Bye, My Ruthless Alpha
Chapter 46: He Didn’t Yell At You?

Chapter 46: Chapter 46: He Didn’t Yell At You?

Tori’s POV

My first ever fight with Cayden ended on good terms. I was no longer grounded in my room, but in return, I had a total of four guards with me at all times.

Caroline stuck her head inside my door, smiling at me. “You ready?”

I slid on my shoes and grabbed my bag. “Let’s go.”

The guards didn’t hesitate when I informed them Caroline was merely taking me on an afternoon walk on the ground floor like usual. Ava made it known that exercise was important during pregnancy, and if I wanted easy labor, I would need to walk more.

“Caroline, where are we going? This isn’t the way...”

“Shhh! Do you not want to go to the market?”

“Excuse me?”

“It’s an outdoor space within the enclosure of the capital walls. The castle estate completely surrounds the market. Once a month, local people come to sell whatever they have to those of high society.”

Caroline wasn’t known for being patient, and she clearly wouldn’t wait for me to decide. “Coming or not? I’ll go by myself if you quit.”

I thought about it for a moment. Cayden never said I couldn’t exit the castle building. The market was directly in the center of the estate, in its open courtyard. Plus, I did still have the guards...so, it was probably okay to go, right?

“Let’s do it!” I concluded, all excited.

“Woah...sounds like I really needed to twist your arms,” Caroline commented, arching an eyebrow. “You do realize that he is going to lose his shit with you, right?”

I blinked at her innocently. “Um...he said I just need to let him know.”

But we both knew he probably wouldn’t allow me to go to the market if I asked beforehand.

Caroline nodded with a huge grin on her lips, seemingly very proud of herself. “It’s better to ask forgiveness than seek permission. I’ve taught you well!” she laughed.

When we got close to the gate, we quickly took off in a quick jog toward the backstairs, which led down to the kitchens. From there, we could blend in with others as we made our way to the market.

The guards realized where we were heading, but it was too late. When I glanced back, one of them had left to report to Cayden.

“Still, we are going to be in so much trouble,” Caroline laughed as we went through another door to come out under the open sky.

I stared up at the blue sky as I inhaled the fresh air. “I’ve missed being outside.”

“Let’s shop.” She let out a chuckle and pulled me toward the stalls.

It was loud at the market. I was amazed by the variety of products—clothes, accessories, produce, fur, and handcrafted products. I could have spent days going from one stall to the other.

“Tori!” Caroline called out, tossing an apple my way.

“Oh, my goodness. It’s so beautiful!” The gold and red colors swirled together. It was so unique compared to the regular, solid red ones I was used to in my home region.

“I bought it for you. Try it.”

She smiled as I took a large bite, my eyes widening at its sweetness.

“This is amazing,” I mumbled with my mouth full.

As I did so, Caroline handed me a basket full of fruit–oranges, grapes, peaches... They were so colorful and juicy, and I couldn’t wait to taste them all!

Engrossed as I was in enjoying my delicious snack, I didn’t notice that the people around us had quiet down.

“Caroline!” Cayden’s dominating voice rang across the market. He wasn’t loud, but somehow, everyone heard him.

People stopped in their places and bowed their heads toward him out of respect.

“Busted,” Caroline mumbled to me as we both turned to face Cayden.

“Do you not have any sense of responsibility?!” Cayden scolded her.

Caroline spared me an “I-told-you” glance. It wasn’t right for me to hide behind her. It was my own decision to come to the market.

I picked one grape from the basket and took a breath, then stepped toward Cayden.

“Cayden, I persuaded Caroline to come out with me,” I said, successfully drawing his attention to me. He wouldn’t do anything bad to a pregnant woman in public, right? “Would you try this grape, please?”

Before he could turn down my offer, I shoved the deep purple grape into his mouth, forcing him to take a bite.

“Delicious, isn’t it?”

Caroline looked at me, wide-eyed.

I forced a smile on my face, but my palms were sweating. I knew I was tempting my fate.

Cayden glared at me for a moment before chewing and swallowing the grape.

“Tori,” he hissed in a warning tone.

Picking a fight with him wouldn’t help this situation. I’d learned that already. So, in response, I apologized. “Sorry that I made you worried again.”

He grabbed my hand and pulled me to the side, slightly away from prying ears.

“Why did you disobey me again?” His tone had already softened.

I was a little proud of my strategy.

I gave him an innocent and pleading look.

“But I didn’t. The guard reported my whereabouts to you right away. I didn’t leave the castle. This is in the courtyard, right in the center of the castle grounds. There are guards everywhere, and I have Caroline with me.” I lowered my head and apologized again. “I am sorry if I worried you.”

