Chapter 104: He knows
Killian’s heart skipped a beat when he saw Kaden.
The corridor fell into a crushing silence.
Kaden stood rooted where he was, rainwater still dripping from the ends of his dark hair onto the polished marble beneath his feet. His golden eyes never left Killian. "...Yuki suggested it?" The words echoed inside his head far louder than he’d spoken them.
He had agreed to the rejection. He had convinced himself it was necessary. It was practical. It was the only way everyone could move forward. So why... why did hearing that she had been the one to ask for it first make something inside his chest twist so painfully?
The ache was dull, almost insignificant, yet impossible to ignore. He immediately buried it beneath reason. It was guilt. Nothing more. It had to be.
Across from him, Eloise simply stared at Killian. For several long seconds, she couldn’t even blink. Then her lower lip trembled before the first tear escaped down her cheek. Another followed almost immediately. "I... I didn’t know..." Her voice cracked under the weight of her emotions.
"I wasn’t trying to hurt anyone." Her shoulders began shaking violently as she struggled to steady her breathing.
"I only..." She swallowed hard before burying her face in her hands. "...I only did it because I love you. I was scared. I thought... I thought if I didn’t do something..." Another sob escaped her. "...I’d lose all of you."
Killian’s fingers slowly curled into fists at his sides. Seeing her cry still hurt. It hurt far more than he wanted to admit. For years, Eloise had been the woman he’d imagined standing beside him. The woman he’d protected without hesitation. The woman he’d loved with every piece of his heart.
Every instinct screamed at him to close the distance, wipe away her tears and tell her everything would be alright like he always had. But this time... he couldn’t. Loving her didn’t erase what she’d done.
"You still endangered yourself," he said quietly, his voice carrying none of its usual sharpness, only exhaustion.
"You nearly died." His jaw tightened before he continued. "You forced Kieran to gamble with his own life." His gaze drifted briefly towards the bedroom door behind him before settling back on her. "...And because of your actions, Yuki almost lost hers."
Eloise shook her head desperately. "I know." Tears streamed freely down her face now. "I know. I’m sorry. I wasn’t thinking. I swear I wasn’t thinking." Her breathing became ragged as another sob escaped. "I just... I love you so much."
Killian closed his eyes for the briefest moment. Her apology reached him. So did the fear behind it. He believed she regretted it. He knew she genuinely hadn’t wanted Kieran hurt. But none of it changed reality. When he opened his eyes again, there was only weary resolve left inside them. "You should go back." His voice had softened, yet it carried unmistakable finality. "I can’t... do this tonight, Eloise."
His words shattered the little composure she had left. "...You’re sending me away?" she whispered, staring at him as though he’d struck her. Fresh tears blurred her vision. Killian’s throat tightened painfully.
"I need space," he answered, forcing himself not to look away. It took every ounce of restraint he possessed not to pull her into his arms. Instead, he simply stood there, his fists clenched so tightly his knuckles had turned white.
Kaden moved before he consciously realised it. Instinct guided his body as he stepped forward and gently pulled Eloise into his chest. The moment she felt his arms around her, she completely broke down.
"I’m sorry..." she cried into his shirt. "I never meant... I never wanted anyone to get hurt." His hand moved slowly across her back in comforting circles out of pure habit.
"It’s alright," he murmured automatically, though even to his own ears, his voice sounded strangely distant.
His thoughts were somewhere else entirely.
Yuki suggested the rejection.
The revelation refused to leave him alone. Why? If she truly hated them so much... why had hearing that she willingly wanted to let go left such a hollow ache inside him? His wolf remained unusually restless beneath his skin.
No. He shut the thought down before it could take root. It was the bond confusing him. Nothing more.
For one brief moment, he almost asked Killian. He wanted to know whether everything that had happened today, caring for Yuki, protecting her, staying beside her, had changed something inside his older brother too. The question rose to the back of his throat before dying there. Not with Eloise crying in his arms.
Killian seemed to understand the unspoken question anyway. His tired gaze settled on Kaden. "Take her back."
Kaden nodded once. "I will."
Without another word, he bent slightly and swept Eloise into his arms. She offered no resistance. Instead, she buried her tear-stained face against the crook of his neck. "I’m sorry..." she whispered again, her voice muffled by his shirt. "I was scared. I thought... if Yuki stayed... I’d lose all of you."
"You need to rest," Kaden said softly, adjusting his hold beneath her knees. "We’ll talk tomorrow."
