Chapter 218: On One Condition
Kane’s POV
I slammed the door of my SUV shut, the loud thud ringing out through the quiet evening air around the seer’s house. I leaned against the cold metal frame of the driver’s side door, pressing my fingers into my forehead as my head throbbed with a painful headache.
This was complete madness.
What she was asking for wasn’t just dangerous—it was a suicide mission. Walking into the Full Moon packhouse with Kaden’s pregnant mate, holding her hand, and looking the Alpha King straight in the eye to say she was mine? Kaden might have lost his memories of Rebecca, but he hadn’t lost his cruel nature. If even a tiny bit of his wolf’s instincts smelled her, or if the magic hiding her failed for even a second, there wouldn’t be an argument. It would just be a fight to the death.
You’re walking away, then? My wolf’s voice grumbled lazily from the back of my mind.
I’m being smart, I snapped back in my head, pacing up and down the gravel driveway. You heard her, didn’t you? She has no real plan. She wants to sneak in, find a key using magic, unlock the silver choker, and then run away into the night with his unborn baby. It’s crazy.
And yet, you haven’t turned the key to start the car, my wolf mocked, his voice full of cruel humor. You’re standing out here in the cold like a fool because you still want her.
I froze where I stood, my jaw tightening so hard my teeth hurt. "I don’t," I whispered out loud into the empty air, glaring at the dark trees. "I don’t want her like that. She is carrying my brother’s child, for fuck’s sake."
Technically, that kid is yours too. But let’s stop lying to ourselves, Kane. You care about her. You’ve cared since the moment you saw how broken she was in that house. You said it yourself weeks ago—you like her.
"Shut up," I growled, slamming my fist onto the roof of my car.
This is your chance, my wolf pressed, his voice getting louder and stronger inside my head. You want to protect her from Kaden’s obsession? You want to prove to her that a man can care for her without locking her in a cage? Here it is. Stand between her and him. Prove to her that you are the one who can actually keep her safe. Show her what real protection feels like.
"She’s terrified, weak, and completely stuck!" I argued back against my own feelings, running both hands wildly through my messy hair. "If I force myself onto her now, how am I any better than Kaden? I’m not going to take advantage of her when she’s desperate!"
It’s not taking advantage if you give her a choice, my wolf replied softly. She wants a guard to walk through those doors. Be her guard. But don’t do it as a ghost. Do it as a man who plans to keep her when all of this is over.
I let out a long, heavy breath, watching the cold fog of my breath disappear into the night. My chest burned. My wolf was right about one thing—I couldn’t leave her. If I walked away now, she would either die from the poison in that silver collar, or Maeve and Logan would force Kaden to get his memories back. And the moment Kaden realized that his mate had been hidden from him, he would tear the world apart to control her again.
She would be trapped forever. And I would have to watch it happen.
I closed my eyes, taking one last deep breath to calm the panic in my chest, and turned around.
The heavy wooden door of the seer’s house creaked as I pushed it open. I walked down the dim hallway, my heavy boots making loud sounds against the floor. When I reached the bedroom doorway, I stopped.
Rebecca was sitting on the edge of the bed, her arms wrapped tightly around herself, looking small and weak. But the second I stepped into the room, her eyes locked onto mine instantly—not with surprise, but with a quiet, knowing look.
As if she knew I would come back.
I stood there for a long moment, breathing heavily as I stared at her. Beside her, Stephanie moved uncomfortably, and the silence in the room became extremely tense.
"I will do it," I said, my voice heavy, firm, and strict. "I will bring you into the Full Moon packhouse. I will stand beside you, I will call you mine, and I will protect you from Kaden with my life."
Rebecca held her breath, a faint glow of hope showing on her tear-stained face. "Kane..."
"On one condition," I cut in sharply, taking two slow, careful steps into the room.
She blinked, her hands gripping her knees harder. "What condition?"
I stopped right in front of her, looking down into her wide, tired eyes. I let all the anger fade from my face, leaving behind only the pure, hard truth I had been running from all evening.
"When this is over," I said softly, making every word clear, "when that collar is off your neck and we are safe from Kaden... you will give me a real chance. I’m tired of pretending these feelings don’t exist. I’d like the chance to court you."
Rebecca went completely still. The room became deathly quiet. Stephanie looked between the two of us with wide eyes, holding her breath.
"Kane..." Rebecca whispered, her voice breaking as fresh tears filled her eyes. She looked down at her hands, shaking her head slowly. "What... what do you even see in me? Look at me. I have nothing left. I am broken, I am carrying another man’s child, and I am running for my life. I am nothing right now."
"Don’t ever say that," I said, gently crouching down so I was at eye level with her, making her look at me. "You are not nothing, Rebecca. You survived a living hell. You broke out of a cage that would have destroyed anyone else, and you are fighting with everything you have to protect yourself and your baby. I don’t see a broken woman. I see someone who deserves to be loved without fear. I see someone I want to stand beside—not as a guard, not as an owner, but as a partner."
Rebecca swallowed hard, her chest moving up and down as tears finally ran down her pale cheeks. She searched my face, looking for any sign of lies or bad intentions. But all I gave her was the truth.
"I won’t force you into anything," I added softly, keeping my hands on my own knees to give her space. "I won’t lock you up, and I won’t force you to love me. All I am asking for is a fair chance once you are truly free."
She bit her bottom lip, staring at me for a long, painful moment before letting out a soft, shaky breath.
"Okay," Rebecca whispered, her voice very quiet, but strong enough to calm my heart. "Okay, Alpha Kane. I’ll give you a chance."
A small, real smile appeared on my face for the first time all night. I stood up, feeling the huge weight of what we had to do settle onto my shoulders, but this time, my wolf was completely silent—and happy.
"Alright," I said, turning my head toward the door. "Maeve! Get in here. Cast the spell. We’re going to the full moon packhouse."