Chapter 28
Kaidon's POV
Rowan growled in satisfaction as the maid's severed head hit the ground. Blood pooled around the lifeless body, but this wasn’t enough to make me flinch. I’d seen and experienced worse. However, the maids in the room didn’t share my sentiments; they stared at the body in horror.
I stared at it for a moment, feeling no shame or regret. The bloodlust I felt was all due to seeing Serena injured, and with Rowan as a driving force, I knew that whoever had done that to my mate would die. No one could touch her, apart from me.
“Let this be a lesson.” I raised my head, addressing the frightened maids. “Serena is mine. My private chef. My property. Touch her, harm her, so much as look at her the wrong way, and you'll end up dead—worse than this trash beneath my feet. Do I make myself clear?”
The maids nodded, hot tears streaming down their faces. They looked like prisoners sentenced to the guillotine.
“Clean up this mess. Now!”
The stunned maids scrambled, trying to remove the dead body. A furious growl sounded behind me, and I turned to see Amelia walking out of the kitchen with a ferocious expression.
I ignored her, turning my attention to Serena. She stood frozen, her eyes wide with horror, locked on the headless corpse. She trembled badly, her hand clutching the edge of the counter. I feared she would collapse.
*Why was she like that? I’d avenged her, punished the maid who dared to harm her. Shouldn’t she feel gratitude?*
“Serena.” I stepped closer, lowering my voice.
“Why?” she whispered, her voice breaking. “Why did you have to go that far?”
I blinked, thrown by the question. “She hurt you,” I said, the words coming out slower than I intended. “No one touches you. No one harms you. I did what was necessary.”
She shook her head, stepping back. “Necessary?” Her voice rose slightly, trembling. “You…you killed her, Alpha. She didn’t deserve to die like that!”
The words were a slap in the face. My jaw clenched as I glanced at the maids still scurrying to clean the mess. Their heads remained low, their hands shaking as they dragged the corpse away.
Not here. Not now. I couldn’t have this conversation in front of them.
“This is my palace,” I said sharply. “I am the Alpha. I will do what I deem necessary, and no one—not you—will question me.”
Her eyes widened, the tears spilling over as she shook her head again. “She didn’t have to die,” she choked out.
“Enough,” I snapped, though the sight of her tears left me deeply troubled. “My decision is final. Do not argue with me again.”
For a moment, she stood there, shaking, her lips pressed tightly together. Then, with a broken sob, she turned and fled the kitchen.
*Go after her, you coward!* Rowan snarled in my head. *She’s ours! She’s hurting, and you’re just walking away?*
Rowan roared in frustration, and truth be told, I wanted to follow her. But I stayed rooted to the spot. I couldn’t afford to chase after her, not with the maids still present. My actions in that kitchen would spread like wildfire through the palace. Going after Serena now would only fuel the flames.
With one last glance in the direction she’d run off to, I exhaled, turning away from the mess and making my way toward the throne room. I had a meeting with my cabinet in thirty minutes, but after this? I wasn’t sure if I could focus on anything today.
\---
A week later
I sat in my office, flipping through parchment papers as I reviewed the reports from the border patrols. Tensions with the Valkar pack were worsening; rogue sightings had doubled, and rumors of alliances against my reign forming in the dark demanded swift action.
Yet none of it held my attention.
It had been a full week since I’d seen Serena. Seven days. Seven long, torturous days, and I wasn’t sure whether I could take it any longer.
*She’s avoiding us,* Rowan muttered in my head, his irritation mirroring my own.
*Yeah, how did you figure that one out?* I scoffed, pushing the reports aside and leaning back in my chair. My mind wasn’t on the Valkar pack. It wasn’t on the rogue problem.
It was on her.
She’d been cooking my meals—fine and good—but always managed to stay hidden. It was maddening.
Even when I sent someone to summon her, she had the audacity to refuse. *Refuse.*
I’d let it slide, convincing myself she needed time. I’d stayed my hand when the urge to storm to wherever she was and drag her to me clawed at my control.
But now?
Now, I was through with that.
Rowan growled in approval.
I rose, my chair scraping back. If she thought she could avoid me forever, she was gravely mistaken.
I strode out of the office, my steps echoing sharply in the quiet halls. The occasional guard or maid paused to greet me, but I ignored them all. My focus was singular—Serena.
It was late. She should be in her room.
When I reached her door, I paused, my hand hovering above the handle. Faint voices drifted from inside, and I leaned closer, eavesdropping on her conversation.