Rebecca’s POV
Two days had passed since my argument with Kaden in his study, and surprisingly, I had managed to follow every single one of his ridiculous rules. I hadn’t entered his bedroom, teleported into his presence, or interfered in his personal affairs. In fact, I hadn’t even seen him since the day he gave me those rules.
Not that I was complaining.
I had been enjoying the peace and quiet. Every morning, I went downstairs for breakfast, returned to my room afterward, and came down again for lunch and dinner. Sometimes I walked around the palace gardens or spent time talking and training with the warriors. It was actually quite peaceful without Kaden constantly getting on my nerves.
There was just one thing I found a little strange. He hadn’t come downstairs to eat even once. At first, I assumed he was simply avoiding me, which was perfectly fine because I had no interest in seeing him either. But after two whole days, I couldn’t help wondering whether he had decided to lock himself inside his study until our ninety days were over.
I was sitting alone in the dining hall, enjoying my lunch, when the thought crossed my mind again. Where the hell was that arrogant man? I picked up another piece of meat and put it into my mouth. Perhaps he had been eating in his bedroom. After all, he was the Alpha King. He could have his meals wherever he pleased.
"Why don’t you just go and check on him?" my wolf suggested, interrupting my thoughts.
I nearly choked on my food. "Excuse me?" I asked in disbelief.
"You heard me," she replied casually. "You keep wondering where he is. Why not go and find out?"
"I’m not wondering where he is!" I protested, reaching for my glass of water.
My wolf chuckled. "Really? Then why have you been staring at his empty chair for the past five minutes?"
I immediately looked away from the chair at the head of the table. "I wasn’t staring at anything," I argued, taking a sip of water.
"Of course you weren’t," she replied, sounding far too amused. "You just miss seeing his handsome face."
I almost dropped my fork. "Have you completely lost your mind?" I demanded, unable to believe what I was hearing.
She burst into laughter. "Oh, come on, Rebecca. You haven’t seen your husband in two days. Surely you’re a little curious."
"First of all, stop calling him my husband," I snapped through our mental connection. "And secondly, the only thing I miss about Kaden is absolutely nothing!"
"Whatever you say," she replied with another amused chuckle.
I rolled my eyes and continued eating, determined to ignore her. Honestly, sometimes I wondered whose side my wolf was on.
After finishing my lunch, I wiped my mouth with a napkin and stood up. One of the maids hurried forward to clear my plate, and I thanked her before heading toward the dining hall entrance. I was about to walk into the hallway when I heard Mrs. Agnes speaking to two younger maids near the staircase.
"Make sure nobody disturbs His Majesty this afternoon," she instructed firmly, looking between the two maids. "His physician said he needs complete rest, and I don’t want anyone going into his room without permission."
"Yes, Mrs. Agnes," one of the maids replied, nodding respectfully.
"And tell the kitchen staff to prepare something light for him," Mrs. Agnes added. "He barely touched his breakfast this morning."
I stopped walking, my eyebrows drawing together in confusion. His Majesty? His physician? What was going on?
"Excuse me, Mrs. Agnes," I called, turning toward them.
The head maid immediately turned toward me, and the two younger maids bowed. "Your Majesty," Mrs. Agnes greeted respectfully, straightening her dress. "Is there something you need?"
I hesitated for a moment before asking, "Is something wrong with Kaden?"
Mrs. Agnes looked slightly surprised by my question. "His Majesty hasn’t been feeling well, Your Majesty," she explained.
I frowned, taking a step closer. "What do you mean he hasn’t been feeling well?"
"He’s been ill since returning from the wedding," she replied, her expression becoming concerned. "At first, we thought he was simply exhausted from the journey, but his condition hasn’t improved."
My eyes widened slightly. "Kaden is sick?" I repeated, struggling to believe what I’d heard.
"Yes, Your Majesty," Mrs. Agnes confirmed with a nod. "He’s been running a fever, and his physician has been attending to him."
I stared at her, trying to process the information. That explained why I hadn’t seen him for the past two days. Kaden was an Alpha King. His wolf was supposed to make him stronger than ordinary werewolves, and I knew from experience that he could recover from injuries that would have killed most people. So what kind of illness could keep him in bed for two days?
"You should go and see him," my wolf said quietly, interrupting my thoughts again.
"Why?" I asked, trying to dismiss the suggestion. "He has a physician, doesn’t he?"
