KADEN’S P.O.V
 

Fury filled my features as the words settled in my brain. My mother had gone behind my back to ensure that Nadine didn’t wake up. Amelia tried to stop me but I brushed her off as I stormed into the room. Mother and Dr. Brown jumped apart staring at both Kaden and I with shock and guilt on their faces. Dr. Brown opened and closed her mouth repeatedly but I held up a hand to stop her.

“How long has this been going on?” I asked but she glanced to my mother for support. That infuriated me and I let out a growl. “I am talk to you. You will look at me when I speak. I asked you a fucking question.”

“Since she moved her hand,” she admitted and I cursed. She flinched from my rag and I exhaled deeply to calm myself.


“Take her off those drugs. If she isn’t awake in three days, I will make sure that you never see the inside of a pack again,” I threatened and her face blanched. I wasn’t bluffing and she knew that. I could feel Amelia’s eyes on me but I couldn’t look at her. I didn’t want to see the expression on her face. “Get out.”

Without another word, Dr. Brown rushed out leaving me with my mother. I turned to Amelia trying to silently ask her to leave but she shook her head. She crossed her arms over her chest and gave me the most defiant look she could muster. I could have made her leave, I could have walked away to have the conversation elsewhere but something told me that I was going to need the gentle reminder of her presence to keep my cool.


I waited until the door shut behind her before I turned back to my mother. She had her hands crossed over her chest and she didn’t look apologetic at all. She met my gaze head on and she had a small frown on her face almost as if I were an inconvenience. I gestured to the seat next to her and she hesitated before taking it.

“Do you have anything to say for yourself?” I asked and she shrugged.

“Would it matter? Nothing I say will change how you feel about this so I see no point in speaking about it.”

I frowned at her nonchalance but I knew she was right. Nothing she would say would change my mind and nothing I would say was enough to change her own. She assumed that what she did was right. I was slowly coming to terms with the fact that my mother did as she wished and pleased. She wasn’t interested in listening or heeding other sides of the story. It was obvious where I got my stubbornness from.

“If that is how you want to play this then fine,” I walked out of the door and returned with one of the guards. “Take my mother back to my house and keep a close eye on her. She isn’t to leave the building without my permission.”

Her mouth fell open. “You wouldn’t dare. I am not a child to be monitored, Kaden. I am your mother.”

“When you start acting like it, I will treat you like it,” I nodded to the guard and mother gritted her teeth but left with him knowing that if necessary, he was going to take her by force.

When the door slammed shut behind her, I let out a breath that I didn’t realize I was holding. Anger and frustration burned through my body like an inferno. I couldn’t stop myself from grabbing onto the nearest thing and throwing it. It slammed against the wall and shattered on impact. It was the small gasp from behind me that reminded me I wasn’t alone. Amelia had flinched away and was staring at me in concern.

“I need a minute, Amelia,” I began but she didn’t move. “Please, I don’t want to take it out on you.”

“You won’t,” she sounded so sure. “You need to breathe, you’re too upset.”

“She lied to me,” I ground out. I wasn’t as upset as I would have expected, I was more hurt and disappointed. I knew my mother and I didn’t see eye to eye but I never would have thought that she would go behind my back like that.

“I know,” Amelia’s voice was soft and soothing, almost calming and relaxing. I could have listened to it all day. Her voice was like a weighted blanket against my anger as she made her way over to me. “What are you going to do now?”

“The only thing I can do, I have to make sure that something like this doesn’t happen again and Nadine actually wakes up,” she stiffened beside me and I immediately realized what my words sounded like. “I’m not spending all my time at the hospital, Amelia.”

As much as I wanted to, Amelia had made it clear that I would have to pick a side. It was either her or Nadine and judging by how much my soul craved her to be calm in moments like this, there wasn’t much of a competition. I reached out for her noting that she still hadn’t relaxed yet. I ran my hands through her hair and kissed her forehead softly.

“I will have guards watching her at every second of the day and monitoring what she is given,” I explained but she still didn’t relax. “Amelia, baby, I need you to trust me.”

