Breeder To The Brutal Alpha King

Chapter 170: Who She Wants

Kane’s POV

​I stepped into the room, and the air hit me like a physical wall.

​It was sweet. Too sweet. It was a thick, heavy, suffocating scent that made my inner wolf instantly rear up, his claws scraping violently against the walls of my mind. My heart stopped. I knew that scent. It was the undeniable, primal fragrance of a female wolf in heat.

​"Alpha Kane..." Rebecca whispered. Her voice was weak, barely a thinned-out breath in the dark.

​"Moon Goddess, Rebecca..." I breathed, rushing to the side of her bed. My eyes adjusted to the shadows, and my chest tightened at the sight of her. She was curled on her side, shaking so violently the mattress vibrated beneath her. Her skin was flushed, covered in a slick sheen of sweat, and her fingers were clawing helplessly at her sheets. "Your scent is everywhere. You are in heat? How is this even possible? Your wolf is locked away."

​She let out a soft, broken moan, tightly clutching her stomach. "I... I don’t know. This is my first time. It hurts so much."

​My chest squeezed as if a physical hand were crushing my heart. A wolf’s first heat was always painful, but going through it without her inner wolf to guide her through the hormonal storm—and with a heavy silver collar choking her neck, blocking her natural healing—was a death sentence. The collar was suppressing her wolf, but the heat was demanding she shift, forcing her body to burn itself up from the inside out.

​Without thinking, I slipped my arms under her back and knees, lifting her off the bed. She felt incredibly hot, like a stove, her heat radiating through her thin clothes. She whimpered, leaning her head against my shoulder. My arms were cool to the touch, but I could tell it brought her no real comfort. There was no spark between us. Her body didn’t relax in my arms; she remained stiff, a wild bird trapped in a burning cage.

​I carried her quickly into the bathroom, desperate to do something, anything, to cool her down. Setting her gently inside the large bathtub, I turned on the faucet, letting the cold water pour over her body.

​Rebecca rested her head against the tiled back of the tub. She moaned, moving her body around frantically as she tried to escape the fire clawing beneath her skin.

​I stood over the tub, my hands clenched into tight fists. I felt so useless. I wanted to help her, to be the one she reached for, but my wolf knew the brutal truth. The only thing that could save her from this agony was her true mate.

​The only one who could help her was Kaden.

​Giving in to the bitter reality, I swallowed my pride and climbed into the tub behind her. Sitting down in the freezing water, I pulled her back against my chest, holding her tight to keep her steady. I didn’t touch her inappropriately; I only wanted to anchor her, to try and share some of my cooling strength.

​Suddenly, her small hands reached back, grabbing tightly at my arms.

​"Alpha Kane..." she gasped, her breathing shallow and frantic. "Where is Kaden?"

​The question sliced right through me, a sharp blade twisting in my chest. Even out of her mind with fever, even after everything he had done to her... Kaden was the only one she wanted. My grip tightened around her waist, my heart aching as I forced my voice to remain steady.

​"Kaden is not in the house, Rebecca," I told her, my voice tight, tasting like ash. "If he were here, he would have smelled your sweet scent by now. He would have been in this room already."

​"Please... please call him," she begged, tears finally spilling over and mixing with the cold water on her face. "He can help... Kane, please. I feel like I’m dying. Please make it stop."

​"Relax, Rebecca," I murmured against her wet hair, holding her tighter as she began to sob. "Just try to breathe. I’ll handle it. Just hang on."

​But the water wasn’t helping. Her body temperature was rising so fast that the cold water hitting her skin was practically turning to steam. She suddenly shrieked, splashing violently, trying to climb out of the tub as if the water had turned to boiling oil.

​"It’s too hot! It burns! It burns, Kane!" she screamed.

​Realizing the bath was only making her panic, I quickly lifted her out of the water. She was soaking wet and shaking as if she were freezing, yet her skin was scalding to the touch. I carried her back into the bedroom and laid her on the dry sheets.

