AMELIA’S P.O.VI woke up to some whimpering from Kaden. My eyes were still blurred with sleep but I could feel him tossing and turning in bed. I had never known him to have nightmares before and I couldn’t help but wonder if whatever thing he was keeping secret was part of the reason for the sudden nightmares. I hesitated to touch him because I wasn’t sure how things like this worked but when he continued thrashing, I reached out for him.“Kaden?” I kept my voice deliberately soft so as not to startle him awake. “Hey, it is alright, you’re having a nightmare but I’m here now.”He didn’t wake, he just kept moving around. I cursed to myself when I realized that it wasn’t working and I tried to think of what to do. I had never been in this kind of situation before and I had no idea what was expected of me. I knew that a mate’s presence could help but it seemed that wasn’t enough. I stroked his hair out of his face with gentle fingers and stroked down his cheek that now had a light sheen
AMELIA’S P.O.VI saw the shock register on his face as my words filled the air between us. He opened and closed his mouth but no words would come out. My mind was already conjuring up the worst but I forced myself to hold back, I forced myself to wait for an answer from him. I wasn’t going to jump to conclusions until he gave me a good reason to do so.“Where did you hear that name?” he asked and I shrugged.“Does it matter? You clearly know what or who I am talking about. I don’t want to fight, Kaden, I just want you to be honest with me. Who is Nadine and what is she to you? Is she someone you’re seeing?”“Of course not,” he looked insulted that I would even suggest that. He crossed the length of the room until he was standing in front of me. “Is that what this is about? You thought that I was cheating on you? I would never do that.”“You called out for her in your sleep,” I told him and he froze. “Last night, I thought you were having a nightmare so I tried to wake you up. You woul
AMELIA’S P.O.V“What are you on about now, mother? I have things to do that do not include listening to pack gossip.”“You brought a stranger into the pack. She could very well be a rogue. You are supposed to kill them on sight and not bring them into the pack.”Kaden looked fed up with her and I could see where his stubbornness came from because I knew that neither of them was going to back down from the conversation. I could see the nurse as well as some other curiously watching as if they were looking for the juiciest piece of gossip and I knew that I would have to step in.“Perhaps we should take this conversation somewhere more private,” I offered. “There have to be some empty rooms around here or perhaps the parking lot might be a good place.”Kaden didn’t even look at me as he spoke. “There is nothing to take privately because there is no conversation to be had. I am not having this discussion with you, mother. What I choose to do or not to do in regards to my pack is my busine
KADEN’S P.O.VThe conversation with my mother left a sour taste in my mouth for the rest of the day. I wasn’t sure why I expected anything less from her but I guess a part of me hoped that when faced with the reality of the situation then she would be forced to tell me the truth about everything but she was even more tight lipped than usual. I told her I was getting my memories back and she didn’t even seem to care. She was adamant that I threw Nadine out but there was no way I was going to do that when she was the only person excluding my mother who could have an idea of what happened to me.“Do you not think it is weird?” I heard a voice from behind me and I nearly jumped but relaxed slightly when I saw Dr. Brown. “You just remembered her face two days ago and now she is here. I think it is suspicious.”“It might just be a coincidence.”“In my line of work, I have learned that there is no such thing as that,” she walked further into the room and began looking over Nadine and her cha
AMELIA’S P.O.VThere was a knock on the door but I ignored it. I didn’t want to see anyone right now. The only person I wanted was Kaden but he had made his choice and it was not me. The knocking became worse and I forced my body out of bed and towards the front door. I looked through the peephole and was shocked to see Clara and Caleb standing there.I hesitated before opening it hoping that they would leave but Clara spoke. “I know you’re there, Amelia. Just open the door, it won’t take long.”I let out a sigh of defeat and pulled it open. “Kaden isn’t here if that is who you came to see. You would have better luck at the hospital.”“I know where he is,” it was Caleb who answered as Clara made her way inside and climbed up the stairs. “I also know that you are alone here and we don’t want you to be alone right now.”“I’m fine,” I began but he shot me a look that had me going quiet. He didn’t say any other thing until Clara retuned with a small duffel bag. “Thank you, both of you.”“
AMELIA’S P.O.V Kaden didn’t return that day and I ended up staying in the empty house despite Clara and Caleb offering a place for me in their house. I didn’t want to be there because I didn’t want to be a burden to them and I also wanted some time alone to my thoughts. I also had school the next morning and I knew it would be easier for me to face school if I was on my own. Clara always had a way of bringing out the emotional side of me and the last thing I needed was to walk into that frenzy while I was emotionally vulnerable because if Aiden knew about Nadine’s presence then everyone else did too. As soon as I got to school, Serena was instantly by my side. She tried to keep a calm demeanor but I could tell that she was just as worried as I was. Everyone was staring and whispering under their breaths as we passed. Thankfully, no one bothered us- at least until our free period. We were in the café as usual and I had somehow gotten used to the whispers and the pointing when I notice
