Page 116 of Big Bad Bully
She hesitates then nods, reaching across the table to squeeze my hand. “I won’t let it happen. I let the wolf's secrecy pull us apart once. No matter what happens with Billy, you’re my inner circle.”
A huge pressure lifts off my chest. “Thank you.” I draw a breath. “Anyway, when Brick asked, Billy said he didn’t know if I was his mate. And then his dad came up to us at the wedding.”
Madi nods. “Right. Tell me what happened.”
I tell her about the altercation and me asking Billy again if I was his mate and him just standing there with a blank look on his face.
Madi stares at me. I can practically see the wheels in her head turning. I hope that brilliant mind of hers can save me from my messy, tangled thoughts. “Billy doesn’t show emotion. I imagine he learned to disassociate around his dad. So instead of showing you how angry or upset he was, he might have just checked out.”
My nose burns for Billy. Maybe I did the wrong thing, walking away. Maybe he needed me to pull him close in that moment. Bring him back to life.
“Also, he was probably ashamed. Both of his father’s insults and maybe even of how he reacted. He doesn’t like to lose his cool. He prefers to have thought three steps ahead and then coolly take his opponent down. Messy violence isn’t his normal thing.”
Sorrow sweeps over me.
If I had it to do over, I would try to draw Billy out more. Make him feel safe expressing his true self with me. I was too busy protecting my heart before, playing games sparring with him while telling myself it was just a fling.
I thought he needed some space to sort things out, but maybe he needed the opposite. Maybe he needed me to crawl in his bed and tell him I wasn’t leaving. But I was too hurt over his indecision. I didn’t like feeling like I was the lesser choice because I’m human. Like being with me would be some kind of sacrifice for him.
But it’s probably no different than my bias against him for being a Wall Street billionaire. I wasn’t sure my self-image included having a boyfriend who could end child hunger in New York with his annual salary. I thought I’d be selling out or giving up on my ideals to be with someone like him.
Until I walked away, I hadn’t realized that he was worth it. That money doesn’t make a man evil. I hadn’t realized how far I had waded in with him while telling myself I was holding back.
I consider Madi’s words about Billy not liking to show his hand. “When we were having sex, there would sometimes be a moment when passion took over, and he lost control. I could tell he hated it. Afterwards, he’d leave or withdraw, like he needed to put himself back together.”
Madi raised her brows. “That could have been his wolf trying to mark you.”
I frown. “What does that mean?”
“If a male wolf finds his fated mate, he knows it because she brings up the instinct to mark her.” She pulls the neck of her shirt down to point at four pale scars at the place where neck meets shoulder.
“Brick bit you?”
“It’s a mating bite. It leaves his scent embedded in my skin, so all other males know I’ve been claimed.”
Um, wow.
“Did his eyes ever change when you were having sex?”
I suck in a breath. “Yes. To silver.”
“Sounds like he was fighting his instinct to mark you. Brick nearly lost control of his animal side because we broke up, and his wolf wanted to mark me.”
“Do you think…do you think I’m his mate, Madi?”
She stands. “Come here. I need to show you something.”
Forty minutes later, we get out of the limo Madi took to Brooklyn–yes, I rolled my eyes about it–followed by the two guard dogs Billy put on me. Madi invited them to ride along in the limo because they’d had to tail me on the subway and had left their vehicle near my place.
“This would’ve been a lot easier if you’d just let us drive you in the first place,” one of them mutters, but one quelling look from Madi, and he bows his head. I swear I can see the tucked tail in his posture.
We’re in front of the Sentience building. Madi tugs me to the front door. My bodyguards hang back.
As we draw closer, I see the front wall of windows are covered with plywood from the inside. A vinyl banner stretches across the entrance reading SILVER ARTS GALLERY AND ARTIST SPACES COMING SOON.
“Oh my God.” Shock pushes me off balance, and I drop to a squat and touch the ground to find my bearings. I stare up at the building. “What happened? Billy did this?”
Madi lets out a soft laugh. “I guess he’s been busy dismantling Sentience since we got back from Monaco. He and Brick had a conversation with the owners. They had a change of heart and decided to use their funding to pay back the artists they stole from. Then Billy bought this building and turned it into this.”
