Bye, My Ruthless Alpha
Chapter 37: Are They Getting Married Soon?

Chapter 37: Chapter 37: Are They Getting Married Soon?

Jace’s POV

I couldn’t believe my sister had been so negligent as to allow Ava to go to the bathroom alone.

“Jace!”

Caroline’s sweet and sultry voice floated around me, and my wolf howled in pleasure.

Yes, she was my mate, although no one else knew.

“Yes, Caroline?” My wolf was so happy to be around her that I couldn’t help but put on a smile.

I watched her grow up and used to view her as my little sister. Caroline was sent away by Cayden to study abroad before I turned twenty-one, thus my wolf couldn’t sense our mate for a long time, until one year ago when she came home for a visit.

Oh, how I wish I could mark her. But I had to hold myself back because she hadn’t turned twenty-one yet. Not to mention, she was Cayden’s sister. Well, half-sister.

Things had been fine when she was gone, but constantly being around her now was making it increasingly hard for me to focus.

Slowly, I turned around to talk to her with a straight face.

All I wanted to do was to claim that she was mine, but instead, I had to maintain my older-brother-like image with her. Handling Cayden, Kas, Tori, and now Caroline, could life be more difficult for me?

Regardless, it didn’t change the fact that she just brightened my not-so-good day.

“Is that it? You and Cayden aren’t going to do anything about it?” She was obviously angry with what Sophia had done to Tori, and so were we.

I sighed. “Kas will be punished for not doing her job.”

“You know that’s not what I meant. This wasn’t Kas’ fault. That stupid b*tch Sophia deserves to be punished!”

Her fiery nature enamored me even more. She was my fire–lively and passionate.

I knew how she felt. I wanted Sophia to be punished too, but unfortunately, it was easier said than done.

“I know, Caroline. But it can’t happen.” I sighed. I wanted to be closer to her, but I forced myself to maintain the comfortable space between us. “Cayden has to think about the alliance.”

“F*ck the alliance, Jace. He isn’t marrying that stupid b*tch if I have anything to do with it. Besides, Tori is pregnant. How is that going to work?”

Caroline had a point, and all I could do was shake my head. “I don’t know.”

She had no clue what Cayden’s true intentions were—that he was going to put Tori to death after the baby was born.

And Caroline could never know. She wouldn’t allow Cayden to do that, and if he did, she would never forgive him.

That was something else I needed to speak to Cayden about. I knew that he cared about Tori, more than he realized.

“Where is he? I’m going to talk to him.”

Caroline moved to walk past me, but I quickly gripped her upper arm. We both gasped.

I removed my hand. My wolf was growling inside me, and I had to take a deep breath before I spoke in my normal tone.

“Don’t. I will speak to him, but right now, he has a meeting to go to. Just be patient, please.”

She stared at me for a moment, but didn’t continue to press ahead. I knew she wasn’t going to let this go, but at least I had stalled for a little longer.

“Okay, okay, Jace. I’ll listen to you. Don’t look at me like that! I’m not a little kid any more!” Then she looked up at me with a grin. Her dimples were just so adorable. “Hey, by the way, I’m heading to the training room, wanna join me?”

‘Of course I do!’ my whole brain screamed. But I couldn’t.

I sighed. “I’d love to, but...”

“Yes, yes, yes. But you have to attend the meeting with Cayden.” She was a bit frustrated, but I could tell she wasn’t really upset. “Then, could you train me personally once we get back to our pack?”

She leaned closer to me again, and I grimaced. She was driving me crazy!

“Please...?” Her sparkling eyes gazed into mine...

Oh, well. I was all hers, no doubt.

“It would be my honor.” I smiled back professionally, just like a good Beta.

“Alright! I have your word then. I’ll see you around!” She pranced down the hallway, heading wherever she had set her mind upon.

As her scent calmly left me, I was able to breathe again. I couldn’t wait for the day I would able to claim her as my own.

I just hoped that Cayden would accept it.

It didn’t take long for me to end up at the queen’s office. Cayden met me outside the door, and as he looked at me, I knew he wasn’t in a forgiving mood.

“What took you so long?” he questioned.

“Sorry, I just had a few words with Caroline.”

As much as Cayden cared about his sister, he never knew how to get along with her. Cayden paused for a second, then switched the topic.

