Breeder To The Brutal Alpha King

​Rebecca’s POV

​Elder Maeve stepped into the room, holding her hands over the silver band around my neck as she whispered a low, ancient chant. A faint, silver glow flared against the metal before vanishing into my skin.

​”It is done,” Maeve said, stepping back with a weary exhale. ”Once you are within a few feet of the key, the choker will hum and grow warm against your throat. From there, you must locate where Kaden has hidden it yourself.”

​I touched the cold metal with trembling fingers and nodded. ”Thank you, Elder Maeve.”

​”Take this,” Maeve added, handing me a small glass bottle filled with a dark, green liquid. ”Whenever the poison in that collar makes you feel sick or weak, drink a small sip. It will slow the spread of the magic and buy you time.”

​”Thank you,” I whispered, holding the bottle tightly against my chest.

​Kane stepped forward, slipping a hand briefly over my shoulder. ”Thank you, Maeve. We owe you.” He turned to look at me and Stephanie. ”Let’s leave.”

​We walked out of the seer’s house and into the cool night air. Kane unlocked his SUV, and I slid into the front passenger seat while Stephanie climbed into the back. Kane got into the driver’s seat, started the engine, and pulled out onto the quiet road.

​The drive was completely silent. No one said a word. The tension inside the car was so thick it made my throat feel dry. I stared out the window, watching the dark trees blur past, my heart hammering against my ribs as reality set in. I was actually going back.

​A short while later, the car slowed down as we pulled up the long driveway toward Kane’s estate. My eyes widened in shock at the sight before us. Half of his grand mansion was blackened, charred, and crumbling from the recent fire. The grand pillars were burnt, and parts of the roof had collapsed.

​As if sensing the sudden worry tight in my chest, Kane spoke up quietly, keeping his hands on the steering wheel. ”Don’t worry. The repair crews are coming tomorrow morning to start rebuilding it.”

​I gave a faint nod, swallowing hard. ”Okay.”

​He parked the car near the front entrance, and the three of us stepped out. Kane turned to face Stephanie, his expression turning serious.

​”Stephanie, you’re coming with us to Kaden’s packhouse tomorrow,” Kane said calmly. ”You will act as Rebecca’s personal maid. That way, she won’t be surrounded by strangers, and you can keep an eye out for her.”

​Stephanie nodded without hesitation. ”I’ll do whatever it takes to help her, Alpha Kane.”

​”Good. Go get some rest in the west wing—that part of the house wasn’t damaged,” Kane instructed softly.

​Stephanie gave my arm a comforting squeeze before turning and heading into the house. Kane then looked at me, making a gentle gesture with his head.

​”Come with me,” he said. ”We need to talk.”

​I followed him up the grand stone stairs, stepping carefully around pieces of burnt wood and debris, until we reached his damaged office. The back wall was scorched black, and the faint smell of smoke still lingered in the air. but his large oak desk and two leather chairs were still intact.

​Kane pulled out a chair for me, and I sat down. He walked around to the other side and leaned against the edge of his desk, looking down at me with sharp, focused eyes.

​”We are going to the Full Moon packhouse tomorrow morning,” Kane began, his voice low and steady. ”Our excuse for showing up is that my mansion is being rebuilt after the fire, so I am staying with my brother. But if we are going to pull this off, our story has to be completely foolproof. Kaden is not a fool, Rebecca. He will question every single detail.”

​I sat up straight, crossing my hands in my lap. ”Tell me what we need to say.”

​”First,” Kane said, leaning in slightly, ”he needs to know you are pregnant, but he must believe the child is mine. We can’t hide a baby from an Alpha King’s senses for long, so we put the truth out in the open before he can suspect anything.”

​I nodded slowly, my heart taking a heavy plunge. ”Understood.”

​”Second, the choker around your neck,” Kane continued, pointing to my throat. ”Kaden knows what a suppressing collar looks like. He forged this one himself. Tomorrow morning, before we leave, I will have a craftsman place a decorative gold casing and jewels over the metal. It will look like a high-end designer necklace.”

​”What if he asks why I’m wearing a suppressor at all?” I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.

