Chapter 223: Loud Scream
Kaden’s POV
Before the guard could open his mouth to answer, the door swung open further, and Logan stepped briskly into the room.
He took one look at the nervous guard, then turned his gaze to me. "What’s happening here?"
I stood up from the bed, my brow still deeply furrowed in confusion. "Who are Brandon and Monica? This guard just informed me that they are at the brink of death."
Logan’s face instantly hardened with pure fury. Without warning, he stepped forward and delivered a loud, stinging slap across the guard’s face.
The guard stumbled back, clutching his reddened cheek, his eyes wide with shock.
"Are you insane?!" Logan barked, his voice filled with anger as he loomed over the trembling guard. "The King has just returned! He hasn’t even had a single moment to rest, and you are barging in here reporting dungeon issues directly to him? What happened to me? What is my duty as Beta if you’re running straight to the Alpha with prison garbage?!"
"I—I’m sorry, Beta Logan!" the guard stammered, bowing his head in deep panic. "I didn’t mean—"
"Get out!" Logan snapped, pointing a strict finger toward the open hallway. "Before I throw you in a cell right next to them!"
The guard didn’t need to be told twice. He bowed respectfully to both of us and scrambled out of the suite, shutting the door behind him.
The sudden outburst left the bedroom in a heavy, ringing silence. Logan took a deep breath, running a hand through his hair to regain his composure before he slowly turned around to face me.
He forced a small, reassuring smile onto his face, but I could see the hidden tension tight in his shoulders.
I narrowed my eyes at him, stepping closer. "Now, Logan," I said, my voice low and dark with suspicion. "Care to answer the question I asked before you slapped my guard? Who are Brandon and Monica... and why don’t I remember them?"
Logan let out a soft sigh, meeting my glare with a completely calm expression.
"They’re just low-level spy rogues, Kaden," Logan said easily, waving a hand dismissively. "Two bottom-feeders my patrol caught sneaking across the border. We threw them in the cells to rot until we had time to deal with them."
I kept my gaze locked on him, my eyes narrowing. "Rogues? And you never mentioned them to me?"
"Because they are nobody," Logan answered smoothly, without a single flicker of hesitation. "They were just small-time spies trying to scavenge leftover territory. You had an entire council to manage and a kingdom to run. I wasn’t going to waste your time or energy reporting on trash that isn’t even worth your blade."
He paused, stepping closer and giving me a respectful, steady nod. "You don’t remember them because you were never involved with them in the first place, Alpha. I handled the interrogation myself. That idiot guard should have brought their dying status to me, not bothered you while you’re still recovering."
I stared at Logan for a long moment, watching the relaxed posture he was putting on.
His story made total sense. An Alpha King didn’t waste breath on two nameless rogues rotting in a dungeon. Yet, as I looked at my Beta, a strange, cold itch settled at the back of my brain.
Why did the names Brandon and Monica feel so sharp on my tongue?
I studied Logan for a few more seconds before giving a stiff nod. "Okay. But don’t let them die. If they are spies, they might still have information we can use."
"Sure thing, Alpha," Logan said with a quick bow. "I’ll make sure the medics patch them up enough to stay breathing."
He turned and left the room, shutting the door quietly behind him.
Once he was gone, I sat back down on the edge of the bed, rubbing the back of my neck. Something about his answer still rubbed me the wrong way. I’ll go check on those prisoners myself later, I thought, making a mental note to visit the dungeons when Logan wasn’t hovering around.
My mind quickly drifted away from the prisoners and went straight back to her.
Ruby.
"Ruby," I whispered aloud into the quiet room. What a sweet, beautiful name.
The moment her face flashed in my mind—those ocean-blue eyes, the delicate curve of her neck—my chest tightened again.
I immediately slapped my own knee, groaning in frustration. "Jesus Christ, Kaden... stop!" I growled to myself. "She is Kane’s woman!"
Unable to sit still, I stood up and walked over to the bar stand in the corner of the suite. I poured myself a thick glass of amber liquor and downed it in one painful gulp, letting the burn settle my frayed nerves.
Alpha, the car is ready for your departure, Logan’s voice suddenly rang in my head through the mind-link.
I let out a heavy sigh, setting the empty glass down on the wooden counter. I had completely forgotten about the meeting scheduled with the council from the neighboring pack.
I grabbed my suit jacket, adjusted my collar, and headed out.
The meeting was an absolute nightmare—not because of the politics, but because I couldn’t focus on a single word being said.
The neighboring Alpha rambled on and on about trade routes and land rights, but my brain was completely useless. All I could think about was the woman sitting back at my house. Her scent, the way her voice sounded when she bowed, the dark mystery behind her forgotten past... it consumed every single thought.
By the time the meeting finally wrapped up, it was nearly 7:00 PM. An intense, restless urgency washed over me. Dinner was set for seven every night, and I knew dinner meant I would finally get to see Ruby again.
I practically sprinted to the back of my car. "Drive faster," I ordered my driver the second I slammed the door shut.
My driver didn’t ask questions. He hit the gas, speeding through the pack territory until the large gates of the mansion came into view.
I stepped out of the car before it even came to a complete stop, striding through the front doors with heavy, hurried steps.
"Martha!" I called out, catching the head housekeeper as she crossed the main hallway. "Set the dining table for dinner right now, and go call my brother and his guest down."
Martha bowed her head quickly, a look of sudden panic crossing her face. "Alpha... Alpha Kane and his guest just finished eating in their suite a few minutes ago."
I stopped dead in my tracks, my forehead pulling into a deep, furious frown. "What?" I spat, my voice dripping with sudden anger. "Dinner is at seven o’clock! It is only ten minutes past seven!"
I was so angry—so wildly, unreasonably furious that I had missed the chance to sit across from her at the table.
Before Martha could open her mouth to apologize, a sharp, piercing scream echoed down from the floor above.
My heart instantly stopped. "What was that?!" I demanded.
Martha looked around, her eyes wide with total confusion. "I... I don’t know, sir—"
"Help!"
Another panic cry tore through the air a second time, louder and more desperate than before, making every nerve in my body snap.
It was Ruby.
"Ruby!"
Without hesitation, I turned on my heel and sprinted up the staircase, taking three steps at a time as her screams filled the house again and louder.