“Is she being moved from the infirmary?” He didn’t say her name, but I knew he meant Tori.

“Yes, Alpha. She will be moved back to her room in a short while.”

“Good,” Cayden replied, looking at the office door. “Let’s get this taken care of then.”

Opening the door, I followed him inside the room.

The queen sat at her desk, wearing a smiling face as she spoke to Marcus. Marcus and his daughter Sophia were also there for the meeting. The group seemed to be having a pleasant casual talk.

“Hey, Cayden. You called the meeting, but you’re a couple minutes late. Is everything okay?”

Few people knew, but the Queen was Cayden’s cousin. The late Alpha King and Cayden’s father were siblings, and the queen was the daughter of the late Alpha King’s sister.

Cayden was clearly unwilling to discuss it, his gaze locked on Sophia.

“Did something happen?” the queen asked with a furrowed brow, unaware of the fight from earlier in the morning.

“Yes, Your Majesty,” I began to explain. “Miss Tori had a harsh run in with Miss Sophia. It ended up landing her in the infirmary. Luckily, she is expected to make a full recovery.”

Marcus approached his daughter, raising his voice. “Sophia, is that true?”

“Father...” she pleaded with tears in her eyes. “I– It was a misunderstanding.” Then she turned to the Queen. “Your Majesty, I’m sorry, but I really didn’t mean to...”

Marcus frowned and raised his hand, as if he was going to slap her.

“Marcus,” the queen called, halting Marcus. “It sounds to me that the situation has been handled and will not happen again.”

“Agreed, it won’t happen again,” Cayden snarled.

The queen turned her attention from Sophia to Cayden. “Cayden, we heard you wanted to speak to me.” She brought up the purpose of this meeting.

Everyone in the room was quiet now, all eager to hear what Cayden would say.

“For what you proposed yesterday, Your Majesty, I have come to a decision.”

I knew without a doubt that Cayden didn’t want to marry anyone, especially not Sophia. He wanted nothing to do with that girl, and had spoken openly to me about it multiple times. Sophia irritated him to no end.

“Well, don’t keep us in suspense,” the queen replied, waiting for Cayden’s answer.

“I will marry Sophia.”

The young woman squealed upon hearing his words, while I froze, looking at him in shock.

“However, my agreement has some conditions,” he added.

A smile crept over Marcus’s face, and nothing about the glimmer in his eye was tasteful.

“Go on...” Marcus replied. “I am listening.”

I felt a heavy flow of anger and irritation coming off of Cayden through the packbond.

“I will not fulfill the marriage until after the war is complete. I have to be focused on our defense issues right now, and cannot have my mind clouded by marriage and other womanly affairs.”

A scoff from Sophia caused me to smirk. Marcus didn’t seem overly keen on the idea either, but nodded. “Anything else?”

“I will not get rid of my breeder either.”

“That’s not fair! I am going to be your wife!”

Marcus lifted his hand to stop his daughter’s protest, and gave Sophia a stern look.

“Don’t speak out of turn again, or you will sorely regret it,” Marcus warned her. He turned back to Cayden with a smile. “My apologies, Queen, Alpha Cayden.”

“All good," the queen assured Marcus.

"Those are perfectly fair terms," he continued swiftly, cutting off the debate. "Cayden will marry Sophia, but he can keep his breeder until the wedding day." Then he turned around to look my Alpha in the eye. "But not longer than that.”

I saw Cayden’s fists clench. Uncomfortable silence filled the room.

Finally, I heard him grit through his teeth, "Deal."

***

Tori’s POV

Ava made sure to take care of me, and once I finished her medical protocols, she allowed me to return to my room. But under the condition that I stayed in bed for two days and tried to take it easy from now on.

The room the queen had put us in was rather lovely, and had a separate living area with a sofa, fireplace, and other fine furnishings. It was basically a small one-bedroom apartment that, to some capacity, fit every need I could possibly have.

Letting out a sigh, I curled up against the pillows in the bed and felt utterly alone.

I hated how much my life had changed. Yes, it had its moments when things were wonderful, but I felt so conflicted.

A knock on the bedroom door drew my eyes toward the entrance. “Yes?”

“Miss Tori, it’s Mary, your servant. May I enter?”

Servant?

