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ERICA'S POV:-
My tears betrayed me once again. I fell on the floor and started sobbing. Alpha Kaden wrapped his arms around my shoulders and pulled me up on my feet. Mathew and his father were taken away. Alpha Kaden took me out of Alen's office. He took me towards the meeting hall. I sat down on one of the chairs and Alpha Kaden knelt down on the ground in front of me. He grabbed my hands and gently squeezed them. "Let me take you back home. That is the least I can do for you right now." He spoke in a low tone while staring at my face. I could feel something tingling on my skin. On my hands, specifically. I didn't know what it was.
The moment Macy saw him into the woods of his pack lands, she lost control. She was ready to jump on him without asking for my consent. I was literally screaming at her to stop. But she didn't listen to me once. She ignored my calls as if I didn't even exist. If it was not for Alpha Kaden's howl that stopped her, she would have banged him in the middle of the forest. That too a day after Alen's funeral. He was about to stand up and walk away. But I grabbed his hand and stopped him. He turned to look at me with a questioning look on his face. He was staring at my face, waiting for me to say something.
For some reason, nothing came out of my mouth. He forced a small smile on his face and turned back around. "Why did you do that?" I forced that sentence out of my mouth in a low tone before he would have walked out of the meeting hall. He froze in his tracks for a moment. Then he turned around to look at me. The same confused look on his face. Then that confused look was suddenly changed with a guilty look. He walked towards me. Then he sat down on a chair that was settled beside me. His head was narrowed as if he felt guilty for some reason. I didn't know why he would feel guilty. Hesitantly, he reached for my hand and held it between both of his hands.
"I am not going to say anything to justify myself. I was wrong. I was selfish and whatever I did to you is unforgivable." He started explaining something to me I didn't want to know. I asked him a completely different question. Maybe he didn't understand what I was trying to ask him.
"That's not what I meant. I meant what you did in the forest. You stopped Macy. Why did you do that?" I finally asked him the question I was dying to ask him. Since I got my senses back, I wanted to ask him why he would stop her. Because as far as I knew, he wanted me by his side. He wanted to control me.
Hearing my question, I saw him sighing in relief. He forced a small smile on his face. He cupped my face with one of his hands. He was caressing my cheek with the pad of his thumb. "I have already done enough without asking you. Being away from you made me realise how unfair I was to you. I don't want to do that anymore. That's why. I stopped your wolf. You are the only one who should choose what you want to do with your body. Even your wolf has no right to force you because I am your mate." My eyes widened as he said that out loud. I had no idea that he was my mate. And he never told me that either.
I knew I was not Alen's mate. He told me that once. Well, I heard him talking to his Beta. Alen was talking about me and his mate. And he told me about his mate who died in a war while saving Alen's life. But I never knew that Alpha Kaden was my mate. As soon as he realised what he just told me, his eyes widened in horror as he clapped his palm on his mouth. He stood up and walked towards the door of the meeting hall. "I am waiting for you inside my car. I will take you home. You need time to heal." Without looking at me, he exclaimed and walked away. I gulped hard as I never thought that he would run away.
"He just thinks that you don't deserve him. After everything he did to you. After everything his sister went through. He is confused, Erica." I almost jumped in fear as I heard someone speaking. I sighed in relief as I saw Samia walking into the meeting hall. I just didn't understand why he was punishing me for something I didn't do.
"Why would he punish me for everything that happened to his sister? I didn't do anything. He doesn't even look at me. And he ran away as if I was a plague. And didn't he take his revenge when he threw me in front of my father?" I replied to Samia in a sad tone. I just couldn't help myself.
Yes, I was not ready to start a relationship just yet. I loved Alen. And I needed time to get over him. But seeing Alpha Kaden behaving as if I was his enemy, I couldn't help but feel hurt. "Erica! He doesn't know what actually happened to his sister. And he wouldn't know until you decide to tell him what happened to her. You are no longer a child. You are a knight. You are an independent woman now. And I bet you don't want anyone to control you? Right?" She replied in a low tone then she asked me a question. It was true. I was not a child anymore. I was an 18 years old woman. And I no longer wanted anyone to control me.
I nodded my head slowly and Samia smiled. "Then go and tell him what you want. You always said that you admire the way I handle everything. The day Alen saved my life, I promised myself that I would never listen to anyone else anymore. I was an independent and strong woman. And no one could tell me what to do. I do what I want. It is time for you to tell Alpha Kaden what you want. I can bet he will not decline you." She added in a low tone. She was right. It was time for me to stand up for myself. It was time for me to tell everyone what I wanted. Not follow the footsteps of the others.
I nodded my head at her and stood up. I stepped out of the meeting hall. Holding my head high, I went towards the elevator. The elevator carried me to the ground floor. I stepped out of the elevator and walked out of the HQ building. I went straight towards Alpha Kaden's car and hopped in. "I don't know where you want to go. Is it Nickolas' house? Or Samia's house or your own? Tell me." Alpha Kaden asked me without looking at me. I turned my head towards him. But he didn't even glance at me.
"He thinks he is betraying his sister if he has any feelings for you. And at the same time, he wants to be with you." Macy whimpered in my head. She was just helping me to gather enough courage and step up for myself.
"I want to go to your pack land. I don't want to run anymore. I want to live in the pack where I belong. I want you to take me to your pack land." I replied to him honestly. For a moment, he was shocked to hear what I told him. His head turned towards me. He was staring into my eyes. He then nodded his head and started the engine. Without any other words, he drove off. I could feel Macy being so proud of me that she was dancing at the back of my mind. I was also proud that I finally told someone what I wanted. For the first time, I was not dictated.
"I want my own room. I will get my things from Alen's apartment. I want to be the part of the pack. I deserve to know about the people I belong with." I added in a low tone. I wanted him to say something but he just kept driving. He didn't even nod his head at me. I turned my head towards the window. The rest of the ride was silent. After about an hour, the car came to a halt. I looked around and found the car parked in front of the same big mansion he brought me to the night he abducted me.
"I will ask the maids to get a room ready for you. And I will ask them to bring you some decent clothes too." He spoke in a low tone and without waiting for my response, he hopped out of the car and walked away. A woman opened the door of the car and helped me out of the car.