Chapter 312: Acting Differently

Rebecca’s POV

​For a few seconds, I just stood there.

​I didn’t know why those words surprised me so much. Hadn’t I been asking him to stay away from me since he arrived? Hadn’t I spent the entire day wishing he would stop following me, stop watching me, and stop trying to involve himself in everything I did?

​So why did being told to leave suddenly sting?

​I swallowed hard and lifted my chin. "Fine."

​Kaden didn’t turn around. That annoyed me even more.

​"Gladly."

​Still nothing.

​I walked toward the door and pulled it open. Some stupid part of me expected him to call my name before I stepped out—maybe tell me to wait, or maybe say something else.

​He didn’t.

​I closed the door behind me and stood in the hallway for a moment, staring at the door.

​You hurt him, Laura whimpered inside me, her voice small, wounded, and heavy with sorrow.

​I immediately started walking, my steps fast and agitated. "He hurt Lord Callum! He almost killed a man tonight over a few stupid words! He hasn’t changed. He is still violent, unhinged, and incapable of controlling himself."

​He was wrong to lose control, Laura agreed quietly, her form curling up inside my head. But he would die for us. He would die for our baby. You told him he would be a terrible father. You know that isn’t true.

​"Oh, shut up, Laura."

​A maid walking toward me froze in her tracks. "Lady Rebecca?"

​My face heated instantly. "Not you. Sorry."

​She gave me a nervous, confused smile before hurrying down the hallway. Great. Now I was arguing with the voice in my head in public.

​I marched quickly toward my bedroom, pushed the door open, and shut myself inside. The moment I was alone, I sat on the edge of my bed and pressed my trembling hands against my face.

​Kaden had been wrong. I knew that. Whatever Callum had whispered to him, Kaden shouldn’t have lost control like that. He was the Alpha King. He had responsibilities, and hundreds of people had been watching him. I wasn’t going to change my mind about that.

​But telling him he didn’t deserve to be a father? Using my pregnancy as a weapon against him?

​That had been different. I had seen his face when I said it—the way the dark fire in his eyes had completely died, leaving him looking hollow and utterly exhausted.

​I knew exactly why I’d said it. I had wanted to hurt him. There was no point in lying to myself. For one moment, I had wanted him to feel even a small piece of what he’d made me feel in the past. I wanted my words to cut him to the bone.

​Well, congratulations, Rebecca. They had.

​You should apologize, Laura whispered.

​"I said shut up."

​You know it was wrong.

​"I know!" My voice echoed loudly around the empty bedroom.

​I sighed and fell backward onto the mattress, staring up at the ceiling. Yes, I knew. That didn’t mean I was going back there tonight. I was still angry with him. If Kaden wanted space after everything I’d said, then fine. Maybe space was exactly what both of us needed.

​I tossed and turned all night. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw Kaden standing in front of me, his voice cracking as he swore he would love and protect his child. I hated that I felt guilty. I had every right to be furious with him. He had lost control and acted like a monster. So why did I feel like I was the one who had committed a crime?

​The next morning, I woke up expecting Laura to start her usual nonsense.

​I opened my eyes. Silence.

​That was strange. Usually, since Kaden arrived at Stone Pack, Laura woke me up with some version of Mate is close or I can smell mate or simply repeating Mate until I wanted to scream. Today, she was completely silent.

​"Are you alive?" I asked mentally.

​Yes.

​"Then why are you quiet?"

​Silence.

​I sat up. "Laura?"

​Mate is sad.

​I closed my eyes, a cold knot tightening in my chest. Of course.

​"Good morning to you too," I muttered, forcing myself out of bed.

​After showering, I dressed slowly in comfortable black pants and a loose cream top. My small bump was becoming harder to hide every day. I stood in front of the mirror for a moment, running my hand gently over my stomach.

​"I didn’t mean what I said about your father," I whispered softly to the quiet room.

​The admission made something uncomfortable squeeze inside my chest. I didn’t fully know what kind of father Kaden would be, but I knew what it felt like to grow up wondering about your place in the world. I wasn’t going to do that to my child. Whatever happened between Kaden and me, our baby deserved to be loved by both parents.

