Chapter 356: Feeding Me

Rebecca’s POV

​I stared at Kaden for a second, my heart giving a small, traitorous flutter before I caught myself. Slowly, I pushed myself up and rested my back against the wooden headboard. Every muscle in my body felt like it had been run over by a truck, but the burning in my veins was completely gone. More importantly, that horrible pulling feeling was gone too.

​Before I could even speak, Kaden stood from the couch and walked over to the bed. I expected him to stop beside it, but instead, he sat down right beside me on the mattress.

​Before I could even ask what he was doing, he lifted his hand and gently placed the back of his palm against my forehead.

​I froze instantly. My breathing hitched, every nerve ending in my body snapping to full attention at his touch. His hand was warm against my skin, and for a few seconds, I simply stared at him. It felt so natural, so familiar, like we hadn’t spent the last three years apart.

​Kaden, of course, acted as if it were the most normal thing in the world.

​"Your temperature is back to normal," he murmured, his eyes moving over my face before he lowered his hand.

​I blinked at him. "Okay..."

​That was apparently all he had to say about casually touching me after we had spent three years trying very hard not to be part of each other’s lives.

​I opened my mouth, already trying to find a polite way to remind him that there should probably be a little more distance between us now, when a firm knock sounded at the bedroom door.

​"Come in," Kaden called, his voice returning to its usual deep, commanding tone.

​The door opened, and a young palace maid walked into the room carrying a large tray. A rich smell immediately filled the room, making my stomach turn slightly. She bowed politely, keeping her eyes lowered, before walking toward the bed and carefully setting the tray across my lap.

​"Thank you," I told her quietly.

​The maid bowed again before leaving the room and closing the door behind her. I looked down at the steaming bowl of thick vegetable soup, fresh bread, sliced fruit, and warm herbal tea before leaning my head back against the headboard.

​"I’m not hungry," I said with a sigh.

​"The healer specifically said you need to eat the moment you wake up," Kaden replied firmly. "Your body used almost all its energy fighting that spell."

​"I really don’t want it, Kaden." I shook my head. "My stomach feels completely tied in knots."

​Kaden didn’t argue. He didn’t even raise his voice. For a second, I actually thought he was going to accept my answer, which should have been my first clue that something was wrong. Instead, he simply reached over, moved the tray closer to himself, and picked up the spoon. He dipped it into the bowl, scooped up some soup, and held it directly in front of my mouth.

​I stared at the spoon before slowly looking at him. "What are you doing?"

​"I’m feeding you," he answered calmly. "It seems you’re too tired to hold a spoon yourself."

​"Hell no." My eyes widened as I pulled my head back. "Kaden, I am not a child. Put that down."

​"Take it," he said, moving the spoon closer.

​"I can feed myself."

​"Then take the bowl," he replied.

​"I don’t want the bowl because I don’t want to eat," I argued, already becoming annoyed.

​"Then I’ll feed you."

​I stared at him in disbelief. "How does that make any sense?"

​"It doesn’t have to," Kaden answered simply.

​Of course it didn’t. This was Kaden’s logic. Apparently, refusing to eat didn’t mean I wasn’t hungry. It simply meant he needed to personally put the food into my mouth. And judging by the calm expression on his face, he saw absolutely nothing wrong with that conclusion.

​He moved the spoon closer again. "Take it," he insisted, his hand perfectly steady. A familiar look appeared in his eyes. "Or I’ll use another method to make sure you swallow it."

​Heat rushed up my neck and straight into my cheeks. I knew that tone, and I definitely wasn’t going to ask what exactly he meant by another method. Knowing Kaden, asking would probably make the situation worse.

​"Alpha Kaden, stop," I said, keeping my voice low as I looked straight into his eyes. "Stop treating me like we’re... like we’re something. We aren’t together."

​Kaden finally paused, the spoon remaining between us. For a moment, neither of us spoke. His expression didn’t change, but something about the silence suddenly made the room feel different. I almost wished I hadn’t said it that way, but it was true. We weren’t mates anymore. We weren’t lovers. We weren’t together. ℴ

​"We are not together," he agreed quietly.

​The words shouldn’t have bothered me. I had literally just said the exact same thing, so why did hearing him agree make something tighten inside my chest?

​"But as long as you’re part of this unit and under my command, your health is my responsibility," Kaden continued. "You almost got taken by the enemy today. Your magic is drained, your body is exhausted, and the healer said you need to eat."

​"I can take care of myself," I reminded him.

​"I know you can," he replied immediately.

​That stopped me. There was no mockery in his voice and no attempt to make me feel helpless. He simply looked at me for a moment before raising the spoon again.

​"But right now, you need to recover," he continued. "So either you take the bowl and eat by yourself, or I feed you."

​I narrowed my eyes at him. "Those are terrible choices."

​"They’re the only ones you’re getting," Kaden replied without the slightest hint of sympathy.

​"You’ve become even more annoying in three years," I muttered.

​"And you’re still stubborn," he shot back.

​My mouth fell open slightly. "I am not stubborn."

​Kaden didn’t say anything. He simply gave me a long look that said enough on its own.

​Okay. Maybe that wasn’t the best lie to tell a man who had known me long enough to have several years’ worth of evidence against me.

​"Open," he said, raising the spoon again.

​I glared at him, but he simply waited.

​Unfortunately, I knew that look too. Kaden wasn’t going anywhere. We could probably sit here until the tiger shifters invaded the palace themselves, and he would still be holding that stupid spoon in front of my face.

​Grumbling under my breath, I finally gave up. I leaned forward, opened my mouth, and let him feed me the first spoonful. The warm soup coated my dry throat, and despite everything I had said only a minute ago, my stomach immediately reminded me that I hadn’t eaten properly all day.

​Kaden silently scooped another spoonful and held it toward me. I ate that one too, and a small look of satisfaction appeared on his face.

​"Don’t look so pleased with yourself," I muttered after swallowing.

​Instead of arguing, he brought another spoon toward my mouth. "Open."

​I glared at him again, but apparently my dignity had already left the room several spoonfuls ago, so I opened my mouth and ate.

​"Good girl," he murmured softly.

​I stopped chewing, my eyes slowly lifting to his. Kaden’s face remained calm, as if he hadn’t just said something that sent another wave of heat straight into my cheeks.

​"Don’t call me that," I grumbled after swallowing the last of the soup.

​Kaden set the empty bowl back on the tray and picked up the glass of water before handing it to me. "Drink."

​I took the glass, making sure my fingers didn’t brush against his, and drank it down in three long gulps. Once I was done, I handed it back and became painfully aware of the heavy layer of sweat, dirt, and dried magic residue clinging to my skin. Spending the afternoon wildly teleporting around the palace and crashing onto stone floors had left me feeling thoroughly filthy.

​"I need to take a bath," I announced as I swung my legs over the edge of the bed. My feet touched the cold floor, and I started to stand. "I’m going back to my room."

​Before my knees could even straighten, Kaden’s hand closed around my wrist and pulled me firmly back onto the mattress.