Chapter 252: Gave It To Her
Kaden’s POV
She stared at my outstretched hand like I’d offered her my fucking crown.
"Kaden, I can’t."
"You wanted it badly enough two days ago."
"I wanted to hold it," she corrected quickly, her eyes dropping to the locket dangling between my fingers. "I didn’t want to keep it. This belonged to Helen."
"I know who it belonged to."
"Then you should understand why I can’t take it." She shook her head. "Your mate gave this to you. It was your anniversary gift."
"You aren’t taking it permanently."
Her eyes flickered with something I couldn’t quite read. I stepped closer, narrowing the distance between us.
"If this thing is somehow helping you reconnect with your memories and your wolf, then keep it for a few hours."
Her lips parted, but before she could argue, I continued. "And we’ll see what happens. If you remember something, good. If the choker reacts badly, you take the necklace off immediately."
Ruby remained completely still. I studied her face; she should have been relieved. This was exactly what she’d claimed she wanted, yet she suddenly looked terrified.
"Unless," I added slowly, "there’s another reason you don’t want it now that I’m willingly giving it to you."
Panic flashed across her face.
"No," she said quickly. "That’s not it."
"Then turn around."
Her eyes widened. "What?"
"I’ll put it on you."
For some reason, that seemed to make her even more nervous. "Kaden, you really don’t have to. I can—"
"Ruby."
She fell silent, simply staring at me for several tense seconds. Then, very slowly, she placed the mug of bitter medicine on the bedside table and rose to her feet. She turned her back to me.
I stepped behind her, and immediately, her scent surrounded me—honey and nutmeg. That same strangely familiar scent that had been driving my wolf insane since the moment she’d entered this house.
I lifted the chain. Her messy hair covered the back of her neck, so I gathered the damp strands carefully and swept them over one shoulder.
Ruby shivered. My fingers stopped.
"Cold?"
"No." The answer came far too quickly.
My gaze dropped to the delicate skin at the back of her neck. For one strange second, something shifted inside my head. An image threatened to form—my mouth pressed against that exact spot, her body trapped between mine and a wall, her head falling backward, a soft gasp leaving her lips—
A sharp pain stabbed through my skull. I flinched, and the image disappeared before I could grab onto it.
"Kaden?"
"I’m fine," I muttered, pressing back the sudden ache. What the fuck was that?
I pushed the thought away and brought the chain around her neck, fastening the clasp carefully. The moment the locket settled against her chest, a violent HMMMMMM vibrated through the air. The choker shook so hard that Ruby gasped, her knees weakening. Her hand shot toward the bedside table for support.
I caught her around the waist immediately. "Ruby!"
"I’m okay."
"The hell you are." I reached for the chain. "Take it off."
"No!" Her hand flew over mine before I could remove it. "Wait," she said quickly, her voice pleading. "Please. Just... give me a second."
I stared at her as her eyes squeezed shut.
"Ruby?"
"Please."
I reluctantly lowered my hand, keeping my arm firmly around her waist in case she collapsed. The humming continued for several seconds before gradually weakening until the choker became completely still.
Ruby’s breathing slowed, and she opened her eyes. Tears immediately filled them, and my chest tightened at the sight.
"What?" I demanded. "What did you see?"
She didn’t answer.
"Ruby."
Her face had gone pale. "I..." Her voice cracked.
I moved around her until I could see her face properly. "Tell me."
She stared somewhere beyond my shoulder, as though she could still see whatever nightmare had appeared inside her head. "Blood."
I frowned. "What?"
"So much blood," she whispered, a single tear rolling down her cheek. "There were bodies everywhere."
My expression hardened as her fingers curled tightly around the locket.
"Men. Women..." Her breathing became uneven. "Everything was burning. I could hear people screaming. There were bodies on the ground, and I was running." Another tear slipped down her cheek. "I don’t know where I was going. I just knew I had to get away."
"From what?"
"I don’t know."
"Were you alone?"
She squeezed her eyes shut, forcing herself to search her mind. "I think so," her voice trembled. "There was smoke everywhere. I couldn’t breathe. Someone was chasing me... or maybe I thought someone was chasing me. I don’t know. I was terrified."
I stared at her. The fear on her face looked real. And suddenly, something Kane had told me about her supposed past returned to my mind.
"You said you escaped a war."
Ruby blinked.
"Your territory was attacked," I continued slowly, piecing it together. "That’s how you ended up wandering alone without your memories."
