Chapter 314: Can’t Forgive You

Rebecca’s POV

​For several seconds, I just stood there staring at Callum.

​Kaden had cleared my name.

​Publicly.

​He had told every pack leader, every council member, every ruler who had ever heard the story that I was innocent.

​A part of me wanted to ask Callum a hundred more questions, but suddenly I couldn’t stay in the garden anymore. The heavy silence of the gardens pressed down on me, making it hard to breathe. Callum was still looking at me with curious eyes, but my chest felt too tight, my thoughts too loud. Everything inside me was spinning out of control.

​"I need to go," I whispered, my voice barely audible.

​Callum studied my face but didn’t stop me. "Of course."

​I gave him a small nod before turning around and walking quickly back toward the pack house. My heart was pounding like a war drum against my ribs. Kaden had cleared my name? He had told the entire supernatural world that I was innocent.

​By the time I stepped through the main doors into the quiet hallway, I wasn’t even sure what I was feeling.

​Anger? Relief? Confusion? Maybe all three.

​Kaden had done something I had wanted for so long. He had finally told the world the truth. But why did hearing about it from Callum hurt, too?

​Maybe because Kaden hadn’t told me. Maybe because he hadn’t stood in front of me asking for praise or forgiveness for doing it. He had simply done it.

​I didn’t head to Kaden’s room. Instead, I walked toward the grand staircase, my feet moving on autopilot, reaching the bottom of the stairs just as someone started coming down.

​Kaden.

​He was holding a stack of leather-bound folders, his phone in his other hand. He looked composed, dressed in a simple dark shirt and trousers. But as I drew closer, I could see the faint shadows beneath his eyes, the absolute weariness in his posture.

​He stopped two steps above me when he saw me.

​For one second, neither of us spoke.

​"Rebecca."

​My heart tightened at how carefully he said my name now. No Becca. No teasing. Nothing.

​"Hi."

​His eyes moved over my face. "How are you feeling?"

​"Fine," I managed to say, my throat feeling tight.

​He gave me a single, quiet nod. "Good."

​He made to step past me, his shoulders rigid as he tried to give me the space I had always demanded.

​"Kaden."

​He stopped immediately, his body freezing for a second before he turned back to face me.

​I swallowed hard. "We need to talk."

​Something flickered across his face, but he didn’t question me. He just nodded slowly. "Okay."

​"Come with me," I said, my voice trembling slightly.

​Another nod. No argument. No questions. Honestly, it was starting to annoy me.

​I turned and climbed the stairs, and Kaden followed quietly behind me, keeping a respectful three paces behind me the entire way.

​When we reached my room, I pushed the door open and stepped inside. He followed, stepping over the threshold, but stopped right beside the closed wooden door instead of coming farther into the room. He remained standing, keeping maximum distance between us to make sure I felt safe.

​I walked over to the bed, sat down on the edge, and rested my hands nervously on my knees. I looked up at him.

​"Please sit."

​He nodded, walked quietly across the soft rug, and sat on the small couch across from my bed. He rested his hands on his thighs, leaning forward slightly, his eyes fixed on mine as he waited.

​I suddenly had no idea how to begin. Funny, isn’t it? I had marched into his room last night with enough words to destroy an entire kingdom, but now that I actually needed to say something important, my mouth didn’t want to work.

​I looked down at my hands, swallowing the hard lump in my throat. "About last night..."

​Kaden’s expression changed slightly.

​"What I said about you being a terrible father..." My throat tightened. "I shouldn’t have said that. I didn’t mean it."

​He didn’t speak immediately.

​"I was angry," I continued. "Really angry. And I wanted to hurt you."

​At least I could admit that much. Kaden looked at me, a soft, bitter expression touching his lips before it faded. His jaw tightened slightly, but his voice remained calm.

​"I know. I understand your fears and your worries, Rebecca. You had every right to be angry."

​"No," I said, frowning slightly.

​"I mean, I understand why you’re afraid," he said quietly. "After everything I’ve done, you have every reason to question what kind of man I am."

