The Alpha’s Little Rogue

Chapter 104
Caden’s POV
How do I go about answering that question when I don’t even have a response?
When did things start to change for me?
Was it when I first saw her in that trap with her broken leg? Was it when I saw her cuddling her mother’s body as she cried her eyes out? Or was it when she nearly died in my arms?
The answer is all of them. Each of those little moments had chipped away a fragment of the ice wrapped around my heart.
“I-” I start only to end up with nothing else coming out of my mouth. Clearing my throat, I move my eyes over to the window. Maybe looking out into the dark clouds will help the words construct themselves.
“When I first saw you in that trap, the first thought I had was that you were absolutely breathtaking.”
A gasp.
I still kept my gaze outside the window as my head constructed this confession.
A lot of emotions had passed through me that day but I had shoved every single one of them down and allowed only anger to rule me. It was the only emotion that I allowed myself to feel until…I watched her almost die in my arms.
The fear that gripped me in that moment was life-altering. I remember feeling dazed and out of sorts. It was like I exited my body and was watching from the sideline. Protecting myself from getting hurt again hadn’t mattered since then.

It was Deja Vu. Somehow, the pain in my chest hurt more than when I found my previous mate’s body slashed on the floor. It’s something that I’m still trying to wrap my head around. Does it make me a bad person for having these thoughts?
“Then I got to spend time with you and the only thing I could think about is how utterly amazing you are. You’re one of the strongest people I’ve met and I’ve come to admire your tenacity and stubbornness.” Even though I sometimes wish she would simply listen to me instead of questioning every decision I make.
“Why did
you keep pushing me away and leading me on?” She moves closer to me but I
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Chapter 104
still don’t turn away from my view.
“I was scared.” Scared sh tle s s that I was setting myself up for another heartbreak. I knew
how
easy it would be to lose my heart to Alessia. I also knew how easy it would be for that heart to be shattered into pieces. So I pulled up the walls around my heart, keeping it locked away and safe. But somehow, I think she managed to take a hammer to those walls and break them all down because she has my heart, and I don’t think I’m going to be getting it back anytime soon.
“I was scared too. You were the first werewolf that I met and my mate. I thought you would help me.”
Her voice is tiny on those last words but it doesn’t reduce their impact.
I close my eyes as a ball of shame slams into my chest, stealing my breath away. “I’m sorry.” It’s something that I should have said a long time ago. “I shouldn’t have locked you up in the dungeon and treated you the way I did afterward.”
I can try to hide beneath the fact that she was a rogue and on my territory without permission, but it doesn’t change the fact that I treated her wrongly.
Turning my head to face her, I open my eyes and my heart crumbles to the ground when I see the tears glittering in her eyes.
“Alessia,” I draw out weakly, reaching for her cheeks and wiping the fat teardrop that slides down in a perfect crescent shape. “I’m sorry for the hurt I caused you.” It’s too late to start apologizing but Alessia is a kind soul and I’m preying on that kindness. It’s wrong but I’m a heartless ba s t a r d.
Drawing closer to her, I kiss another teardrop that slides down her cheeks. The salty taste stays on my tongue as I pull away. “I’m sorry,” I whisper, sliding down to her lips, pulling on her bottom lip, and swallowing the moan that slips out.
Gripping her waist, I pull her closer to me, drawing her into my lap and wrapping my arms around her body.
She straddles my hip, her sex pressing against my c o c k, making the already hard appendage harder.