Chapter 373: His Visit

Rebecca’s POV

It had been a week since the war ended, and although everything had finally returned to normal at All Pack, I couldn’t say the same for myself.

For the past seven days, I had done everything possible to keep myself busy. I spent time with my mother, visited Stephanie whenever I could, and even returned to my usual training routine. Unfortunately, none of it was enough to stop me from replaying that horrific moment in my head.

I hated that I was still thinking about it. I hated that, after everything we had been through, Kaden still had the power to destroy me without even being anywhere near me. Three years ago, I had promised myself that I would never allow him to make me feel that way again. Yet here I was, sitting in my bedroom, wondering why I had been foolish enough to believe things might be different this time.

I sighed and closed the book I had been trying to read for the past fifteen minutes.

"This is ridiculous," I muttered to myself.

I placed the book on the bedside table and stood, intending to take a shower, when someone knocked on my bedroom door.

"Come in," I called.

The door opened, and one of the maids stepped inside, bowing her head respectfully. "Lady Rebecca, Lord Melvin is here to see you."

I blinked in surprise. "Melvin?"

"Yes, my lady. He’s waiting downstairs in the sitting room."

I hadn’t expected him to visit, especially without informing me beforehand. "Did he say why he came?"

"No, my lady. He only asked whether you were available."

I glanced down at my clothes. I was wearing a comfortable pair of trousers and a loose shirt, with my hair tied carelessly behind my head. I certainly wasn’t dressed to receive a king, but then again, Melvin had seen me looking much worse. Besides, he had repeatedly told me that he preferred seeing me without all the effort I usually put into looking presentable.

"Tell him I’ll be down shortly," I replied.

When I arrived downstairs, I found Melvin sitting comfortably on one of the sofas, speaking with my mother. He was dressed in a dark blue shirt and black trousers, and a small bouquet of flowers rested on the table in front of him.

My mother noticed me first. "Rebecca, darling, look who’s here."

Melvin immediately turned toward me, his face brightening. "There she is," he said, standing. "I was beginning to think you were hiding from me."

I rolled my eyes as I approached them. "Why would I hide from you? You’re the one who decided to show up without calling first."

"Would you have agreed to see me if I’d called?" he asked.

"That depends on what you wanted."

Melvin laughed. "Then I suppose coming unannounced was the right decision."

My mother chuckled at our exchange before rising from her seat. "Well, I’ll leave you two to talk."

"Mom, you don’t have to leave," I told her.

"Oh, I know, sweetheart," she replied with an innocent smile. "But I have a few things to attend to. Besides, I’m sure Lord Melvin didn’t travel all the way here just to speak with an old woman like me."

"You’re hardly an old woman, Lady Maria," Melvin replied politely.

My mother laughed, looking far too pleased with herself as she walked away. Once we were alone, I turned back to Melvin. "You know she’s going to spend the rest of the day asking me questions about you, don’t you?"

"Then I hope you have nice things to say about me," he replied, reaching for the flowers and handing them to me. "These are for you."

"Thank you. They’re lovely," I said sincerely, inhaling their pleasant scent before placing them on the table. "So, Melvin... to what do I owe this unexpected visit?"

"Is it a crime to visit the woman I’ve been trying to court for almost a year?" he asked with a smirk.

"You really don’t give up, do you?"

"Not when I believe something is worth the effort," he answered smoothly.

There was something about the way he said it that made me look away for a moment. Melvin had never hidden his interest in me. He had been honest about his intentions from the beginning, and although I had repeatedly told him I wasn’t ready, he had never made me feel guilty about it.

"How have you been?" he asked, his tone becoming more serious.

"I’m recovering," I admitted. "The war took a lot out of everyone. I’m just glad it’s finally over."

"And Stephanie?"

"She’s much better. The healers say she’s recovering well. I’ve been spending time with her whenever I can."

We continued talking for a while, discussing the rebuilding efforts in the affected packs and how things were progressing in the Southern Dragon Kingdom. I found myself relaxing as we spoke. Melvin had always been easy to talk to; he was good at keeping conversations going.

Eventually, however, the conversation took a sharp turn.

"Rebecca, can I ask you something?" Melvin asked gently. "Have you spoken to Kaden since the war?"

My smile disappeared. Of all the things he could have asked me, why did it have to be about Kaden?

"No," I replied shortly. "And I’d rather not talk about him."

"I understand," Melvin said, leaning forward. "But I’ve been thinking about what the Tiger leader said before he died. Something about the choice he gave Kaden doesn’t make sense to me."

I frowned. "What do you mean?"

