Chapter 365: Other things about him I had never known.

Rebecca’s POV

Training was hectic. We had been at it since early morning, pushing our bodies to the limit, and nobody was taking it easy on us anymore. There was no time for that. We only had the rest of today and tomorrow to prepare because tomorrow night, we were invading Plant Pack.

Just thinking about it made my stomach tighten with unease.

As for Kaden, he didn’t show up to training at all. Logan told us he was training separately with the main warriors and meeting with some of the commanders. Still, every now and then, I found myself looking toward the edge of the training grounds, hoping to catch a glimpse of him. I wanted to speak to him. I wanted to fix the mess I had made in his room last night, but after the way he had asked me to leave, I knew forcing another conversation wouldn’t help. I decided I would wait until training was over and try to find him then.

By six in the evening, the sun was already beginning to disappear behind the trees when training finally came to an end. Sweat covered my body, my muscles hurt, and all I wanted was a long shower and something to eat. But before anyone could leave the training grounds, we were told to wait.

I had just picked up my bottle of water when Logan walked toward me after speaking with a group of commanders.

"Rebecca, can I talk to you for a second?" Logan asked.

"Of course," I replied.

I excused myself from the female warriors I had been standing with and followed him a short distance away. Logan stopped when we were far enough from everyone else and turned toward me. The serious look on his face immediately told me this wasn’t about training.

"I don’t know exactly what happened between you and Kaden last night," Logan began, keeping his voice low. "I didn’t ask him, and I’m not asking you either. Whatever happened between the two of you is your business. But please, Rebecca, Kaden doesn’t need any distractions right now."

My fingers tightened around my water bottle.

"He has the weight of this entire war on his shoulders," Logan continued. "Kaden barely slept last night. He was up before sunrise going through reports from our scouts, and he’s spent most of today training with the warriors and meeting with the commanders, witches, healers, and leaders of the other units."

My stomach tightened as Logan’s words sank in, and the guilt I had been carrying since last night only grew heavier.

"He’s trying to find the safest way to get everyone through that Dark Fire without getting the prisoners killed," Logan added. "Every decision he makes could cost lives. He’s carrying the lives of thousands of people right now, Rebecca. Not just the warriors going into Plant Pack. If we fail tomorrow, the Tiger Kingdom keeps six territories, and more packs could fall after that."

I lowered my eyes.

Images from last night immediately came back to me. Kaden sitting behind his desk with maps and reports spread everywhere while I stood in front of him accusing him of wanting to sleep with two women.

Goddess.

I really had chosen the worst possible time to create another problem between us.

"I know you care about him, and I know things between you two are complicated," Logan added, his voice gentle but firm. "I’m not saying whatever is going on between you doesn’t matter. I’m only asking you to let it wait."

He held my gaze for a moment.

"After this war, you can lock yourselves in a room and talk for as long as you want," Logan continued. "You can argue too, if that’s what you need. But right now, he needs his head completely on this invasion."

I nodded slowly. "You’re right."

"And you need to focus too," Logan added. "Stephanie is inside that territory. Tomorrow night, you finally get the chance to bring her home."

That immediately brought my mind back to what mattered most.

"I know," I said, nodding again. "I’ll focus."

"Good," Logan replied with a small nod. "Let’s get through this first."

Before either of us could say anything else, Kane’s voice carried across the training grounds.

"Everyone, please head to the main hall!" Kane called. "The Alpha King is waiting."

Logan and I joined the others, and a few minutes later, all forty-two of us were filing into the massive hall. The atmosphere inside was tense. The leaders of the different packs were already there, along with commanders from the warrior units and several other high-ranking wolves. Rola and I found seats beside each other while conversations continued quietly around us.

The doors opened again, and Kaden walked inside.

Almost everyone immediately started rising from their seats to greet him, but Kaden lifted one hand before they could.

"Please, sit," he said.

Everyone settled back into their seats as Kaden walked toward the center of the hall. His steps were steady and confident, but I could see the tiredness on his face. There were faint shadows beneath his eyes, and suddenly, Logan’s words made even more sense.

For a brief second, I wondered if Kaden would look at me.

He didn’t.

He stopped in front of the large map at the center of the hall and looked around at everyone before speaking.

"Tomorrow night, we are invading Plant Pack," Kaden announced, his voice carrying clearly through the hall. "As we all know, the Tiger shifters currently have six packs trapped behind their Dark Fire barriers. Our scouts have now confirmed that the generals and magicians responsible for maintaining those barriers are stationed inside Plant Pack."

The hall became completely silent.

