Chapter 323: The Fight

AUTHOR’S NOTE!!

I Should have added this in the author’s note earlier, but you guys don’t read my author’s notes.

Don’t forget to add Book Two of this story to your library. It’s titled Offered to the Beastly Alpha. You’re going to love it, and you’ll get to see a lot more in Book Two, so make sure you add it to your library.

Also, we’re officially entering the second-to-last phase of this story, which means we have roughly 100 Chapters left before the story ends.

We’re getting closer to the end, guys!

Rebecca’s POV

​The next morning, I was woken up by a sharp, loud howl echoing straight through my mind.

​Mate! Laura, my wolf, howled in complete excitement, practically bouncing around inside my head.

​My eyes snapped wide open in sheer shock. Mate?

​"What?" I mumbled, pushing myself up quickly as my heart began to race. "What do you mean, mate?"

​Kaden. Mate is here!

​I sat up abruptly, rubbing the sleep from my face as I tried to pull my scattered thoughts together. Was Kaden actually here? I couldn’t believe it. I turned toward the wall clock hanging near my closet. It was barely six o’clock in the morning.

​It wasn’t even the weekend yet. Kaden had specifically said he would come back during the weekend for my first checkup. So unless I had somehow slept through several days, there was absolutely no reason for him to be here.

​Then, a sudden shift in the air hit me. The crisp, clean scent of cedar and rich mint drifted through the slightly open window, settling thick and heavy in my room.

​He was really here.

​I scrambled out of the bed, pulled my silky night jacket over my pajamas to cover myself, and pushed my bedroom door open. Slipping out into the hallway, I walked toward the grand staircase, the familiar scent growing stronger with every step I took.

​The moment I reached the top step, I looked down into the living room and froze. Kaden was sitting casually on the plush leather couch, dressed in dark trousers and a white shirt. His long black hair was slightly messy, as if he hadn’t bothered doing much with it before leaving his territory.

​As if he could instantly sense my presence, his head snapped upward. Our eyes met across the open space. His intense gaze locked onto mine, dark and completely unreadable, before softening slightly.

​Laura practically purred inside my head. Mate.

​Yes, Laura. I can see him.

​I furrowed my brows in confusion and slowly began descending the stairs. The moment my feet hit the carpeted steps, Kaden stood up from the couch, his tall frame instantly filling the room.

​I reached the bottom step, crossing my arms over my chest and frowning at him. "You’re here? It isn’t even the weekend yet."

​"Good morning to you too," Kaden said, ignoring my attitude. "I know."

​"Then what are you doing here?"

​His expression changed. The tiny hint of amusement disappeared, and his eyes moved slowly over my face. "I was worried about you last night. After we spoke through the bond, I couldn’t stay away. I needed to see for myself that you were okay."

​I raised an eyebrow at him, leaning back slightly. "You flew all the way here at six in the morning just because of that? You could have called."

​"I did speak to you," he admitted bluntly. "And you told me you wanted to be left alone. But I couldn’t sleep. I couldn’t just sit in my palace knowing you were hurting."

​Kaden sighed and ran a hand through his dark hair. "I tried, Rebecca. I went back to bed after you closed the link, but I kept feeling something through the bond. Not enough to know exactly what you were feeling, but enough to know you weren’t okay. I wanted to see you with my own eyes."

​"I am fine."

​"Are you?"

​Kaden studied my face like he was trying to decide whether he believed me.

​Before I could process his words or craft a proper response, the sound of footsteps echoed from the top of the stairs.

​I turned my head and saw Lord Callum descending the steps, looking entirely too relaxed for someone who had just woken up. He wore a simple dark shirt and trousers, his blond hair slightly messy.

​My stomach immediately did a violent, nervous flip. My throat went completely dry as every single second of last night flashed through my mind like a movie trailer—the garden walk, his gentle words, the lingering heat of his lips against my forehead.

​Wait. Why the hell was I acting so nervous?

​It wasn’t like we had done anything wrong. He had only kissed my forehead. It was sweet! It was protective! It was... completely harmless.

​Right?

​Well, try telling that to my face, because I swallowed hard and instinctively darted my eyes toward Kaden.

​Shit.

​He saw it. He noticed my sudden change in posture, the slight flush on my cheeks, and the obvious guilt written all over my face. Kaden’s brows furrowed instantly, his jaw tightening so hard I thought his teeth might crack. He didn’t need to say a single word out loud. His green eyes narrowed, practically screaming at me through the silence: What are you hiding?

​Callum reached the bottom of the stairs, completely unbothered by the deadly tension suffocating the room. He looked over at Kaden and gave a cool, casual nod. "Alpha Kaden. You’re here early."

​Kaden turned his head slowly, staring at the Dragon Lord with a look that could incinerate a stone wall. "Callum. You’re still here?"

​Callum stopped a few feet away, crossing his arms over his chest. "Yes. Do you have a problem with that?"

​Kaden moved a step closer, his broad shoulders tensing as his Alpha aura flared slightly. "Don’t you have a kingdom to run?"

​Callum scoffed softly, an amused smirk playing at the corner of his mouth. "What about you? Doesn’t the Alpha King have an empire to manage?"

​"I have a very good reason to be here," Kaden bit out. "My mate and my unborn child are in this house."

​Callum let out a short, dry laugh. "Indeed."

​He didn’t bother arguing further. Instead, Callum turned his attention entirely away from Kaden and looked straight at me. His expression softened instantly into that same gentle warmth from last night.

​"Good morning, Rebecca," he said smoothly.

​My voice caught in my throat for a second before I forced a small smile. "Good morning, Callum."

