Breeder To The Brutal Alpha King

​Kaden’s POV

​I froze. The words hit me like a physical punch, knocking the air right out of my lungs. I stared at Ruby, trying to make sense of the words that had just left her mouth.

​”What?” I said, my voice barely a whisper as my mind tried to make sense of what she’d just said. ”Kane is what?”

​”He’s seeing another woman,” Ruby repeated, her voice full of pain, but with no hesitation in it. ”He’s having an affair with another woman. Clearly, he doesn’t want me.”

​Pain and a sudden, hot rage rushed through my chest all at once. My stomach dropped. My wolf growled inside me, furious that my brother could treat her like this, but beneath that anger, my heart broke for her.

​”Ruby... how do you know that? Are you sure?” I asked. ”What woman?”

​”I don’t know.” Ruby looked away, wrapping her arms around herself. ”And honestly, I don’t think I want to know.”

​I studied her face. Something about this didn’t make sense. Kane could be reckless and a complete pain in my ass, but cheating on the woman carrying his child?

​”How do you know?” I asked again. ”You could have misunderstood what you saw.”

​”I’m not stupid, Kaden,” she said with a bitter laugh, giving me an irritated look. ”I’ve seen enough. When was the last time you even saw him here?”

​My mind immediately went back to the coffee shop—Kane sitting across from that woman, the way he’d acted when I confronted him afterward, the constant disappearing. I opened my mouth to answer her, then stopped. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d seen him here.

​”Exactly,” she muttered.

​”He... he might just be busy with pack work,” I lied, trying to defend him even though I didn’t believe it, just to stop the pain on her face.

​”Doing what?”

​”I don’t know.”

​”Neither do I.” Her eyes began to shine. ”That’s the problem. He disappears for hours—sometimes most of the day. He barely tells me where he’s going anymore, and when I ask questions, he avoids them.”

​My chest tightened. She looked genuinely hurt, and my wolf immediately became restless.

​”He doesn’t want me anymore,” she whispered.

​”Don’t say that.”

​”Why not?”

​”Because you don’t know that.”

​”I know what it feels like when a man doesn’t want to be around me, Kaden.”

​Something about the way she said it hit me hard.

​Ruby lowered her gaze. ”I’ve spent days pretending I don’t notice—pretending everything is fine because I didn’t want to face what was happening.” She swallowed hard. ”But I’m tired. I want to be with you, Kaden. And I know you want to be with me.”

​My breath stopped. My wolf howled inside me, urging me to pull her into my arms.

​I ignored him. I swallowed hard, my throat dry. God help me, she was right. I wanted her so badly. I’d admitted it. I’d kissed her. I’d spent the entire day avoiding her because merely looking at her made every reasonable thought disappear from my head. My wolf was practically screaming at me to grab her, pull her close, and make her mine right now.

​But wanting something didn’t make it right.

​”We can’t, Ruby,” I forced out, stepping back on purpose.

​Her face fell.

​”Ruby...” I dragged a frustrated hand through my hair. ”I’m... I’m sorry.”

​She stared at me.

​”For all of it. For telling you how I felt. For flirting with you. For kissing you. For making things harder and putting you in this position in the first place.” I shook my head. ”I shouldn’t have crossed that line. This is completely wrong. You’re pregnant with my brother’s child. You’re his woman.”

​”I’m just carrying his child!” she snapped softly, her eyes desperate. ”I’m pregnant, but I’m not his wife. And I’m not his mate. There’s no bond between us. No marriage. Nothing.”

​Technically, she was right. Every word she said was true. But it didn’t change my promise to my brother, nor did it change the mess we were trapped in. It didn’t make this feel any less fucked up.

​”You’re still his woman.”

​Her expression hardened. ”Am I? Because apparently Kane doesn’t think so.”

​”Ruby—”

​”I’m standing here telling you what I want.”

​”And I’m trying to think beyond what either of us wants tonight.”

​The hurt that crossed her face almost broke me. ”Ruby, please... leave,” I choked out, keeping my voice firm even though my chest felt like it was tearing apart. ”Go back to your room.”

​She stared at me, and I could see the embarrassment beginning to creep across her face now, making tears gather in her eyes and run down her cheeks. The sight made my heart ache. My wolf howled, wanting me to wipe those tears away, but I held myself back.

​”I’m sorry,” she whispered, her voice cracking.

​”You don’t have to apologize.”

​But she was already turning away. She turned around and ran out of the room, slamming the heavy door behind her.

