It’s because I’m holding it back, Beep says.
Why?I snap.Let them feel it,I think viciously.
I want to know what they think of him. I want to understand.
Well, I don’t. I don’t give a fuck what they think, these small-town jerks. I guess not everything about this place is perfect.
Does it bother any of them that Silas slept with a woman who was mated, who maybe should also be held responsible for breaking her vows? It doesn’t make Silas look good. It looks, inherently, very bad.
But he’s not that guy. Maybe he was, but he isn’t any more.
Robert continues, “Lune wasn’t the same without him. Maybe Silas’ll calm down his whorin’ ways and our clan can get back to normal now. And with our new Luna here,” Robert, the yellow-toothed man, Cora, and the others all look at me, smiling.
Maybe it’s now just dawning on them that Silas is Grayson’s pack mate. And that I’m Grayson’s fated mate. His Luna.
Which means Silas ismine.Myfated mate.
All their expressions, in varying degrees of extremity and speed, begin to fall. Horror at what they’ve said to me about my mate shows on their faces. Apologies linger on their tongues. Before I say something I’ll regret, I spin on my heel and storm off toward the open bay doors. Maybe it’s the look on my face, but no one stops me.
And when I step outside, still well within view of everyone inside the hall, Andrea included, I stop short.
I wonder if he’s been following me.
Because Silas is there, at the edge of the woods. Sitting on a log. Looking… lost. Fucking despondent. He’s a wolf. If he chose to, he could hear everything. And judging by the look on his face, he did.
I take a step toward him, my heart hurting, and I want to run to him, hold him, while simultaneously march back inside and tell all those wolves where they can stuff it. Why are they blaming Silas for a woman cheating on her mate? Is she not equally, if not more, responsible?
Yes, they make Silas sound like a rake. They don’t paint him in the best light. But aren’t we allowed to change, to grow, to become better people? I try to clear the look of pity off my face, but I’m too late. Silas turns and stalks off, disappearing along the treeline.
I almost go after him. I should, but Beep holds me back.
Not yet,she says.
He needs me,I argue.And just this morning you were telling me not to let my mates leave!
Yes, I know, but not like this. After what he just heard… he needs to decide what he wants, and it isn’t just about you. It’s about this place. He needs to fight for his place.
He needs me, I say again, but I can no longer scent him, so he’s likely run fast and far.
Walking back inside, I have every intention of telling off every wolf who just hurt my mate’s feelings. But everyone except Cora has conveniently scattered. And my heart fucking breaks, because I know that everyone around us heard what they said, and no one came to his defense.
How could I ever convince Silas he’s worthy of their respect if this is what he’s up against?
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Chapter 16: Orion
Ifind Mona in the cafeteria looking worse for wear. Andrea hasn’t left her post. She leans with her arms crossed against the wall and watches our omega like a hawk.
Mona’s smile is tired, but she holds it steady while Elder Blithe and Elder Cora talk her ear off. Cora is an eccentric woman. Some of the ancients tend to have more quiet, stoic behavior. Not Cora. It’s like she lived through the 60s and decidedthatwas her decade, and has been wearing it ever since.
Bangles clang up and down her arm as she absentmindedly rubs her hand along Mona’s arm. Mona keeps trying to extract herself without success.
It’s rare I use my alpha voice, I never bark, but I let it seep in now. “Alright, that’s enough. Our omega is tired, she needs rest.”
I hold my hand out, and the moment Cora releases Mona, she runs into my arms.
Her warmth is everything, and I soak it up as I hold her tight, then pull her from the dining hall.
