The Ghost in the Machine
420 Words
"Explain.".
Chloe was staring at the profile of a mysterious account called @VesperOfYouth when Silas slammed the tablet down in front of her.
"I don't know who this is—".
"I'm not talking about the account," Silas snapped, his hand clamping onto her jaw to force her to meet his gaze. "Why is Julian Thorne going to war for you?".
Lightning flashed outside, illuminating the fury rolling in Silas’s eyes. His sharp features looked like they were carved from obsidian.
"Why shouldn't he?" Chloe retorted, her voice steadier than she felt. "He knows the truth. He’s standing up for what's right. Is there something wrong with that?".
She tried to push him away, but Silas caught her wrist, his thumb grinding against her pulse point in a way that felt dangerously possessive.
"You have no idea who he is," Silas growled, his breath hot against her skin. "He’s a dangerous man, Chloe. 'Justice'? Please. He has an agenda. Don't be fooled by his pretty words, and do not respond to him".
The rain hammered against the windows. Chloe suddenly laughed.
"Mr. Sterling," she said, her voice dripping with mock sweetness, "are you jealous?".
Silas’s eyes darkened to a lethal gold. He pulled her closer until their noses brushed. "I don't like other people touching what's mine," he whispered. "Especially a Lycan's mate. You have no idea what that means to a wolf".
"I am not your property," she whispered back.
"You are," he countered, his lips grazing her earlobe. "Don't forget. We are married".
"A human ceremony," Chloe pointed out. "Not a Pack bond".
Silas’s expression went ice-cold. He cupped her face with both hands, his wolf tail unspooling from his suit and curling tightly around her waist, dragging her flush against him. "You're pushing me, Chloe. You know there are consequences".
A shiver ran down her spine, but it wasn't fear. She gritted her teeth. "Silas, tell me... why is this @VesperOfYouth account so obsessed with my dead mother?".
It was a burner account—no posts, no followers, but it had liked every single piece of news regarding Chloe’s mother.
Silas’s body went rigid. His tail instinctively retracted. "How should I know?" he huffed, looking away.
"You don't?" Chloe reached for the tablet to check the IP logs she’d been tracing.
But a flurry of new notifications cut her off:
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BREAKING: Tiffany Vance 'Recording-Gate' Scandal
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Full Video Leaked: The Truth Behind the Substitute Bride
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Tiffany Vance Under Investigation for Assault with a Deadly Weapon
- Writer
