Chapter 240: Almost
Rebecca’s POV
We were still in the pool when the glass doors opened. I turned at the sound and saw one of the maids walking toward us with a large silver tray balanced carefully in her hands, filled with freshly prepared snacks, iced juice, bottled water, sliced fruits, sandwiches, and small pastries.
She placed everything on the low table beside the couches, bowed, and quietly left.
I looked at Kaden. I hadn’t heard him call anyone.
Of course. He must have mind-linked the kitchen staff while we were swimming.
"Hungry?" he asked, wiping the excess water from his chest.
My stomach answered with a low growl before I could even open my mouth.
Kaden’s mouth curved into a smirk.
I frowned. "Don’t."
"I didn’t say anything."
"You were about to."
He chuckled under his breath before swimming toward the deep end. Instead of using the steps, he placed both broad palms against the tiled edge and pulled himself effortlessly out of the pool, the water glistening off his skin and hard muscles.
My eyes betrayed me again. Water ran down his broad tattooed back and over the sharp cuts of his shoulders. His black boxers clung to him, and I immediately forced my gaze toward the tray of refreshments.
Rebecca. Get a grip.
Kaden walked around to the shallow end and stopped beside the steps, extending a broad, warm hand down toward me. "Come."
I stared at it. Such a simple gesture shouldn’t have made me nervous. Yet it did.
I slowly climbed the underwater steps until the water reached my thighs, then hesitantly placed my palm in his. His fingers closed firmly around mine, and a sharp, electric shiver raced straight down my spine—not from the cold water, but from the sudden heat of his skin. I quickly forced myself to stay calm, hiding the reaction as I stepped out onto the cool tiled floor.
"Careful," Kaden murmured softly.
"I can walk," I muttered.
His dark eyebrow lifted. "You’re carrying a pup."
There it was again. The reminder. My pup. His pup. I looked away quickly, my throat tightening.
Kaden led me over to the plush lounge sofa and picked up one of the large, fluffy towels. I expected him to hand it to me, but instead, he unfolded it and draped it gently around my shoulders himself.
"Thank you," I murmured.
He sat down beside me, leaving a respectable space between us, and handed me a glass of juice first. "Drink."
I gave him a look, pulling the towel tighter around myself. "You know, you don’t have to command everything."
"I wasn’t commanding you."
"It sounded like one."
He picked up a sandwich and passed it to me with a faint twitch of his lips. "Drink, please."
I fought a small smile. "Better."
We ate in a quiet, comfortable silence for a few minutes. The silence wasn’t uncomfortable at all, and that was what frightened me the most. It felt... easy. Too easy. I picked at a piece of fruit while Kaden leaned back against the cushions. But as I took a small sip of my juice, I felt the weight of his dark intensity on me.
I turned my head. "What?"
Kaden didn’t look away. His deep green eyes moved slowly over my wet hair and bare shoulders. "You are so stunning."
My fingers tightened around my glass, a sudden rush of heat flushing my face. I forced a stern expression, trying to anchor myself. "Don’t you think that’s a bit inappropriate to say to your brother’s woman?"
The warmth vanished from his face almost immediately. His gaze dropped, a subtle flicker of shame crossing his features. "It was only a compliment, Ruby. I didn’t mean anything by it."
"Right," I nodded, keeping my eyes fixed on my lap.
An awkward silence settled between us before Kaden broke it, his tone shifting into something softer, yet laced with that natural, protective authority. "How are you feeling now?"
"Great, actually. The water really helped my legs."
"See?" A faint, smug smile touched his mouth. "I told you swimming would help."
I rolled my eyes. "Yes, Alpha Kaden. You were right."
"Say that again."
I frowned. "What?"
"The part where you admitted I was right."
A small laugh almost escaped me. "Don’t push your luck."
His lips twitched, but then his expression hardened back into absolute seriousness. "And Kane?"
My faint smile disappeared instantly. "What about him?"
"Do you want me to talk some sense into him? Because I will."
Shit.
My stomach dropped. Panic flared inside my chest—if Kaden confronted Kane about seeing another woman, the whole lie would blow up, and Kane would immediately realize I was making up excuses to cover my tracks.
"No," I said quickly, the answer bursting out of me so fast Kaden’s brows shot up. I cleared my throat, forcing my voice to calm down. "No... please don’t."
"Ruby—"
"I mean it," I said, shifting toward him. "Whatever is happening between Kane and me, I want to deal with it myself."
Kaden’s jaw set into a rigid line. "You shouldn’t have to deal with something like that while you’re pregnant. He lied to you about where he was going, and we both saw him sitting with another woman."
"I know, Kaden!"
"Then why are you protecting him?" he demanded, his eyes flashing with raw frustration on my behalf.
Because none of it is real! Because Kane isn’t cheating on me! Because I invented the entire stupid lie just to have an excuse to enter your bedroom!
