His Silent Temptation

Chapter 15 - What Do You Want?

S e l e n e

—

Fairytales were fictional for a reason. There was no Prince Charming on a white horse coming to save me. There was no monster for me to defeat. There were only children of the moon goddess, given the lucky chance of life, only to waste it on sins.

I couldn’t breathe. Terror clutched my throat. Sounds of torture filled my tears. Nothing in my life would have prepared me for this moment. Not even Malore’s torment readied me for something like this. I was beginning to spiral, my chest tight, and my shattered world continuing to crumble.

Leo was screaming bloody murder. I pressed my palms against my ears, attempting to cancel everything from existence.

If I don’t see it, then it’s not there. If I don’t hear it, then it can’t hurt me. I released a choked noise, wetness sliding down my cheeks. My vision was blurry as I squeezed it shut tightly. How was I supposed to stay with this man who was much worse than Malore?

How did I go from a demon to the devil of hell?

“Selene.”

The agonized shrieks had ceased to exist. I didn’t want to look. I didn’t want to see it. I couldn’t. There was nothing I could’ve done to stop the stench from burning my nose. I whimpered and shook my head, feeling something wet press against my lower spine.

I tensed in fear, feeling bile rise to my bruised throat. Then, he wiped his blood-soaked palm against his pants. I shakingly exhaled as he ran his fingers along my spine. I arched, attempting to escape from his touch, but that was impossible. Our bodies were further pressed together, my breasts against his chest. He released a low, restrained groan.

“Don’t,” he rasped against my ears, almost as if he was in pain.

I had woven myself around him like a koala. I didn’t know why my first instinct was to fling myself from the top of the stairs when I saw him. I just did. When I saw him at the bottom of the stairs, despite the m******e written all over his face, I still jumped off. In the heat of the moment, it was the fastest route to him.

“It’s all over now, Selene,” he coaxed in a strained voice.

So I listened. I lowered myself against him, just as he dropped his hand to his side. Then, I felt it, my bandages being soaked by disgusting fluid.

I snapped.

I was standing in a pool of blood. Maybe it was the trauma, maybe it was the fact that all of my bottled emotions reached the surface, maybe it was my sanity finally cracking, but I didn’t recognize much of this incident.

I heard myself gasping and attempting to run, but I tripped and nearly face-planted onto Leo’s horrifying blood.

“Selene!” Killian hissed, not expecting this breakdown.

I remembered fighting the hands that tried to grab me. I remembered kicking and seeing remnants of limbs on the floor.

Red.

It was red everywhere.

On my feet. On his shirt. On my hands. Always on my hands, the sins of my father’s betrayal tainting my fingertips black, and the crimes of being his daughter dipping my palms red.

Red with blood. Red with hatred.

I fought like my life depended on it. I clawed and struggled, flailing to get away from him all the whilst gasping for air and sobbing. In my protest, I slipped on the blood and I was falling. I saw the world around me spin, my knees giving out.

But I never felt the hard thud of wood. Instead, I felt firm hands grabbing my elbows. I felt his warmth enveloping my body. I felt his comfort. And what’s even worse was that he held me, panic attack and all.

“Shhh…” he whispered. “I’ve got you now, Selene.”

Killian pulled me into his arms, my body against his. He reeked of red. Of blood. Of danger. Of everything wrong with the world. I tried to fight it, but it was impossible. I struggled against his firm grasp, clawing at his face, but he didn’t seem to mind.

When my nails were sore, my palms raw from hitting his chest, and my limbs weak, I finally broke down. Fat and hot waterworks slid down my face as I gasped for air, my vision blurry, and something shifted in the corner of my eyes.

Even in pain, I couldn’t make a sound.

“It’s alright,” Killian said, his face filling my vision. “You’ll be alright, Selene.”

I sniffled and my lips crumbled together in disbelief.

I had struck him.

I had hit the Alpha in front of his Beta.

I had committed the unthinkable.

Yet, Killian was right in front of me. When I had no fight left in me, he slid his hand underneath me.

“Come, let’s get you cleaned,” Killian muttered, pressing his mouth against my hair.

My cheeks were stained with tears as I continued to cry against him. The noises that came out sounded mangled, but I didn’t care. I continued to weep for the life I had, the past I couldn’t change, and the only opportunity for me to let out my emotions.

“Cry all you want,” Killian said. “No one will dare to judge you—I’ll make sure of it.”

Killian carried me like a kid, my legs straddling either side of his firm waist. I felt my feet dangling in the air. I remembered how hot his body was and how good the crook of his neck smelled. I recalled pressing my face into his skin, molten tears continuing to run down my cheeks, but he never seemed to mind.

Killian carried me into a bathroom and set me in a large porcelain tub. I instantly curled into a ball, unable to do anything, not even breathe. Then, Killian stood in front of me, shielding my feeble body against the cold water that ran down his back. When the hot water came, I flinched. He squatted to my height.

Steam filled the room, but I held onto my knees still.

Killian pulled me close until my legs were crushed against his chest. That forced me to raise my head and look at him. I froze. Composed. Cunning. There wasn’t a hint of the man who tortured and murdered a man all the whilst carrying me.

“Is the water too hot?” Killian asked, curling a hand on my cheek. I stared, unable to even sign him something.

“I’ll take that as a no.” Killian lowered his arms and reached for the hem of my hospital gown and held my gaze.

I swallowed hard, my heart thumping against my chest. What was he going to do? God no.

“I only want to see the injuries.” Killian brushed his thumb against my hip bone in an attempt to reassure me.

I violently shook my head, shoving at him. He grabbed my wrists, forcing me to stop. He leaned incredibly close until our lips were just inches apart. I stared into his eyes, darker than the demons under my bed, crueler than the monsters that stalked my nightmares. Yet, these pupils belonged to the very man who’d torture for me.

“What would you like then?” Killian questioned in the same contained tone. There wasn’t a single flaw in his eerily collected expression. He was more handsome than any man I had ever witnessed, but also, the most unpredictable.

“What do you want?” Killian insisted.

What… I want?

No one had ever asked me that question. And before I could compose myself, I subconsciously reached for him. His eyes widened, the action barely noticeable. Then, I buried my face against his neck. The shower head poured over us, drenching me completely. I held onto him for god knew how long.

Eventually, I felt the water being turned off and Killian carrying me out of the bathroom. As exhaustion filled my limbs, I tried to recount the last thing that happened tonight.

“You’re safe now, Selene,” Killian said. He was seated on the couch with me. His lap was firm, his arms were tight around me, and his breathing was heavy. He was barely on the edge of control, but still held me.

Seconds blurred by, minutes disappearing in a blink, and soon, I had fallen asleep—in the arms of the most ruthless Alpha to ever walk the earth. Yet, it was the best sleep I had in years. All because of a man named Killian—my husband.