​"But that doesn’t mean I had the right to say you would be a terrible father."

​Kaden looked down for a moment. "I want to be a good father."

​"I know." Those words came out faster than I expected. His eyes lifted back to mine, and I swallowed. "I know you do."

​Silence settled between us for a brief second before I took another breath, watching his face closely. "Callum told me what he said to you during the fight."

​Something unreadable crossed Kaden’s face. "He did?"

​"Yes. He told me he provoked you on purpose. He told me what he whispered, too."

​Kaden gave a quiet nod. "He did."

​"You could have told me last night."

​"I could have."

​"But you didn’t."

​Kaden was silent for a moment. He didn’t sound bitter toward Callum, and he didn’t sound defensive. "It wouldn’t have changed what I did."

​That caught me off guard.

​"He provoked me," Kaden continued quietly. "He knew exactly what he was doing. But I still made the decision to hit him. You were right about one thing last night."

​"What?"

​"I need to learn how to control my anger better," Kaden said, looking down at his hands, his knuckles tightening slightly. "I am the Alpha King. I don’t get to lose control every time someone says something that hurts me. I let him push me into acting like a beast."

​My lips parted slightly as I stared at him, my mind struggling to process the man sitting in front of me. Where was the arrogant king who always thought he was right? Why was he agreeing with everything I said? Why was he accepting all the blame so easily without making excuses or blaming Callum?

​It made something inside my chest ache even more.

​"I still think Callum was wrong," I said.

​"He was."

​"But you were wrong, too."

​He nodded.

​I stared at him. It would have been easier if he argued, if he shouted, or if he gave me a reason to stay angry. Instead, he was sitting there agreeing with me.

​I looked away. "There is something else Callum told me. He told me about the statement. About the public announcement clearing my name."

​Kaden lowered his eyes. "Yes."

​"You announced to everyone yesterday morning that I was innocent?"

​"I had to."

​My chest tightened. "Why didn’t you tell me?"

​Kaden looked at me for a long moment. "Because I didn’t do it for praise."

​I swallowed hard.

​"I should have done that a long time ago," he continued, his voice deep and rough with emotion. "I let my pain and anger blind me back then. I should have given you a fair trial. I should have listened when you told me you were innocent. I should have looked at the evidence instead of allowing grief and anger to control me."

​My fingers tightened together as images I didn’t want suddenly flashed through my mind. The cold cell. The chains. The choker around my neck. The fear. His cold face while I begged him to listen.

​I looked away quickly, and Kaden noticed. His voice became softer, cracking on the last word.

​"Rebecca... I am so sorry for everything."

​My throat tightened. "I know."

​"No." He shook his head. "I don’t think I’ll ever be able to say it enough."

​I looked at him again. I could see the raw regret and total sincerity burning in his eyes. He meant every single word. But sincerity couldn’t erase memories. It couldn’t take the collar off my neck before it was ever placed there. It couldn’t stop the stones from hitting my body, or give me back the nights I spent terrified and alone.

​"What about Monica and Brandon?" I asked quietly.

​Kaden’s expression hardened immediately. "Their hearing is next week for a formal judgment."

​"What does that mean?"

​"It means the council will hear the final evidence before sentencing. They have both been found guilty of treason and murder."

​"And the sentence?" I asked, already knowing the answer.

​"Death. They will both be hanged."

​I fell silent, a cold shiver running down my spine. I sat there, completely speechless. Monica and Brandon—the two people who had framed me and ruined my life—were going to die. Did I feel pity for them? No. Laura stirred inside me, her form curling as she growled softly in my mind. They don’t deserve your pity. I closed my eyes briefly. Maybe she was right, or maybe I was simply tired of deciding who deserved what.

​I opened my eyes and looked at him. "Kaden."

​"Yes?"

​"I can’t forgive you," I said gently, looking him dead in the eye. "At least... not right now."

​Kaden’s jaw tightened slightly, but he nodded slowly without hesitation. "I understand."

