Breeder To The Brutal Alpha King

Kaden’s POV

​The moment the lock clicked, the silence in the room rushed back, heavy and suffocating.

I turned around slowly, my chest rising and falling as I stared at Rebecca. I walked back to the couch, my legs feeling heavy, and dropped to both knees right beside her.

​My eyes locked onto her neck.

​Kane was right. I knew the pack lore. I knew the ancient magic. When a wolf is completely suppressed by silver, their aura is dead. The spiritual thread that connects fated mates can get tangled, blocked, or completely hidden. It was entirely possible that Kane’s wolf couldn’t feel her because her wolf was trapped in a cage.

​I reached out, my fingers hovering just an inch away from the silver metal.

​All I had to do was unlock the small hidden latch with the key. It would take two seconds to pop it open. Just two seconds to find out if she truly belonged to my brother.

​But my hand began to shake, my fingers freezing in the air.

​Pure, unadulterated terror flooded my veins, thicker and hotter than the liquor I had been drinking. I was the Alpha King. I wasn’t supposed to fear anything. But right now, staring at that silver latch, I was absolutely terrified.

​What if I opened it, and the room filled with the golden, blinding light of a fated mate bond? What if Kane’s wolf started howling from the hallway, answering the sudden cry of her freed wolf? What if she opened those beautiful sea-blue eyes and looked right past me, searching for my brother?

​The thought made something inside my chest snap. An ugly, toxic madness took over my brain.

​No.

​I pulled my hand back sharply, clenching it into a tight fist until my claws bit into my own palm. I couldn’t do it. I wouldn’t do it.

​I didn’t care about the laws of the universe. I didn’t care about fating, or bonds, or what the goddess had decided. She was my prisoner. She was the slave who killed Helen. She was the breeder I had claimed, the one who might be carrying the next heir inside her stomach right now.

​She was mine. Even if the universe said she belonged to Kane, I would fight the universe itself to keep her.

​God, I sound stupid. I sound foolish. I sound completely insane.

​Where the fuck was this sudden obsession coming from? Why was I losing my goddamn mind over a girl who was supposed to be nothing but a tool for my revenge?

​My eyes fell on the portrait of Helen sitting on my bedside table. Her gentle face stared back at me from the silver frame, a painful reminder of everything I had lost. A sharp, heavy wave of guilt washed over my chest. I couldn’t look at her. Not while my thoughts were consumed by another woman.

With a shaking hand, I reached out and turned the portrait face down on the wood.

​I couldn’t stay still. I began pacing around my room like a trapped animal, my chest heaving. In my head, I reached out to the beast inside me.

​Xander, I called out, my inner voice rough. Man, you have to come out of mourning. Let’s talk. Tell me what the fuck is happening to us.

​My wolf remained dead silent. He refused to answer me, retreating into the darkest corners of my mind, leaving me completely on my own.

​I let out a heavy sigh and slumped down onto the edge of the bed. I rubbed my face with my hands, my gaze dragging right back to the couch. I just sat there, watching her still, peaceful face.

​What the hell are you doing to me, Rebecca? I thought bitterly. Why am I so messed up? Why am I acting so fiercely protective over a killer?

​And then, like a lightning bolt in the dark, the realization hit me hard.

​Rebecca might actually be pregnant.

​That was it. That explained everything. It explained why my protective instincts had flared up the moment I found her by the river. It explained why I cared so much about her body being taken, why I couldn’t bear the thought of anyone else touching her, and why my wolf was acting so crazy.

​My pup was forming inside her right now. It had to be.

​I swallowed hard, the weight of the thought pressing down on my lungs. Fuck... I am going to be a dad again.

​A sudden, sharp burst of excitement flared in my gut, hot and terrifyingly real. My heart hammered against my ribs, but this time, it wasn’t from anger. It was raw, unadulterated thrill.

​You’re probably thinking that any sane man would be completely disgusted by this. Any normal man would hate the fact that the woman who brutally killed his wife was carrying his child. But my reaction was the exact opposite. I didn’t feel any disgust at all. I didn’t know how to handle this feeling, but I could finally explain it to myself.

​It was my bond with my pup.

​Yes, that made perfect sense. The natural, supernatural bond between a wolf and his unborn child was already taking over my system. My blood was reacting to the tiny heartbeat hidden inside her. Whatever crazy obsession I was feeling right now, it wasn’t because of Rebecca—it was because of my pup. I was acting like a madman to protect my legacy. My blood.

​I leaned forward, resting my elbows on my knees, my eyes tracking the gentle curves of her face under the blanket. I wondered how the hell I was supposed to treat her now.

​She was carrying my child. She was my breeder, but she was also the vessel for the next heir to my throne.

​Of course, I can’t fuck her brutally while she is carrying my pup, I thought, my jaw clenching. What if I cause a miscarriage? What if I hurt the baby?

​I couldn’t subject her to that kind of physical pain anymore. In fact, right now, my entire plan for revenge had to pause. The pains, the cells, the cold floor—none of it could touch her as long as my child was inside her.

​A heavy, complicated sigh escaped my lips. I looked at her quiet, sleeping face, and for the first time since Helen’s death, the harsh edges of my anger softened just a little.

​”Helen, please forgive me,” I whispered into the empty room, my chest squeezing with guilt. ”You must really hate me right now.”

​I sucked in a deep breath and forced my tensed shoulders to drop, forcing my body to finally sink into the mattress. The waiting game had officially begun. I would sit right here, staring at her, counting down every single second until the drug ran its course.

​Once she wakes up, the very first thing I am going to do is drag the healer back into this room. I don’t care if it’s the middle of the night or the crack of dawn. She will use her magic, and she will confirm if Rebecca is pregnant. I needed to see the proof. I needed to hear that a tiny, elite heartbeat was drumming inside her.

​My mind was already racing with the timeline. If the test comes back positive, everything changes. The cruel punishments, the dark dungeon cell, the rough handling—it all stops. I’ll have the maids bring the finest food to my chambers. I’ll make sure she drinks the richest milk and eats the best meat to keep my pup strong.

​A cold smirk tugged at the corner of my lips. She thought she could leave me. She thought a little kitchen maid and a low-ranking guard could smuggle her away from my power. Foolish girl.

​I leaned my head back against the headboard, the heavy silence of the night wrapping around us. My chest still squeezed with that dirty layer of guilt toward Helen, but the raw thrill of my unborn pup kept pushing the sadness away.

​Just twenty-four hours, Rebecca, I thought, my eyes locking onto her peaceful face as the clock ticked away. Enjoy the sleep while you can. Because the moment you wake up, you are facing me.

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