​"I’ll let you get your morning started," Callum said politely. He gave me one last lingering look before turning and casually walking off toward the kitchen, completely ignoring the deadly glare burning into the back of his head.

​The moment Callum disappeared around the corner, Kaden turned back to face me. The intensity in his dark green eyes was overwhelming.

​He took two quick steps, closing the distance between us until he was standing directly in front of me.

​"What is going on between you two?" Kaden demanded, his voice thick with suppressed anger and jealousy. He leaned down slightly, his dark eyes searching my face relentlessly. "And don’t lie to me, Rebecca. I can see it. Something happened between you two. I saw the way you reacted when he came downstairs."

​My heart raced, but my anger instantly flared to life, burning away my initial nervousness. Damn him for noticing everything! But who did he think he was? Coming into my mother’s home at six in the morning to interrogate me like a suspect?

​I swallowed hard, squared my shoulders, and looked him straight in the eye.

​"I am not answerable to you, Alpha Kaden," I said, keeping my voice cold and steady. "I am not one of your pack members, I am not one of your servants, and I am certainly not someone you get to question whenever you feel like it."

​"That’s not what I meant," he gritted out.

​"Then stop questioning me like I owe you an explanation."

​I turned away from Kaden before he could say another word and walked toward the stairs, my entire body burning with anger.

​"Rebecca," he called after me.

​I ignored him and kept walking.

​"Rebecca, wait."

​I still didn’t stop. If I stayed there any longer, I was only going to get angrier, and I didn’t trust myself not to say something I would regret.

​I climbed the stairs and headed straight for my bedroom. The moment I stepped inside, I shut the door harder than necessary and walked toward the bed.

​"Unbelievable," I muttered as I sat down. "Who does he think he is?"

​Laura went quiet, and I fell backward onto the bed, staring at the ceiling. It wasn’t even seven in the morning yet, and I was already exhausted. Normal people woke up, brushed their teeth, ate breakfast, and peacefully started their day. Apparently, I woke up to jealous supernatural rulers trying to mark their territory in my mother’s living room.

​And the worst part was that Kaden didn’t even know about the kiss.

​Not a real kiss, obviously.

​A forehead kiss.

​A completely harmless, innocent forehead kiss that I definitely had not thought about several times since last night.

​I groaned and covered my face with both hands.

​Then I heard raised voices downstairs.

​I slowly lowered my hands.

​At first, I couldn’t make out the words, but I immediately recognized Kaden’s voice. A second voice followed, just as deep and angry.

​Callum.

​"You have got to be kidding me."

​I sat up and listened. Their voices grew louder, and a heavy crash suddenly echoed through the house.

​My irritation disappeared.

​What the hell?

​Another crash followed, then several people started shouting downstairs. Before I could even get off the bed, I heard a maid’s frightened voice rise above the noise.

​"Somebody stop them! They’re going to kill each other!"

​My heart dropped.

​I jumped from the bed and rushed toward the door. The moment I pulled it open, another loud crash shook the silence of the hallway.

​"Kaden?"

​I hurried toward the staircase, my heart pounding harder with every step. When I reached the top, I grabbed the railing and looked down into the living room.

​My eyes widened.

​Oh, Moon Goddess.

​Kaden and Callum were fighting.

​Actually fighting.

​Callum drove Kaden backward with a hard shove, but Kaden caught his balance almost immediately and came straight back at him. His fist connected with Callum’s face, sending the Dragon Lord stumbling sideways into one of the couches. Callum recovered just as quickly and grabbed Kaden, and within seconds they were hitting each other again while several people stood around them, shouting desperately for them to stop.

​"Kaden! Callum!"

​I hurried down the stairs, barely paying attention to where I was placing my feet because my eyes were fixed on Kaden and Callum. They were still going at each other, both too angry to notice me coming.

​"Stop it!" I shouted. "Both of you!"

​Neither of them listened. Kaden swung at Callum again, and Callum blocked him before grabbing the front of his shirt. I rushed down another step, furious that two grown men could be doing this in my mother’s house.

​"Kaden, enough!"

​I was still looking at them when my sandal landed badly on the edge of the next step.

​My foot slipped.

​I didn’t even understand what was happening until my hand flew toward the railing and missed.

​"Shit!"

​I went down hard.

​My shoulder hit the stairs first, then my side. I tried to grab onto something, but there was nothing to hold on to. My body rolled, and the next thing I felt was my stomach hitting the edge of one of the steps.

​A sharp pain tore through my stomach, and I screamed.

​"Rebecca!"

​I heard Kaden shout my name, but I was already falling again. I tried to protect my stomach with my arms, but everything was happening too fast. Another step hit my back, then my hip, and I kept rolling until I finally landed on the floor at the bottom of the stairs.

​For a few seconds, I just lay there.

​I could hear people shouting around me, but their voices sounded far away. My whole body hurt, and I couldn’t seem to catch my breath.

​Then a sharp pain twisted through my stomach.

​"Ah..." I cried, quickly pressing my hand against my lower belly.

​Rebecca! Laura cried inside my head.

​"Baby..." The word left my mouth before I even realized I’d said it.

​Someone dropped beside me. I knew it was Kaden from his scent, but I couldn’t look at him. Another cramp hit me, worse than the first, and I squeezed my eyes shut as I curled slightly around my stomach.

​"Rebecca, don’t move." Kaden’s voice sounded panicked. "Don’t fucking move. Someone get the healer!"

​I barely heard him.

​There was something warm between my legs.

​At first, I didn’t understand what it was. Then I felt it again, slowly spreading beneath me, and a horrible feeling settled in my chest.