Page 55 of Ruthless Reign

"I'll have to visit them one day," he says, eyes dancing as he looks down at me.

Shifting awkwardly, I try to ignore the pull in my stomach. It was so much easier when I hated him. But now, havingeverything out in the open, and seeing how much people like him, it's hard to ignore my true feelings. There's such a positivity to him; a carefree attitude that makes everything seem better. And I now know that everything he said when we met was true. But something is still holding me back—and I can't pinpoint what it is.

At first, I thought it was Lex and Maverick. But now, I'm not so sure. I think I'm just scared of the unknown—but that's my entire life right now. Everything is crashing and burning around me, and it feels like I'm juggling a stack of plates. If I put one more on the pile, everything is going to smash and break.

All of my mates have vastly different personalities, and for the life of me, I can't figure out how I somehow fit in with all of them. They all clash—what if they start clashing with me too? It feels like I hold the power to potentially start wars between packs, not fix them. What if I'm not enough for them? What if me having multiple mates becomes too hard for them to manage? They could reject me, unable to cope with it. One by one, they'd fall, because apparently, I'm the key to this hot mess.

I shouldn't have this much burden on my shoulders. But I guess I have no choice but to embrace it.

"Where's that pretty head at?" Cade asks, stepping forward and running his fingers softly over my cheek.

Lifting a shoulder, I give a little shrug. "I'm not sure to be honest. It's been a lot to take in."

He nods, and I notice that his dimples still appear when he frowns. It's remarkable, really.

"Come inside and I'll make you a coffee," he offers. "Grace made sure the caffeine is fully stocked."

"Are there mugs?" I tease, smiling.

Cade laughs, placing his hand on my lower back to guide me over to his house and up the stairs. "If I say yes, will that convince you to come inside?"

Chapter Twenty Two

Nyx

It's no surprise that the inside of Cade's house is identical to Lex and Maverick's in most aspects.

As we enter, I head straight toward the kitchen, already knowing the way. He follows behind me, watching with amusement as I start opening cupboard drawers, correctly locating the coffee items.

"Look at you—an expert," he laughs.

I smile, grabbing two mugs as I start brewing the coffee. "If caffeine is involved, there's little that can stop me."

Cade steps next to me, taking over. "Here—let me do it. Sit down and relax."

"You don't have to do that," I argue, but he waves his hand dismissively.

"Sit," he growls playfully, pushing me gently toward the bar stools at the kitchen island. "You're my guest."

Rolling my eyes, I slide onto the nearest stool. "Technically, you're our guest here."

"My guest house, my rules," he fires back with a laugh.

I shake my head, resting my chin on the palm of my hand as I watch him move around the kitchen. Bringing the mug over, he slides it in front of me.

"You might be less inclined to throw the mug at me since it's Shadow Pack property."

"Don't get too comfortable," I warn. "I love to irritate Alpha Daxton as much as I do my mates."

Cade takes a seat next to me, stirring his coffee. "I don't find you irritating at all. You're incredibly intriguing."

My cheeks flush at his words. "When I thought you wanted to kill me, I made a plan to irritate you. I figured if I did, you'd kill me faster without the torture," I admit.

He laughs loudly, seemingly amused by my confession. "Is that why you threw things at my head every chance you got?"

"Well, that and payback for—"

"Don't say the rock."

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