Chapter 342: Pleading

Kaden’s POV

​"What the hell is all this, Rebecca?" I demanded, finally dropping the calm expression I had been holding onto.

​She threw her hands up in frustration. "What am I doing? What are you doing, Kaden? You’re acting like I’m some random stranger who walked in off the street. You rejected my application when you know damn well my abilities could save lives out there."

​"Everything is not about you, Rebecca," I snapped.

​She went quiet, clearly surprised by my words. I stepped down from the platform until I was standing directly in front of her, forcing myself to keep my anger under control.

​"I made a decision about my unit," I continued. "You didn’t like it, so you teleported into my private office without permission earlier today. Then, after I clearly told you that you were not selected, you came here tonight, interrupted me in front of forty warriors, and decided that because you want something, I should simply change my decision."

​Her eyes narrowed. "That is not what I’m doing."

​"That is exactly what you’re doing."

​"No!" She stepped closer until there was barely any space between us. "You’re letting our past make this decision for you."

​My jaw tightened. "There it is again."

​"What?"

​"Our past. You keep bringing it up. Not me."

​She folded her arms across her chest and lifted her chin, and I could already see that stubborn look settling over her face. Three years had passed, but apparently that part of Rebecca hadn’t changed at all.

​"Because it’s obviously the real reason you don’t want me here," she said. "You can’t stand the thought of having me in your territory again."

​I stared at her for a moment, trying not to let my irritation get the better of me. She had already decided why I had rejected her, and nothing I said seemed capable of changing her mind.

​"I don’t want you on this team," I told her. "That is the only thing that matters."

​"You know my abilities could help us get through that barrier."

​"I have forty other gifted warriors."

​"And none of them can do what I can do!" Her voice rose, and Fae energy immediately began to glow around her fingers. I noticed it, but I didn’t move. She wasn’t going to force me into changing my decision.

​"That does not mean you automatically get a place in my unit."

​Her expression hardened. "You haven’t moved on, Kaden. That’s what this is really about." 𝘧𝓇ℯℴ𝓂

​Those words hit me harder than I wanted them to.

​Titan growled inside my head as I stared down at her. "What did you just say?"

​"You heard me." She refused to back down. "It’s been three years, and you’re still allowing what happened between us to affect your decisions as Alpha King."

​Anger rose quickly inside me, and my Alpha power filled the room before I could stop it. I watched her hair move slightly from the force of it, but Rebecca remained exactly where she was.

​"Be very careful, Rebecca."

​"Why? Because I’m telling you the truth?"

​"No." I stepped closer, lowering my voice. "Because you walked back into my territory after three years and decided you know what is happening inside my head."

​She opened her mouth, but I cut her off before she could say another word.

​"Everything is not about you, Rebecca. I do not spend my days thinking about what happened between us three years ago. I do not wake up every morning wondering where you are or who you’re with. I have a kingdom to protect. Right now, six of my territories are occupied, hundreds of my people are being held by tiger shifters, and a war is coming. I do not want you in this unit, and that decision is final."

​For once, the anger in her eyes faded. She stood there with her lips slightly parted, but no words came out. I didn’t know whether I had finally made her understand or whether I had simply shocked her into silence, but I wasn’t going to keep arguing.

​I pointed toward the large doors at the end of the hall. "Please leave."

​Her eyes narrowed again, and just like that, the stubbornness returned. "Or you’ll do what?"

​I took a slow breath through my nose. "Don’t annoy me tonight, Rebecca."

​"I’m not trying to annoy you."

​"Then stop arguing with me and leave."

​She stared at me for several seconds, breathing heavily. Neither of us moved, and the silence between us felt almost as tense as the argument had been.

​"Kaden, I’m not here because of the past," she finally said. "I’m not asking you to forget anything or pretend we’re friends. But we cannot spend the rest of our lives acting like we don’t know each other whenever we’re in the same room."

​"We are not discussing this."

​"Why?"

​"Because there is nothing left to discuss."

​"That’s exactly what I mean!" She threw her hands up before letting them fall again. "Fine. We don’t have to talk about us at all. I don’t care. Just stop using whatever happened between us as a reason to keep me out of a fight where I can actually help."

​"I said no, Rebecca."

​"And I said..."

​"Leave, Rebecca!"

​My voice echoed through the empty hall with the full force of my Alpha command. Rebecca froze, and the Fae energy around her fingers disappeared immediately.

​Silence filled the room.

​For several seconds, she simply stood there looking at me. Then something changed. The anger slowly disappeared from her face, her shoulders dropped, and the stubborn look in her eyes was replaced by something that made my chest tighten.

​"Please, Kaden," she whispered.

​I went still. The sudden change in her voice caught me completely off guard. Only seconds ago, she had been standing in front of me ready to argue until morning. Now tears were slowly gathering in her eyes.

​"Please," she repeated.

​The anger inside me began to fade before I could stop it. I still didn’t agree with what she had done tonight, but it was becoming clear that this wasn’t only about proving me wrong.

​"Stephanie is in there," she continued, struggling to keep her voice steady. "She’s trapped somewhere behind that Dark Fire, and I don’t know if she’s alive. I don’t know if she’s hurt or if those tiger shifters are doing something to her right now."

​"Rebecca..." My voice wasn’t as harsh anymore.

​"I can’t sit at home in Stone Pack and just wait." A tear slipped down her cheek, but she didn’t wipe it away. "I tried, Kaden. I swear I tried. I told myself your warriors would handle it. I told myself there are people stronger and more experienced than me who know what they’re doing. But I can’t do it. Every time I close my eyes, I think about her being trapped there."

​"We will get her out," I said.

​"When?"

​The question came so quickly that I had no answer ready.

