Breeder To The Brutal Alpha King

​Rebecca’s POV

​I knew I couldn’t escape him, so I slowly pulled myself away from Stephanie. I stood up, walked over to the door, and unlocked it. When the heavy wood swung open, Alpha Kane was standing there. He looked tired, his broad shoulders slightly slumped, but what shocked me the most was what he held in his hand: a beautiful bouquet of wildflowers.

​Kane looked up, ready to speak, but he stopped instantly when his eyes landed on Stephanie sitting on the sofa. Shock registered across his face; he clearly hadn’t expected anyone to be in the room with me, least of all her.

​Stephanie quickly stood up, bowing her head respectfully. ”Alpha Kane,” she greeted softly. Then, she looked at me with a reassuring glance. ”Excuse me, I will leave you two to talk.” She slipped past him into the hallway, closing the door quietly behind her.

​I stood frozen by the door, my heart beating fast.

​Kane took a slow step toward me, holding out the bouquet and offering the bright wildflowers to me. His hand shook just a fraction. I stared at the colorful petals—they were beautiful, bright, and full of life, yet I felt absolutely nothing inside. Slowly, my trembling fingers reached out and took them from him.

​But holding them felt wrong. Their sweet fragrance turned my stomach instead of comforting me, and my hands shook so badly that I couldn’t keep my grip. I let them drop onto the table beside us.

​Kane’s eyes followed the bouquet as it landed. A flicker of hurt crossed his face before he quickly hid it. He looked at the resting flowers instead of at me, rubbing the back of his neck.

​”Rebecca...” he began quietly. ”I’m sorry.”

​The words caught me completely off guard. He let out a long, tired breath.

​”I’m sorry for everything I said out there.” His voice was rough, almost hoarse. ”I had no right to speak to you like that.”

​I didn’t know what to say. Kane finally looked up at me, guilt filling his brown eyes.

​”I was jealous,” he admitted bitterly. ”Seeing him touch you... seeing you blush...” He shook his head and let out a humorless laugh. ”It drove me insane.”

​Silence settled heavily between us.

​”This is the first time in my life I’ve ever had to compete with my brother over a woman,” he continued, his voice tightening. ”We’ve never wanted the same person before.” His jaw set. ”And I hate it.”

​He looked away toward the window.

​”Kaden always gets what he wants, Rebecca. Always.” His voice dropped to a quieter, darker register. ”The thought of losing you to him... It terrifies me.”

​I frowned. ”Alpha Kane... I thought your plan was to make Alpha Kaden remove this choker.” My fingers instinctively brushed the cold silver band around my neck. ”You told me you wanted to make Alpha Kaden realize his feelings for me.”

​”Yes.” His answer came so quickly that it surprised me. ”That was the plan,” he repeated more softly. ”But now...” He trailed off, looking lost. ”...I’m afraid.”

​My brows knitted together. ”Afraid?”

​He nodded once. ”I’m afraid of what will happen if he actually takes it off.”

​Confusion spread through me. ”I don’t understand.”

​Kane stared at me for several long, agonizing seconds before speaking again, his voice dropping to a whisper. ”Rebecca... have you ever heard of second-chance mates?”

​I frowned, the foreign concept heavy in the quiet room. ”Second... chance mates?”

​”When someone loses the mate fate originally gave them... sometimes fate gives them another.”

​A strange, cold feeling settled deep inside my chest. I forced out a weak, breathless laugh. ”Why are you telling me this?”

​Kane closed his eyes. When he opened them again, they were full of raw pain. ”Because I think that’s exactly what’s happening.”

​I felt my stomach twist into a tight knot. ”Between... whom?”

​His answer came almost reluctantly. ”You... and Kaden.”

​”No.” The word escaped my lips before I could stop it. ”No... you are wrong.” I shook my head violently. ”That’s impossible.”

​”I wish it were,” Kane murmured.

​”He hates me!” I choked out, tears of frustration stinging my eyes.

​”He thinks he does,” Alpha Kane responded.

​”He tortured me!”

​”I know.”

​”He destroyed my life!”

​”I know.”

​”He isn’t my mate!” I cried.

​Kane stepped closer. ”I wish he weren’t, either.”

​I stared at him, unable to breathe. ”No!” I stumbled backward until the backs of my legs hit the bed. ”You’re wrong. Tell me you’re wrong.”

​He sighed heavily. ”Helen came to me.”

​I blinked, her name catching in my throat. ”...What?”

​”In a dream.” His voice became distant, as if he were looking back into the memory. ”She asked me to make Kaden remove your silver collar.”

​I stared at him in utter disbelief. ”She never explained why.”

​He looked directly into my eyes. ”But when I woke up... everything suddenly made sense.”

​He gestured helplessly. ”Rebecca... look at him.” I didn’t answer. ”He claims to hate you,” he said, taking another step toward me. ”Yet he can’t stay away from you.”

​He moved even closer. ”He followed you here. He watches every man who comes near you.” Another step. Now, only a single pace separated us, his shadow falling over me. ”He acts like a wolf protecting what’s already his.”

​I felt myself backing away, desperate for space. ”No...”

​”That silver collar doesn’t just suppress your wolf... it suppresses the mate bond, too.” He glanced down at the collar around my neck. ”If I’m right... your wolf can’t recognize the bond. And Kaden’s grief, guilt, and hatred are blinding him to what his own wolf is trying to tell him.”

​The room suddenly felt too small. Too hot. Too suffocating.

​Kane ran a hand through his hair, his shoulders sagging under the weight of his secrets. ”I lied to my brother. I told him you were my mate.”

​I looked up at him, shocked. ”What?”

​”I knew he wouldn’t believe me if I told him the truth.” His voice was filled with deep regret. ”I thought if he believed another Alpha had claimed you... his possessive wolf would force him to remove your collar just to prove me wrong. I thought I was helping you.”

​He gave a bitter, self-deprecating smile. Then, the smile disappeared completely as he looked straight into my eyes. ”But now... I don’t want him to take it off anymore.”

​My heart skipped a beat. ”...Why?”

​For a long moment, he couldn’t answer. Then he laughed softly. It was the saddest, most hollow sound I’d ever heard.

​”Because somewhere along the way...” His voice cracked, raw with emotion. ”I stopped trying to save you. And I started falling in love with you.”

​His brown eyes searched mine, desperate and pleading.

​”So now...” he whispered, ”I’m terrified that the moment Kaden removes that collar... I know I’ll lose you forever.”