Rebirth of the Alpha's Slave Mate (Samantha and Kade) novel Chapter 150

Chapter 150

Kade’s POV

It was the day before Kade’s wedding. The pack was bustling with preparations, the sun was bright and melting the snow on the ground, the birds were chirping, but Kade felt… absent. Like he wasn’t present, not really— more a mere observer of the life of another man.

Any normal groom would have been thrilled to know that, come tomorrow, they would be marrying a beautiful woman like Serena. Any normal groom would have excitedly welcomed the guests to the pack. Any normal groom would have been happily taking part in the pre-wedding plans.

But Kade was no normal groom.

He hadn’t felt particularly happy about the first wedding-the one that was postponed due to the… incident with Elena. He had nearly gone through with it out of duty, but a small part of him had been strangely relieved when the wedding was canceled.

For a little while, he had almost hoped, naively, in a very small and shadowed corner of his brain, that he might marry his second chance mate.

But that hadn’t turned out well. Elena was gone now, and it was for the best. She had left in the middle of the night, all on her own, without even saying goodbye. Kade never intended to see her again.

So Kade reinstated the wedding. He doubled down on his promise to Serena, who had been preparing for weeks, excited to throw an even bigger and better party than before. But now that he was going to go through with it again, Kade felt that sense of dread and disappointment return twofold.

This wedding was going to be far bigger than the first; since the first was postponed, there had been multiple rumors circulating, claims that Kade and Serena were unhappy together, that Kade had another lover, that he wasn’t over the dead mother of his child yet.

Maybe they were right, to an extent.

Kade didn’t love Serena.

He didn’t love anyone in that way.

For more than five years, Kade had resolved not to bother with romance. He had a pack to run, people to care for, a household to manage all on his own. He had a sick sister and now a sick child who was nearly taken from him by Elena. He didn’t have time for love; any marriage he would have would likely be only out of duty, not love.

And yet, the very thought of that name-Elena-was like a knife to the chest.

Elena.

She had endangered his child. She had infiltrated his home with her own schemes. She had nearly taken the one innocent, pure thing that Kade had left in his life.

But somehow, against all odds, he found himself… missing her.

Last week, he had received the news: Elena had returned to Nightshade. Kade’s agents told him that she was spotted in the pack, alive and well. The wilderness hadn’t taken her when she walked away on her own, it

Chapter 150

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seemed, and Kade was surprisingly relieved to discover that her journey had been safe.

When she had left on her own, walked out in the middle of the night, Kade had wondered if she would make it back to Nightshade alive or in pieces or at all. But now he didn’t need to wonder anymore, and deep down, he was almost glad for it. He hadn’t been sleeping well, but at least he could rest a little easier now.

He knew he shouldn’t care, of course. Elena had caused too much trouble since she had come to Crescent Hollow. Her schemes had nearly cost Kade’s daughter her life.

But he couldn’t help it. He almost wished that things could have been different between them; she was his second chance mate, after all. If only she hadn’t schemed, then maybe…

“You fell for her,” Ghost chuffed. “You said you wouldn’t, but here you are-

))

“I didn’t fall for her. But I’m allowed to wonder what our lives could have been like if she hadn’t betrayed me and Ivy.”

Even Kade’s wolf couldn’t argue with that. What could have been, had she not done what she did? Kade couldn’t love anyone, but… What might their life have been like if they could have been together, instead of whatever this was?

Still, Kade was a man of duty. He made a promise to Serena and planned to go through with it. She adored Ivy and would be a good mother to her, and she was a viable match. So even though his mind was swirling with all kinds of conflicting thoughts, he wouldn’t pull out of this wedding. Not this time.

What did it matter if he didn’t love her? Love didn’t matter to Kade. It never really had.

And besides, he certainly didn’t love Elena. It was simply a chemical reaction caused by the mate bond and nothing more. With her gone, whatever strange feelings he had would soon fade, especially once he marked Serena on their wedding night.

Kade was standing in his office as his mind swirled with these thoughts, peering out the window at the bustling pack below. The guests had already begun to arrive, caravans of attendees pulling in through the gates. The sun was setting, golden light glinting off the expensive sportscars.

This wedding had to be bigger and better, so the guest list was much longer. Serena had invited the Alphas, Lunas, and socialites of just about every pack in the region, aside from Nightshade pack, of course.

Even if either of them had wanted Alpha Samson and his family to attend, they couldn’t. Kade hadn’t heard a peep from Nightshade since Elena left, which probably meant that they wanted nothing to do with him anymore, and that was for the best. Kade had pulled back on his threat of war, but tensions would forever be high between the packs now.

Strangely, though, Kade found himself searching for a silver head of hair amongst the crowd. As if Elena might show up anyway, against all odds, return to take what was hers once and for all…

Just then, a knock on the door pulled Kade’s attention away from the window. He turned, busying himself with adjusting the papers on his desk, and called out, “Come in.”

The door opened, and Ajax stepped into the room. A moment later, a few other males followed-a Delta and a few Gammas who Kade and Ajax occasionally shared drinks with over games of cards when the winter nights grew long and boring.

Chapter 150

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