Chapter 372: Give you sometime

Kaden’s POV

It had been exactly one week since the war ended, and for the first time in months, I could finally sit in my office without worrying about another pack falling into the hands of the Tiger Kingdom.

All six territories had been secured, the Dark Fire had disappeared completely, and the surviving prisoners had been reunited with their families. The injured warriors were still receiving treatment, and several packs had suffered enough damage that rebuilding would take months, but at least the fighting was over. The reports arriving on my desk were no longer about missing soldiers or enemy attacks. Instead, they were about rebuilding homes, restoring damaged properties, and helping families return to their normal lives.

I had spent most of the morning reviewing the financial assistance each affected pack would receive when someone knocked on my office door.

"Come in," I called without looking up.

The door opened, and Logan stepped inside. I finished signing the document in front of me before raising my head.

"Alpha, Princess Rola is here to see you," he informed me.

My pen stopped moving.

Rola.

I hadn’t seen her since the night of the battle. After the healers examined her and confirmed that she hadn’t suffered any serious injuries, she had returned to the Lycan Kingdom. We had spoken briefly before she left, but neither of us had mentioned the conversation we’d started on the battlefield.

I had wanted to contact her several times during the past week, but every time I picked up my phone, I found myself wondering what exactly I was supposed to say.

An apology wouldn’t be enough, and pretending everything was fine would only insult her intelligence.

"Where is she?" I finally asked.

"She’s waiting in the sitting room downstairs," Logan replied. "She said she would prefer to speak with you privately."

I nodded and placed my pen on the desk. "Tell her I’ll be there shortly."

"Yes, Alpha," Logan answered, but instead of leaving immediately, he hesitated near the door.

I raised an eyebrow. "Is there something else?"

Logan shook his head. "No, Alpha."

"Then why are you still standing there?" I asked.

"Nothing, Alpha. I’ll let her know you’re coming," he replied before quickly leaving the office.

I watched the door close before leaning back in my chair.

I knew this conversation was coming. I’d known it from the moment Rola asked me whether I still loved Rebecca, and my silence gave her an answer I hadn’t been brave enough to say aloud.

Rola had been nothing but patient with me since we started dating. When I told her four months ago that I wasn’t ready to rush into anything serious, she had understood. She never pressured me to make promises I couldn’t keep, and I genuinely enjoyed being with her.

But Rebecca’s return had complicated everything, and I could no longer pretend otherwise.

I pushed my chair back and stood, adjusting my shirt before leaving the office.

By the time I reached the sitting room, Rola was standing beside one of the large windows, looking out at the gardens. She wore a simple cream-colored dress that reached her knees, and her silver-blonde hair fell neatly down her back. There were no visible injuries on her, and she looked much better than she had the last time I saw her.

"Rola," I called quietly.

She turned immediately, and a small smile appeared on her face.

"Kaden," she greeted me.

For a moment, we simply looked at each other. Normally, she would have walked toward me and wrapped her arms around my waist, and I would have kissed her forehead before asking about her journey.

Today, neither of us moved.

"How are you feeling?" I asked as I approached her.

"Much better," she replied. "The healers made sure I rested properly when I returned home. My father practically refused to let me leave my room for three days."

I smiled faintly. "That sounds like him."

"It does," she agreed before looking toward the sofas. "Can we sit?"

"Of course," I replied, gesturing toward them.

We sat opposite each other, and I noticed that Rola kept her hands folded together on her lap. She looked calm, but I knew her well enough to recognize that she was nervous.

"Would you like something to drink?" I asked.

"No, thank you," she replied. "I didn’t come here for refreshments, Kaden."

"I know," I said quietly.

Rola looked down at her hands for a moment before raising her eyes to mine.

"I’ve spent the past week thinking about what happened," she began. "About the war, the Tiger leader, Rebecca, and everything you told me afterward."

I remained silent, allowing her to continue.

"When you told me Rebecca was your mate, I was shocked," Rola admitted. "I knew there had been someone before me. You told me that much when we first started getting close, but I never imagined it was Rebecca."

She paused, shaking her head slightly.

"And now that I know, so many things make sense. The way you behaved around her, the way she sometimes looked at you, and even the tension between the two of you whenever we were together. I noticed those things, Kaden. I just kept telling myself I was imagining them."

I leaned forward slightly, resting my elbows on my knees.

"Rola, I should have told you the truth about Rebecca from the beginning," I said. "I had no right to let you find out that way, especially after everything we’ve shared these past four months."

"Why didn’t you tell me?" she asked.

"Because I thought that part of my life was behind me," I explained. "Rebecca and I rejected each other three years ago. We went our separate ways, and for a long time, I believed that was how things would remain. When you came into my life, I wanted to give us a chance. I wasn’t pretending when I agreed to date you, Rola."

She studied my face carefully. "And did you enjoy being with me?"

"Of course I did," I answered immediately. "I still do."

"Then what changed?" she asked.

I looked away briefly.

"Rebecca came back," I replied.

Rola swallowed, but she didn’t interrupt.