He stared at me for a moment. “Still too dangerous.”

Without thinking twice, I let the words on my mind slip out. “I would love it if you spent the day with me here exploring, but...” I sighed, looking down. “I know you can’t.”

I lifted my head and sought out his eyes–they were as blue as the sunny sky.

Cayden gently grabbed my wrist, pulling me closer.

“Only this once.” He paused, and then added, “No, too sweet.”

I beamed brightly at him–he meant the grape was too sweet.

Caroline was so shocked that she wasn’t able to speak, which was a first for the young woman who typically had a lot to say. However, her eyes told me what was going through her mind: ‘He didn’t yell at you?!’

I scurried back to the vendor. “I must have some more of these marvelous apples. Can I take six, please?”

The vendor hesitated in fear as his gaze traveled between Cayden and me. I turned to Cayden, waiting for him to say something.

He hesitated before nodding. “Six it is.”

The vendor handed me the bag, but before I could reach out, Cayden had already grabbed it. At the same time, he looked at one of the guards. Before I knew it, the basket in my hand was taken away from me as well.

“You shouldn’t carry weight, no matter how small it is.” He was firm, and I knew he had already made his biggest compromise, so I nodded.

“What else would you like to check out?” he asked.

Walking around the market with Cayden wasn’t as fun as I’d hoped. True, I enjoyed his company, but the problem was, everywhere we went, the crowd fell silent and no one dared to look up.

“I know you’re busy right now,” I replied. “I don’t want to keep you.”

As much as I would have liked to spend time with Cayden, I didn’t want to ruin Caroline’s fun coming to the market. Hopefully, I could persuade him to leave.

“I have time until my dinner meeting.”

Caroline scoffed, looping her arm through my own. “That’s not true. I know that for a fact.”

“Caroline, this has nothing to do with you,” Cayden warned, seething with anger over her words.

It was obvious that he wouldn’t allow me to stay at the market without his supervision.

I shook my head and smiled at both of them. “Actually, I am a bit tired. Maybe it would be best for me to go back to my room.”

“I’ll walk you back,” Cayden offered quickly, agreeing to my plan.

“Caroline, I will see you around dinner,” I told her with a smile. “Enjoy the market, and maybe pick up something fun for me too.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll enjoy myself.” Caroline gave me a wink.

Cayden seemed to be very pleased with my choice, and he walked me back to the castle without delay.

“I feel bad about abandoning Caroline.” I tried to start a conversation to break the silence.

“She’ll be fine.” Cayden’s answer was as concise as usual.

I smiled. I had no doubt that Caroline would still have fun without me. She always knew how to make the most of life. That was something I was so envious of.

“Thank you for walking me back to my room.”

I was expecting him to drop me off by the door, but he entered without saying a word.

“Our room,” he corrected me.

Then he strode into the suite and pulled out his phone. “Jace, bring the files to my room.”

He would spend the rest of the afternoon with me?

I had almost forgotten that this was, indeed, supposed to be a shared space. He hadn’t come back at all lately and I didn’t need to ask to know where he might have been.

I tasted bitterness in my mouth, but I decided to not let that ruin my afternoon.

“So...grapes are too sweet. How about some apples?”

I realized that I really didn’t know Cayden at all. What was his favorite color? What food did he like?

To my surprise, he nodded at me.

I picked up an apple and was about to wash it for him when I saw him frown.

I was confused. What was wrong with the apple I picked?

“That one.”

I looked toward where his gaze was–the one I had taken a bite from.

“Uh...oh, sure!” I clumsily washed that apple again and brought it to Cayden. But he had no intention to take it from me.

His narrowed eyes made it clear he wanted me to feed him.

My face was burning red, and I felt my heart racing.

I lifted the apple to his lips. He took a bite, and his tongue brushed over my fingers.

I felt as if I was struck by electricity and couldn’t breathe.

It was so unfair! This man was deadly, but I couldn’t stop my eagerness to be close to him.

How I wished I had never learned the truth! That way, I could have lied to myself and enjoyed every moment with him...until the day I died.

The thought of his order to end my life wiped the smile off my face, and my pounding heartbeat stilled.

“What’s wrong?” he asked, frowning.

“Nothing...just a bit tired,” I murmured.

Luckily, a knock at the door saved me.

“Alpha, I brought the files.” It was Jace’s voice.

“If it’s okay with you, I’ll go get changed now,” I said. Cayden nodded and went to open the door.

I dashed into the bedroom before he could see my tears fall down.