Chapter 45: Under the street light
The night air felt colder than before.
A sharp breeze swept through the empty street, stirring fallen leaves across the pavement and tugging at Yuki’s blonde hair. The glow from the streetlamp cast long shadows over the narrow road, turning everything gold and silver beneath the moonlight.
Yuki hated that her eyes immediately found Kaden, she was stunned by Kaden’s appearance. He stood under the flickering street light, casually leaning against a sleek black motorcycle with his helmet resting on the seat.
He wore a fitted black leather jacket that hugged his broad shoulders and powerful arms, paired with dark trousers that accentuated his long legs. The leather jacket gleamed under the dim light, making him look dangerously hot and every inch like trouble wrapped in midnight. The cold night breeze tugged at his dark hair, tousling it across his forehead in a way that only added to his intimidating allure.
Her stomach twisted sharply at the sight of him. She subconsciously stepped back, her scraped knee throbbing in protest. Kaden’s sharp gaze flickered immediately, noticing the small movement.
Xavier’s expression turned conflicted. He had a good idea of what had happened. This was no coincidence. Kaden had known exactly which escape route they would use. He had been waiting for them.
Xavier forced a smile and spoke in his familiar, taunting tone, one he always used with Kaden. "So, are you going to snitch on me, Alpha?" he taunted in a familiar tone
Kaden straightened up slowly, his voice remained calm but edged with authority. "I am not your Alpha," he replied. His gaze shifted to Yuki. "Yet." His expression changed slightly
.
The single word settled heavily between them. His nose twitched slightly. He caught the faint whiff of alcohol carried on the cold breeze. "Did you drink?" he asked, his low tone carrying an edge as his gaze locked firmly on Yuki.
Her throat tightened instantly. Those blue eyes pinned her in place. She felt incredibly small under his dark, searching stare. Nervousness made the words tangle in her mouth.
"I... I... didn’t... I..." she stuttered, unable to finish a sentence. She suddenly felt like a child caught doing something very wrong.
Kaden arched his brows, his voice deceptively calm but laced with disapproval. "I... I... what? The question is simple, Snow. Did you drink or not?" The fact that he did not raise his voice only made the moment worse.
The breeze swept past them again.
Yuki clenched her fists, gathering her courage. Her nails bit into her palms. Why was she scared of this jerk in the first place? She asked herself.
"It was just one can. I am an adult, Kaden. I can fucking drink," she snapped, her voice sharp with defiance.
Xavier froze, knowing Kaden’s temper well. To his shock, Kaden did not look angry. If anything, a small smirk curled at the corner of his lips, as though he found her outburst mildly amusing.
"Is that so, Snow?" he asked in a dangerously calm voice that still made her flinch.
Xavier instinctively stepped in front of Yuki, shielding her with his body. "Dude, chill," he said firmly. "Don’t come after her. She has nothing to do with tonight." he defended her oblivious to the way Kaden’s demeanour changed at that micro action that felt too natural.
Kaden’s gaze darkened with subtle distaste. "I was not talking to you, Mr Knight in shining armour," he said, his tone dripping with mockery. "You have not even got yourself safe yet and you want to protect someone else." He looked over Xavier’s shoulder directly at Yuki. "So, dear Miss, ’I can do whatever I want because I feel like I am smart enough.’ You really took your title seriously, carelessly drinking in a place like that. Do you know what wolfbane does to werewolves?"Kaden’s tone got harsher with each passing word.
Her nails dug deep. She wanted to refute. She hated his tone but she couldn’t argue because despite how infuriating this bastard was he was right. God, she hated it when he was right.
The question struck harder than she expected. Her stomach sank. Kaden continued.
"Alexander is still cleaning up your mess from Eloise’s party and now this happens." He said in a controlled tone. The wind rattled a nearby sign. "You realise your actions don’t just affect you."
His voice grew colder. "How do you think it looks when someone connected to the Ravencourt name gets caught up in something like this?"