​"When, Kaden?" she asked again, taking a step closer. "How many days? How many weeks?"

​I couldn’t give her an answer because I didn’t have one. We still didn’t know enough about Dark Fire or how to get through it safely. We were preparing for a war against an enemy whose strongest weapon was something we barely understood.

​"I know you’re trying," she continued quietly. "That’s why I need to be here. Stephanie helped me when I had nobody. You know that. You know what she did for me."

​I did. I knew exactly how much Stephanie had done for Rebecca. She had risked herself more than once to help her, even when doing so could have cost her everything.

​"She risked her life for me more than once," Rebecca continued. "She stayed beside me when I was completely broken. When I couldn’t even function, she stayed. She was there when I lost my baby and couldn’t even find a reason to get out of bed."

​Pain hit my chest at the mention of our child, and my jaw tightened. Three years had passed, but that was one part of my life time had never completely healed. Neither Rebecca nor I spoke about what happened anymore. We had both found our own ways to continue living, but some memories didn’t become easier simply because the years passed.

​Rebecca looked down and wiped her cheek before meeting my eyes again. "She’s my sister, Kaden. Maybe not by blood, but she’s my family. If there’s even the smallest chance that my Fae power or teleportation can help us get through that barrier and bring her back, how can you expect me to stay safely in Stone Pack and do nothing?"

​I didn’t know what to say to that. The anger I had felt only minutes ago was almost completely gone now, replaced by the uncomfortable knowledge that I understood exactly why she was standing here.

​"Please," she whispered again, stepping closer. "Please let me try."

​I swallowed and forced myself to think about the situation instead of the tears running down her face. Whatever decision I made had to be about the war, not Rebecca and me.

​"Your teleportation might not work against Dark Fire," I told her. "The magic could affect your power."

​"I know."

​"It could react badly with your Fae magic."

​"I know that."

​"You could try to teleport through the barrier and die before you even reach the other side."

​"I know that too!" More tears filled her eyes. "I know the risks, Kaden. I’m not stupid. But I’m asking for the same chance you’re giving everyone else."

​I turned away from her and ran a hand through my hair.

​Damn it.

​Titan moved inside my mind. He didn’t like seeing her cry. Neither did I. But I pushed those feelings aside. I couldn’t make this decision because Rebecca was crying. Too many lives depended on the choices I made.

​"Kaden, I promise I won’t be a problem," she said behind me.

​I turned back toward her, and she quickly wiped her face with both hands before continuing.

​"I won’t interfere with your orders. I won’t make things awkward between us. I won’t bring up our past again. I won’t expect special treatment or anything else from you. You can treat me exactly like everyone else in this unit."

​I remained silent, studying her face. There was no anger there anymore. She wasn’t trying to challenge me now. She simply wanted a chance to help someone she loved.

​"Please," she continued. "I don’t want to spend this war sitting in Stone Pack wondering if there was something I could have done to save her. Test me tomorrow. If I fail during training, send me home. If I can’t control my Fae power, send me home. If you decide my teleportation can’t help against Dark Fire, I’ll leave. Just give me the same chance you gave everyone else."

​I stared at her tear-stained face.

​What she was asking wasn’t unreasonable, and that was the problem. Her abilities could help. I had known that from the moment Logan read her name from the file. Her teleportation alone could give us something none of the other candidates could, and when I added her Fae power, unusual strength, and force ability, she was easily one of the strongest people who had applied. I hadn’t rejected Rebecca because she wasn’t good enough. I had rejected her because I didn’t want her here.

​For three years, we had stayed out of each other’s lives. Rebecca had built her own life, and I had rebuilt mine. Keeping our distance had worked, and I didn’t want to change that. But this war was bigger than Rebecca and me. Six territories had already fallen, hundreds of people were trapped behind Dark Fire, and Stephanie was one of them. More people could die if we couldn’t find a way through those barriers. I was the Alpha King. I couldn’t allow my history with Rebecca to stop me from using someone who might help save my people.

​I let out a long breath before looking at her again.

​"One chance."

​Rebecca’s eyes widened. "What?"

​"You heard me."

​Relief immediately crossed her face, but I raised my hand before she could say anything.

​"You will be treated exactly like everyone else. You will follow every order you’re given. You will train when you’re told to train. If I or any of the commanders tell you to stop, you stop. If you disobey an order, you’re out. If you cannot control your abilities, you’re out. If I decide you’re not ready for this mission, you will leave without arguing with me."

​She nodded quickly. "I understand."

​"Am I clear?"

​"Yes."

​"And you do not teleport into my private rooms again."

​"I won’t."

​"My office included."

​She nodded. "Understood."

​"Good."

​Relief was clear on her face as she wiped away the last of her tears. "Thank you, Kaden."

​I looked away and picked up my folder from the podium. "Don’t thank me yet. Training begins at six tomorrow morning on the south field. Don’t be late."

​"I won’t."

​Rebecca walked toward the center aisle and picked up her traveling bag, lifting it onto her shoulder. I watched her for only a second before opening the mind link.

​Logan.

​His voice came almost immediately. Yes, Kaden?

​Come back to the hall.

​There was a short pause before he answered. She’s staying, isn’t she?

​I frowned at the closed doors. How the hell did you already know that?

​Because you’ve never been able to say no to her when she looks at you like that, Logan replied, and I heard the amusement in his voice before he closed the connection.

​I closed my eyes and let out a long breath.

​Three years.

​For three years, Rebecca and I had managed to stay completely out of each other’s lives. She had lived hers, and I had lived mine. It had worked.

​Now she was back in my territory, joining a unit I was personally responsible for training, and there was nothing simple about that.

​This was going to be a very, very long war.