Chapter 250
Chapter 250
Serena’s POV
He froze, eyes wide with anger and confusion. The tension between us crackled like a live wire.
Inside, I could hear faint movement, probably my mother, wondering what was going on. But I didn’t turn back. My focus stayed on Caiden, who now stood rigid, fists clenching and unclenching as he stared at me.
For a moment, I almost felt sorry for him, the Alpha who’d never been told “no,” now grappling with rejection he couldn’t control. But pity wasn’t enough. Not anymore.
He had crossed a line, and even though my heart still trembled from the encounter, my voice didn’t.
“Go home, Caiden,” I said quietly, my tone firm. “Please.”
The wind rustled between us, carrying the scent of pine and something faintly metallic, his cologne mixed with a hint of regret.
He didn’t reply. Just turned his face away, his jaw tight, before walking off slowly down the path.
I exhaled shakily, the heaviness in my chest refusing to lift.
The silence after his retreat felt too heavy, too fragile, like the air might shatter if I exhaled too loudly. My heart thudded painfully, and I wrapped my arms around myself, staring at the ground where his footprints faded into the grass. For a moment, I thought that was the end, that maybe the storm had passed.
But it hadn’t.
He turned.
I heard the gravel crunch under his boots before I saw him. My heart leapt into my throat. I spun around, startled, and before I could blink, his hand clamped against my face, rough, trembling, and more desperate.
“Caiden—?”
He didn’t let me finish. His eyes were wild, veins prominent on his neck, jaw tight as he leaned in to kiss me forcefully this time. I froze, my pulse hammering, a cold rush crawling down my spine.
“Stop!”
I shoved him back with every ounce of strength I had, my palms slamming against his chest. He stumbled, caught himself, and then crack!
My hand connected sharply against his cheek. The sound echoed in the still morning air.
He blinked, stunned, his lips parting slightly. His hand went to his face, fingers brushing the red mark forming there. His expression softened, eyes wet with something that could’ve been guilt, or maybe manipulation.
“Serena, I—”
“Don’t.” My voice shook with restrained fury. I pointed at him, my arm trembling. “You’ve really crossed the line, Caiden.”
He looked pitiful, but it only made my stomach twist in disgust. That remorseful face, that practiced look he wore whenever he wanted forgiveness. I’d seen it before.
“I didn’t mean—”
“Get out.”
He froze.
I stepped forward, pushing him toward the car with both hands. “Leave!”
His expression hardened instantly. The softness vanished, replaced by the Alpha, the cold, domineering version of him. “No,” he said, his tone low and dark. “I’m not fucking going without you.”
“Caiden, don’t make me…”
But he grabbed my wrist before I could finish, yanking me closer. I struggled, trying to pull free. “Leave me, Caiden! Leave…”
A blur moved past me.
Before I could even register what was happening, another hand gripped my other wrist, gently tugging me behind him. Then— bam! A powerful punch landed across Caiden’s jaw, the sound sharp and clean.
Hades.
He stood before me like a wall of fury, his chest rising and falling heavily, his eyes blazing.
Before I could speak, he swung again. Caiden hit the car’s hood, sliding across it before landing with a thud.
“Hades, stop!” I ran to him, grabbing his arm as he advanced again. “Please, don’t—”
He was shaking, muscles tense, veins standing out. He pointed at Caiden, voice low and thunderous. “Stay away from Serena,” he growled. “Or I’ll kill you. This is my last warning.”
Caiden groaned, pushing himself up, wiping blood from his lip. “You think you scare me?” He took a staggering step forward, laughing bitterly. “You really think she’s yours?”
Hades scoffed, grabbed him again, and slammed him back against the car’s body so hard the metal dented. “She’s made her choice,” he hissed, his voice thick with barely restrained rage. “And I’ll protect her, got it?”
Caiden’s laugh was twisted, half-mad. “Got it? You know nothing.” He laughed louder, a wild, broken sound that sent chills down my spine. “She’s mine. She just doesn’t realize it.”
“Shut up,” I muttered, clutching my arms, hating the tremor in my voice.
Hades threw him again, this time toward his own car. The impact made me flinch, I heard a faint crack, maybe bone, maybe metal. Still, Caiden got up, brushing dirt and blood off his shirt like he hadn’t just been tossed like trash.
Then he looked at me. That look. That infuriatingly confident look he always wore when he thought he knew me better than I knew myself.
“I’m not lying, right?” he said hoarsely, stepping closer. “You might say you don’t love me, but you can’t forget me, Serena.”
I clenched my fists.
He took another step. “Yeah, I know. Because you remember that day. That day when I took you to the ice cream shop. When we had fun. When it wasn’t just ordinary feelings that sprang when—”
“Caiden—”
“—when I fingered you so good in the restroom that you were on the brink of cumming. Remember?”
The words sliced through me like glass. My vision blurred with fury.
Hades stiffened beside me, every muscle in his body going taut.
Before he could move, my hand did.
SLAP!
It landed harder than the first one. Caiden’s head jerked to the side, and for a moment, he just stood there, blinking, stunned by the impact.
I stepped closer, trembling but steady enough to speak. “You’re so disgusting, Caiden,” I said, my voice low but venomous. “You kiss and tell? You want to humiliate me, huh?”
He blinked again, that same pathetic remorse creeping back into his face. He reached out slowly, eyes wide, his voice soft and broken. “Serena, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean—”
“Don’t.” I jerked away before Hades could. “Don’t you dare touch me.”
He looked even more unhinged now, torn between guilt and obsession. “I can’t lose you,” he whispered.
“Let me go, Caiden.” I pushed him, my voice cracking. “I’ve rejected you. I want to be with Hades. That’s it. I never want to see your face again.”