at me. He didn’t explode or shout—that would have been easier. Instead, his face slowly emptied of emotion as he placed the glass down on the table beside him and stood up. Not quickly or aggressively, but slowly. His tall frame rose in front of me, and for a second, I felt the full weight of his presence.

​"Say that again," he said quietly.

​My throat tightened, but I lifted my chin. "I said I don’t want my child around someone who can’t control his temper."

​Kaden stared at me for a long moment. "You can call me anything you want. You can hate me. You can call me a monster for what I did to you. You can remind me every day of what I did, and I won’t argue because I earned it." His voice dropped, cracking slightly on the last word. "But do not stand there and tell me I wouldn’t be a good father."

​My chest tightened. For a second, guilt tried to break through my anger, but I pushed it down. "You nearly killed someone tonight over a few words!"

​Kaden gave a humorless laugh. "Do you even know what he whispered to me before I hit him?"

​I paused, but only for a second, because I didn’t know. I had seen Callum lean closer, I had seen his lips move, and I had seen Kaden’s whole expression change afterward, but I had no idea what he’d actually said.

​I crossed my arms tightly over my chest. "So what did he say? Huh? What could he possibly have said that made that okay?"

​Kaden stared at me. "You don’t care what he said."

​"I asked, didn’t I?"

​"You already decided I was wrong before you walked through that door."

​"Because you were!"

​Kaden stared at me in disbelief. "Really?"

​"Yes!" I snapped. "You’re the Alpha King! Men will challenge you, they’ll insult you, and they’ll say things you don’t like. You’re supposed to know how to control yourself!"

​"He wasn’t talking about politics, Rebecca!"

​"I don’t care!"

​The words came out too quickly. The truth was, I did care a little, but I refused to admit it.

​Kaden’s expression changed. He looked tired now—not angry, just tired. "Of course you don’t."

​I narrowed my eyes. "What is that supposed to mean?"

​"It means you came in here looking for another reason to hate me."

​My anger flared again. "You don’t need help giving me reasons."

​The second I said it, I saw the effect. His face went completely blank; the words had landed harder than I meant them to. For several seconds, neither of us spoke until Kaden slowly nodded.

​"Fine."

​I frowned. "Fine what?"

​"You’ve made your point."

​"I haven’t finished."

​"I have."

​"Kaden..."

​"Leave."

​I froze. His voice wasn’t loud or threatening; it was quiet and flat, which somehow felt worse. "What?"

​He turned away from me and picked up his glass again. "Leave, Rebecca."

​I stared at his back, my stomach twisting. "Kaden, I am trying to make you understand that..."

​"I understand perfectly," he interrupted, his voice controlled and cold now. "You think I’m dangerous. You think I’m a monster. You think I don’t deserve to be near my own child."

​I opened my mouth. "That isn’t exactly what I..."

​"You said it."

​I fell silent, because I had. Hearing the words repeated back to me made them sound even worse, and Laura whimpered again inside my head.

​I swallowed hard as Kaden lifted the whiskey toward his mouth without drinking, standing there looking out the dark window.

​"Get out of my room," he said softly.