Chapter 54: One Month
Rebecca’s POV
The healer’s words hung in the air like a heavy frost.
Not with a baby. Her womb is entirely empty.
My heart stopped, then slammed against my ribs so hard it made my chest ache. I lay frozen on the long couch, my eyes wide as I stared at the ceiling. A massive wave of pure shock washed over me. I was wrong. We were all wrong. I wasn’t pregnant.
Right after the shock came an unbelievable sense of relief. For a split second, I wanted to sob with happiness. I wasn’t bound to this monster by a child. I wasn’t carrying a baby that would lock me to his dark world forever. But that sweet relief lasted only a heartbeat before it was violently crushed by a cold, sharp fear.
If there was no baby... then I was in grave danger.
I turned my eyes toward Kaden, and the look on his face made the blood drain completely from my skin. He snapped.
"Get out," Kaden whispered, his voice vibrating with a dangerous, animal rage.
The midwife and the healer didn’t wait for him to say it twice. They scrambled for the door, bowing quickly before rushing out and slamming the heavy wooden door shut behind them. The moment the door clicked, Kaden let out a terrifying, low roar that sounded entirely like a beast.
He lunged forward, his massive fist swinging out and slamming into the heavy wooden nightstand beside the bed. With a loud CRACK, the thick wood shattered into splinters, sending pieces flying across the room. He kicked the remains aside, his chest heaving up and down as his dark aura flooded the bedroom. The air became so thick and heavy with his Alpha energy that I could barely draw air into my lungs.
His eyes were completely gone, swallowed by the pitch-black void of his wolf. The ruthless King was gone; only a savage monster remained.
"You bitch," Kaden growled, turning his deadly gaze slowly toward me. He stalked over to the couch, his towering body blocking out all the light in the room. "You tricked me. You did something to me."
"No, Alpha, I didn’t—" I tried to say, scrambling backward on the velvet cushions until my back hit the armrest.
"Shut up!" he roared, grabbing a glass vase from a small table and hurling it against the wall right above my head. Glass rained down on my hair and shoulders, but I didn’t dare move. "If you aren’t carrying my heir, then why do I feel this way? Why is my wolf clawing at my chest to get to you? Why do I feel this insane, crazy pull toward you every single second?!"
He leaned down, his face inches from mine, his hot breath smelling of dark anger. "What did you do? Did you use dark magic on me?"
"I didn’t use any magic! I swear!" I sobbed, tears finally spilling over my eyelashes and running down my cheeks. "I don’t know why you feel it either!"
Kaden straightened up, a cruel, mocking smile cutting across his face. "The deal is off, Rebecca. There is no pup. Which means I have absolutely no reason to be merciful to you. You are going straight back to that dungeon where you belong. And your little friend, Stephanie? Her life is right back on the chopping block. I will make sure her death is slow and painful."
Panic exploded in my chest. Images of Stephanie being tortured flashed through my mind, and the guilt tore me apart. I couldn’t let her die because of my empty womb.
Without thinking, I rolled off the couch and fell straight onto my knees, grabbing at his legs just like I had done in the kitchen.
"No! Please, Alpha Kaden, no!" I pleaded, my voice breaking as I cried out for my friend. "I will get pregnant soon! I swear I will! Just give me another chance... I will do better! I’ll do whatever you want!"
Kaden didn’t move. He looked down at me, his black eyes tracking the way I groveled at his feet. Suddenly, he reached down, his large hand wrapping around my jaw with a tight, iron grip. He forced my head back, making me look up into his terrifying face.
"You think you can just promise me a pup now?" he growled, his voice dropping into a dark, possessive purr. He leaned in closer, his fingers pinching my chin so hard it bruised. "Fine," he spat. "Every single night, you will perform your duty as a breeder. Every. Single. Night. You will take my cock in that bed until you finally get pregnant."
He tightened his grip on my jaw, his gaze turning deadly cold. "I am giving you exactly one month, Rebecca. If by one month you aren’t pregnant with my heir... I will bring your friend up from the cells, and I will cut off Stephanie’s head right here in front of you."
He let go of my jaw so roughly that my head snapped to the side. I fell back onto the floor, my breath coming in short, ragged gasps as I clutched my bruised chin.
Kaden didn’t look down at me again. He turned around, his giant shoulders tense as he walked over to the massive bed. He stripped off his shirt, throwing it onto the floor, revealing the thick, scarred muscles of his tattooed back and shoulders.
"Get up," he ordered, his back still turned to me. "Strip."
My whole body shook as I forced myself up from the cold floor. My fingers trembled violently as I reached down, grabbing the hem of the plain gown I had just put on in his room. I pulled it up over my head and let it drop onto the rug, leaving me completely naked and shivering in the middle of the room.
Kaden turned around. His black wolf eyes swept down my body, his jaw tightening as he looked at my flat, empty stomach. A dark, possessive growl vibrated deep inside his chest.
He didn’t say another word. He climbed onto the bed, propping himself up against the headboard, his heavy chest heaving with every angry breath. He patted the dark sheets in front of him, his look leaving zero room for argument.
"Come here," he commanded, his voice dropping into that low, gravelly tone. "Your task to get pregnant starts now, Rebecca. Crawl over here and start working for your friend’s life."
I swallowed the heavy lump of tears in my throat, keeping my eyes fixed on the mattress as I walked over. I climbed onto the edge of the high bed, my knees sinking into the soft sheets. Every single instinct inside me wanted to turn around and run as fast as I could, but the picture of Stephanie losing her head kept me moving forward.
I crawled toward him on all fours, my head bowed in total submission, feeling his burning, deadly stare tracking every move of my body. When I reached him, he didn’t wait. He reached out with one big, heavy hand, grabbed my hip with a bruising grip, and pulled me right onto his lap.
The hot, familiar scent of his Alpha aura instantly filled my nose, and to my absolute shame, my body reacted immediately, turning slick and warm between my thighs.
Kaden noticed it right away. A cruel smile slowly spread across his lips as he leaned down, his teeth lightly brushing against the skin of my neck right beside the silver choker.
"See that?" he whispered, his hot breath sending a violent shiver down my spine. "Your body knows exactly what it’s made for. Now open your legs wide for me, bitch. Let’s see if we can make a pup tonight."