“Uh...yes, of course.” Slowly, I slid from my position to sit up and propped a pillow behind my back.

I watched the door open and a petite blonde-haired girl with large blue eyes stepped in, carrying a tray with silver-domed dishes.

“I brought you food, Miss,” she told me softly, walking toward the bed and placing the tray on a nearby table. “Alpha Cayden indicated that you are under doctor’s orders to rest, and I have been instructed to fulfill your needs from now until Miss Ava releases you from that order.”

After she left, I reached for my phone. As soon as I opened the news app, a bold headline screamed at me:

"Alpha Cayden and Sophia: A Forthcoming Nuptial."

Stunned, I couldn’t look away. Just then, voices from the corridor penetrated my room.

"Can you believe Cayden’s marrying Sophia?" one nurse whispered.

"It’s a strategic move for the pack," another replied.

Their words hit me like a ton of bricks, leaving me in a state of disbelief.

So, Cayden was going to marry Sophia after all? Was this already public knowledge?

An intense wave of sorrow swept over my mind. I realized I had been mentally blocking out this topic.

I sat back on the bed, the weight of my sorrow bearing down on me.

Cayden was never mine, and he would never be mine. I seemed to keep forgetting that fact. Cayden’s engagement was happening, and eventually, he would marry another woman.

The food was sitting there next to me, but I had totally lost my appetite. Even though I knew I needed to eat, I decided to give myself a few more minutes.

I watched the blue sky outside of the window, and again, all I could think about was Cayden’s blue eyes.

I sighed, turning my focus back to the food. Even if I didn’t want to eat, I had to–for my baby.

Before I could force myself to take a bite, my bedroom door opened and revealed the face I saw in my mind, day and night.

Cayden stood in the doorway, his eyes upon me as if a calmness had overtaken him at the mere sight.

I hadn’t expected to see him any time soon, considering that he had so much going on. But his presence was warmly welcome. I would take any chance to be around him that I possibly could.

“How are you feeling?” he asked as he took steps closer to me. “I see that the girl was able to bring you food.”

“Mary,” I corrected him gently, watching him with a smile. I couldn’t help myself–he was here, and that totally made my day.

Cayden looked at me for a moment, confused.

“Her name is Mary. The maid’s, that is. She is very nice. Thank you for having her help me. I appreciate it.”

He seemed almost stunned at my reply, and simply nodded. “Did you eat?”

I was really happy that he came to visit, but a bit nonplussed. He was acting out of character. After all, most of our conversations thus far had been him giving his orders and me doing as he had instructed.

Did he change because of the baby?

“I was about to,” I replied.

I watched as he lifted the silver lids. My eyes widened at his action—and at the amount of food that had been provided for me, as well as drinks.

“I wasn’t sure what you liked.”

“It’s all amazing.” My reply was so soft that when I looked up at him, I found that he was staring at me with a glint of something in his eyes that I couldn’t quite interpret.

“Fruit would be lovely,” I added.

Cayden kept staring for a long moment and then suddenly snapped back to the present. He frowned, hesitating for a second, and then murmured, “Of course. Here...”

He lifted the white bowl of fruit, and as he handed it to me, our fingers brushed gently together. The feeling of his touch on my skin made me want so much more of him, but I knew that it wasn’t possible.

I would have his baby, and he would expect me to leave when I was done.

I would have to leave him, and I would have to leave my child.

The thought broke my heart.

“Ava found out how far along you are,” he finally said, breaking the silence between us as I fed myself a strawberry.

“She did?”

“Yes. She said you are about two weeks from conception, or something like that.”

A chuckle left my lips upon hearing him try to explain it. His gentle and deep voice made me feel spoiled or loved by him, even though I knew it wasn’t possible and all of that was just my illusion.

“That’s wonderful,” I said with a smile. “I’m happy I’m able to give you a child. Someone for you to always love and guide in life.”

My words stopped him in his tracks, and instinctively, he reached out his hand, laying it across my stomach.

“Yes. I will protect the child with my life.”

The way he looked at me when he said those words made me feel as if it was an unsaid promise he was giving me. That even though I would be gone, he would ensure that my child was always protected.

Even though the sentiment warmed my heart, I wished more than anything that I could alter my circumstances slightly.

I didn’t want to leave.

I wanted to be with him.