AMELIA’S P.O.VI ended up in front of the hospital. I took a detour home first and I made him lunch. I wasn’t sure if he had eaten but if I had to guess, I would have said no. Kaden tended to have a one track mind in the sense that once something became the object of his focus, it would take a lot to drag him away from it. Right now, his focus was Nadine and nothing else mattered for better or for worse.I stopped in front of the desk where a new and unfamiliar nurse stood. “I want to see Nadine.”“Are you family?” she asked and I hesitated. “Are you a friend or a relative? I am under clear instructions not to allow anyone into her room that isn’t any of the above.”“Actually, I want to see the Alpha but he is in Nadine’s room.”She scoffed. “Do you know how many people want to see the Alpha, girl? You are better off making an appointment at the office but he doesn’t make time out for groupies. I hear he has a girl now so maybe try a new target. The beta might be a good one.”My cheek
KADEN’S P.O.VIt was shame that did not allow me return home to Amelia, shame that I had failed her, shame that I had somehow led her to believe that she was less important that she was. I didn’t know how to multitask, it wasn’t a skill I had learned very well growing up. I had been told to focus on one task- being Alpha. That was my life growing up and it had made me develop a one track mind.“She isn’t going to wake up anytime soon,” I heard Dr. Brown say from behind me. I didn’t turn to acknowledge her because I knew exactly where she was going with the conversation. “If you wanted to leave for a while then I would not mind taking over from you. I will watch over her and if anything changes, I will call you.”“I am fine.”She sighed. “I don’t want to intrude, Alpha, but you haven’t been home in days. Surely your mate wants you home as much as you want to be home. This is a case of a stranger versus your home life. You cannot be putting a strange woman on a higher standard than you
KADEN’S P.O.VAs soon as Caleb drove off with Amelia, I felt someone slap me upside the head.There were only a handful of people who would dare to do that- my mother, Amelia and Pamela- I didn’t need to turn around to know who it was.“You idiot,” Pamela hissed. “What were you thinking? She told you to stop multiple times and you kept going. Did you not hear when she said she would hate you?”I did hear her actually, I just convinced myself that she was upset and it would be fine after. I didn’t realize that she meant it or I would have stopped. It was a shitty excuse and I knew it made me a fucking terrible mate as well.“I know I messed up,” I ran my hands through my hair in frustration. “I’ll make it up to her.”Pamela scoffed. “You stupid child, this is more than just making it up to her. After everything she went through, you were meant to be her safe place and you hurt her. This isn’t just about you outing her in public, you betrayed her trust. She has no one right now.”“That’
AMELIA’S P.O.VI walked out of the dining room and out the front door.I knew I was being a tad bit unreasonable but it pissed me off to no end that he couldn’t just trust me. I didn’t want to have that conversation in front of everyone, I didn’t want that part of my life out there. We were having a child together for goddess sake and yet, he couldn’t just listen to me.“Amelia!” Kaden’s voice echoed through the air as he rushed over to me. “Baby, please, just wait.”I ignored him and heads straight for my car. My guards were nowhere to be seen. They must have left after Kaden arrived. It didn’t matter to me anyway, I could drive. It was a terrifying thought to go home alone but I was going to do it. I wasn’t going to sit back and give him the satisfaction.I got to the door of my car when he placed a hand on the car door. “Please, Amelia, let me just talk to you, please.”“I have nothing to say to you,” I crossed my arms over my chest without looking at him. “Just go, okay? I don’t w
AMELIA’S P.O.VClara didn’t say a single word regarding my conversation with Aaron. I could tell she was thinking about it though. She was many things but stupid was not one of it. She knew exactly what that conversation was about and I expected more questions from her but there was nothing.“Do you want to come in?” was the first thing she asked when we got to her house. “My grandparents are home but that’s about it. They’ve missed you. They might want to say hi.”I didn’t want to take the offer but I also realized how cruel it was that I hadn’t come to see them yet. They took me in when they didn’t have to and treated me like their own grandchild. Before I could talk myself out of it, I nodded and followed her up to the front door.My palms were clammy and it felt like my chest was closing in on me but I forced myself to walk into the house. It smelled the same and looked the same, nothing had changed since the last time I was inside. It almost felt like I had never left.“Clara are
