His Silent Temptation

Chapter 20 - Loud Things

K I L L I A N

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“He died too quickly,” I spat, snuffing out the cigarette on Leo’s sliced skin. His mangled body laid limply on the floor, all bone and skin, barely any blood or flesh. We made sure of it. What's left would be tossed into the dog’s den.

“He lasted more than two weeks of torture,” Nicolas dryly responded, exiting the room at the same time I did to clean my hand, but no matter what he did, the pink would always leave a stain for a day or so.

"What does Selene mean to you?" Nicolas suddenly asked me.

"What else should a wife mean to you?" I returned, narrowing my eyes at his doubting stare.

"Fine," Nicolas stated, turning his attention to the deceased Leo. Someone would be cleaning up his body soon.

"It should’ve been impossible for him to harm Selene by himself,” I pointed out. Nicolas tilted his head, almost not believing the theory, but he knew better than to doubt my suspicions. I was always right. Always.

“I don’t think she could’ve screamed to alert anyone,” Nicolas stated, his eyes glazing over to pass the message along through the mind link. Most likely to Chester, who’d ask Selene for any witnesses.

“I specifically ordered three meals a day and a change of clothes.” I dried my hands on a towel before tossing it into the trash. My jaws tightened, venom filling my veins, anger boiling at the thought of what I failed to do for Selene.

She was nobody, but she was still my property. I should’ve protected her better. She risked her life to come to me, with motives I couldn’t read, and a brain I’d like to pry through. What went through her mind when she saw me? Why me, out of everyone else?

“Whoever brought her the supplies failed to notify any of us of the torment,” Nicolas realized. “Though, he did leave bruises on places that clothes could cover. I doubt he expected us to return this quickly.”

I didn’t bother listening. I already made up my mind. There was a rat lurking in my walls, and I was going to catch it. Trap it. And brutalize it.

- - - - -

I should’ve left her be. I should’ve walked down the corridors and towards my room, pretending a living embodiment of a goddess wasn’t in my wing of the house. But how could I not? Her hair was the color of sunshine and her eyes were crafted from emeralds. Her soft pouty lips were a weakness of mine, plump enough for me to imagine it around my groin.

‘She’d be terrified,’ Knox grumbled through my mind.

I wouldn’t be surprised. Instead of staying as far away from her soft, innocent expression, I found myself opening the door and letting Chester out of his misery. I could tell the incident riddled him with guilt. The boy that once protested being a bodyguard had stood diligently outside of her door for days.

“You have my word, Selene.”

I never made promises. I made words of honor. I had already shown her around the house, including that library she seemed to enjoy, but the reports were the same.

Selene never leaves her room. I had seen her attention glued to the window, most likely missing the sun. So instead of keeping her all locked away, I took her to the gardens where she could smell the roses. Or, whatever girls did with flowers.

“Jasper planted those,” I found myself telling her when she lingered around blooming purple and blue hydrangeas. Her eyes lit up like a child on Christmas over a bush that towered over her.

My nose was pricked with pollen. I hated these darn petals. Instead of rubbing my nose like a gremlin around her, I shoved it into my pants. Anything to keep me from touching her. Anything.

‘I like it,’ Selene signed to me, her fingertips delicate and precise. I could only imagine it wrapped around my d**k.

Fuck.

“We have other ones,” I muttered. I couldn’t help myself. It was impossible to not touch her when she was this close. Sliding my palm against her spine, I felt her go rigid. She stared up at me, helpless and naive, completely oblivious of the things I’d do to her. Then, she offered me a hesitant, almost strained smile, as if slowly familiarizing herself with me.

She really shouldn’t.

Selene allowed me to guide her to the far end of the garden, where bright pink and purple hydrangeas could be seen. She let out an ecstatic gasp, eager to cup the thing in her hands and bend to smell it.

