Chapter 234: Not On Him
Rebecca’s POV
I stood frozen on the staircase, completely stunned.
As Kaden took another heavy step up toward me, closing the distance between us, the choker around my neck flared up, humming even harder. The vibrations sent a wave of heat straight across my collarbones.
My eyes widened as I stared at him, my mind spinning into complete confusion. How is this possible? Is the key in his pocket? Did he find it on the training grounds and pick it up?
Kaden stopped two steps below me. He immediately caught the strange look on my face, his dark eyebrows pulling together in concern.
"What’s wrong?" he asked, his deep voice cautious and low.
I swallowed hard, quickly tearing my eyes away from him and taking a step back. "N-nothing," I stammered, trying to keep my voice steady. "I’m fine."
He looked at me with curious, sharp eyes for a long second, as if trying to read through my lie. But he didn’t push. He simply nodded once and walked past me, heading up the rest of the stairs.
The very second he walked away, the choker instantly stopped humming. It went completely cold against my skin again.
I stood there for a moment, letting out a breath I hadn’t realized I was holding. Then, I continued down to the kitchen, grabbed a few bottles of cold water, and rushed straight back upstairs to my bedroom.
Stephine was waiting inside, making my bed. The moment the door clicked shut behind me, I turned to her, my heart still beating fast.
"Stephine," I whispered urgently, walking over to her. "I think Kaden has the key."
Stephine dropped the pillow she was holding, her eyes going wide. "What? Are you sure?"
"I was just on the stairs," I explained quickly. "When he walked toward me, the choker started humming so hard it almost burned my skin. But when he walked past me, it stopped."
Stephine frowned, thinking deeply for a moment. "Maybe he has it in his pocket... or somewhere on him. You’ve been near Alpha Kaden before, and your choker never hummed until today. He must have picked it up recently."
She looked at me seriously. "Rebecca, you need to get close to him again to be completely sure. Go down for dinner tonight. See if it reacts the same way."
I bit my lip, feeling hesitant, but I knew she was right. "Okay. I’ll go down for dinner."
When evening came, I dressed in a simple, comfortable dress and made my way down to the grand dining room.
My stomach gave a disappointed squeeze when I walked in. The long wooden dining table was completely empty. Kaden wasn’t there, and Kane hadn’t returned.
I was all alone.
Sighing in quiet defeat, I realized Kaden probably wasn’t going to show up at all. I pulled out a chair, sat down, and quietly began to eat the warm meal the kitchen staff had prepared for me.
Suddenly, heavy, familiar footsteps echoed from the hallway entrance.
I turned my head right away.
Kaden walked into the dining room. He had washed up for the night and changed out of his training clothes into a pair of dark pajamas and a loose-fitting shirt.
"Good evening, Alpha Kaden," I said softly, my heart skipping a beat.
He looked over at me, giving a low hum of acknowledgment as he walked over to the opposite side of the table and pulled out a seat.
I held my breath, sitting up straight, waiting for the familiar, intense vibration against my throat. I waited for the heat, the sharp pulse, the hum of the choker telling me the key was right there.
Nothing happened.
The choker around my neck stayed completely dead, smooth and freezing cold against my skin.
I stared at him across the table, my mind completely reeling. It’s not humming... Why isn’t it humming now?
Panic crept into my chest as the truth hit me. It had been on him earlier. When he was coming from the training grounds, wearing his workout clothes, the key was in his pocket. But now that he had taken a shower and changed into his pajamas, he had left it behind.
Shit, I thought. It isn’t buried at the training grounds at all. It’s in his room.
Kane and I had checked his bedroom earlier, but the choker hadn’t reacted because Kaden was out on the field carrying the key with him. Now, the key was resting somewhere inside his private suite.
I had to get into his room to be completely sure. But how? How could I possibly sneak into an Alpha’s private room without him catching me?
Kaden must have felt the weight of my intense gaze, because he paused with his fork halfway to his mouth. He looked up, his eyes locking onto mine, sharp and observant.
"What?" Kaden asked, his voice low. "You don’t like the meal?"
I snapped back to reality, quickly shaking my head. "No... no, it’s very nice," I lied smoothly, picking up a piece of meat on my plate to make it look like I was eating.
He stared at me for a few long seconds, searching my face, before giving a slow, quiet nod and returning to his plate.
I kept my eyes on my food, but my thoughts were racing out of control. Every bite tasted like ash. I needed a plan. I needed to wait until he was fast asleep, or find a way to distract him long enough to slip inside his room.
How on earth am I going to get inside Kaden’s bedroom tonight?
Before I could figure out a proper plan, Kaden suddenly pushed his chair back and stood up from the table.
"Goodnight, Ruby," he said, his voice quiet as he turned to leave.
"Goodnight," I murmured, watching his tall frame walk out of the dining room.
The moment he vanished down the hallway, I dropped my fork. I couldn’t just sit around and wait for midnight. I needed answers now.
Standing up from the table, I left the rest of my meal untouched and hurried up the stairs. An idea popped into my head—a risky, foolish idea—but I didn’t have any other choice. I had to face him directly.
I walked down the quiet corridor until I reached his bedroom door. My heart pounded furiously against my ribs. Taking a deep, steadying breath, I raised my hand and knocked softly.