Chapter 29
Silver’s POV
I waited hours for Elliot to come home and when it became midnight, I figured he wasn’t going to come home anytime soon. Sighing, I grabbed my phone and left the bedroom, unable to stand being in this room any longer. If he wasn’t going to be in here to share the bed with me, then I wasn’t going to stay in here. I only slept in this room because he insisted my presence helps him sleep. There was no point in me sleeping in here without him.
I walked down the hallway and into the guest room. I wasn’t sure I’d be able to get any sleep after the day I had, but I was determined to try anyway.
I curled into bed, checking my phone to see if Elliot had reached out to me, when I saw that he hadn’t, I sighed and put the phone on the nightstand. I pressed my knees to my chest and squeezed my eyes closed tightly. I just wanted to shut out the world and pretend that this awful day never happened. I wondered what tomorrow held; I wondered if it was going to be just as bad as today.
Just as I was about to fall asleep, the door burst open. I remained still, already knowing who it was before he approached the bed.
He stood at the bedside for a moment, staring down at me. I could feel his eyes scanning my body as I hid myself under the blanket. He let out a frustrated sigh.
“I know you’re awake, Silver,” he said, his voice sounding irritated and gruff. I winced at the tone, but I didn’t say anything. My heart was racing in my chest, and I thought I was going to get sick. “What you did earlier wasn’t okay. What were you thinking? This could put the whole pack in jeopardy if she decides to pull our alliance. Do you have any idea how strong her pack is?”
Anger consumed me as I whipped around to face him; my eyes blaring with rage.
“I did nothing wrong. But of course, it doesn’t matter. You won’t believe me anyway,” I said through my teeth.
My sister had pulled the same shit with my father numerous times during our lives. She would blame me for something, and he would blindly believe her. I’ve done this song and dance before; Shirley was no different than Stella.
“Well, she seems to think that you did.”
“She’s lying,” I countered without missing a beat.
He folded his arms across his chest as he stared back at me. He searched my face as if he was searching for all the answers and then he sighed and ran his fingers through his hair, almost defeated. Maybe a bit confused. I could practically see the stress pouring off him in waves.
“Next time you see her, you need to apologize,” he finally said.
I stared at him in shock; I couldn’t believe what he just said.
“I’m not apologizing for something I didn’t do,” I said, pressing my lips firmly together as I glared at him.
“It doesn’t matter, Silver. She is a guest in our pack, and she was injured under your watch. As the Luna you need to take responsibility—”
“Take responsibility for someone who deliberately threw herself down the stairs?!” I asked, cutting off his words.
“Do you hear yourself? Why would a strong female Alpha hurt herself on purpose?” He asked, his brows pinched together.
“Because she wants you,” I blurted without much thought.
He was quiet for a moment while he processed my words.
“Is that what this is all about? You are jealous?” He asked.
My mouth nearly dropped open at the audacity.
“I have no right or reason to be jealous,” I said, folding my arms across my chest, fully aware that I had just pushed my breasts up and put them on full display for him to gawk at. Which he did; I felt a sense of pride when his eyes dropped and landed on my breasts, the desires pooling in his eyes almost made me weak.
I would have been putty in his hands if I wasn’t so upset about this conversation.
“I was just stating a fact,” I added.
He scowled at me, his features darkening.
“She’s a friend and an Alpha. She doesn’t want me. She has nothing to gain from me.”
“Maybe she simply just likes you,” I muttered.
“You would be wrong about that,” he countered.
I was too tired to argue about this any further, so I simply said, “Fine, Elliot.”
A low growl escaped his lips.
“Why are you sleeping in here?”
The subject change took me by surprise, and I didn’t answer him at first. I furrowed my brows, remembering that I was in the guest room, not our bedroom.
“I didn’t think you’d come home tonight,” I admitted. “And I didn’t feel comfortable sleeping in there without you.”
“I thought I made it clear that you are to sleep in my bedroom. It’s part of the contract.”
I narrowed my eyes at him.
“I think given the events of today, I should just sleep in here tonight,” I told him firmly, not willing to give in to him.
His nostrils flared and I knew he wasn’t happy with me. Instead of arguing, like I thought he would, he just took off his shirt and pants, wearing only his boxers and he started to get into bed with me.
I held up my hand to stop him.
“What are you doing?” I asked him, hating that my voice sounded breathless and weak.
“Getting into bed. If you aren’t going to come back to our room and sleep, then I’ll just sleep in here with you,” he told me.
I lowered my hand and he slid into bed, throwing the covers over his body.
“You are going to apologize to her, and I don’t want to hear anything more about it,” he said after a short pause. “Now, get some sleep.”
With those words left in the air, he turned away from me and turned off the lamp.
I spent most of the day in my studio trying to forget about my argument with Elliot last night. He was gone before I woke up this morning, so nothing got resolved. We hadn’t spoken since last night and I had a nasty feeling in the pit of my stomach because of it.
I also made a point to call Rebecca and tell her about the last couple of days.
“Shirley is such a bitch,” Rebecca growled. “I can’t believe she did that!”
“I know, me neither, I was taken aback,” I admitted.
“And Elliot wants you to apologize? Has he lost his mind??”
I sighed.
“Yes,” I muttered. “He thinks as Luna I should be taking responsibility.”
“That’s ridiculous,” she huffed. “He should be on your side. He’s your damn husband.”
“By contract,” I reminded her. “It’s a marriage of contract. Not a real marriage. He’s not obligated to take my side.”
“But still,” she murmured.
I knew she was right, but it didn’t make a difference. He was going to think what he wanted to think. I had things I needed to get done in preparation for tomorrow and I couldn’t be bothered with whatever drama Shirley was dishing. According to Elliot, she should be discharged from the hospital today and I was planning on keeping my distance from her even though he wants to apologize. There was no way I was going to do that.
After we finished our conversation, I hung up and continued working on my paintings. I captured pictures of each one as well and put them in a portfolio to showcase in the meeting tomorrow. I would be lying if I said I wasn’t excited about this meeting. This was a huge opportunity for me.
Hearing the front door closing brought me out of my thoughts. I looked at the clock and saw that it was just after 5 pm.
Was Elliot home already?
He was earlier than usual. Maybe he returned home so we could have dinner together. Maybe he wants to actually have a conversation about what happened last night. I hated this back-and-forth we were having; I didn’t want things to be awkward between us.
It’s been over a week since we shared a meal together. I quickly cleaned up my mess in the studio and made my way to the front foyer where I heard voices.
“Make sure the restaurant is still reserved for tonight,” Elliot said.
“Yes, Alpha,” Beta Leo replied. “I still need to pick up the flowers for Alpha Shirley. I purchased the biggest bouquet, just as you requested.”
“Perfect,” Elliot replied.
My heart fell deep into my stomach.
“I’m going to put on a suit. I told Shirley we’d pick her up at 6:30 so we need to be quick,” Elliot said, his voice getting smaller as he made his way up the stairs.
Beta Leo remained in the foyer. I peeked around the corner and saw that he was on the phone now.
“Yes, this is Beta Leonardo. I’m calling to check on the reservation for 7 tonight,” he said into the phone. He paused as the other person spoke. “Yes, the reservation is under the Alpha’s name.” he paused again. “Perfect; thank you so much.”
He hung up without another word.
I leaned against the wall, feeling a heaviness in my chest.
First, Elliot took Shirley’s side; and now he was taking her on a date?