Her lips parted. "Yes."
"Then that’s probably what you’re seeing." I glanced at the locket resting against her chest. "The blood, the bodies, the fire... maybe you’re remembering the attack."
Ruby swallowed hard.
"That means it’s working," I said.
Something strange crossed her face—a messy blend of relief, fear, and something that looked disturbingly like guilt. I couldn’t understand why she’d feel guilty for remembering her past.
I stepped away from her slowly. "Keep it."
Ruby’s head snapped up. "What?"
"The locket. Keep it until tonight."
Her hand immediately closed around the pendant. "Kaden, I—"
"If it’s bringing your memories back, keep it."
"But Helen—"
"Would understand."
The words came out before I could even process them. Ruby went quiet.
I stared at the necklace around her throat. Helen had given it to me, and I rarely allowed anyone to touch it. Yet strangely, seeing it around Ruby’s neck didn’t bother me nearly as much as it should have. If anything, it looked like it belonged there.
The thought disturbed me enough that I turned toward the door.
"Thank you," Ruby whispered behind me.
I stopped with my hand resting on the handle. "You’re welcome." I opened the door, then glanced back over my shoulder. She was still standing beside the bed, one hand wrapped protectively around the locket. "But Ruby?"
"Yes?"
"Don’t misplace it."
Her fingers tightened around the metal. "I won’t."
I held her gaze for another second. "Good. Because that necklace is one of the few things I have left of Helen."
Her expression softened slightly. "I’ll protect it."
I gave a small nod before stepping out into the hallway. But as I pulled the door shut behind me, that strange vision flashed through my mind once more.
Ruby’s bare neck. My mouth pressed against her skin. Her soft, breathless gasp.
I stopped dead in my tracks, leaning my hand against the wall and pressing two fingers hard against my temple to dull the sudden throb in my head. What the fuck was happening to me?
There was definitely something about that woman that my mind couldn’t remember—and something about her that my body clearly could.
Determined to clear my head, I headed straight down the grand staircase toward the packhouse courtyard. The cool afternoon air helped ease the lingering tension in my skull, but my wolf remained unusually hyper-aware, pacing restless circles inside my mind.
As I rounded the corner near the training grounds, Logan approached with a folder tucked under his arm.
"Kaden," Logan acknowledged, taking in my rigid posture. "I was just coming to find you."
"Did you get the full report on Ruby?" I asked immediately as we stepped into the shade of the stone archway.
"Nothing concrete yet," Logan said. "I’ve sent her photograph to our trackers and contacts outside the territory. If Ruby existed before she came here, someone should recognize her."
I sighed and ran a frustrated hand through my hair. "She told me holding Helen’s locket brought back flashes of the attack on her village. Fires, bodies, smoke."
Logan paused, a subtle flicker of caution crossing his eyes before he masked it. "Traumatic triggers often bring back pieces bit by bit."
"It’s more than that, Logan," I said, frowning. "The choker hummed when the locket touched her chest. It vibrated violently. And when I put the chain around her neck..." I trailed off, recalling the sudden spike of pain in my head.
"What happened?" Logan asked, his tone carefully neutral.
"I saw something," I admitted, my jaw tight. "A memory. Or a delusion. I can’t tell. But every time I get close to her, my wolf reacts in a way he hasn’t since..." I didn’t finish the sentence, but Logan knew who I meant. Helen.
Logan squeezed my shoulder, offering a reassuring look. "You’re under a lot of stress, Alpha. Between managing the pack’s safety and dealing with an unbonded wolf, your instincts are bound to jump at shadows. Just keep your distance until we’re certain she’s completely stable."
I frowned at him, but he continued. "The healer already warned you that the spell and antidote could cause sensory disturbances," Logan reminded me carefully. "You collapsed two days ago, Kaden. Your mind hasn’t fully recovered. Don’t start trusting every image it throws at you."
He was probably right.
So why did every instinct I possessed tell me he wasn’t?
"I gave her the locket until tonight," I said coldly, watching Logan’s eyes widen slightly in surprise. "If it helps restore her mind, I want to see how far those memories go. But I’m watching her closely."
"Understood," Logan nodded, though I could sense a hidden tension in his posture as he backed away. "I’ll make sure the guards keep a quiet eye on her room as well."
As Logan walked away, I stared back up toward the second-floor balcony where Ruby’s room sat, my wolf letting out a low, restless growl inside my head.
I’m not a fool... something isn’t adding up.