Page 29 of Dark Sold Mate

“I do not know what I want,” he admitted. “Except to keep you safe. To know you’re protected. My wolf will not allow me to do anything different.”

Your wolf,” Elle said bitterly. “Always your wolf. Not your conscious choice.”

“Elle.”

“You blamed your wolf for the bond. Now you’re blaming your wolf for keeping me here. When do you take responsibility for your own actions?”

Silas stood, pacing the room. “You want me to accept responsibility? Fine. I bought you at that auction. I brought you here and forced you to be bonded to me.” He turned to face her. “I did those things. Me. Not my wolf. And I would do them again instead of letting you be sold to someone who would have harmed you.”

“So you hurt me instead.”

“Yes.” The admission tore out of him. “I hurt you. I know that. But at least you are alive to hate me for it.”

“I can’t do this. I cannot pretend that I am okay and everything is okay, because I am not. I am falling apart, Silas.” She rubbed her chest. “Right here.”

Silas’s chest tightened. “What do you need?”

“I need to leave.”

“I cannot allow you to leave the pack land. But I can take you elsewhere. Somewhere far away from here.”

Elle sat up and stared at him suspiciously. “Where?”

“On the eastern border, there is a cabin. It’s quiet, isolated. No pack members nearby.” Silas moved closer. “We could go there and stay a couple of days. Give you space to breathe.”

“Why would you do that?”

“Because I care about you and I want to help.”

Elle stared at his face for a couple of seconds, as if she wanted to make sure this wasn’t a prank.

Finally, she nodded. “Okay. Take me to the cabin.”

“Alright,” Silas nodded. “I’ll get some things together. We can leave within an hour.”

Silas stepped out of the room bearing with him the brunt of her hatred and his guilt equally. But in between that, he felt something different—the bond that was holding them together.

He wanted her close. He needed her safe. He did not want her to think about those ugly memories. But Silas knew he couldn’t wipe them away. He could only try to replace them with better memories.

Chapter 8 - Elle

Elle woke up to sunshine from the cabin's windows and the smell of coffee. Silas brought her here last night. To this remote building on the eastern side of the pack land. She had planned to hate it here as well. She hoped that the cabin was going to be like another prison cell with different walls.

But when they arrived last night, Elle found herself relaxing in spite of her will to remain angry. It was a small but comfortable cabin, with big windows and an expanse of trees around them. There were no pack members nearby. She was able to breathe fully without feeling suffocated.

Silas had given her the bedroom and claimed the couch downstairs. He prepared dinner and left her alone.

And this morning he was making coffee.

Elle sat up in the bed and ran her hand through her hair, while yawning. Yesterday was hell. The questions about her abduction had brought back all the memories she never completely forgot anyway. The cages. The handlers. The auction stage. She ended up crying in the guest room for a couple of minutes.

Then Silas had suggested bringing her here, and Elle agreed. Not because she forgave him or anything. But it because it meant something. She just wasn't sure what yet.

She got out of bed and went down the stairs. Silas was standing by the kitchen counter, pouring coffee into two mugs. He had changed into a pair of dark blue jeans that hugged his muscular thighs and a plain black t-shirt that clung tightly to his muscles in a way Elle couldn't ignore.

He looked up when she entered. “Morning.”

“Morning,” Elle said warily.