My Dearly Beloved Luna

Chapter 16

“Why?” I cut in, looking directly at Edmund. My voice stays firm as I hold Martha’s trembling wrist. “If she was comfortable saying all of that in front of everyone here, why shouldn’t she repeat it in front of the Alpha?”

“Please, Miss Sylvia,” Martha says quickly, her voice shaking. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said it.”

“You meant it.” I turn my attention back to her, making sure she can see that I’m no longer the frightened girl everyone remembers. “So stand by your words.”

Her face crumples. “Please don’t do this. I need this job. I have grandchildren depending on me.”

For a moment, I say nothing. Then I let go, and Martha immediately pulls her arm against her chest, rubbing the sore spot while tears gather in her eyes.

“I might be weak,” I tell her quietly as I step away, “but that doesn’t mean I’ll let people treat me however they want.”

I glance around the kitchen before continuing, “I’m not asking anyone here to like me. I’m perfectly happy keeping to myself and staying out of everyone’s business, but if someone decides to disrespect me, I won’t stand there and accept it.”

I turn toward Edmund. “Could I get something small to eat? Maybe some fruit or a sandwich?”

He stares at me for a second, almost as though he’s seeing me differently. “Of course, Miss Sylvia.”

“I’ll do it,” Martha says quickly.

She returns to the counter, her movements noticeably more careful as she prepares the food. I don’t say anything else, and a few minutes later, she approaches with a small paper bag containing a sandwich, a banana, and a bottle of water.

“Here you are, miss,” she says quietly as she holds the bag out to me.

“Thank you.” My voice isn’t warm, but I don’t make it cruel either.

Martha gives a quick nod before moving away, and I take the bag and head for the kitchen entrance. The moment I step into the hallway, however, the adrenaline that carried me through the confrontation starts wearing off. My heart begins pounding, and my fingers feel slightly unsteady around the breakfast bag, but I tighten my grip and keep walking.

I refuse to let anyone see me shake.

I make it only a few steps before I nearly walk straight into Elias.

He’s leaning against the wall beside the kitchen entrance, his arms loosely crossed, as though he has been there long enough to hear everything. His dark eyes settle on me, and I immediately straighten. That strange sensation returns to my chest, the same pull and the same inexplicable need to move closer to him despite every reason telling me to stay away. I bury it before it can take hold.

“Were you listening?” I ask, keeping my voice steady.

His expression doesn’t change. “I don’t remember you being like that.” His voice is low, almost thoughtful.

I give him a humourless smile. “And what exactly did you expect?”

His eyes remain on me. “The girl I remember wouldn’t have handled that woman the way you did.”

I shrug, refusing to let his words get under my skin. “Maybe the girl you remember doesn’t exist anymore.”

Something shifts in his face, but I don’t give him time to respond. “Did you prefer her, then? The quiet girl who cried whenever someone raised her voice?”

His jaw tightens. “That’s not what I meant.”

“Then what did you mean?”

He doesn’t answer immediately. Instead, his gaze drops to the breakfast bag in my hand before he looks back at me. “Why aren’t you eating with the family?”

I almost laugh. “Because I’d rather spend as little time around all of you as possible.”

I move to walk around him, but his arm comes up, blocking my path. “I’ll drive you.”

“No.” I keep my eyes on his as I step back. “I said no.”

“Sylvia.” His voice drops into a warning.

“I heard you.” I duck beneath his arm before he can stop me and continue toward the front entrance.

Behind me, I hear his footsteps following, but I refuse to turn around. The moment I step outside, cool morning air brushes against my face. The sun is only beginning to rise, spreading soft pink and gold across the sky.

A black SUV waits in the circular driveway.

I stop when Elias walks past me and heads toward it. He opens the driver’s door, then looks back at me. “Get in.”

I stare at him, tightening my grip on the breakfast bag. “No, thanks.”

His expression darkens, and before I can take another step, his hand closes around my wrist. He turns me back toward him, and my back meets the side of the SUV so quickly that I barely have time to react.

Elias plants one hand against the window beside my head, boxing me in.

My breath catches as I look up at him. He looks angry, but anger isn’t the only thing burning behind his eyes. There’s something else there, something wild and desperate, and the moment his scent reaches me, my thoughts become harder to control.

Earthy and smoky, warm, deep, and unmistakably him.

I hate how quickly my body recognises it. My pulse jumps as heat spreads beneath my skin, and suddenly I’m aware of everything about him, from the distance between our bodies to the warmth coming from his chest and the steady movement of his throat when he swallows.

I force myself not to look down, but my eyes betray me anyway. His jaw is tense, and his shoulders are broad beneath his dark shirt. The rising sunlight catches the side of his face, leaving his gaze shadowed as he stares down at me, and that impossible pull inside my chest becomes stronger.

I don’t understand it, and I don’t want it, but standing this close to Elias makes pretending it isn’t there feel almost impossible.