Chapter 126

Chapter 126 Let’s talk

BECKY

I was about to protest, but then Silas released his hold on my arm and instead reached for my hand. As he wrapped his fingers around mine, he began to walk forward, and before I knew it, I was being led down the empty corridor.

“I don’t think this is a good idea,” I insisted.

“Please,” he pleaded. “I just want to talk.”

His amber eyes were wide but serious, and there was something about them that I was unable to resist. There was a magnetic pull between us that was too strong to resist. As much as I wanted to cast Silas aside, the thought of us being apart was almost too much to bear.

I released a heavy sigh.

This was a terrible idea, but I couldn’t say no. I had to hear the Beta out.

“Fine,” I decided.

Silas led me all the way out the back door. The night air was brisk, but it was a welcome feeling after how much anxiety I’d been feeling in the banquet hall. The moon was nearly full, and the silver light bathed the gra*s and lit our way.

When we reached the garden, Silas finally stopped.

He stared down at me with an expression I couldn’t read, and my mind searched for the right words to say. I was both scared and at ease in his presence, but I had no clue what he wanted to tell me.

“What did you want to talk about?” I finally said. “Whatever it is… make it fast. I need to get back to the hall. Cas sandra might be worried about where I am, and the rest of the hall is probably searching for their great hero-”

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Before I could finish my sentence, Silas pulled me close and k*ssed me. His l*ps pressed tightly against mine, and my knees grew weak from the pure pa*sion of it all. I wanted to struggle, but my b*dy thought otherwise. I couldn’t help but k*ss him

back.

Mate.

His l*ps were incredibly soft, and his k*ss was expert, but not in a way that suggested he was too experienced with other women. It was more like his k*ss w meant for me, like he’d been waiting for this moment just as much as I had.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Silas pulled away. I trembled and tried to catch my breath as I stared deeply into his eyes.

“Why?” I asked quietly.

My mother had always told me stories about how nasty and cruel male wolves from the upper cla*s could be. She told me that they often played with young girls’ hearts only to abandon them when they grew tired of their company. Mother always said that was why she insisted on finding me a decent man.

I wondered if Silas Moses was one of those men.

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He didn’t say anything, but the lust in his eyes was clear. He suddenly grabbed my wrist again and tried to lean forward and k*ss me, but slapped him away before he could get too close. The force of my strike was so strong that he was forced back a little, and I felt terrible at once for hurting him.

Before he could say anything, I turned on my heels and ran out of the garden. Tears sprang from my cheeks and my lower l*p began to tremble as I fought to keep

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ny composure.

What was all of that about?

Why had he said he wanted to talk when really, he just wanted to use the opportunity as an excuse to try to take advantage of me?

I wasn’t a piece of meat.

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I was so much more than that.

I began to cry harder. Wasn’t I worth more than just a secret encounter in a garden? Wasn’t I worth a real, meaningful connection?

When I returned inside, I rushed over to the bathroom and tried to compose myself. I wiped the mascara from my eyes and forced myself to breathe.

“He’s not worth it,” I addressed my reflection, but the words didn’t feel: wasn’t just another man. He was my mate. This was supposed to be one of th magical nights of my life. Instead, I was crying in the bathroom.

I thought of my mother. What would I say to her about all of this? Hell, what would I say to anyone?

I began to get even more upset, but just as the tears began, I stopped myself. No. No, I needed to be strong. So, I spent another minute in the bathroom and then went back to the banquet hall. Surely, Silas wouldn’t bother me for the rest of the

night.

As soon as I returned to the banquet hall, Cas sandra’s expression grew concerned. Her pretty eyes trailed over me, and her l*ps parted a little in surprise, but she didn’t ask what was wrong.

“We can leave,” she said definitively, and I nodded.

Cas s andra didn’t bother saying a word to anyone, and instead, just escorted mu out of the hall. As we walked down the corridor, I thought again of my mother.

“Cas sandra?” I asked quietly. “Is there any room for me at the clinic tonight? I… I

can’t think I want to go back to my house and face my mother.”

“Of course,” she replied, and she wrapped her arm around me. “You’re always welcome to stay, Becky. I’ll have Erika prepare a room for you upstairs.”

“Thank you,” I whispered, and I forced a smile. “You’re a really good friend, Cas sy.”

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“And so are you,” Cas sandra replied. “We’re going to get you through this. I’m here for you.”

The entire way back to the clinic, I couldn’t stop shivering. I wasn’t necessarily cold. I was just anxious from the events of the evening. I’d expected the party to be grand but simple. I thought the celebration was going to consist of Cas sandra and I gossiping in the corner of the room, watching the upper-cla*s wolves of Wegalla fawn all over their returning hero.

Instead, it ended in humiliation and even a little heartbreak.

When we entered the clinic, Cas sandra’s friend Marley was sitting in the front

room.

“What are you doing back so early?” she wondered as she glanced between us with concern. “I figured you wouldn’t be back until well after midnight.”

She and Cas sandra shared a look, and suddenly, Marley’s face softened. She got up from her chair and walked over to us.

“Do you want to talk about it?” she asked me, and she gently touched my arm. As I dissolved into tears, Ca s sandra drew me into an embrace, and I buried my face

in her shoulder.

“Is Finnick upstairs?” I heard her ask Marley.

“Yes,’ she replied. “He fell asleep a while ago.”

“Good,” Cas sandra replied, and she gently lifted my face up to meet hers. “I think what we need is a good, old-fashioned girl talk in the meeting room. How does tl at sound, Becks?”

I hesitated for a moment. I’d never had many girlfriends before, and I didn’t want to trouble them with my problems. But something about Cas sandra and Marley’s expressions made me want to talk.

“Okay,” I decided, and I wiped my tears. “Let’s go talk.”