​She rolled around on the bed, pulling at her wet clothes, her voice breaking into agonizing cries. "Call Kaden... Kane, please, call him! I’m dying!"

​I stood by the bed, looking down at her. I loved her. I wanted to be the one to save her, to be her hero. But looking at her agony, I knew I had to put my own desires aside. I had to do what was right, even if it meant giving her to him.

​I closed my eyes and reached out into our mind-link, searching for Kaden’s mind.

​Kaden, I growled through the link, pouring all my frustration and urgency into the connection. Where the hell are you?

​None of your business, Kane, Kaden’s voice snapped back, sounding rough, angry, and completely exhausted. Get out of my head.

​It is about Rebecca, you fool! I snapped, cutting him off. Tell me where you are. Now.

​A sudden, deafening roar echoed through the link, shaking my mind. Kaden’s wolf was fully awake, wild and terrified.

​What did you do to her, Kane?! he roared, his mental voice vibrating with absolute fury. If you touched her—

​She is dying, Kaden! I yelled back, desperate to make him understand. She’s screaming for you, and her body is burning up. If you don’t get here right now, she isn’t going to make it. Where are you?

​There was a sharp gasp of pure horror on the other end. The fury vanished, replaced by sheer, frantic panic. I’m at a bar downtown. I’m twenty minutes out. I’m running to the car now!

​Drive faster, I commanded, and cut the mind-link off before he could say another word.

​I walked back to the edge of the bed and sat down, brushing a wet, tangled strand of hair away from Rebecca’s forehead. Her skin was burning, but her eyes were glassy and unfocused.

​"He is coming, Rebecca," I whispered to her, trying to soothe her racing heart as I took her trembling hand. "He will be here in less than twenty minutes. Just hang on for me. Please."

​Rebecca’s moans and painful cries only grew louder. She tossed and turned on the bed, her body burning hotter with every passing second. All I could do was sit there and watch her suffer. My heart was sinking deeper and deeper into my chest. I felt completely helpless. Every whimper she let out felt like a physical blow to my soul.

​But then, in less than ten minutes, the front door downstairs crashed open.

​Heavy, frantic footsteps sprinted up the stairs, moving faster than any normal human could. A second later, Kaden barged into the room.

​He was panting heavily, his chest rising and falling as he stood in the doorway. He looked completely wild, his hair messy and his clothes slightly disheveled from his mad rush.

​The moment he stepped into the room, he froze. He inhaled deeply, his eyes widening in shock as the thick, sweet scent of Rebecca’s heat hit him. His wolf was instantly responding to it; I could see the dark golden flash in his eyes.

​Kaden’s gaze rushed over to the bed, landing on Rebecca. Her eyes were closed tightly, her face twisted in pain as she whispered his name. Then, his sharp, demanding eyes snapped over to me. He looked confused, angry, and deeply suspicious. He was wondering why I was sitting there, doing nothing, if I claimed she was my mate.

​I forced myself to stand up, keeping my face completely blank so he wouldn’t see my heartbreak. I had to lie to him. If I didn’t, he would instantly realize that Rebecca and I weren’t mates.

​"Kaden, she is in heat," I said, my voice steady but cold. "I should have taken her myself... but I can’t do it. Not like this. She isn’t herself right now, and I want our first time to be real. I want it to be unique, when she can actually choose me."

​Kaden stared at me, his jaw clenching as he listened to my words.

​"She is already used to you," I added, my heart breaking into a million pieces as I walked past him toward the door. "So calm her down."

​Kaden didn’t say a word. He just kept his eyes on Rebecca, his wolf practically begging him to go to her.

​I stepped out of the bedroom and gently shut the door behind me, closing them off from the rest of the house. I walked slowly down the hallway to my room. The moment I stepped inside and locked my door, the strength left my body.

​Tears finally gathered in my eyes and rolled down my face. I slid down against the door, burying my face in my hands as I listened to the quiet house, knowing the woman I loved was in the arms of my brother.