Rebirth of the Alpha's Slave Mate (Samantha and Kade) novel Chapter 242

Kade’s POV

The lights were off when Kade returned home. He lingered in the driveway for a moment, hands still clutching the steering wheel, and loosed a small breath of relief.

Good. The last thing he wanted right now was to confront Serena. He hadn’t exactly left the house under the best circumstances this morning.

But fate was not so kind. Unfortunately, Serena was still awake—and sitting in the dark foyer, at the bottom of the stairs.

“What’s this?” she asked the moment Kade flicked the lights on to find her sitting there, legs crossed and face full of anger. She had a bandage on her temple, but Kade didn’t get a chance to ask what it was for before she threw something at him, and he caught it. Her phone.

Kade looked down at the screen and froze. There, glaring up at him, was a picture of him, Elena, and Ivy at the diner. Someone had surreptitiously snapped the photo while they were eating and had posted it online.

He should have known that this would happen. But in the moment, he had been so focused on getting information that he hadn’t considered the consequences.

Kade handed Serena’s phone back. “I met with Elena and Harrison to discuss Debbie’s condition. Elena needed a ride home, and we stopped for dinner along the way.”

Ivy nodded excitedly. “Mhm. It was yummy, too! I shared a grilled cheese with Mommy.”

Serena glared at Ivy, then turned to Kade and lowered her voice. “Why are you doing this?” she whispered.

“Ivy was hungry. You’re reading too much into this,” Kade said, placing his hand on his daughter’s shoulder. “Now, if you’ll excuse me—”

“We never go out like that as a family.” Serena pulled her shoulders back. Kade could see the smile she forced onto her face. It was like a cold, hard mask slamming over her features, and nothing about it was sweet or motherly. She crouched in front of Ivy. “Why don’t we go out tomorrow, hm? Just the three of us. We can get ice cream, or—”

“No, thanks.” Ivy brushed past Serena and skipped up the stairs without another word.

Serena remained crouching there for a long moment, frozen. When she stood, her mask had slipped. Cold fury was written clearly across her face.

“She hates me,” she said. “And now she’s starting to rub off on you.”

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