Chapter 70: The Price of lies
Kayden
Beep. Beep. Beep.
The rhythmic, persistent sound of the machine beside me echoed in my head, sharp enough to feel like a needle pricking the inside of my skull.
I tried to groan, but my throat felt like it had been scrubbed with sandpaper.
My eyelids were heavy, stuck together for a moment, but as I slowly fluttered them open, the sterile white light of the clinic ceiling burned into my retinas.
I was alive, and I was in Leo’s office.
The realization didn’t bring relief—it brought crushing memories of what had happened between Rhys and me.
The reveal, the confrontations, the accusations... everything hit me all at once. Rhys probably hates me now after finding out about my secret, I thought.
Then I felt the coolness against my skin, and I froze immediately when I felt the hands wrapped around me, the faint scent of pine lingering in the air. When I looked down, I realized I was naked and was being held by Rhys.
I almost gasped but clamped a hand over my mouth because I didn’t want to wake him up.
Did we have sex? That was my first thought, but I felt nothing. There was no soreness, only relief.
I had fainted when he stripped and held me from behind, but that seemed to be it. Nothing happened.
I quietly turned around, staring at his features. His jawline looked weary now, worn down by stress, and a strand of his curly hair had fallen onto his forehead. I stretched my hand forward but dropped it.
What if I touched him and he woke up? He hates me, and this place was not where I could tell him about what I had done. Besides, the last time, he looked like he didn’t want to listen.
I heaved a deep sigh and lowered my head, thinking about my life. Just when I was at the peak of my career, this had to happen.
So many questions flooded my head as I thought about what would have happened if I hadn’t drunk from the glass. I wouldn’t be here with Rhys; instead, we would be at his penthouse, still lying about being an Alpha.
"Oh, Kayden," I muttered, rubbing my hands over my face.
The door creaked open, the sound jarring in the silent room, causing me to jump slightly as the heart monitor rate spiked into a frantic series of chirps. I wondered who was coming in until I saw Leo, and I let out a breath of relief.
He looked at me, his eyes scanning my face with a tired expression. "You are awake," he said simply. "Great, because I have been waiting for you to wake up."
He didn’t wait for a reply. He walked back out, returning a moment later with a stack of clean clothes. "Here, change into them," he said as he stepped up to the edge of the bed and handed them over to me. "I did tests on you all night, and the results are all out."
The announcement caused my heart to jump in fright as I wondered what the test results looked like.
"Is something wrong?" I asked as I accepted the clothes from him, gently removing Rhys’s hand from around my waist. I had expected him to wake up from it, but he didn’t. Instead, he slumped on the bed, and I quickly covered him up.
"Rhys has been by your side all night, Kayden. He stayed when I expected that he would go."
I looked toward Rhys as I began to wear the clothes Leo had prepared. Did he truly stay behind because he cares, or was it all because he wanted answers to everything?
"Well, he must have his reasons."
Leo shrugged and snapped his fingers, pulling his phone from his lab coat. "Before I ask you questions, Kayden—like why you took an Alpha’s draught—there is something you need to see. The internet is blowing up."
He handed his phone over to me.
I took the phone, staring at the screen and its bright, bold text. There were several headlines that caught my eye first.
HEADLINES
• THE SECRET MATE? Rhys Calder Spotted with an Omega at his grandfather’s birthday party last night.
• IS THIS THE END OF VALDER?
• SCANDAL ON ICE: So Valder is not real? Rhys Calder has an Omega partner?
I looked up from Leo’s phone after reading the headlines because I was the one they were talking about. I was the Omega that had been turned into a headline.
"Go on," Leo pointed to the phone.
I felt the blood drain from my face as I scrolled through the social media feeds. The shipping fanbases were in a total state of war. There were a lot of crazy comments, especially on the X app.
• @CalderCrazed: OH MY GOD. The guest said that Rhys’s Omega has an orchid scent! That’s crazy because he is not supposed to have an Omega. The only one for him is Kayden.
• @SkateState_99: Did anyone see how Rhys looked when he left the gala? He looked like he would kill anyone in his way. That’s Alpha protection 101. Whoever that Omega is, they belong to him.
• @KaydenFan_1: Wait, but where was Kayden? They left at the same time. Is Kayden helping him hide the mate? My heart is breaking for the duo. I thought they were the only ones for each other! #ValderShipping
• @Valder: GUYS LOOK AT THE TAGS. #RhysSecretOmega is trending #1. The shipping community is losing it. Some people think it’s a secret pregnancy, others think it’s an illegal bond.
I stopped scrolling because the messages kept getting crazier, with more fans cursing Rhys for "cheating" on me. They really took the shipping as something real.
"They think he has a secret lover," I whispered, my voice shaking as I handed the phone back. "They’re looking for a girl or a hidden mate. They have no idea the ’secret’ is sitting right here."
Leo nodded. "That’s true, but also not true, because you are supposed to be an Alpha." He took the phone from me and slipped it into his pocket. "How could you have been so stupid to drink a draught, Kayden!"
"I had no idea," I almost shouted, but realized that Rhys was still sleeping and whispered instead. "It happened so fast, and I just drank it." I scratched the back of my head. "Leo, what are the results? Is something wrong?"
Leo sighed and picked up a file from the table, flipping open the medical folder as his eyes scanned the data.
"The results are bad, Kayden. I told Rhys last night that you were nuking your system, but the blood work is more definitive than I hoped." He looked up from the paper, meeting my eyes with a grim expression.
"Prolonged use of high-grade suppressants has severely affected your endocrine system. Your hormone production is nearly non-existent. But the most significant damage..."
He paused, letting the silence stretch before delivering the blow.
"The suppressants have affected your fertility rate. The combination of years of blockers and the shock of that Primal Draught has triggered a systemic shutdown. Kayden, the tests show you might not be able to have children. The damage to your reproductive health is likely permanent, so there is a fifty-fifty chance."
I felt like I’d been punched in the gut.
I didn’t even know if I wanted a family. I never really grew up in a good one, and I had been so focused on my career, on surviving, on the next game—but having the choice ripped away from me felt like a death sentence. It was the final, brutal price for the lie I had lived.
"No children?" I breathed out, the words barely audible. "Because of the pills?"
"Because of the pills, the blockers, and the stress you put your body through to pretend you were something you weren’t," Leo said, showing no sign of softening the blow. "The Draught was just the catalyst. It pushed a failing system over the edge. You’re lucky to be alive, but your body is never going to be the same. Ever."
I almost sank onto the bed after the reveal, but I didn’t. Instead, I leaned against it and grabbed a handful of my hair, pulling until I winced in pain.
"So this is my punishment for the lies I had been living all these years?"