“I trust you,” she whispered and I felt her slowly relax against me. “This is just a mess. We should have never come here. I feel like I ruined everything.”

“You didn’t,” I assured her. On the contrary, she had opened my eyes to something that had been going on for so long beneath my nose. “Why don’t you go and wait in the car? I’ll be there with you soon.”

She nodded and she didn’t even protest as she walked away. I watched her and made sure she had gone out of the hospital before making my way over to Dr. Brown’s office. She was with a patient when I walked in but even she knew better than to cross me because she asked the patient to excuse us.

“Alpha, I can explain,” she began but I cut her off.

“If you ever pull a stunt like that again, it will be the last that you ever pull, am I clear?” I asked and she nodded. “I pay your bills, I put a fucking roof over your head. This is my pack, not my mother’s and not anyone else’s. If I find that you are in contact with her again, I will make sure that you live to regret it.”

“I didn’t mean to cause problems, Alpha, I was just-”

“I don’t need your excuses, I need results. I need a verbal confirmation that you understand because if you do anything to double cross me, anything to make me suspicious, I will end you.”

I didn’t wait for her response before I turned to leave. I had just gotten to the door when I heard her speak.

“Would it be such a bad thing if she never woke up?” she asked and I stilled. “Your mother seems very worried about the girl waking up. Have you considered that maybe there is a reason for that?”

I turned to her and she flinched from the harshness of my gaze. She tried to look away hoping I would ease up but I didn’t. After a long minute, she got uncomfortable and cleared her throat.

“I didn’t mean to overstep, Alpha, I was just asking a question. I didn’t think that-”

“Exactly, you didn’t think. It is not your place to question my decisions. You will do well to remember that.”

Without another word, I stormed out of her office making sure to slam the door shut. I didn’t give a shit why my mother didn’t want Nadine awake. Sooner or later, I was going to find out the truth.”
 
 
BLAKE’S P.O.V
 
The only desirable thing about being Alpha was the power that came with it but I didn’t have that power because I wasn’t officially the Alpha. I was only acting and therefore, I could still be dragged around and ordered around. It was infuriating to say the least and I couldn’t wait until I was able to take the power for myself but I needed time.

“Blake, are you even listening?” Jamal’s voice cut through my thoughts and I looked up at him lazily. “I apologize if we are suddenly beneath you, Alpha,” he sneered the last word like an insult and I gritted my teeth. “We have work to be done and you need to listen.”

I growled but a warm hand on my shoulder had me stilling. It was Samantha and to say she looked bored would have been an understatement.

“Please, boys, if you want to hash it out then do it away from here. We have a limited amount of time before they realize Blake is missing.”

She was right, we were using one of the abandoned rooms in the palace to meet. I was barely able to get out of a council meeting to be here. I gestured to the Jamal to wrap up his words. He gritted his teeth at my dismissive gesture.

“We need Blake to retain the Alpha position permanently. We have been waiting patiently for thus plan of yours but how do we go ahead with the plan if we don’t know what it entails? We think you have lost your way Blake.”

“Is that your way of saying you want to be Alpha?” I asked but he said nothing. He pressed his lips together but I could see the greed in his eyes. He wanted what I had. I turned to the others. “If we strike now, we will lose the trust of the people. We have been patient for so long, we can be patient for a little more. Trust me on this and I will bring you to victory.”

They cheered in agreement except for Jamal who had a deep frown on his face. We quickly wrapped up the meeting but I grabbed Samantha’s hand to stop her. She smirked and tried to run her hand through my hair but I stopped her.

“Don’t you want to play?” she pouted and I gave her a small smile.

“Not now, I need you to keep an eye on Jamal.”

She raised a brow. “Do you want me to deal with him?”

There was an edge to her voice and I immediately knew what she meant.

“No,” I said quickly and she frowned. She actually frowned at the idea of killing someone who was meant to be considered her ally. “Just keep him close. If he is up to anything, let me know and we will deal with him the right way.”

“You’re no fun, Blake,” she mumbled. “But I’ll do it. It’ll cost you though.”