Page 46 of The Beta's Bargain

I hesitate when I hear her shout at me and stop. We’ve taken several turns, and even I’m not even sure exactly where we are. I let go of her wrist and pace back and forth in the narrow hall. All I want is the open, empty parklands I’ve been sleeping in. I hate these narrow halls and all the lights. It’s just too bright, too close.

Onyx grips my shirt, and I come to a halt, breathing hard.

“What’s wrong?” She asks me.

I exhale and cut a glance to the left. The corridor remains empty. “Nothing.”

“Okay, that’s not nothing. You can tell me, Dylan. I thought we were friends?”

I swallow hard, frustrated and pissed off. I can’t explain it. It’s too humiliating. I don’t even fully understand it myself.

“Hey, everything all right?”

I whip around, ready to throw myself at the intruder and rip his throat out, only to find Silas standing there. For a moment, fury chokes my words in my throat, and then, all at once, my anger drains away. Silas has that effect on me. It’s all in the eyes. He melts me. All my reasons, my logic, my senses.

“Falcon is showing Silver the gardens?” Nyx asks cautiously.

Silas jerks his eyes to me, alarmed. “He wouldn’t do what you're thinking.”

“I’m not thinking anything.” I grit out. My hands clench with the effort to contain my emotions. “I don’t care.”

Silas and Onyx exchange meaningful looks before he moves closer. His fig and sea salt scent washes over me, relaxing my senses. I inhale deeply, drawing more of it in before I can stop myself.

Silas, my alpha, moves into my space but slowly in measured, careful movements. He lifts his hand and strokes the side of my face, trailing down until his thumb brushes the base of my neck.

“He wouldn’t do that. We meant the vows we gave you, Dylan.”

I reach out and snag Onyx’s wrist, and everything comes a bit closer to being in focus. I pull her close so she’s pressed against both of us.

Silas glances at her and then focuses on me. The scent of her combines with ours, mixing and blending with a subtleness that makes my mouth water. Silas’ brown eyes, with the myriad of shades, try to convey all the promises and invitations, but I don’t want to hear them. Instead, I focus on slate blue.

Silas shifts his arm, but she reaches up, freezing when he growls. She resumes the movement, and her hand lands gently on his forearm. His white shirt is too white and too pristine. Nyx grips his arm, and, stiffly, she moves his wrist from my waist, guiding it up to rest over my heart.

“Tell him again.” She hisses.

“We won’t betray your trust again,” Silas whispers.

I stagger towards him, baring my teeth. He wraps his free arm around my neck and holds me close. There’s an urge to fight, to throw punches, to make him hurt, but I won’t risk hurting her. I can’t, so I allow the soft stroke of his hand down my back. I ignore the way he breathes in my scent and lets out a breathy little sigh.

He leans in closer still, and his lips graze my cheek. For a moment, all the longing and yearning is just too much. I want him.

But then I remember that day. Those feelings, and I remember how much it hurt. Never again. I pull back, bringing her with me.

She cranes her head to look behind me, and I turn, finding Grayson leaning against the wall. He’s wearing a jacket and no shirt like he was halfway dressed and got a call. I guess, in a way, he had. But I hadn’t expected him to come.

“Need a hand, Dylan?” His mocking, teasing tone doesn’t match the gentle concern in his eyes.

I bare my teeth at him and pull Onyx close to me, both to keep her safe and to keep me sane.

“I do not.” I bite out.

“Well, Silas would love to-”

“Do not finish that, Gray.” Silas barks out. He’s always been able to read the room better than Gray.

“You’re too serious, Silas. Look at him, he wants to have a little fun. Don’t cha, baby boy?”

I snarl, loud enough to get both of their attention. “I’m not your baby boy, not now, not ever.”

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