Chapter 257: Take It Back
Kaden’s POV
For several seconds after the words left my mouth, neither of us moved.
Ruby looked like she couldn’t believe I’d actually said it, staring at me like I had suddenly sprouted horns.
I couldn’t fucking believe I’d said it either.
What the hell was wrong with me? Why did I say that?
That confession had never been part of what I intended to say tonight. I hadn’t even planned on admitting it to myself, much less saying it aloud to her. It was supposed to stay buried deep in my chest where it belonged—a dark, silent secret that would die with me. For days, I’d been fighting the attraction, burying it beneath suspicion, irritation, and every reasonable excuse I could find.
She was Kane’s woman.
She was carrying my brother’s child.
There were a thousand reasons why I shouldn’t feel anything for her.
Yet watching her reach for that handle, watching her prepare to walk right back to Kane, something in me had simply snapped. None of those reasons had been enough to stop the truth from coming out of my mouth.
Goddess.
I wanted to drag the words back into my throat, but even as panic tore through my head, another part of me felt strangely relieved.
Because it was true. This was real.
Ruby finally moved. She turned away from the door and took two fast steps toward me, staring at me like I’d just committed some terrible crime.
"Alpha Kaden, take that back."
I remained silent.
"Take back what you just said!" she cried out, her voice trembling as she shook her head in denial.
I should have.
That would have been the sensible thing to do. Laugh it off. Play it off as a joke. Tell her the events of tonight had messed with my head, or that I’d confused concern with attraction.
But I couldn’t bring myself to do it. I had been fighting it, denying it, and running from it for days, but now that the truth was hanging raw between us, I couldn’t force myself to lie. I wasn’t taking a single word back.
"No."
Her eyes widened.
"I won’t take it back."
She marched toward me before I could say anything else and shoved both palms hard against my chest with everything she had left.
"Take it back!"
I barely moved.
She hit my chest again, anger and panic flashing across her face.
"I’m your brother’s woman!" Her voice cracked, tears threatening to spill over her dark eyelashes. "I’m carrying his child. Do you understand how wrong this is? This is an abomination, Kaden! It’s wrong, and you know it!"
My jaw clenched.
Of course I fucking understood.
Did she think I hadn’t reminded myself of that every single day? Did she think I hadn’t lain awake wondering why the scent of my brother’s woman was permanently stuck inside my fucking head?
She raised her fists to strike my chest again, but before her palms could land, I caught both of her wrists in one hand, locking them gently but firmly between us.
"Do you think I don’t know that?"
Ruby froze, her chest heaving in shallow, loud breaths as she stared up at me.
The frustration I’d been swallowing for days finally broke loose.
"You think I wanted this?" My voice dropped as I leaned closer. "You think I woke up one morning and decided it would be a brilliant idea to develop feelings for the woman carrying my brother’s child? I’ve been kicking myself every fucking day since I realized what was happening. I’ve fought this until I don’t know how to fight it anymore."
Her lips parted, trembling slightly.
I loosened my grip on her wrists, but I didn’t release her completely.
"I’ve fought it from the moment I realized something was happening. Every time I found myself looking for you, I told myself it was because I didn’t trust you. Every time I wanted to be around you, I found another excuse."
Her eyes searched mine, overwhelmed by the raw intensity in my voice.
"The garden. The pool. These past two days when you disappeared into your room..." I shook my head bitterly. "I noticed every fucking time you weren’t there."
Her expression softened for half a second before she caught herself.
I continued before she could interrupt me.
"I know this is wrong. I know Kane is my brother. I know who you are, and I know whose baby is growing inside you. And I know you supposedly love him."
Something flickered across her face at that last part.
I noticed.
My eyes narrowed slightly.
Supposedly.
Even that relationship didn’t make sense to me anymore. I’d watched them. I’d watched her. There was something missing between them that I couldn’t put my finger on.
But that wasn’t what mattered right now.
What mattered was that Ruby looked terrified.
I slowly released her wrists.
The moment I did, she yanked them out of my grip and stepped backward.
"No."
I frowned.
She shook her head harder, backing away toward the exit. "No. You know what? This conversation never happened. I’m going to pretend this never happened."
"Ruby—"
"No." She reached for the door. "You didn’t tell me you liked me. I didn’t hear anything. We’re going to forget this entire conversation, and tomorrow everything goes back to normal."
I stared at her.
Normal?
What fucking normal?
Nothing about what had been happening between us was normal.
She reached for the door and pulled it open. "Goodnight, Alpha Kaden."
Something inside me snapped.
"I can’t pretend," I said quietly.
I crossed the space between us before I had enough time to reconsider it. I caught her around the waist, locking her against my body, and pulled her backward.
Ruby gasped as her back collided against my chest. "Kaden!"
I turned her around in my arms.
Her hands landed against me instinctively, but this time she didn’t hit me. She just stared up at me, breathing hard.
"I can’t pretend," I repeated.
Her entire body went still.
Neither could I anymore.
"I tried," I murmured. "For Goddess’s sake, Ruby, I’ve fucking tried."
Her eyes dropped to my mouth. Just for a second. But I saw it.
My heart slammed violently against my ribs.
Her gaze immediately snapped back to mine. "Don’t," she whispered.
I should have listened.
Instead, my hand slid from her waist to her cheek.
She didn’t pull away.
That tiny detail destroyed the last of my control.
I lowered my head and kissed her.
For one heartbeat, Ruby went completely rigid.
So did I.
The kiss wasn’t like what had happened earlier. There was no potion controlling her movements now, no fever making her reach for me. And the realization made me hesitate against her lips, ready to pull away.
Then her fingers curled slowly into my shirt.
And she kissed me back.
Fuck.
Something inside my chest broke wide open.
I drew her closer, my hand settling at her waist as the kiss deepened. She made a tiny sound against my mouth, and my wolf surged so violently inside me that I nearly lost my fucking mind.
Her scent flooded my senses.
Honey.
Nutmeg.
Mine—
I froze.
The word hadn’t come from me.
My wolf had said it.
Mine.
A violent throb suddenly struck behind my eyes.
And for the briefest second, an image flashed through my mind.
Ruby staring at me with tears running down her face.
Except the silver choker around her neck was black.