​I stood frozen in the room, every muscle in my body tense. I had to force myself not to run out into the hallway after her. Every instinct inside me screamed to grab her, tell her I’d changed my mind, pull her back into my arms, and forget every reason this was wrong.

​But I stayed rooted to the floor until I could no longer hear her footsteps.

​”Fuck.”

​Slowly, I walked over to the bar in the corner. My hands shook as I poured a glass of whiskey and drank it all in one burning gulp before immediately pouring another. I shook my head, staring at the empty glass.

​I had done the right thing. I knew I had. Ruby was vulnerable. She believed Kane was cheating on her. She was hurt and angry, and I had already complicated everything by confessing my feelings. Taking advantage of that pain would make me no better than the kind of man I despised.

​Right decision. So why did it feel so fucking terrible?

​A knock came at the door.

​”Come in, Logan,” I said, recognizing his scent right away.

​Logan opened the door and walked in, looking at my messy state and the glass in my hand. He looked toward the hallway before closing the door behind himself. ”I was checking the hallway and saw Ruby running out of your room crying. Is everything okay?”

​”Why wouldn’t it be?”

​”She practically ran past me. She looked upset.”

​I sat down heavily on the sofa, stared into my glass, and rubbed my face. Eventually, I sighed. ”I confessed my feelings to Ruby. I told her I like her.”

​Logan’s eyebrows shot upward, looking like he was trying very hard to decide whether I’d lost my fucking mind. ”You what?”

​”Don’t say a word.”

​He wisely said nothing.

​I took another drink. ”I knew it was wrong, but now... now she came here saying she wants us to be together. She said Kane is cheating on her.”

​That wiped whatever amusement had been on his face away. ”She said that?”

​”Yes.”

​”Apparently, he’s having an affair.”

​Something strange flickered across Logan’s expression before disappearing. I narrowed my eyes. ”You don’t look surprised.”

​”I’m surprised,” he said quickly. ”I’m just... processing.”

​I grunted.

​”So what did you do?” Logan asked. ”Did you turn her down?”

​”Of course I did!” I snapped, looking up at him. ”What the fuck else was I supposed to do?”

​Logan slowly nodded, looking worried. ”That’s probably the right thing.”

​”Probably?”

​”It is the right thing,” he corrected.

​I poured myself another drink. Logan remained quiet for a moment before speaking again.

​”But this could become risky.”

​My hand stopped. ”How?”

​”Think about it, Kaden. She’s pregnant, hurt, and her heart is broken,” Logan said, watching me carefully. ”She believes the father of her child is cheating on her. She’s already emotional, and now the other man she has feelings for—the only other man she trusted here—has rejected her too.”

​My expression darkened. ”So?”

​Logan hesitated. ”So she’s vulnerable. And vulnerable people sometimes make reckless decisions.”

​I turned fully toward him. ”What exactly are you trying to say?”

​Logan shrugged slightly. ”You rejected her because you think staying away is best for everyone. Fine. But that doesn’t mean she’ll simply go back to her bedroom, stop wanting comfort, and stop hurting.”

​Something ugly twisted inside my stomach. ”What comfort?”

​Logan sighed. ”Kaden.”

​”Say what you fucking mean.”

​He studied me carefully before answering. ”She might find comfort in another man’s arms.”

​My fingers tightened around the glass. ”What?”

​”I’m not saying she will. I’m saying she could,” Logan said. ”She’s hurt. She thinks Kane doesn’t want her, and you just told her you won’t be with her either. There are plenty of unmated wolves in this packhouse who would be interested in a beautiful woman like Ruby.”

​A low growl escaped my chest before I could stop it. Logan’s eyebrows lifted. My wolf surged forward, clawing at my chest.

​Absolutely fucking not.

​I slammed the glass onto the counter, nearly shattering it. ”What do you mean, another man?”

​Logan stared at me like the answer should have been obvious. ”I mean exactly what I said.”

​”Who?”

​”Who what?”

​”Who the fuck would be interested in her?”

​Logan scoffed and didn’t say it. But I already knew it... it seemed other men had been eyeing Ruby...

​I stared at him, but the thought had already planted itself deeply inside my head.

Ruby is crying in another man’s arms. Another wolf comforting her. Touching her. Kissing her.

​My stomach turned violently.

​Mine. My wolf’s growl rolled through my skull.

​I squeezed my eyes shut. No. I’d made the right decision. I wasn’t going after her. I wasn’t.

​But when I opened my eyes again, I was already staring straight at the fucking door.

​”Damn it!” I spat and rushed towards the door.