Rebirth of the Alpha's Slave Mate (Samantha and Kade) novel Chapter 103

Chapter 103

Elena’s POV

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When Kade entered the room and saw the scene before him, Serena immediately lowered her hand. The smile she gave Kade was all teeth, like a plastic mask stretching over the horrible grimace she wore beneath.

“Nothing is going on,” she lied fucking blatantly, taking a step back. “I was just-”

Fury bubbled up within me at her lie. No. I would not let her get away with this.

“She’s going to give Ivy shaken baby syndrome if she keeps it up,” I said, gesturing to Ivy, who was still crying and squirming in Serena’s arms. “She kept shaking her when she was clearly distressed. And she was going to hit me until you walked in.”

“Hit you,” Kade repeated flatly. He glanced between the two of us. The look of anger that flashed through his eyes was enough to make a chill scuttle up even my spine, although it wasn’t directed at me. He turned to Serena. “You were frightening my daughter by fighting another woman right in front of her?”

Serena’s throat bobbed, and she forced out a little laugh. “I wasn’t actually going to hit her, of course. We were just playing around. Weren’t we, Elena?” Serena looked at me imploringly. As if I would actually lower myself to covering for her.

“No, we weren’t.” I folded my arms. Like hell I was going to stand here and let Serena tell such a bold-faced lie right in front of me. I had done enough of that in my past life; I was done covering for her. “I told her to stop bouncing Ivy so harshly, and she got pissed enough to try to hit me.”

“You say that like you’re completely innocent in the matter!!” Serena hissed, momentarily losing her control. Her mask slipped, revealing the ugliness underneath. “You said that Kade postponed the wedding for you, and that you’re going to take my place! I couldn’t help but want to hit you to shut you-”

Serena suddenly stopped talking. Her eyes widened, the tips of her ears flushing pink as she realized what she just admitted to.

“Sure,” I said slowly, deliberately. “I did say those things while I was caught up in the moment. I’ll admit it. But I’d never resort to physical abuse. And I’d certainly never upset a baby just to make a point.”

With that, I reached out to take Ivy. Serena pulled her away, but Kade, noticing the way Ivy’s cries became more intense and her little hands reached for me, cleared his throat warningly.

“Give Ivy to Elena, Serena.”

Serena hesitated, looking between us like a madwoman. Her eyes were so wide I could see the whites all around, and for a moment, I thought she might bolt.

But then she sighed and handed Ivy over.

The moment Ivy was in my arms, I directed all of my attention onto her. “Shh, that’s alright,” I whispered, bouncing her gently. I pressed my palm to her forehead and soothed her, feeling that now-familiar flow of cool blue energy permeate through my skin and into hers. “I’ve got you.’

Ivy calmed down almost instantly. Her cries turned to soft coos of happiness, and she nuzzled a little deeper into my embrace, grabbing my hand and sucking on my thumb.

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Chapter 103

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I looked up at Kade, who was watching me with a curious expression on his face. Meanwhile, Serena was practically vibrating with frustration.

Kade turned to her. “You told me I could trust you alone with Ivy,” he said coolly. “You said you would get along with Elena.”

All the color drained from my sister’s face. “You can trust me. It’s her you can’t trust.” She pointed at me with a trembling finger. “She intentionally riled me up. She wanted me to hit her so she could run to you and play the victim.”

“It doesn’t matter what she wanted,” Kade replied. “You rose to the bait. That’s hardly befitting of a future Luna, don’t you think?”

Serena’s lips parted. “But-”

“I’m not a vain man. I don’t require much from the woman who will stand by my side-not otherworldly beauty, or a fortune, or anything other than simply being capable of getting along with my daughter and making a good impression,” Kade said quietly.

He gestured to Ivy, who was still cooing happily in my arms.

“Clearly, Serena, you can’t do that,” he said.

“Of course I can!” Serena blurted out. “It was only when she got here that Ivy stopped being happy with me. You remember how much Ivy was soothed by me when we first met. She’s my twin sister’s daughter-we share a bond. Whatever Elena has with her is nothing more than a cheap trick to gain your favor.”

I bristled a little, but Kade remained completely unfazed. “You’re being paranoid, Serena-whether because of your grief over Samantha or pure jealousy, it doesn’t matter. Either way, I suggest you go and take a walk. Perhaps we can try again once you’ve had a chance to calm down.”

“I don’t need to calm down. I’m perfectly calm!”

Kade simply crossed his arms and stepped out of the way of the exit, staring calmly at Serena. She gawked at him for a moment, then at me and Ivy. Finally, realizing that she had lost the battle, she stormed out of the

room in a huff.

I let out a breath I hadn’t realized I’d been holding the moment she was gone. The room felt lighter, brighter without her in it. Even Ivy seemed to cheer up a little at Serena’s absence and giggled around my thumb, which was still firmly stuffed into her mouth.

“You shouldn’t rile her up,” Kade said once Serena was gone.

“I’m sorry,” I said, turning to him. I didn’t want to apologize, not when it involved Serena, but I would do it if only to make myself look better and spend more time with my daughter. “I shouldn’t have gotten involved. I just got so angry when I saw her upsetting Ivy, and-”

My words cut off abruptly when I turned to him and saw the way his raven hair caught the morning sunlight streaming through the window. For the first time ever, I realized that it wasn’t entirely black-there were strands of a deep, rich, almost reddish brown woven throughout. Like silken mahogany curling against his shoulders.

And I noticed how his expression was calm. Almost… happy, if I didn’t know any better. Whatever it was, it made

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