Chapter 209: The Excuse
Kaden’s POV
My eyes locked onto Logan and Kane, my brow furrowed with suspicion.
Kane swallowed hard, his eyes darting toward the door like a trapped animal. "I... I should go check on the kitchen," Kane muttered, his voice shaking slightly. "I’ll have the maids prepare something for you to eat. You need to regain your strength."
Without waiting for my permission, he turned on his heel and quickly walked out of the room, shutting the door behind him.
I watched him go, my jaw tightening. It was a pathetic excuse, and we both knew it. He was running away because he couldn’t look me in the eye.
I turned my cold stare back to Logan, who remained standing stiffly near the bed.
"He’s running," I said, my voice dropping to a low growl. "Now tell me the truth, Logan. What are you two hiding from me?"
Logan stayed quiet for a long moment. He took a slow breath and crossed his arms over his chest, picking his words very carefully.
"Kaden..." Logan began smoothly, putting on a worried look. "We didn’t want to upset you the moment you woke up."
"Spit it out," I ordered, a sharp flash of annoyance in my eyes.
Logan let out a heavy sigh, rubbing the back of his neck. "When you collapsed... the rogue poison was killing you. Our healers couldn’t stop it, and your heart was about to give out. We were losing you."
"What did you do?" I asked, my eyes narrowing.
"The rogue leader reached out to us," Logan said without blinking, looking me straight in the face. "He said he was the only one with the antidote to save your life. But he demanded thirty million dollars in cash for it."
Logan lowered his head, making himself look guilty. "Kane and I didn’t have time to wait. We paid thirty million dollars from the treasury to get the antidote. We gave you the cure just a short while ago, and that is how you finally woke up right now."
Logan looked up at me carefully. "We were nervous because we gave thirty million dollars of pack money to our enemy without your permission. We knew you would be angry that we paid off rogues."
I stared at Logan for a moment, letting his words sit in my head.
The uneasy mood in the room suddenly made sense. Kane’s intense guilt, his quick exit, Logan’s careful words—they were terrified I would be furious at them for giving a fortune to rogues while I was out cold.
A low breath came out of my chest, and I leaned back against the pillows, pressing my fingers to my aching head.
"Thirty million dollars?" I asked flatly.
Logan nodded cautiously. "Yes. We did what we had to do to save your life."
I let out a short, cold laugh. "The two of you looked like you’d committed treason. It’s just thirty million dollars, Logan. Forget it."
"So... you aren’t angry?" Logan asked, his voice carefully controlled.
"I am angry that rogues poisoned me," I said, my voice turning icy cold. "But my life is worth far more than thirty million dollars. Money is nothing. Our treasury has endless wealth. You did the right thing to save me."
"Right," Logan said quickly, letting out a clear breath of relief. "Understood."
I moved my bandaged hand, staring down at the white cloth. The spent money didn’t bother me at all. But as Logan stood there, a strange, dark coldness settled deeper in my chest.
If paying thirty million dollars for an antidote was their big secret... why did my wolf still feel so silent inside me? Why did I still feel like a piece of my heart was missing?
I looked back up at Logan, my gaze razor-sharp. "Once my strength comes back, we hunt down those rogues and take back every single cent."
Logan nodded quickly. "Yes... we will." He shifted his feet slightly, glancing toward the door. "If you’ll excuse me, Alpha, I need to take care of a few pack matters. I will be back soon."
I gave him a silent nod to leave.
Once Logan walked out and closed the door, I lay back on the bed, staring up at the cracked, broken ceiling. This mansion was in ruins. Kane couldn’t stay here in this state; he would have to come back to the Full Moon Pack with me while the builders fixed this place up.
I closed my eyes, but a sudden, strange sadness washed over my chest.
Why do I feel so heavy?
My mind drifted, searching for an answer, and images of Helen flashed across my head. I missed her. I thought to myself that maybe this empty, aching feeling was just grief over losing her. But as I brought her face into my mind, I frowned.
The deep, crushing pain I usually felt when thinking about her death... wasn’t there. Instead, the grief felt strangely distant, like an old scar that had finally stopped hurting.
I brushed the thought off, figuring my mind had simply moved on from her, letting the memory fade away.
Needing to move, I forced my aching body out of the bed and slowly walked over to the shattered window. I leaned against the frame and looked down at the courtyard below.
Under the dim night light, I saw Logan and Kane standing together near a sleek black car. Kane gave Logan a sharp nod, then climbed into the driver’s seat. A second later, the engine roared to life, and Kane drove off into the trees, followed closely by two trucks filled with his warriors.
My eyebrows pulled together. Where is Kane going in such a rush?
I turned away from the window and walked back over to sit on the edge of the bed just as the bedroom door opened. Logan stepped inside.
"Where is Kane going?" I asked right away, my voice stern. "His packhouse is destroyed and it’s nearly night. Why is he leaving?"
Logan stopped near the foot of the bed, his face serious. "Kane’s Beta betrayed him, Kaden. He was the traitor who gave the Tiger Rogues access to the mansion. We just received news on where he might be hiding, so Kane took his warriors to go catch him."
I frowned deeply, my brotherly instinct kicking in. "That’s dangerous. He shouldn’t go alone. I’ll go with him."
"No, Kaden," Logan said quickly, stepping forward to block my path. "Kane can handle his own Beta. You were poisoned just a few hours ago—you need to rest and recover your strength."
I glared at him, uneasy about letting my twin fight without me, but my body was still weak and heavy. I let out a low sigh and sat back down, reluctantly agreeing to stay.
Logan watched me closely for a moment. Then, his voice dropped into a quiet, careful tone.
"Kaden... has your wolf started speaking to you yet?"