"And being around her again brought back things I thought I’d already dealt with," I continued. "I tried to ignore those feelings because I didn’t want to ruin what you and I were building, but that wasn’t fair to you."

"No, it wasn’t," Rola agreed quietly.

For several seconds, neither of us spoke. I could hear birds singing outside the window, and somewhere down the hallway, a servant was speaking quietly to another.

"There’s something else I need to understand," Rola finally said.

I looked at her. "What is it?"

"That night, when the Tiger leader asked you to choose between us, why did you say my name?" she asked, watching me carefully.

I had expected the question, but I wasn’t sure discussing what happened would make things any easier for her.

"Rola, let’s not talk about that," I replied quietly.

She scoffed, shaking her head. "Do you think I’m a fool, Kaden?"

I frowned. "I never said that."

"Then stop treating me like one," she replied. "For days, I kept wondering why you chose me. At first, I thought it was because you loved me, because when you were forced to choose between Rebecca and me, I was the woman you wanted to save."

She paused, looking down at her hands before continuing.

"But the more I thought about it, the more I realized something wasn’t right. The Tiger leader had already lost the war. His men were dead, and he knew he wasn’t going to leave that place alive. So why would he suddenly decide to show you mercy by allowing you to save someone you cared about?"

I remained silent.

"He wasn’t going to save the woman you chose, was he?" Rola asked, raising her eyes to mine. "He was going to kill her."

My jaw tightened, but I didn’t respond.

Rola let out a bitter laugh. "I knew there was something more to your decision. You gave him my name because you knew that if you chose Rebecca, he would kill her."

I could hear the hurt in her voice, but there was nothing I could say that would change what had happened that night.

"I understand that you were trying to save us both," she continued. "I’m grateful Rebecca managed to get us out of there. But you were willing to take that risk with my life because you couldn’t bear the thought of losing her."

I lowered my eyes, unable to bring myself to answer.

"Do you know what hurts the most, Kaden?" she asked. "When you said my name, I was happy. For those few seconds, I genuinely believed you had chosen me because I was the woman you wanted to spend your life with."

Her voice trembled slightly, and she looked away.

"We were surrounded by Dark Fire, and I thought I was about to die, but I was happy because I believed you loved me enough to choose me over her."

"Rola, I’m sorry," I said quietly.

She nodded, blinking several times before looking back at me.

"I know you are," she replied. "And I know you didn’t mean to hurt me."

I remained silent.

"Can I ask you one more question?" she asked.

"Anything," I replied.

Rola took a deep breath.

"If Rebecca walked through that door right now and told you she wanted to be with you again, would you still choose her?"

I stared at her.

It was such a simple question, but I couldn’t give her the answer she deserved.

Rebecca hadn’t contacted me since the war, and I hadn’t attempted to contact her either. I didn’t even know whether she would ever want to see me again, much less consider giving us another chance.

I looked down at my hands, searching for an answer that wouldn’t hurt her, but the longer I remained silent, the more I realized there wasn’t one.

Rola let out a slow breath.

"That’s what I thought," she whispered.

I raised my head. "Rola, you deserve someone who can give you everything you’re asking for. Someone who won’t make you question whether you’re the woman he truly wants."

"And you don’t think that person can be you?" she asked.

I hesitated.

"I don’t know," I admitted. "And that’s the problem. You’ve been patient with me for four months, and I can’t keep asking you to wait while I figure out what I want."

Rola looked at me for a long moment.

"Are you breaking up with me, Kaden?" she finally asked.

I rubbed a hand over my face before meeting her eyes again.

"I think we need to be honest about where we stand," I replied. "I care about you, Rola. I really do. But I can’t promise you a future when I’m still trying to understand my own feelings."

She nodded slowly, although I could see the hurt in her expression.

"I knew there were things about your past you didn’t want to talk about," she said. "I accepted that because I believed we could build something together."

Rola looked away, and for a while, neither of us spoke. I hated seeing her like this, especially knowing I was responsible for it. She had never demanded more than I was willing to give, and she had never treated Rebecca badly, even when she had every reason to feel uncomfortable around her.

Eventually, Rola stood, smoothing her dress with both hands.

I rose immediately. "Rola..."

She shook her head gently.

"No, Kaden. I didn’t come here to beg you to stay with me," she said. "I love you, and I’m not ashamed of that. But I also know I can’t force you to love me the same way."

I swallowed, unsure what to say.

Rola stepped closer, looking up at me with a sad smile.

"I’m not going to make this decision for you," she continued. "You’ve spent three years trying to move on from Rebecca, and maybe seeing her again has made you realize there are things you still need to figure out."

She paused, taking a breath before continuing.

"So I’ll give you time, Kaden. Time to think about what you really want and whether there’s still a future for us."

I stared at her, surprised by her words.

"Rola, I don’t want you waiting around for me," I said quietly.

"I’m not promising to wait forever," she replied. "I’m simply giving you the space to make your decision without feeling pressured."

She moved toward the door, then stopped and turned to face me one last time.

"I’ll give you time, Kaden," she said softly. "And if you still want to break up with me after you’ve thought everything through, you know where to find me."