Yuki’s chest tightened.
"Even if you don’t care about the family, you should at least remember Alexander plans to adopt you."
The next words landed like stones. "And here I thought you might actually be decent."
Something inside her cracked. The tears arrived before she could stop them. " I didn’t ruin Eloise’s presents!" She barked through tears.
Her voice rose. " I was set up. Why the fuck would I do that?" she snapped, her chest rising rapidly with fury.
The anger and hurt poured out at once. Kaden’s expression didn’t soften.
"Oh, you did not?" Kaden sneered, his voice growing harsher with every word. "Okay, let us say the video evidence was lying. What are you going to say about tonight? That you were kidnapped and taken there? Who even took you there?" he folded his arms as he asked. The accusations and sarcasm hit her immediately.
Tears stung her eyes. She could not hold them back any longer. The tears rolled freely now.
Why was he being so harsh?
Why did his opinion bother her so much?
It shouldn’t hurt. She barely knew him. Yet every word felt personal. She just couldn’t handle listening to him talk to her that way. "Please stop..." she whimpered, her voice cracking with exhaustion and emotion.
Xavier’s fists clenched tightly. "That is enough, Kaden," he said, his voice carrying a warning tone. "It was a party, Kaden. Shit happens."
Kaden’s head snapped up. The amusement vanished completely. He was finding Xavier increasingly annoying more than regular "Don’t get me started with you," he hissed. "Your father will be pleased to know you were there, Xavier. You are in the same fire."
"Come on, Kaden, cut us some slack," Xavier grunted in a casual but tired tone. It was obvious that the two of them were quite familiar with each other.
"Why should I?" Kaden fired back. "Because I know you? After all, you said as the future of the pack I should lead by example. So tell me why I should make an exception for you." he arched a brow at him.
Yuki felt guilt crash over her. If Xavier had left her behind, he would not be in this situation right now.
"Why are you acting so grumpy today?" Xavier questioned, sounding genuinely confused. "You usually do not give a shit what I do as long as I avoid trouble," Xavier questioned, finding Kaden different. On a regular night, he would look the other way because he knew even if Xavier might be reckless he knew how to handle himself.
"Let us say I am in a bad mood tonight," Kaden retorted, his gaze locked with Xavier’s. There was no fear in Xavier’s eyes, only confusion.
The answer only made Xavier frown harder. Kaden’s gaze shifted toward Yuki again. "Since you’re so protective of her, you should’ve convinced her to leave." He continued not giving them the chance to breathe.
His attention returned to Xavier. "You have been around wolfbane before. You can recognise the scent." He hissed. His gaze got sharper. "You could’ve caught the scent."
Xavier rubbed his face. He was taken aback and could only avert his gaze for a moment. "A lot was happening." His voice carried frustration. "It slipped my attention."
He glanced at Yuki. "But I got her out of safety."
Kaden’s eyebrow rose. "Did you?" He sneered. The question lingered. "After all, you ran straight into me."
His smirk returned. "And right now I could hand both of you over to the authorities."
Xavier’s shoulders sagged. "Kaden, please." For the first time that night, there was no teasing in his voice. "Let’s not do this," he pleaded. He didn’t want this to get out of hand.
Silence followed. The streetlamp buzzed overhead. Somewhere in the distance, the chaos from the party echoed faintly through the city.
The cold night breeze continued to blow, tugging at their hair and clothes. Yuki pushed herself forward, stepping in front of Xavier.
"Just cut him some slack," she breathed out, her voice steadier than she felt. "I went there myself. Even if Xavier had told me to leave, I would not have. If you want to blame someone, blame me."
She met Kaden’s gaze directly. Those deep blue eyes seemed to cut through everything in the cold night air.
The tension in the alley thickened, the flickering street light casting long shadows over the three of them as the cold breeze continued to swirl around them. The longer he stayed silent the more her stomach twisted
