My Convicted Wife is My Mate (Bella and Kane) novel Chapter 51

chapter 44
KANE’S POV

There had been many reasons why I brought Bella there—to my family’s land.

That cabin wasn’t just some random caretaker’s quarters like it was known to be then. It had been the first home my grandfather ever built. When he came to those lands, there had been nothing for miles. No pack, no borders, no alliance. It had been just wilderness and blood.

What he carved out from that emptiness became the foundation of what the world later called Pack Stonewood.

Few knew that our pack had begun humbly. It hadn’t been built on wealth, but on scars.

I had spent a great deal of my childhood there. When my father’s temper turned cruel or his demons made the house unlivable, my grandfather would bring me there. He’d teach me how to track, how to fight, how to survive. I’d hunt with his guards during the day, and at night, I’d lie awake in the loft, staring at the massive window as the moon drifted past the pines. It had been there I learned that silence could be both a comfort and a weapon.

But none of that could be shared with Bella. Not yet.

I couldn’t tell her.

Her hand had been warm in mine. I released it slowly. I could scent her attraction. She hadn’t tried to hide it, and even if she had, I would still have known. It hadn’t been fair to her, I supposed, but I had never played fair. I had always used every advantage available to me. That was how I survived.

“Sit down,” I told her, nodding toward the fireplace.

She had looked at me with that quiet suspicion she always carried, but she obeyed. She walked across the room and sat on the rug near the fire.

I watched her for a long moment before turning to the locked cabinet in the corner. The cabinet held more than just weapons. It contained decades of secrets—vials, passports, encrypted drives, and old silver knives that had seen too many wars.

My grandfather had kept that place ready for the worst. Under the cabin ran a tunnel that stretched parallel to the main road, ending half a mile away. Another led to the mansion. It had been a hidden escape for those who knew where to look.

I unlocked the cabinet and took out a small glass vial. Inside, the liquid sparkled under the firelight. Next to it, I pulled out a sterile case containing syringes.

When I turned back, Bella was looking at me.

“So… Kane,” she said slowly, “how much do you expect me to trust you right now?”

Her tone made the corner of my mouth lift. I had liked that she challenged me. Fear didn’t suit her, and she had never been a woman to break easily.

“I’d be disappointed if you trusted me too easily,” I replied, walking toward her. I lowered myself to the rug opposite her and set the items between us.

I picked up the vial and held it up for her to see. “Do you know what this is?”

She shook her head, frowning slightly. “Not a clue.”

“It’s called Vivera Argenti.”

She blinked in confusion. “I don’t know what that means.”

“Roughly translated,” I explained, “it means ‘Silver Pull.’”

She looked even more confused. “Silver Pull?”

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