Housebound with the Blackridge Heirs novel Chapter 50

**Change Begins With You — Jayden Collins**

**Chapter 50**

**Maya**

“Hey, are you alright?” Caden’s voice broke through the silence as I meticulously folded the soft, silk sheets of his bed, each crease a reminder of the intimacy we once shared.

Oh, the thoughts that swirled in my mind about what could happen on these very sheets.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” I replied, though my throat felt constricted, as if a weight were pressing down on it. “And you?”

“No.” His answer was stark and devoid of any embellishment, catching me off guard.

“What’s wrong?” I asked, a hint of concern creeping into my voice.

He sighed deeply, turning to face me.

Caden settled beside me on the edge of the bed, his hand hovering just above mine, as though he was caught in a moment of indecision, unsure if he had the right to reach for me.

“I miss you, Maya,” he confessed, his voice trembling with emotion, sending a jolt through me. “I miss us.”

The raw ache in his voice, the sorrow reflected in his eyes, shattered something deep within me.

Outside, the rain danced against the glass, leaving behind silver trails, and I tried to ignore the overwhelming proximity between us. I had missed him—dear God, how I had missed him—but the hurt still lingered like a shadow.

“I just…” My voice faltered, cracking under the weight of my feelings. “I can’t pretend that it didn’t matter, Caden. That you didn’t keep all of this from me.”

He exhaled slowly, the sound heavy with regret. “I know. You’re right. We should have told you sooner.”

“Why didn’t you?” I pressed, needing an answer.

His fingers flexed nervously on his knees, the tension palpable. “Because I thought I was protecting you. But that wasn’t the whole truth, was it? I was really protecting myself from the possibility of losing you if you knew what I was hiding.”

I searched his eyes, desperately seeking something solid to hold onto. “You don’t get to make that choice for me.”

“I know,” he replied softly, his gaze steady. “And I won’t do it again.”

The silence stretched between us, heavy and charged, until I finally let the words spill out of me.

“When I was in the Council’s compound, they injected me with something. I thought it was poison, but it wasn’t. It felt like fire coursing through my veins… like it awakened something inside me. Ever since then, I’ve felt… wrong. Like there’s something beneath my skin trying to break free.”

Caden’s head snapped up, his blue eyes now wide with concern and alertness. “You should have told me sooner.”

“I didn’t want to sound crazy,” I murmured, my voice barely above a whisper.

“You’re not crazy.” His tone softened, and finally, he reached for my hand, our fingers intertwining. “You’re terrified, and you have every right to be. But whatever this is, we’ll figure it out together.”

“I don’t even know what ‘it’ is,” I whispered, the weight of uncertainty pressing down on me. “You mentioned once that Leo thought I wasn’t just human.”

He hesitated, his jaw tightening as if grappling with the implications of his next words. “Yes, he once told us he believes you’re part of an ancient bloodline. The Council thinks you’re connected to something older… someone older. A bloodline that has vanished. It’s about a human girl known as the Luna-born.”

I shook my head, fighting against the ache that was forming in my throat. “I don’t want to believe that. I just want to be me.”

“You are you,” he insisted firmly, leaning closer, his eyes locked onto mine. “But you’re also mine, and that will never change.”

I looked up sharply, the word ‘yours’ echoing in my mind. “Yours?”

He didn’t flinch, his resolve unwavering. “You’re my mate, Maya. Every time I try to distance myself, it feels like an invisible force pulls me back to you. The bond isn’t supposed to exist between a wolf and a human, but it does. The moment they touched you in the compound, I felt it snap through me like a whip. You are not just human… not entirely. That connection wouldn’t have survived otherwise.”

A wave of emotions crashed over me, leaving me breathless. “You told me before that if we… mated, I would die.”

“I believed that back then,” he admitted, his voice tinged with regret. “Because humans can’t handle the bond’s energy. But after what happened—after what they did to you and the fact that you survived—there’s no doubt now. You can survive me. You’re strong enough. You always have been.”

His honesty wrapped around me like a warm blanket, yet it also constricted my throat. “And if you’re wrong?”

He smiled faintly, a confident smirk that both comforted and unnerved me. “Then I’ll spend the rest of my life making sure I’m not.”

A mix of laughter and tears bubbled up inside me. “You can’t joke about this.”

“I’m not joking.” His voice dropped to a low, sincere tone. “You once asked what it means to be mated… and marked.”

I nodded slowly, feeling the gravity of the moment.

He brushed a loose strand of hair behind my ear, his fingertips lingering against my cheek, sending shivers down my spine.

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