"That makes Plant Pack the center of their defense," Kaden continued, pointing toward it on the map. "If we defeat the people maintaining the Dark Fire there, the barriers protecting the remaining five packs should weaken or collapse. Tomorrow morning, King Melvin and Alpha Kane will divide the forty-two of you into your final groups and explain exactly what each group will be doing."

Kaden’s eyes moved across the hall as he continued. "We will also be marching with a large number of warriors, so none of you will be entering that territory alone. Your main job is to help us break through the Dark Fire. Once we create an opening, the army moves in."

My attention remained fixed on him.

"I don’t need anyone trying to be a hero tomorrow," Kaden said firmly. "You have all been chosen because you possess abilities that can help us get through their defenses. Use those abilities for the job you’re given. Protect your group, follow your commanders, and do not break formation unless you’re ordered to."

He paused before looking back at the map.

"The enemy will try to stop us before we reach the people maintaining the barriers. That’s why I’ll draw as many of their strongest fighters toward me as possible. If they’re busy trying to figure out which wolf they need to kill, they won’t be watching the rest of you."

My brows slowly pulled together.

Which wolf do they need to kill?

I stared at Kaden.

I knew he had unusual strength. Everyone knew that. He was far stronger than an ordinary Alpha, and I had seen enough of him in fights to know exactly how dangerous he could be.

But as far as I knew, Kaden didn’t have a special ability.

Yet the way he was speaking made it sound like the enemy would somehow have several versions of him to deal with.

I leaned closer to Rola. "Why is Alpha Kaden talking like he has a special ability?" I whispered. "I know about his strength, but I thought that was all."

Rola turned toward me, surprise crossing her face. "Oh. You don’t know?"

I frowned. "Know what?"

"Well, I guess that makes sense," Rola whispered. "Not everyone knows about it because Kaden rarely uses his ability, and he almost never talks about it."

My frown deepened.

"Wait," I whispered. "He actually has one?"

"Yes," Rola replied. "He can duplicate his wolf."

I blinked.

"He can what?"

Rola leaned a little closer so nobody around us could hear. "When Kaden shifts into his wolf form, he can create duplicates of his wolf. I heard that during the Alpha King trials, he created thirty of them at once."

My eyes widened.

"Thirty?" I asked in disbelief.

Rola nodded.

For a second, I simply stared at her. Thirty wolves. Not three. Not five.

Thirty.

Apparently, knowing a man for years, being imprisoned by him, becoming his mate, rejecting him, staying away from him for three years, and then somehow ending up in his bed again still wasn’t enough to learn everything about him.

My life was ridiculous.

"Are they illusions?" I whispered. "Like shadows or something?"

"No," Rola replied, shaking her head. "They’re real. They can attack, they can be injured, and they all look exactly like his wolf. That’s what makes the ability so dangerous. When they’re fighting together, the enemy can’t easily tell which one is the original."

I looked back toward Kaden.

"So only one is actually him?" I asked quietly.

"Yes," Rola answered. "Only one is the original. The others are created from his power."

I glanced at her again. "What happens if one of the duplicates gets killed?"

"Kaden doesn’t die," Rola explained. "The duplicates can be killed without killing him. But there’s a price. Every injury one of those wolves takes weakens his real wolf too. The more of them that get hurt, the weaker his real wolf becomes."

My stomach tightened even more.

"So even if they’re attacking the wrong wolves, they’re still hurting him?" I asked.

"Yes," Rola replied with a serious nod. "Not in the same way as attacking the original, but they’re still draining his strength. If too many of the duplicates are badly injured, his real wolf becomes weaker and easier to kill."

I looked back toward Kaden, suddenly understanding just how dangerous his ability actually was.

"And if they kill the real one?" I whispered.

Rola’s expression became more serious. "Then Kaden dies."

My stomach tightened.

Suddenly, what Kaden had said made perfect sense.

If they’re busy trying to figure out which wolf they need to kill...

He was planning to make himself one of their biggest targets.

And the worst part was that even if the enemy couldn’t figure out which wolf was really him, every duplicate they injured would slowly weaken him anyway.

Thirty wolves suddenly didn’t sound as comforting as they had a few seconds ago.

I slowly turned back toward the front of the hall. Kaden was standing beside the map, calmly discussing tomorrow’s invasion as if there weren’t thirty or more possible versions of his wolf hiding somewhere inside him.

I had known this man for years. I had lived in his palace. I had been his prisoner, his breeder, his mate, and his enemy.

And now, whatever the hell we currently were.

Yet somehow, I had never known this. Not once had Kaden mentioned it. Not once had Kane, Logan, or anyone else said anything about it.

I thought I knew Kaden’s strength. I thought I knew what he was capable of. But apparently, there were still parts of him I knew absolutely nothing about.

I stared at Kaden from across the hall, completely stunned, wondering how many other things about him I had never known.