I was going to sneeze. She was bouncing on her toes at this point. I was wondering if she had a plant fetish the same way Jasper did with books. She grinned up at me and I was smitten. Slain, even.

“You like flowers?”

Fuck. I was stupid. She obviously did. I couldn’t control myself around her. An unwilling reaction, if you would.

Selene tilted her head. ‘Doesn’t everyone?’

Not if you were allergic to damn pollen like I was.

“Sure thing,” I muttered, grabbing her by the waist and leading her to other sections of the garden. The first time Jasper proposed the idea, I shot it down. Now, I was sending a mind link to Jasper for more seeds.

‘Plant your stupid flowers in the front of the house too,’ I instructed him.

‘Why?’ Jasper responded.

‘Cause I said so.’

Jasper instantly shut off the link, which was quite impossible since I was Alpha. Shaking my head, I turned to see Selene was crouched down and watching a trail of ants. She stared, almost as if it had been years since she last saw grass.

“How long were you locked away by him?” I needed the truth. She tensed, her shoulders going up like a hissing cat. A moment of silence passed and rose to her height, which barely touched my shoulders.

Selene paused, almost counting on her hand, before revealing her ten fingers to me.

“And how old were you?” I asked.

Selene stared right through me as if doubting my words.

‘I was ten when my father was executed and twelve when I became mute,’ she signed.

Selene left her tablet back on the table. Now, as I processed her words, a burning rage tore through my chest. In just two years, Malore brought a child. He was at least twenty-two when it happened. When he forcibly marked a little girl.

I was going to gut him like a fish and hang him for everyone to see. The laws of the werewolf world were different from that of humans. It wasn’t illegal to kill another wolf, as long as you had a reason. Selene’s father, on the other hand? Did not. Trespassing onto another Alpha’s land was also considered a crime, but nothing was more sinful than killing an Alpha without a proper duel—unless it was between father and son.

If Malore wanted to live another day, he better not set foot in my territory.

“Come,” I muttered around a long silence. “Let’s get you fed.”

I took her back to the living room, careful to keep my distance from her. Perhaps I had walked too fast, or her legs were too short, but that was impossible. The thin little things stretched for miles, and I was tempted to sink my teeth into her thigh.

I glanced over my shoulder to see her speedwalking to catch up, her brows tugged together in concentration, her hips swinging with the motion. I grabbed her. I shouldn’t have. The second I did so, she jumped. I lifted her into my arms, one hand on her behind, and the other on her upper back. Her legs dandled on either side of me, straddling me in mid-air.

Her grip tightened on my shoulders. I expected her to protest, but she softly sighed in relief. A moment of uncertainty passed. Then, she slowly relaxed herself and rested her face upon the crook of my neck.

Every fiber in my body responded to this sweet temptation. Her hair brushed innocently on my skin, but I was already hard and tense for her. My jaw tightened, blood pumping in my chest.

“What do you want for dinner?” I forced myself to ask, but it came out like a low warning growl.

Selene swallowed hard. She was shaken by the raised voice. She must’ve not enjoyed loud things.

“My brothers are all downstairs,” I continued, lowering my tone. She loosened, just a bit.

“You’ll be eating with us again.” I solemnly made small talk. But when it came to Selene who always resembled a frightened animal, communication was key.

When we made it to the living room, chatter filled the air. Jasper was already reading a menu, Nicolas engrossed on his phone, and Chester loudly chatted with his friends through an earpiece whilst pummeling the punching bag.

Chester’s hits were pound and pounding, sweeping the air with each swing. With a ferocious thud, he sent the bag flinging back.

Selene jumped, her breathing turning erratic. I couldn’t tell if it was because of Chester’s concentrated expression or the fact that he was murdering an inimate object.

But everyone in the room sensed her fear. Their eyes snapped to her. She stilled, her face paling. Then, she glanced at the door.

It took less than a minute for me to wonder why they were looking at me.

I had walked in with Selene in my arms. Once again, I contradicted my own words.