Free Web NovelChapter 28: Showing Care
KADEN’S POV
I stormed out of my room, breathing hard with a mix of fury and guilt. Needing to get away from the heavy walls of the house, I marched out into the dark, cold air of my private woods—a thick forest right next to the estate.
With a hard pull at my human body, I shifted. The change was smooth. My body stretched until I stood on four paws as a huge, black wolf. I ran fast into the thick trees, my paws hitting the damp dirt. Inside my head, my wolf was howling—a sad, painful sound that drove me crazy. But he refused to talk to me. I knew why. He was heartbroken over Helen’s death, and he felt bad about the pleasure we just took from the woman who killed her.
I ran blindly through the dark woods for almost an hour, pushing my body until my legs burned, trying to outrun my own mind. Finally, gasping for air, I changed back into my human form.
I walked heavily back into the house and returned to my room. I stripped off my clothes, stepped into the bathroom, and let freezing cold water hit my skin. I tried to wash away the scent of Rebecca and the ache of my dead mate. After drying off, I pulled on some loose, dark sweatpants and threw myself onto the couch. I sat there, staring at the ceiling, trying to calm down. But I was restless. So damn restless. My mind kept flashing back to the sight of Rebecca’s dull, lifeless blue eyes and her broken, swollen shoulder.
Unable to sit still any longer, I stood up. My feet moved before my brain could stop them. I walked down the quiet hallways of the second floor, my jaw tight, until I stood right outside her bedroom door.
Without knocking, I pushed the door open and stepped inside.
The sudden sound of the door opening made Rebecca jump in fear. She moved backward on the bed, her wide, tear-filled eyes locked on me as she hid against the headboard.
"What..." she tried to speak, her voice shaking.
I cut her off with a dark growl that made her quickly close her mouth, her shoulders shaking.
I stood at the edge of the bed and stared down at her. Up close, I could see just how broken she was. She looked weak, and her mind seemed completely shattered. With that silver collar locking her wolf away, she had no powers. She looked completely defenseless. I wanted to ask her if she was okay, but I caught myself. I realized I was showing too much care—care that a ruthless Alpha King should never show to the woman who ruined his life.
"The pack doctor will come and check on your shoulder first thing in the morning," I said, keeping my voice cold and flat.
Rebecca did not say a word. She just gave a small, weak nod, her eyes glued to the blanket.
I groaned, my chest tight as I tried to think of what else to say, but my mind was blank. I stood there in the heavy silence for a moment before I spoke again.
"You are not a maid in this pack, Rebecca. You only answer to me, and absolutely nobody else. Do you understand me?"
"Yes," she whispered weakly, her voice so faint I could barely hear it.
I looked down at her pale face and noticed her chin trembling. Something else was wrong with her tonight, and it made me angry.
"What else is wrong with you?" I demanded, my tone sharp.
"I’m fine," she replied softly, looking completely exhausted.
A growl came from my throat. I took a big step closer to the bed, standing right over her. "I’m not asking because I care about you, breeder. I just don’t want you getting sick because I cannot have sex with a sick woman. So tell me what is wrong."
My wolf snapped inside my head, annoyed by her defiance. "Speak!" I ordered, using a bit of my Alpha power.
"I’m hungry," she blurted out weakly, flinching as if she thought I would hit her.
"Hungry?" I repeated, confused. I stared at her, thinking about the time. "Have you had nothing to eat all day?"
"Yes," she replied weakly.
A wave of pure anger washed over me. I turned my head away and quickly mind-linked the head cook.
"Alpha King!" the cook answered instantly, her thoughts shaking with fear because I sounded so angry.
"Why wasn’t my breeder fed today?" I demanded. "Who ordered you to starve her?"
"Alpha... I... Martha said—"
"Get a tray of food up to her room right now," I ordered, cutting off her excuses. "If she misses another meal, you will be in serious trouble."
I cut the link. I looked at the clock on her wall. It was already 10:00 p.m. She was forced to do heavy human work at a building site, suffered a broken bone, and had not eaten all day. To think that I was just forcing her onto my lap, ready to use her body on an empty stomach, made me angry at myself.
