Breeder To The Brutal Alpha King

​Kaden’s POV

​My head felt like someone had split my skull open and stitched it back together badly. I groaned, squeezing my eyes shut as a dull, lingering ache throbbed behind them.

​”Alpha?”

​A guard’s voice.

​I opened my eyes to find three of my personal guards standing around my bed, watching me with tense, worried expressions.

​For a few seconds, I didn’t move. I slowly sat up, resting my back against the headboard. Then everything came rushing back in a blur—the courtyard, training with the warriors, Ruby watching me, the strange vibration coming from her choker, and catching her red-handed as her fingers closed around my locket.

​My eyes widened. ”Where is my—”

​I cut myself off, reaching instinctively for my throat. My fingers brushed against the familiar cold metal resting against my skin. The black chain was right back around my neck.

​I turned the pendant between my fingers, checking it quickly before looking up at my guards. ”Who put this back on me?”

​”I did, Alpha,” my senior guard answered, stepping forward. ”I recovered it after you collapsed and secured it until we brought you upstairs.”

​My eyes narrowed slightly. ”Did Ruby still have it?”

​”Yes.”

​My chest tightened. ”She was trying to take it.”

​The guard hesitated, his posture stiff. ”I saw her holding it, Alpha.”

​I stared down at the pendant. Why? Why the hell was she so interested in Helen’s locket? And why had I blacked out right after catching her?

​”What happened out there?” I demanded. ”Tell me exactly what happened.”

​The guards exchanged a brief, tense look that immediately irritated me.

​”What?” I growled.

​One of them straightened. ”You were speaking with Lady Ruby near the training ring, Alpha. You appeared angry. Then your power suddenly became unstable.”

​”And?”

​”You grabbed your head,” the guard said. ”You shouted.”

​My brow furrowed. ”What did I say?”

​Another heavy pause settled over the room. ”Something about getting out of your head.”

​I stared at him. Get out of my head?

​”And then?” I pressed, holding my breath.

​”You released a massive wave of power and fainted on the training grounds,” he replied. ”That was all.”

​I searched my memory again, but there was nothing. Only a strange, hollow feeling remained. Not a memory exactly, but a deep sense that something important was missing. A faint pressure built behind my eyes, and my wolf thrashed restlessly inside me—pacing, alert, and deeply dissatisfied.

​Before I could demand more answers, the bedroom door opened. The pack healer stepped inside carrying a small tray with a leather medical bag and a glass of tonic. She bowed respectfully.

​”Alpha.”

​”What happened to me, Healer?” I grunted, lowering my hand from my forehead.

​She approached the bed calmly, setting the tray down. ”It appears to be another delayed effect from the rogue antidote spell, Alpha. Your nervous system is still recovering. The treatment was powerful, and overexerting yourself during physical training triggered a temporary seizure.”

​I watched her closely. She sounded convincing, but my gut twisted. ”A seizure?”

​”Yes,” she said smoothly. ”Your body has been under tremendous strain. Severe headaches, confusion, fainting, and brief sensory disturbances can happen while the remaining toxins leave your system.”

​”What kind of sensory disturbances?”

​”Flashes of light. Sounds that aren’t there. Distorted memories. Dreams while awake.”

​My chest tightened. Distorted memories.

​I looked away from the healer, the lingering scent of honey and nutmeg still clinging faintly to the air in my room. Automatically, Ruby’s face entered my mind—her pale expression, her terror, the way her hand had flown to her neck, and her desperate grip on my necklace.

​”What exactly was I saying before I collapsed?” I asked quietly.

​The healer’s hands paused for the slightest fraction of a second. I caught it, but she recovered quickly.

​”I wasn’t there when you collapsed, Alpha,” she replied, her voice remaining unbothered. ”By the time I arrived, you were already unconscious.”

​I turned back to the guards. ”Did I say anything else?”

​”No, Alpha.”

​The answer came too quickly. My eyes narrowed, suspicion pooling in my gut. They were hiding something.

​My head hurt too much to push further, so I rubbed both hands over my face, letting out a heavy breath. Then, a name slipped from my mouth before I could even filter the thought.

​”Where is Ruby?”

​The room went dead silent.

​My hands slowly lowered from my face. Why the fuck did I ask of her?

​The healer looked at me. The guards exchanged a guarded glance. A strange chill crawled over my skin.

​”What?” I snapped, frowning at their reactions.

​The healer was the first to regain her composure. ”Lady Ruby is standing outside your room in the corridor.”

​My wolf shifted uneasily, growling in the back of my mind. I hated this feeling.

​”She is worried about your condition,” the healer added softly. ”Do you want me to bring her in?”

​My first instinct was yes. Immediately. I wanted to see her. I wanted to ask why she had tried to steal my locket, inspect that strange choker around her neck, and—for a reason I couldn’t explain—make sure she was alright.

​But then I remembered the pool. The near-kiss. The dangerous, undeniable attraction I was feeling for a woman who belonged to Kane.

​No. Distance. I need distance.

​”No.”

​The healer studied me carefully.

​”I don’t want to see her,” I added. The words felt completely wrong the second they left my mouth, making my chest ache strangely, but I forced them out anyway. ”Tell her I’m fine.”

​”Yes, Alpha.” The healer bowed and turned toward the door.

​Before her hand hit the handle, I called out, ”And tell her...”

​She glanced back over her shoulder.

​I hesitated, my jaw clenching. Tell her what? Stay away from me? Don’t come near me again? Why did even thinking those words make my heart react like it was being ripped apart?

​I swallowed hard. ”Nothing. Just tell her I’m resting.”

​The healer gave a small nod and left, closing the door behind her.

​Silence settled over the room once more.

​I leaned back against the pillows, my fingers slowly wrapping around the black locket at my chest. Helen’s anniversary gift. A simple, harmless piece of jewelry. Yet Ruby had risked getting caught stealing it, and her choker had vibrated the moment she touched it.

​I stared at the pendant, then at the closed bedroom door.

​Something wasn’t right.