​I left my room and headed downstairs.

​In my mind, I already thought I knew how the morning would go. It was a pattern we had repeated a dozen times before. Kaden would be waiting at the table. The second I walked in, his eyes would lock onto mine. He would stand up, pull out my chair, and hover around me. He would ask if I had slept well, worry about whether I was eating enough for the baby, and look for any tiny excuse to talk to me or touch my hand.

​I braced myself as I reached the dining room doors.

​Mother was sitting at the head of the long wooden table with a cup of tea. Kaden sat to her right. He was dressed in a sharp, dark suit this morning, looking far more like the Alpha King than the man who had nearly beaten another ruler into the ground last night. A tablet rested beside his breakfast, his thumb scrolling rapidly through work emails and pack reports. Though he looked neatly put together, the small cut on his lip and his bruised knuckles were still visible.

​My steps slowed as I stepped inside.

​Usually, the second I walked into a room, Kaden noticed. Today was no different. His dark eyes lifted and met mine for a second.

​There was no softening. No smile. No sudden heat in his gaze, no desperate urge to step toward me, and no soft "Good morning, Becca" just to annoy me.

​"Good morning, Rebecca," he said. His voice was polite, smooth, and completely flat.

​I stopped for half a second, my throat feeling strangely dry. "Good morning."

​He didn’t get up. He didn’t pull out my chair. He simply gave me a quiet, formal nod and returned his focus entirely to the tablet in his hand.

​I sat down opposite him, feeling a sudden, bizarre sense of displacement. Mother smiled at me, passing a plate of fresh fruit across the table.

​"Did you sleep well, sweetheart?" Mother asked gently.

​"I slept fine," I lied, keeping my eyes glued to my plate.

​I waited. For what, I had no idea. Maybe for Kaden to tell me I needed more protein, or ask if I’d taken my pregnancy supplements, or stare at my plate to make sure I ate enough.

​Nothing happened.

​His phone vibrated beside him on the table. Kaden picked it up, answering calmly. "Yes?"

​There was a short pause as he listened.

​"No. Move the council meeting to tomorrow afternoon. I want the reports sent to me before noon." Another brief pause. "I don’t care what Alpha Raymond wants. He was given three warnings. If his warriors cross the border again, there will be consequences."

​His voice was firm, cool, and commanding. The Alpha King. Not Kaden.

​For some reason, that bothered me too. What was wrong with me? This was what I had been begging for—peace, distance, and no Kaden breathing down my neck every five seconds. So why was I noticing every single second he wasn’t looking at me?

​Because you miss him, Laura whispered sadly.

​I nearly choked on my juice. Absolutely not.

​Mother looked up at me. "Are you okay, Rebecca?"

​"Perfect," I said quickly.

​Kaden’s eyes lifted for the smallest second, then dropped right back to his screen. I wanted to throw something at him, which made zero sense.

​Before I could examine my own foolishness any further, heavy footsteps echoed down the hallway, and Callum walked into the dining room. Aside from a faint mark near his eyebrow, the lead healer had done a remarkable job. He looked completely unbothered by last night’s brutal match.

​"Good morning, ladies. Your Majesty," Callum said smoothly, giving Mother a polite bow. "Good morning, Lady Rebecca."

​"Good morning," I replied quietly.

​Callum’s eyes moved toward the empty chair directly beside mine. "May I?"

​I glanced at Kaden without meaning to. In the past, if another male—especially a powerful Lord like Callum—sat that close to me, Kaden’s Alpha instincts would have flared instantly. His jaw would have clenched, his power would have filled the room, and he would have inserted himself into the conversation just to remind everyone who I belonged to.

​I held my breath, waiting for the sudden drop in temperature.

​Nothing happened. Kaden was still looking at his tablet. He took a calm sip of his black coffee, typed a quick response, and completely ignored us. He wasn’t radiating subtle rage or silently fuming. He was genuinely, utterly indifferent.

​"Of course," I told Callum.