I looked back down at her. Her blue eyes were full of fresh tears, but she was biting her lip, trying hard not to cry. Seeing her look so pathetic and broken made me feel a mix of anger and irritation.
"Why are you crying?" I snapped, my voice harsh in the quiet room. "This was your choice, Rebecca. No one forced you to kill Helen. No one forced this punishment on you."
"I’m sorry," she mumbled, a single tear falling down her pale cheek. She quickly wiped it away with her good right hand, her voice cracking. "I’m sorry..."
I groaned in frustration, forcing myself to look away from her face. Just then, the door opened, and a young kitchen maid walked in with a tray. The moment she saw me standing there, she froze in pure terror, almost dropping the food.
"G-Greetings, Alpha King," she stammered, bowing her head all the way to the floor. She walked nervously to the bed and placed the tray of food in front of Rebecca.
With her head still lowered, the maid started to back away toward the door, desperate to run from me. But I stopped her with one firm word.
"Wait."
The maid froze, shaking.
"From now on, you will bring her three meals every single day, at the right time," I commanded, my voice firm. "If the head maid tells you not to, you tell her the order came directly from me."
"Yes, my Lord," the maid squeaked out.
"You can leave."
She practically ran out of the room, slamming the door shut to get away from me.
Left alone with her again, I looked down at the tray. The cover was off, showing a large bowl of vegetable porridge with green leaves on top. My chest suddenly felt tight. The sight of those green leaves reminded me of Helen. It was her favorite food.
"Thanks," Rebecca murmured softly from the bed, her voice small and honest.
The thanks felt like a slap in the face. A dark, angry growl came from my throat as I turned my cold eyes back to her.
"Don’t you dare thank me," I muttered in a low, dangerous voice, stepping back toward the door. "I am not doing this to be nice to you, Rebecca. I am doing this for myself. I cannot fuck a weak, starving slave, and I need your body fit to bear my pup. Remember your place."
I turned around, threw the door open, and marched back down the empty stone hallway, my heavy boots echoing through the quiet house as I returned to my lonely room.
I reached my quarters and closed the door behind me, the heavy silence of the room wrapping around me like a shroud.
Walking over to the bedside table, I picked up the small framed picture of Helen. Her bright, beautiful smile stared back at me, frozen in a time when things were simple.
I shook my head, my chest tightening as a heavy wave of guilt washed over me.
"I don’t know what is wrong with me, Helen," I whispered to the empty room, my voice cracking. "You must be so angry at me right now. It has been barely two weeks since you were taken from me, since you left this world... and here I am. I am seeking pleasure on the body of the very woman who killed you." freeweɓnovēl.coɱ
I stared at her face, my fingers gripping the edges of the frame.
"You must really hate me," I muttered, a bitter taste filling my mouth. "I should be breaking her completely, but instead, I am making sure she is fed. I am letting her presence mess with my head."
Unable to look at her smile any longer, I lay down on the bed. I pulled the small picture close to my chest, holding it tightly against my heart as if it could somehow stop the bleeding inside. With her image pressed against me, I finally closed my eyes and let the dark, restless sleep take over.
The next morning, the harsh sunlight filtered through the curtains, waking me up from a night of bad dreams. I stood up and got ready, deciding to go for my usual morning run in the woods to clear my head. But as I walked down the hallway, a strange pull tugged at my chest. Somehow, I felt obligated to check on Rebecca first. I needed to see if the doctor had arrived, or perhaps I just needed to be sure she was okay.
I reached her closed bedroom door and stopped. Before I could even reach for the handle, my wolf’s sensitive hearing picked up voices from inside.
My eyes narrowed as I heard Rebecca’s voice. It wasn’t the weak, trembling whisper from last night. She was yelling at someone, her tone ringing out with a strange, fierce strength.
"Yes, I killed Queen Helen, and I can do the same to you!" she barked, her voice sharp enough to cut through the heavy wood of the door. "Don’t let my weak frame deceive you... don’t let my fake victim attitude deceive you... I am a monster... a dangerous, heartless one..."