​"You keep saying that."

​"Because I do."

​I looked down at my stomach, placing a hand gently over my small bump. "This isn’t something I can just forget because you apologized. And clearing my name doesn’t erase what happened. I still see everything when I close my eyes sometimes."

​His breathing changed—just a slight hitch—and I heard it. "I know," he whispered.

​I swallowed hard, forcing myself to say the rest of the truth that had been weighing down my soul. "And Kaden... I really don’t want to be with you."

​That one hurt to say. Not because it wasn’t true, but because I could feel Laura fighting against every word.

​Kaden froze.

​"I know we’re mates," I continued, my voice shaking. "I know our wolves want each other. I know there is a bond between us, but I can’t build a relationship with you just because the Moon Goddess decided we belong together. I can’t wake up every morning beside someone who reminds me of the worst time in my life. Maybe one day that will change. Maybe it won’t. I don’t know."

​The moment the words fully registered, a heavy silence descended upon the room.

​Kaden shuddered as if I had driven a physical blade straight into his heart. Tears gathered in the corners of his eyes, shining against the dim light. A single, clear tear spilled over, tracking down his cheek. He looked away quickly and wiped it with the back of his hand, trying to keep his composure, but the damage was done.

​Laura let out a painful whimper, curling into a tiny ball of pure grief. Mate is hurting.

​My own heart felt like it was being squeezed, aching so intensely that I had to grip the bedsheets just to stay upright. Why did hurting him hurt me after everything? Maybe that was the cruelest part of a mate bond. It didn’t care whether your heart was ready; it just connected you anyway and left you to deal with the mess.

​Kaden took a slow, shuddering breath. "I understand, Rebecca."

​I stared at him. "Really?"

​He nodded, a broken smile touching his mouth for half a second. "I don’t like it. I hate it, actually. But you don’t want to be with me, and I can’t force you to."

​Relief mixed painfully with sadness inside my chest. "And the rejection?"

​Kaden was quiet for several seconds, his eyes drifting toward my stomach. "When the baby is born safely... we can do it."

​My heart started beating faster. "You mean that?"

​"Yes," he whispered, the word sounding like it physically tore through his throat. "I won’t risk rejecting the bond while you’re pregnant. I still won’t do that. But after our child is born, if you still want me to reject you... I will. I won’t force you to stay tied to me."

​My throat tightened. "Thank you."

​Kaden nodded quietly. Neither of us spoke for a moment as the stillness stretched between us.

​Then I looked down at my stomach again. "There is something else."

​He waited.

​"This baby is yours, too," I said softly. "You don’t have to ask permission every time you want to know how your child is doing. I’m not going to punish you by keeping the baby away from you, because I know how much you want to be a father."

​Kaden stared at me, his lips parting, but no sound came out.

​"You can be involved," I continued. "As much as you want. You can come to appointments. You can know what’s happening with the pregnancy. When the baby is born, you can spend time with him. You can be his father."

​His eyes filled again, and this time he didn’t look away fast enough. A small, broken breath escaped his lips as the dark weight in his gaze lifted just a fraction, replaced by deep, overwhelming gratitude.

​"Thank you, Rebecca," he said, his voice thick and broken with emotion. "Thank you."

​"You don’t have to thank me. He’s your child."

​"I know. But thank you anyway."

​I looked away because seeing Kaden tear up was doing something terrible to my chest.

​For several minutes, neither of us spoke. The room had become so quiet that I could hear the soft ticking of the clock on the wall—a quiet, heavy stillness that felt like the end of a long, painful Chapter.

​Kaden eventually stood up slowly from the couch, brushing his hands over his trousers. He looked at me, his expression filled with a quiet, sorrowful acceptance.

​"There is one more thing I should tell you," he said softly.

​My stomach tightened. "What?"

​He hesitated, adjusting his shirt before his eyes met mine one last time. "I’ll be leaving Stone Pack tomorrow morning."

​I froze. For some reason, those simple words hurt far more than I ever expected.