"Think about the situation, Rebecca. The Tiger leader had already lost the war. Why would he suddenly decide to keep his word and give Kaden the opportunity to save someone he cared about?"

"Because he wanted to make him choose between us," I replied. "He wanted one of us to die."

"That’s what he claimed," Melvin said carefully. "But what if he never intended to honor that choice? What if he was trying to trick Kaden into revealing which woman mattered most to him so he could kill her instead?"

The air left my lungs. "What?"

"I think there’s a possibility that Kaden suspected the trap," Melvin explained. "And if he did, choosing Rola could have been his way of keeping the Tiger leader from realizing that you were the woman he desperately needed to protect."

My heart skipped a beat. "No," I whispered. "I was there, Melvin. I heard him say her name. He didn’t even hesitate."

"Perhaps he couldn’t afford to hesitate," Melvin suggested softly. "If the Tiger leader had suspected he was lying, it would have ruined everything."

I stared at him, struggling to process his words. For an entire week, I had believed Kaden had chosen Rola because she mattered more to him. Could Melvin actually be right?

"Did Kaden tell you any of this?" I asked suddenly.

"No. I confronted him after the battle and told him what I suspected, but he didn’t confirm or deny anything."

"Then why are you telling me this?" I asked quietly. "You know how I feel about Kaden. You know what happened between us."

"That’s exactly why I’m telling you," Melvin said, looking straight into my eyes. "I’ve never hidden the fact that I want to be with you, Rebecca. But I don’t want you making decisions based on a misunderstanding either. If there’s a chance Kaden was trying to protect you, you deserve to know."

I swallowed hard. "Even if it means I might go back to him?"

Melvin gave me a small, bittersweet smile. "That’s your decision to make, Rebecca. Not mine."

I stared at him for a moment, unsure what to say. He could have kept his suspicions to himself, especially knowing how I felt about Kaden. Instead, he had chosen to tell me something that might affect his own chances with me.

"Thank you, Melvin," I said quietly. "I appreciate you telling me."

"You’re welcome," he replied with a smile.

We sat quietly for a while before Melvin glanced at his wristwatch and stood.

"Well, I should get going," he announced. "I have a few matters to attend to back home."

I stood as well. "You’re leaving already?"

He smiled. "I’d love to stay longer, Rebecca, but unfortunately, being a king comes with responsibilities."

I laughed softly. "I suppose it does."

He stepped closer, gently taking my hand. "If you really want to know what happened that night, speak to Kaden. He’s the only person who can explain his decision."

He squeezed my hand before releasing it.

"And for what it’s worth, my offer for a proper date still stands."

"You really are persistent," I murmured, a faint smile breaking through my shock.

"Only with you," he answered.

After walking Melvin to the door and seeing him off, I returned upstairs and sat on the edge of my bed. My mind was spinning. What if Kaden had recognized something the rest of us hadn’t? What if I had spent the past week believing the absolute worst of him while he was actually trying to save my life?

I glanced toward my phone on the bedside table. Perhaps Melvin was wrong. Perhaps Kaden had chosen Rola for an entirely different reason. But if there was even a chance that he had been trying to protect me, then the least I could do was thank him.

That was all. I wasn’t calling to ask him to take me back, and I certainly wasn’t calling to discuss our relationship. Whatever feelings I still had for him were something I would have to deal with on my own. I simply wanted to thank him for what he might have done that night and perhaps apologize for the things I had said before leaving the battlefield.

With that decision made, I reached for my phone.

Normally, contacting Kaden would have been simple if we still shared our mate bond or if I were still a member of his pack and could reach him through the mind link. But with our bond having been severed three years ago and no shared pack link between us, my only option was a traditional phone call, and I didn’t have his personal number.

I opened my browser, searched for the official contact number of the Royal Packhouse, and copied it into my dialer.

For a moment, I hesitated. What if he refused to speak to me?

I shook my head. There was no point worrying about that before I even tried. Taking a deep breath, I pressed the call button.

The phone rang three times before someone answered.

"Good afternoon, Royal Packhouse. How may I help you?" a familiar female voice greeted me. I recognized her immediately as one of the maids who had worked at the packhouse when I lived there.

"Hello, it’s Rebecca," I replied.

There was a brief silence before she gasped. "Lady Rebecca? Oh, my goodness! Is that really you?"

"Yes, it’s me. Listen, is Alpha Kaden around?"

"Yes, my lady. Would you like to speak with him?"

I took a deep breath, clutching the phone tightly. "Yes, please. Tell Alpha Kaden it’s Rebecca, and ask him to connect to his main line."