Ember's POV
I dropped the hot soup pot. and it fell to the kitchen floor with a loud noise. Chicken soup splashed everywhere as I grabbed my burned finger and put it into my mouth.
"Stupid, stupid," I muttered, sucking the burnt finger.
I'd been cooking for two hours, trying to make everything perfect for Cade's arrival. My small cabin smelled like fresh bread and herbs, just the way my grandmother used to make it when she wanted to cheer me up.
But nothing could calm the butterflies dancing in my stomach.
Tonight felt special. Important. Like everything was about to change between us.
Maya's words kept spinning in my head: True mates can't stay apart.
Maybe she was right. Maybe that's why Cade kept breaking his rules for me.
I cleaned up the mess and checked the clock. Almost midnight. He'd be here soon.
A soft knock made my heart jump. I brushed down my hair and opened the door with a smile.
"Hi.."
The word died in my throat. Cade stood on my doorstep, but something wasn't right. His silver eyes seemed empty, like all the light had gone out of them. His expression was cold.
"Can I come in?" His voice sounded flat, lifeless.
"Of course." I stepped aside, confused. "I made dinner. Are you hungry?"
He walked past me without answering. His shoulders were tense, and he wouldn't look at me directly.
"Cade? What's wrong?"
"Nothing's wrong." But everything about him screamed that something was very wrong.
I followed him to the living room. He sat on my couch but didn't relax into it like he usually did. Instead, he saf on the edge like he might run away at any second.
"You seem upset," I said carefully, sitting down beside him.
"I'm fine."
"You're not fine. You won't even look at me."
He finally turned his head, and what I saw in his eyes made my chest hurt. Pain. Fear. Something that looked like goodbye.
"Cade, you're scaring me."
"I'm not trying to scare you."
"Then talk to me. Tell me what happened."
He stood up suddenly and walked to the window. His whole body was tense.
"My father wanted to see me today."
"About the wedding?"
"About us."
The word 'us' hung in the air. It should have made me happy, but the way he said it made my stomach drop.
"What did he say?"
Cade's hands folded into fists at his sides. "He reminded me of my duties."
"Your duties to marry Victoria."
"My duties to the pack."
I walked over to stand behind him. "And what did you tell him?"
"Nothing. What could I tell him?"
The coldness in his voice cut me like a knife. "You could tell him how you feel."
"How I feel doesn't matter."
"It matters to me."
He turned around, and for a second, I saw the real Cade. Desperate, Broken and Afraid.
"It shouldn't matter to you," he said roughly.
"But it does."
"Why?" The question came out like a cry for help. "Why does it matter to you what some selfish Alpha thinks?"
I reached for his face, but he stepped back like my touch would burn him.
"Because I love you," I whispered.
The words slipped out before I could stop them. We both froze for a moment.
Cade's face went completely white. "Don't say that."
"Why not? It's true."
"It's not true. You don't love me. You love the idea of me."
"That's not.."
"I'm not a good person, Ember." His voice cracked. "I've hurt people. I've broken promises. I've taken things I had no right to take."
"Everyone makes mistakes."
"Not like mine."
He moved away from me again, putting distance between us. Everything about his body language screamed that he was pulling away, calling it off.
"What are you doing?" I asked.
"What I should have done from the beginning."
Fear crawled up my throat. "Which is what?"
"Being honest with you."
The way he said it made my blood turn cold. "Honest about what?"
Cade wouldn't meet my eyes. "About what this is. What it's always been."
"And what is it?"
"Fun. Entertainment. A way to pass time before my wedding."
Each word hit me hard. "I don't believe you."
"Believe it."
"No." I moved closer to him. "You're lying. I can see it in your face."
"You see what you want to see."
"I see someone who's terrified of his own feelings."
"I'm not terrified of anything."
"Then why won't you look at me when you say these things?"
He finally looked at me, and his eyes were pale. "Because it's easier to lie to you when I don't see how much it hurts."
The honesty in his voice took my breath away. "Then don't lie to me."
"I have to."
"Why?"
"Because the truth is worse."
I felt tears starting to burn behind my eyes. "What truth?"
"That this can't continue. That it was never meant to continue."
"Says who?"
"Says everyone. My father. The pack. Reality."
"Reality according to other people. What about reality according to you?"
He was quiet for so long that I thought he wouldn't answer. When he spoke, his voice was barely a whisper.
"According to me, you're the best thing that's ever happened to me."
Hope came alive in my chest again. "Then fight for us."
"I can't."
"You mean you won't."
"I mean I can't." His voice got stronger, more desperate. "You don't understand what you're asking."
"I understand perfectly. You're choosing duty over love."
"I'm choosing survival over selfishness."
"Whose survival?"
"Everyone's."
I didn't understand what he meant, but I could see the pain eating him alive. Whatever his father had said to him, it had broken something inside him.
"Cade, please. Just tell me what's really going on."
He sat down heavily on the couch and put his hands on his heard. For a moment, he looked like a little boy who'd lost his way.
"I can't tell you. It would only make things worse."
I sat beside him and gently touched his shoulder. This time, he didn't pull away.
"Nothing could be worse than this," I said softly.
"You're wrong."
"Then help me understand."
He lifted his head and looked at me with eyes full of agony. "What if I told you that loving me could get you killed?"
My heart stopped. "What?"
"What if I told you that every minute we spend together puts you in more danger?"
"What kind of danger?"
"The kind that ends with you disappearing forever."
Fear crawled up my spine. "Who would hurt me?"
"People who think you're a threat."
"I'm not a threat to anyone."
"You're a threat to their plans. Their power. Their control."
I tried to process what he was telling me. "Are you talking about Victoria? Her father?"
"I'm talking about people who would do anything to protect what they think belongs to them."
"And what do they think belongs to them?"
"Me. My future. My choices."
The pieces started falling together in my head. "They threatened me."
"They threatened more than that."
"What did they say?"
Cade reached over and took my hand. His fingers were shaking.
"They said if I don't end this, they will."
"End this how?"
"However they have to."
The room felt like it was spinning. "They would really hurt me? Just because you care about me?"
"They would do worse."
"How much worse?"
He squeezed my hand tighter. "What if I told you this has to end soon?"
The question hit me like lightning. Everything in his voice, his eyes, his touch suddenly made sense. This wasn't just about duty or wedding plans.
This was about life and death.
"How soon?" I whispered.
His answer came out so quietly I almost missed it.
"Tonight."