And now my stupid lie was growing legs and running wild across the entire pack.
Before I could overthink it, I reached out and laid my hand directly over Kaden’s forearm. "Please."
His gaze dropped immediately to my hand resting against his skin. I almost pulled it back from the sudden flare of heat, but I forced myself to hold on.
"Let me handle Kane my own way," I pleaded softly. "Don’t confront him. Don’t investigate him. Don’t ask him anything. Please just... stay out of it."
Kaden remained quiet for a long, heavy moment, searching my eyes for any sign of fear or deceit. Finally, he gave a slow nod.
"Fine," he murmured. "I’ll respect your wishes. But if he hurts you—"
"Kaden."
"I’m serious." Before I could pull away, Kaden turned his palm up, his large, calloused hand sliding over mine where it rested. His touch wasn’t possessive or forceful—just steady and warm. "If you need someone, I’m here. You don’t have to deal with everything alone, Ruby. If you need to talk, come to me. If you need anything at all, just ask."
I stared down at his hand covering mine, and for one dangerous second, the armor around my chest cracked completely open.
Tell him.
The thought screamed so loudly in my mind that it terrified me.
Tell him the truth. My name isn’t Ruby. I’m Rebecca. You know me. You’ve known me for months. They wiped your memories. The baby you keep calling Kane’s is actually yours.
The truth burned at the back of my throat, begging to be let out. What if I told him? What if hearing it somehow broke through whatever dark magic had locked away his past? What if he remembered me?
But then a cold wave of reality crashed over my head.
What if he got furious? What if the spell made him think I was a manipulative liar trying to trick the Alpha King? What if he demanded proof I didn’t have?
And worst of all... what if remembering brought back the old Kaden? The ruthless, cruel man who had accused me, punished me, and locked me away? The man I had spent so long fighting to escape?
My chest tightened until I could barely breathe.
Rebecca, get a grip on yourself. A few warm smiles didn’t erase the past. A walk through the territory didn’t erase it. Holding my hand in the pool certainly didn’t erase what he had done to me. I couldn’t lose sight of my ultimate goal: my freedom, my child, and my life back.
"Ruby?" Kaden asked, watching the sudden shadow fall over my face. "What are you thinking about?"
"Nothing," I whispered, pulling my hand gently from his grip. "I’m... I’m cold."
His dark eyes narrowed slightly, knowing I was hiding something, but thankfully he didn’t push me.
"I think I want to go to bed now," I added, wrapping the towel tighter around my body.
Kaden stood up immediately. "Alright. I’ll walk you back."
"You don’t have to."
"I know."
I gathered my tracksuit from the chair, holding it against my chest. Kaden didn’t even bother putting his clothes back on or covering himself; he simply stepped out of the pool area beside me in his dripping wet black boxers, his towering, powerful frame acting as an effortless shield by my side as if walking half-naked through his own packhouse was the most natural thing in the world.
I glanced sideways at his sharp profile once, then forced my eyes straight ahead.
Stop looking, Rebecca. Seriously. Stop.
As we stepped into the hallway, one of the night maids came around the corner carrying a basket of freshly folded towels.
The moment she saw us, she stopped dead.
Her eyes went first to Kaden, standing there in nothing but his dripping black boxers, then to me wrapped in a towel with my wet hair clinging to my shoulders.
Her eyes widened.
For one horrible second, nobody moved.
Then recognition flashed across her face.
She knew me.
Of course she did. She had worked in this packhouse long before Kaden’s memories were wiped. She knew exactly who I was, and judging by the shock on her face, she also knew exactly how dangerous the sight in front of her was.
My heart slammed against my ribs.
The maid quickly dropped her gaze to the floor and bowed so deeply that the towels nearly slipped from her arms.
"Alpha King," she whispered nervously. "Lady... Ruby."
There was the tiniest hesitation before my fake name.
Kaden noticed.
His footsteps stopped beside me.
I went completely still.
"Something wrong?" he asked.
The maid’s face immediately paled. "N-no, Alpha King."
Kaden stared at her for another second. "Then why are you looking at her like you’ve seen a ghost?"
Oh, Goddess.
My fingers tightened around the towel.
The maid swallowed hard. "Forgive me, Alpha. I was only surprised to see anyone awake this late. That’s all."
Kaden’s eyes narrowed slightly, but after a moment, he continued walking.
"Go on, then."
"Yes, Alpha King."
The maid hurried past us without looking at me again.
We walked through the quiet, dimly lit hallways together, our bare feet making soft sounds against the polished floor. The closer we got to the grand staircase leading up to my room, the more suffocatingly aware I became of his presence—his heat, his mint scent, and the occasional subtle brush of his bare shoulder against mine.
This was becoming dangerous. Not because Kaden was being nice to me... but because I was starting to forget why I needed to stay away from him.