KADEN’S P.O.V

I was so lost in the pain that I didn’t even realize when Caleb had led me into the house. One minute, I was standing outside trying to come to terms with what my wolf had just told me and the next minute, I was inside on my couch. The pain had slowly ebbed away into a vague memory but if I closed my eyes, I could almost feel it.


It was the worst thing I had ever experienced and not just because it meant that Amelia was with another man. I trusted Amelia, I knew her better than I knew myself and I knew for a fact that she wouldn’t touch another man. She loved me far too much to do so. She had every chance to do that when I was with Natasha, but she didn’t. If she was with a man then it was against her will.

“I need to find her,” I said to Caleb and he nodded.

I started to rise but my strength hadn’t returned yet. My wolf had gone into hiding after the pain and with him had gone majority of my strength. He took the brunt of the pain but he wouldn’t talk about it and I couldn’t blame him.


“I have a spy in Blake’s pack,” Caleb announced and I turned to him with wide eyes. “He has been there for a while working his way into their rebellion. He is on the look out for us and he will keep us updated.”

“Why didn’t you tell me this since?”


“I didn’t want to get your hopes up. He will do the best he can but I cannot promise you anything.”

“I don’t need your promises, I need answers. Talk to your spy, I need to find my mate before that happens again. Where are the men that guarded the boarded on the day she-”

I was cut off by a knock on the door. I turned to Caleb with a raised brow but he looked even more confused than I felt. I wasn’t expecting any visitors. I slowly pulled myself to my feet and opened the door only to find my mother standing out there. For once, she didn’t look like she had dressed up for a runway event. She had on a simple pair of jeans and a button up shirt. Her hair was in a ponytail and her face was devoid of makeup.

It had been a while since I last saw her like this- like a normal person. It reminded me of my childhood, of the days spent in the park and the lunches in cafes. It reminded me of my mother and not whoever she had become.

“What are you doing here?” I asked and she just pulled me into a hug. I was caught off guard but wrapped my arms around her. “What happened to you?”

“I should be asking you that question,” she mumbled as she pulled away from me. “What happened to Amelia?”

Just like that, the damper on the mood returned and the air seemed colder. “She has been taken. I can’t feel her wolf close by so I can’t track her. My wolf won’t help me either after-” she raised a brow. “It doesn’t matter, I am trying to find her. Why are you here, mother?”

“I am here because you need someone by your side and I am here to help you.”

I snorted. “You didn’t even like her. Why would you want to help me? You should be happy that she is gone. Isn’t that what you wanted?”

“Men,” she scoffed before pushing past me to walk into the house. “I didn’t want her because I didn’t want you with her. I didn’t want her because I was trying to protect you from what happened when you lost your first mate but I have to come to realize that I am not strong enough to keep you away from her which is why I let you be. Besides, she proved herself these last few months. She stuck by your side when even I would have walked away if I wasn’t your mother.”

“So you like her now?”

“That is to be decided but I will help you find her because if anything happens to her, I don’t even want to think about what will happen to you. I want to help, Kaden, you might not believe it but I do.”

My mother was many things, but a liar and a pretender was not one of them. If she said she wanted to help, then she meant it and as it was, I could use every piece of help I could get. I didn’t want this to go on for too long and I most definitely did not want too many people to find out.

There was already the bullshit that Amelia’s uncle kept sprouting about her powers and now this. Everything was a cluster fuck and I wasn’t sure how I was going to deal with it.

“Fine,” I said after a minute of silence. “I know Blake had something to do with it but I don’t know where he is keeping her. She isn’t at their pack, I am just coming from there.”

“You should never have gone there. He knows that you know and he is going to make it more difficult for you to find her now. You should have waited to gather all your evidence and waited till you knew your location.”

“I am sorry I didn’t think when my mate was in fucking danger,” my voice dripped with sarcasm and mum sighed.

“I know, Kaden, I don’t blame you for running after her, but we have to do this carefully. What does Blake want?”

“What does that matter?” I mumbled. “How will that help me find her?”

“Sometimes you have to take a step back. Finding out why he did it might help you find her, so I’ll ask again, why did he take her?”