AMELIA’S P.O.VClara and I sat down on the wooden chairs while Aaron remained at the edge of the bed. He looked better than the last time I saw him, much better actually.“You haven’t used your powers in a while,” he didn’t waste any time before going straight to the point. “Both of you, not just you, Amelia.”I shrugged. “My wolf was drugged for weeks and I just haven’t had a reason to recently.”“You will soon.”It sounded more like an ominous warning than anything and I wanted to ask more about what he meant but he had already turned away from me and was facing Clara. She had her hands folded neatly in her laps and her face was cast down.“I just didn’t want to,” she shrugged. It was clear she was very uncomfortable with the direction of the conversation.She already told me why so she didn’t need to tell him, especially if she didn’t want to. Besides, I was concerned with how he knew that we hadn’t used our powers in a while. We didn’t talk about it outside his door so there was n
AMELIA’S P.O.VI regretted my words the moment I saw the three guards that Kaden had arranged for me.He had a smile of pride on his face once they arrived and I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. They were quite possibly the biggest and scariest men I had ever seen in my life. One of them had tattoos all over his arm, the other had a mean resting face that could make a grown man piss his pants. The third didn’t look as scary as the others but his sheer size alone was enough to make a person pause.“These are your guards,” he gestured to the men in front of me. “They’ll take you to Clara’s house first and you can go wherever you want after.”I crossed my arms over my chest and stared at him blankly. “Are you serious?”“You said as many as I want. I wanted to get you four guards but I figured it would be too much.”“And you don’t think three is a little over the top?”“It’s this or nothing, baby.”I let out an exasperated sigh before turning to the guards. “Fine.”Neither of them broke
AMELIA’S P.O.VI was done hiding.If Blake was willing to leave his pack despite not having his wolf then he was a greater foe than I knew and I couldn’t just sit on my ass and wait for him to attack whenever he felt like. He wasn’t backing down anytime soon, I knew that much. I saw the look in his eyes yesterday and I knew what it was. It was a look of pure determination. I knew that it wasn’t about what I wanted anymore or about what he presumed to be a mate bond, this was about an Alpha whose ego was just bruised.I embarrassed him and made him look weak and he wanted me back to show that he wasn’t. I was the shiny trophy that he wanted to keep in a display and I’d be damned if I let him do that to me. He couldn’t control my life- not anymore at least.For the first time since I returned, I woke up earlier than Kaden and made my way down to the kitchen to make breakfast. It felt so good to be back in my own house, barefoot in my kitchen and able to do whatever I wanted.I had bare
KADEN’S P.O.VBlake was a fucking coward.For someone who was brave enough to keep my mate for days, he ran off like a fucking wuss when he realized that he didn’t have his wolf to fight for him.I made sure to comb the entire border to ensure that he was not lurking around. The last thing I wanted was for someone else to go missing. It was torturous enough searching for Amelia, I wasn’t sure I had it in me to search for someone else.As soon as I was sure that Blake wasn’t hiding anymore, I rushed over to Amelia. Her mind was quiet which wasn’t unusual. Ever since she returned, she preferred to stay on her own with her thoughts. I hated it but I knew it would take some time before she went back to the way she was- if she ever did. If she never went back, I didn’t care, I just wanted her.The moment I got to the car, I knew something was wrong. Caleb was standing next to the car but his brows were furrowed in deep thought. He looked somewhat relieved when he saw me but when I asked, h
AMELIA’S P.O.VI didn’t realize just how badly my legs were shaking until I got to the car. I had barely reached it when my legs gave out and I had to grip it so as not to hit the ground.“Shit, are you okay?” Caleb was at my side in an instant but he hesitated to touch me. “Do you need me to call Kaden?”I shook my head. “I’m fine, I swear, I just- I didn’t know how scary it would be to see him after everything.”Caleb assessed me warily but said nothing. I slowly sank to the ground not having the energy in me to open the car. Besides, the grass was much softer and it was fresh, the wind was blowing and I could feel the breeze on my face. I didn’t feel caged anymore and I needed to remember that.“Do you want some water?” he asked and I nodded.I watched as he reached into the backseat of the car and retrieved a water bottled. It smelled like him so it was obviously his but I couldn’t bring myself to be picky. I just uncapped it and downed the water. My heart was pounding violently i
AMELIA’S P.O.VWe sat in the tub until our skin started to prune. True to his words, Kaden didn’t say a word as we got out of the tub. He didn’t even speak as we ate lunch or dinner. I thought he had forgotten and a part of me was relieved because I knew that whatever he wanted to say had to do with Blake.My relief lasted until sometime around ten when there was a frantic knock on our door. I glanced at Kaden who looked to be as confused as I felt. He gestured for me to remain seated while he went to check it out but he should have known better because as soon as he was out the door, I was behind him.“Amelia,” he hissed but I waved him off.I was dressed in lounge pants and a loose shirt. I was prepared for whatever it could be. He muttered something under his breath that sounded similar to ‘goddess help me’.“Stay here,” he told me once I got to the bottom of the steps. I pursed my lips but I was close enough to see the door so I waited.He pulled the door open and I could feel th