She only cried harder.
Behind them, Killian remained standing outside his bedroom. He watched silently until they disappeared around the corner before finally turning back towards his room, feeling more exhausted than he had in years.
---
The rain had stopped completely by the time Kaden reached Kieran’s laboratory.
Only droplets continued falling from the rooftops outside, tapping softly against the windows. The room remained dimly lit, the steady beeping of the heart monitor once again filling the silence. He carefully lowered Eloise onto the bed before pulling the blanket over her trembling body.
She reached for his wrist almost immediately.
"Kaden..."
Her swollen eyes searched his face desperately.
"Do you think..." She hesitated, her voice barely above a whisper. "...Do you think Killian hates me now?"
Kaden sat beside her without hesitation. "No." His answer came immediately. "Killian has always been protective. Especially when it comes to Kieran and me. He was angry because he was worried. That’s all." He offered her a reassuring smile. "He still loves you."
"Really?" she asked quietly.
He nodded. "He only stayed with Yuki because he had to. If her wolf died, none of us would’ve been able to reject her without killing her. Everything he’s doing now is only to make sure she survives the rejection."
Relief slowly softened Eloise’s expression. "So..." she whispered. "...he doesn’t have feelings for her?"
"No."
The answer came so quickly it surprised even him. Almost as though he were trying to convince himself.
"He only loves you."
A small smile finally returned to Eloise’s face. She leaned against his shoulder with a relieved sigh. "I was so jealous." She laughed weakly through her tears. "She’s so beautiful." Her fingers absentmindedly twisted the blanket. "Sometimes... I wish I could scratch that pretty face until nobody looked at her again."
Kaden froze.
His hand stopped moving against her back.
The words lingered in the air far longer than she realised. Something about them unsettled him deeply. His wolf shifted uneasily beneath his skin.
Eloise remained completely oblivious.
Instead, she reached for his hand, intertwining their fingers before looking up at him with vulnerable eyes.
"Kaden..."
"What is it?" he asked gently.
She squeezed his hand.
"Promise me something."
"What?"
"Promise you’ll always have my back." Her voice trembled. "Promise... you’ll always love me."
Silence stretched between them.
Normally, he would’ve answered without even thinking.
Tonight... the words refused to come.
Kieran’s exhausted face flashed through his mind.
Killian standing in the hallway with a red handprint on his cheek. Yuki’s wolf retreating, the rejection, the dull ache in his chest.
"Kaden?" Eloise squeezed his hand tighter, uncertainty creeping into her voice. "Kaden..."
He blinked, forcing a smile onto his face.
What was wrong with him?
The mate bond was messing with his head.
That had to be it.
"Of course," he replied softly. "I always will."
Relief flooded her features. Before he could react, she wrapped both arms around his neck and pulled him down. Their lips met.
The kiss caught him completely off guard. Then her hand slipped beneath the hem of his shirt. His entire body locked. Something inside him recoiled.
A sickening wave rolled through his stomach.
"Kaden..." she whispered against his lips.
His hand shot up immediately, firmly catching her wrist before gently but decisively breaking the kiss. Both of them stared at each other, breathing unevenly.
"...Kaden?" Hurt flickered across her face.
He swallowed hard before carefully easing her back against the pillows.
"Not tonight," he said quietly. His tone carried no room for argument. "You’re still weak."
"I’ll be careful..." she argued.
"No." The single word remained firm. "You need rest."
She looked ready to protest again. Instead, she suddenly felt a tiny prick against the side of her neck.
Her eyes widened.
"K... Kaden...?"
He had already withdrawn the small syringe, hiding it back inside his pocket almost as quickly as it had appeared.
"I’m sorry," he whispered gently. "You need sleep."
Within seconds, her eyelids became heavy.
"I..."
"...wasn’t..."
Her words slurred together before her head sank into the pillow.
Moments later...
She was asleep.
Kaden stood motionless beside the bed for several long seconds. Then he quietly turned, walked out of the laboratory and gently closed the door behind him.
He barely made it halfway down the corridor before his knees suddenly buckled beneath him.
One hand caught the edge of a large ceramic planter as he dropped onto the cold marble floor. His stomach lurched violently.
He vomited until his entire body trembled.
He remained kneeling there long after his stomach had emptied, staring blankly at the floor while one horrifying thought echoed endlessly inside his mind.
When Eloise kissed him...
His first instinct hadn’t been desire.
It had been rejection.