Kaden’s POV

​I took another step closer, my shadow completely swallowing her up. The sight of her looking so small and broken should have satisfied the fury burning in my veins, but instead, it only made the dark knot in my chest tighten.

​"You can’t even get pregnant," I said, spitting out my frustration. "You failed at the one thing you are here for. And now, you think you have the right to attack my staff?"

​She shook her head wildly, tears blurring her wide, dazed eyes. She looked like she desperately wanted to speak, to voice her innocence, but my command held her tongue. I didn’t want to hear her excuses. I couldn’t afford to let her soft voice mess with my head any longer.

​Turning my back to her, I clenched my fists so hard my knuckles popped. "Guards," I commanded sharply, my voice echoing off the stone walls. "Take her out onto the hard stone courtyard of the palace. She will kneel under the blazing sun for hours without moving. Let her see what happens to prisoners who forget their place."

​"Yes, Alpha King!" the guards barked.

​Rough hands instantly grabbed her arms, dragging her out of the room. I watched from the corner of my eye as her feet slid helplessly over the polished floor, the heavy, borrowed gown sweeping against the ground as they marched her away.

​I left the room shortly after, walking with rigid, angry strides up to the grand, shaded royal balcony that overlooked the courtyard. I needed to see the punishment carried out. I needed to remind myself that I was the Alpha King, and she was a criminal.

​Leaning my large hands against the stone railing, I forced my face into a cold, unbending mask as I stared straight down at the courtyard.

​Down below, the guards shoved her onto the center of the open courtyard. I saw her flinch the moment her knees hit the stone. The ground was already scorching from the midday heat, burning right through the thin fabric of her clothes. She squeezed her eyes shut as the blazing sun beat down directly onto her unprotected head.

​I stood there like a statue, trying to look entirely ruthless—an Alpha King punishing a criminal without an ounce of pity.

​But inside my chest, a completely different battle was tearing me apart.

​My wolf was still completely silent, refusing to speak to me, but my human heart was slamming violently against my ribs. It ached with a strange, suffocating pressure that I couldn’t control. Every time her shoulders shook from what looked like a painful cramp, a sharp pang of regret pierced straight through my mind.

​Why the hell is this hurting me so much?

​My chest tightened so hard it took my breath away. Every human instinct I possessed was suddenly screaming at me to sprint down the stairs, break my own command, and lift her weak body off that burning stone. I knew her monthly flow had just started this morning. I knew she was already weak, bleeding, and dealing with cramps, yet I had thrown her out into the fire anyway.

​I gripped the balcony railing so tightly that the stone began to crack and crumble beneath my fingers. I hated myself for it. I hated how much her suffering was ripping me to pieces. I tried to force myself to think of Helen, to bring back the memories of my dead mate and the blood on Rebecca’s hands, but my eyes refused to leave the small, trembling girl kneeling in the dirt.

​Hours passed, and her posture grew weaker, her head drooping as the heat took its toll. She was shaking so badly I could see it from the balcony.

​Then, her body swayed. The world down there seemed to tilt for her. With one final, painful gasp, her posture collapsed completely, and she fell sideways, hitting the burning stone courtyard, completely unconscious.

​My heart stopped. Before I could even think, before my mind could stop me, I vaulted over the balcony railing, dropping straight toward the courtyard below.

​But before I could even reach her, a figure dashed across the courtyard from the opposite direction.

​It was Kane.

​My twin brother sprinted past the stunned guards, his face pale with worry. He slid onto his knees right beside her, his large hands reaching out, trembling as he prepared to scoop her up into his arms. 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

​Seeing his hands near her body made a sudden burst of pure fury explode inside my chest. It was a primal, territorial rage that tore through my veins like wildfire.

​"Take your fucking hands off her!" I roared, my voice booming across the courtyard so loudly that the guards instinctively jumped back.

​Kane froze, his fingers hovering just inches above her shoulder. Slowly, he turned his head and glared up at me, his eyes dark, defiant, and full of a dangerous challenge I had never seen from him before. He stood up slowly, stepping directly between me and Rebecca’s unconscious body, shielding her from me.

​"Brother, do you realize what you are doing?" Kane hissed, his voice trembling with a mixture of anger and restraint. "Do you realize you might be hurting my mate?"

​The words felt like a physical blow to my chest. His mate? Rebecca? Never!

​"She is not your mate, Kane!" I growled, stepping into his space, my chest heaving as I looked down at him. The mere suggestion of her belonging to him made my blood boil to the point of madness. "She is not!"

​"Then prove it to me!" Kane yelled back, refusing to back down an inch. He took a step closer, matching my aggression, his eyes drilling into mine. "Prove she is not my mate by taking the choker off her neck right now!"

​"Never!" I roared, a low, dangerous rumble vibrating violently deep within my throat.

​The silver choker was the only thing keeping her wolf suppressed and her true scent completely hidden. What if the choker came off, and I realized Kane was right... what will I do then?

​I shook my head... I couldn’t do it. I wouldn’t do it.

​Kane walked even closer, until we were standing chest to chest, the tension between us so thick the guards looked terrified to even breathe. "Do you realize you might be preventing me from my mate, Kaden? If she is my fated one, you are breaking the laws of the Goddess by keeping her bound like a criminal."

​The thought of him claiming her, of him touching her, snapped the last thread of my control. I lunged forward, my hand snapping out to grab the collar of his shirt, bunching the fabric tightly in my fist as I yanked him violently toward me.

​"She is my breeder!" I snarled directly into his face, my teeth bared in a feral grin of pure possession. "My slave! She is here to pay for the life she took, Kane! She is not your mate!"

​Kane didn’t fight my grip. He didn’t even flinch. He just stared into my eyes with a cold, terrifying calmness that made a sudden chill run down my spine. He looked down at my hand on his shirt, then back up at my face.

​"Very well then," Kane said calmly. "If you won’t listen to reason, I know exactly what to do."

​With a swift, powerful motion, he slapped my hand away, releasing himself from my tight grip. He took two steps backward, smoothing down his wrinkled shirt.

​"I am taking this matter straight to the elders," Kane declared, his voice echoing clearly across the hot courtyard for every guard to hear. "I am taking this matter to the council. See you in court, brother."