Breeder To The Brutal Alpha King

Kaden’s POV

​I ran through the dark forest as fast as I could, the trees flashing past me like shadows. On my back, Rebecca was completely quiet. Her small hands had loosened around my neck, and her weight felt heavy against my fur. She had passed out again from exhaustion and the freezing cold water.

​Within minutes, the bright lights of my pack house mansion came into view. Dozens of guards and maids were standing in the main courtyard, talking anxiously. The moment they saw my massive black wolf burst through the gates, the entire area went dead silent.

​I stopped in the center of the courtyard. My trackers and warriors slid to a halt right behind me.

​I carefully lowered my body to the ground so she wouldn’t fall, and in a split second, I shifted back into my human form. I was completely naked, my skin dripping with dirty water and blood from the mines. Seeing me like this, one of my guards quickly ran forward and handed me a thick, warm blanket.

​But instead of wrapping it around myself, I didn’t even hesitate. I took the blanket and immediately wrapped it around Stephanie’s wet, shivering body. I lifted her up, holding her tightly against my bare chest to give her all of my body heat.

​Everyone in the courtyard stared at me, their faces full of complete confusion.

​Whispers broke out among the staff. To them, this was just Stephanie—a low-ranking palace maid who was supposed to be my prisoner. They couldn’t understand why their terrifying Alpha King was looking so ruined, so panicked, and so fiercely protective over a servant girl. They didn’t understand that to them, she was Stephanie, but to me, she was my Rebecca.

​I didn’t give them a single word of explanation. I growled softly, a deep, warning sound that made everyone instantly lower their heads and step back.

​With long, hurried strides, I carried her up the steps, through the grand hallways, and straight into my own private bedroom. I laid her down gently on my huge, soft bed, pulling the warm covers all the way up to her chin.

​”Get the pack healer! Right now!” I roared out the door.

​Within two minutes, the elderly pack healer rushed into the room, gasping for breath with his medical bag in his hand. He looked shocked to see a maid lying in the Alpha King’s bed, but one look at my deadly green eyes told him not to ask any questions.

​I stood at the edge of the bed, my arms crossed tightly over my chest, watching his every move like a hawk. If he made one wrong move, I was going to tear the room apart. My wolf was still pacing inside my mind, restless and angry that she wasn’t waking up yet.

​The healer quickly checked her pulse, listened to her breathing, and felt her forehead. After what felt like a painful eternity, he finally stepped back and bowed his head to me.

​”She is fine, Alpha King,” the healer whispered softly. ”Her lungs are completely clear of water, and her heart is beating strong. Her body is just in deep shock from the freezing water and exhaustion. She has fallen unconscious, but she is out of danger. She will wake up soon.”

​A heavy breath of pure relief escaped my lips. ”Leave us,” I commanded.

​The healer bowed again and quickly scurried out of the room, closing the door quietly behind him.

​I walked over to the side of the bed and sat down on the mattress. I looked down at her pale face, her split lip, and her wet hair. My heart ached in a way I couldn’t even explain.

​When others look at her, they will only see Stephanie. But when I look at her, I see the beautiful, stubborn soul trapped inside this flesh. I see my breeder. I see the woman who has taken over my entire mind.

​For several minutes, I remained seated on the edge of the mattress, completely still, watching her chest rise and fall. I waited in the quiet room until her eyelashes finally fluttered, and she slowly opened her eyes to look at me.

​At first, her eyes were blurry and confused. It took her a few seconds to understand where she was, but the moment she recognized my face and realized she was lying in my bed, she gasped loudly and sat upright, pulling the heavy blankets to her chest.

​”Calm down,” I told her, making my voice as soft and steady as possible. ”You are safe. No one can hurt you here.”

​She blinked rapidly, her brown eyes darting around the massive, luxurious bedroom. She looked at the heavy drapes, the grand furniture, and then back to my bare chest. She swallowed hard, processing everything that had just happened in the flooding mine.

​After a long moment of heavy silence, she finally spoke, her voice tight and trembling. ”Alpha Kaden... back at the pit, you called me Rebecca. Why?”

​Shit.

​My jaw tightened, and my wolf went completely silent with dread. My mind raced in a frantic circle. Out of pure panic back there in the mines, when I thought she was dead, my lips had slipped. I had blurted out her real name without thinking.

​I stared at her, my green eyes fixed on her scared face. For the first time in my life, I felt a wave of absolute terror. I was terrified that if she found out I knew the truth—if she realized her secret cover was completely blown—she would lose all hope. She might decide it wasn’t worth returning to her true body anymore. She might just choose to let go of her soul and die. Worse, she would know that my kindness to ”Stephanie” was just a game. She would think everything I did was fake.

​God, I was so terrified of losing her. I couldn’t let her know the truth yet. I had to play along.

​I forced a dry, mocking chuckle to leave my throat, though my heart was hammering against my ribs.

​”I called you Rebecca?” I asked, raising an eyebrow as if she were talking nonsense. ”You must have misheard me, Stephanie. The water was rushing loudly, and you were barely conscious.”

​I leaned in just a little closer, forcing my face to look completely calm and detached. ”Why on earth would I call you Rebecca?”