"Rebecca," she called, her tone suddenly serious.
"What?" I replied impatiently.
"You’re worried about him," she pointed out.
I immediately shook my head. "I’m just curious. There’s a difference," I argued, refusing to admit anything else.
"Your Majesty?" Mrs. Agnes called, bringing my attention back to her. She was watching me with a slightly puzzled expression. "Is there anything else you’d like to know?"
I glanced toward the staircase, hesitating for a moment. I considered returning to my bedroom and pretending I hadn’t heard anything. After all, Kaden had made it perfectly clear that he wanted me to stay out of his personal affairs. But something about the news of his illness bothered me. Perhaps it was simply because I had never known Kaden to be sick before, or perhaps I just wanted to see how the mighty Alpha King was handling being confined to his bed.
Whatever the reason, I found myself strangely eager to see him.
"Thank you, Mrs. Agnes," I finally replied, looking back at her. "I’ll go and check on him myself."
"Of course, Your Majesty," she answered with a respectful bow, stepping aside to let me pass.
I started toward the staircase, briefly considering teleporting straight to Kaden’s bedroom. It would have been much easier, but then I remembered his ridiculous rule about not teleporting into his presence. Well, I wasn’t about to give that arrogant man another reason to complain, so for once, I decided to follow his rules and use the stairs like a normal person.
As I climbed, my wolf chuckled in my head. "Look at you, Rebecca," she teased. "Going to check on your husband."
"I’m only going to see how sick he is," I replied defensively, quickening my steps.
"Of course," she answered with another laugh. "That’s why you’re suddenly in such a hurry."
"Will you please shut up?" I snapped, shaking my head.
She laughed again, and I ignored her as I continued upstairs.
When I reached Kaden’s bedroom, I stopped outside the large wooden door and knocked twice. No answer. I waited a few seconds before knocking again, this time a little louder. Still nothing. I frowned, wondering whether he was sleeping, and raised my hand to knock a third time. But just as my knuckles touched the door, it suddenly opened.
I stepped back in surprise. "Logan?" I exclaimed.
Kaden’s beta stood in the doorway, looking just as surprised to see me. "Rebecca?" His eyebrows rose as he looked me up and down. "What are you doing here?"
"I came to see Kaden," I replied, trying to look past his shoulder into the room.
Logan glanced over his shoulder before turning back to me, his expression becoming serious. "He’s not feeling well, Rebecca. I don’t think this is a good time."
"I know he’s sick," I answered, looking directly at him. "That’s why I’m here."
Logan hesitated, rubbing the back of his neck. "Rebecca, do you really think that’s a good idea? You know how he can be, especially when he isn’t in a good mood."
I frowned, growing impatient. "Logan, I just want to see him."
"I understand," he replied, keeping one hand on the door. "But he specifically asked not to be disturbed."
I folded my arms, refusing to move. "Well, he’s my husband. I have every right to see him."
The words had barely left my mouth when I realized what I’d said. My husband? Oh, Moon Goddess! Had I seriously just called Kaden my husband?
Logan’s eyes widened slightly before a slow smile spread across his face. "Your husband?" he repeated, sounding far too amused.
I immediately glared at him. "Don’t start, Logan," I warned, pointing a finger at him.
He chuckled, raising both hands innocently. "I didn’t say anything."
"You were about to," I accused, narrowing my eyes.
"Well, I must admit, Rebecca," he said, leaning casually against the doorframe, "hearing you call Kaden your husband is something I never thought I’d live to witness."
I rolled my eyes. "It’s just a word, Logan," I replied, waving my hand dismissively. "We’re legally married, aren’t we?"
"Of course, Rebecca," he answered, nodding with an exaggerated seriousness that only made his amusement more obvious.
"Stop smiling like that," I complained, glaring at him.
"I’m not smiling," he protested, although the corners of his mouth were still raised.
"Yes, you are!" I snapped, pointing at his face.
Logan pressed his lips together, trying unsuccessfully to hide his amusement. I sighed impatiently, already regretting my choice of words.
"Anyway, are you going to let me in or not?" I demanded, gesturing toward the bedroom.
"Rebecca, perhaps you should come back later," he suggested, shifting slightly to block the doorway. "He’s resting, and I really don’t think—"
Before he could finish, I gently pushed past him and stepped into the bedroom.
"Rebecca!" Logan called behind me.
But I was already inside.