​”We tell him your wolf has been acting wildly aggressive and unstable due to the pregnancy hormones,” Kane explained smoothly. ”We tell him the collar is necessary to keep your wolf calm so it doesn’t harm you or the baby.”

​I took a deep breath, processing the clever cover story. ”That... actually makes sense.”

​”Now comes the most important part,” Kane said, his gaze locking onto mine with intense focus. ”How did we meet? How long have we been together? Kaden will ask, and if our answers don’t match down to the smallest detail, he will grow suspicious.”

​I looked up at him, my pulse racing as we prepared to create the biggest lie of our lives.

​”Okay,” I whispered. ”How did we meet, Alpha Kane?”

​Alpha Kane leaned back slightly, tapping his chin as he finalized the details.

​”We say we met six months ago,” Kane said, bringing up his idea. ”You were fleeing a rogue attack near my border territory. My patrol men found you injured, and they brought you back to my territory to heal.”

​”And?” I asked, touching the side of my head. ”If Kaden asks about my family or where I came from, what do I say?”

​”That’s the beauty of it,” Kane said smoothly. ”When you woke up under my care, the trauma from the attack had wiped your memories completely. You didn’t know your name, your pack, or anything about your family. You only know the life you built with me after I took you in.”

​I repeated the details silently in my head, feeling the shape of the lie. ”Six months ago... a rogue attack. Your men found me, and when I woke up, I had lost my memories.”

​”Exactly,” Kane nodded. ”That way Kaden won’t ask about your family, and you won’t be asked deep questions about your past. You genuinely don’t know.”

​”And when did we become... official?” I asked, looking him in the eye.

​”Four months ago,” Kane replied. ”After my men brought you in, I oversaw your recovery personally. We grew close while helping you adjust to your lost past. We fell in love and started dating, but I kept our relationship private to protect you from pack politics—until you found out you were pregnant a few weeks ago.”

​I swallowed hard, taking a deep breath to burn every detail into my mind. ”Met six months ago. Found by your men at the border with no memories. Official for four months. Pregnant recently. Got it.”

​Kane stood up, walking around the desk until he stopped right in front of my chair. He extended a hand down toward me.

​”Good,” he said softly, his eyes looking down into mine. ”Now we practice. Stand up.”

​I reached out and placed my palm in his. His hand was warm, firm, and steady as he pulled me to my feet. But instead of letting go, Kane gently pulled me a step closer, wrapping his other arm loosely around my waist.

​My breath hitched in my throat. My body went completely rigid, every instinct screaming at me to flinch away from a man holding me.

​”Relax, Rebecca,” Kane murmured gently, keeping his posture easy and unthreatening. He didn’t tighten his grip; he just held me with enough support to look natural. ”Kaden is an Alpha King. He knows how a man looks at a woman he loves, and he knows how a couple stands together. If you stiffen up every time I touch your waist or take your hand, he will spot the lie in a heartbeat.”

​I closed my eyes, forcing myself to release the tension locked in my shoulders. I took a slow, deep breath, letting the scent on Kane’s jacket settle my racing pulse. He wasn’t Kaden. He wasn’t trying to trap me.

​When I opened my eyes, I forced myself to lean just a little into his hold. ”Like this?”

​A faint, approving smile touched Kane’s lips. ”Just like that. Now... look me in the eye and tell me the story.”

​I held his gaze, keeping my voice steady and natural. ”We met six months ago after your patrol men found me escaping rogues. When I woke up, I had lost all my memories. You took care of me while I healed, and four months ago, we fell in love. And now... I’m carrying your child.”

​Kane stared down at me for a long, quiet moment, his expression unreadable. The air between us grew heavy, but for the first time, it wasn’t heavy with fear.

​”Perfect,” Kane whispered, His thumb brushed lightly against my hand before he immediately let go, careful not to hold me any longer than necessary.

”You sounded completely believable.”

​I let out a breath I hadn’t realized I was holding. ”I just hope Kaden buys it.”

​”He will,” Kane said, turning toward the doorway. ”Get some sleep, Rebecca. Tomorrow morning, we leave for the Full Moon pack.”