The More He Denies It...
533 Words
"You went to Julian Thorne because you wanted to use his resources to dig into things you shouldn't, didn't you?"
Silas didn't wait for an answer. He spoke rapidly, his words coming out in a clipped, defensive rush as if he were terrified she might actually say no.
"Don't bother looking anymore. Your guess was right. The account belongs to the Sterling Estate."
"@VesperOfYouth. That’s me."
His voice was lower than usual. His wolf ears were pressed flat against his hair, the tips twitching rhythmically.
"What?" Chloe breathed, certain she had misheard him.
Based on his public coldness, Silas Sterling was the last person she expected to be her secret guardian angel on social media.
"Don't believe me?" Silas bit out the words, his tail suddenly going dead still. "Open the tablet."
When Chloe didn't move, he snatched the device, his movements agitated. He tapped in the passcode and bypassed the facial recognition with a practiced flick. The backend of the @VesperOfYouth account stared back at her from the screen.
Chloe’s breath hitched. She had imagined this moment, but seeing the proof—that this lethal, icy Alpha was one of the only three people to support her from the start—left her speechless.
Silas had said himself that survival for Lycans in Holloway City was a tightrope walk. Every move he made was watched by enemies. A single wrong word could bring down the entire Pack. Perhaps that was why he had hidden behind a burner account to show her even a shred of humanity.
"But why..." her voice was a mere whisper. "I mean..."
Silas’s tail suddenly thudded against the leather seat, a sharp sound in the quiet car. He refused to look at her.
"It’s not for love," he interrupted harshly. "Don't get ideas. You’re my wife in name; we’re both playing parts. I value the contract, nothing more."
He was wound tight, the fur on his ears vibrating with a tension he couldn't hide.
"Are you nervous?" Chloe asked softly.
Silas’s Adam’s apple bobbed. His tail crept out again, winding around her wrist and brushing softly against her skin. This time, Chloe didn't pull away.
"I’m just fulfilling my duty," Silas repeated, as if trying to convince himself.
But the more he emphasized the "duty," the more suspicious it became. Why bother with a secret account that had no influence on the corporate bottom line? He wanted to show his attitude, not just the "Sterling CEO's" attitude.
Silas rubbed the bridge of his nose, his tail-muscles tensing. He didn't notice how hard he was gripping her until Chloe let out a sharp "Sss."
"Silas," she said, her voice strained. "You're on my wound."
In the bakery, his claws had been too sharp, leaving jagged red marks across her wrist.
The tail snapped away instantly. Silas turned to her, his gaze dropping to her arm. The beads of blood hadn't fully dried yet, a silent indictment of his loss of control.
The car was silent. Silas’s human fingers curled and uncurled on his knees. Finally, he reached out, turning his palm upward in front of her.
"Does it hurt?" he asked, his voice thick. "Let me see."
- Writer
