Chapter 15

*Caden’s POV*

The drive to the cabin felt like it lasted a lifetime. I did not care about the speed or the danger. I pushed the car until the engine groaned in protest. My phone stayed clutched in my hand, the screen dark, but my mother’s frantic voice still rang in my ears like a death knell. She knows. Find her.

I skidded to a halt in front of the cabin. The tires kicked up mud and gravel. The silence of the woods was absolute. It was a heavy, suffocating quiet that made my skin crawl. My wolf paced inside me, lashing out against my ribs and growling a warning I refused to acknowledge. I slammed the door and sprinted to the entrance.

The cabin door swung in the wind, broken and hanging off its hinges.

"Serena!" I roared. The sound tore through the trees. There was no answer. Just the rustle of leaves.

I stepped inside. The room felt cold and lifeless. The furniture remained, but all the small personal touches that always followed Serena were gone. My eyes landed on the small wobbly table in the center of the room. A single white piece of paper sat there waiting for me.

I walked over. My legs felt heavy as if I moved through water. I picked up the note. My eyes scanned the sharp familiar handwriting. Caden you threw away the best thing you ever had. You think you won but you have no idea what is coming. Watch your back. Serena.

Every word hit like a physical strike. I crumpled the paper. My jaw clenched so hard it hurt. My wolf let out a long low howl from deep within me. It was not a howl of triumph or rage. It was a hollow broken sound of grief I did not want to name. It tasted like loss.

I stood there for a long time staring at the empty floor. I had wanted her gone. I had wanted her to step aside so I could have my fated life. Why did it feel like I had just cut my own throat?

"Serena where are you?" I muttered to the empty room. My voice sounded foreign even to me. "This was not supposed to happen like this."

I turned to leave ready to hunt her down. I would drag her back if I had to. I had to stop her. If she talked if she reached the Council everything I built every lie every secret would turn to ash.

I reached the threshold. My hand rested on the doorframe. But I stopped dead.

Liliana stood in the doorway blocking my path.

She was not swaying or acting fragile. She stood perfectly still. Her back was straight and her hands folded over her stomach. Her face was not sweet and her eyes were not watery. They were cold sharp and focused. She watched me with a calculated intelligence that sent a shiver of pure terror down my spine.

"She knew did not she?" Liliana asked. Her voice was steady and void of the soft dainty cadence she usually used. "She knew about the ledger. She knew about the money."

I stared at her. My blood ran cold. "How long have you been here Liliana?"

She took a step forward forcing me back into the dark empty room. "Long enough to hear your mother crying on the phone. Long enough to know that your placeholder is much more dangerous than you ever dared to admit."

She smiled but it did not reach her eyes. "You failed Caden. You let her walk away with the keys to your kingdom."

I felt the walls of the cabin closing in. I had betrayed my pack my mate and my own honor for this woman. As she stood there in the doorway blocking the light I realized I had no idea who she really was.

"Liliana what are you doing here?" I demanded. My voice came out rougher than I intended. "This is not safe for you especially in your condition. You should be back at the house resting."

She laughed softly. A cold sound that echoed in the empty space. "Resting? While your little ex mate runs around with proof that could destroy us all? Do not be ridiculous Caden. I followed you because I knew something was wrong the moment your mother started screaming into the phone. Tell me exactly what is in that ledger."

I ran a hand through my hair. My mind raced. "It details the offshore accounts. The shell companies. The deals with the rogue wolves for the gold shipments. If the Council sees it they will not just remove me as Alpha. They will execute the entire inner circle. My mother included."

Liliana’s eyes narrowed. "And you let her take it? After all the planning after all the risks we took together? I thought you were smarter than this."

"I did not know she had it!" I snapped. My fists clenched at my sides. "She must have been planning this for weeks. Months even. I thought she was broken. I thought she would stay quiet."

"You thought wrong," Liliana said. She stepped closer until she was right in front of me. "You still have feelings for her do not you? Even now with everything on the line you are standing here looking at that note like it broke your heart."

"That is not true," I growled. "She was my responsibility for three years. Of course I do not want her dead. But that does not mean I have feelings for her. She was a placeholder. You are my fated mate. The mother of my pup."

Liliana tilted her head. Her expression remained cold. "Your hesitation says everything Caden. Your silence is louder than your excuses. You are mourning her. You are mourning the loss of the only person who actually knew how to run this pack."

I paced toward the window. My movements felt jagged. "I did what I had to do. Everything was supposed to be perfect. The pup the transition the legacy. Everything was supposed to fall into place."

"And yet it is all crumbling," she replied. Her voice dropped to a low mocking whisper. "You are weak Caden. You are a weak man playing at being a king."

I spun back around. My eyes flashed with anger. "Then help me! If I am so weak tell me how to stop her! She has the ledger. If she gets to the Council my life is forfeit. Your life is forfeit. Does that mean nothing to you?"

"Of course it means something," Liliana said. She stepped right into my personal space. "But I do not need your help to handle a jilted ex lover. I have my own ways of dealing with people who refuse to stay in their place."

"She is not just a person," I insisted. My voice grew thick. "She is the daughter of an Alpha. If you touch her her pack will descend upon us."

"Let them come," she sneered. "I have never feared the pack and I certainly do not fear her."

I pushed past her. My resolve wavered. "I need to go. I need to check the border guards. If she is trying to leave the territory I will find her."

I stormed out of the cabin. My boots pounded against the earth. Liliana watched me go but I could feel her cold gaze burning into my back. 

She was a fool if she thought I would let Serena expose us. But as I climbed back into the car the weight in my chest grew heavier.

The note burned in my pocket. Serena’s words echoed in my head. You threw away the best thing you ever had.

I gripped the steering wheel until my knuckles turned white. "I will find you Serena," I whispered. "And when I do you will regret ever crossing me."

The engine roared to life. I sped away from the empty cabin but the feeling of loss followed me like a shadow. 

My wolf howled again. This time I could not ignore the grief mixed with fear. Everything was falling apart and I was not sure I could put it back together.