“I want you to give me a choice. I want to know that my suffering wasn’t just some sick game you two got off on. I want you to admit that you want me too…” My last words are a whisper as tears fill my eyes.
“Delilah…” My name is a whisper on Coal’s lips, and I look up, watching as he drops to the floor. He pulls his knees up to his chest, his hands in his hair.
“I didn’t choose him over you, Delilah. If I had tried to help you, Michael would have made me beat you to death. We both chose you over ourselves. Defying our fathers in every other way we could, so the focus of their wrath was solely on us. Hoping that if we didn’t show you any kindness, no one would target you. If anyone knew you were our weakness…” Quil's eyes are filled with fear, and I don’t know what else to do, so I just stand there. I cover my breasts with my arms, and watch them, as Coal loses his shit, and Quil looks torn between helping Coal and dealing with me. “You’ve got the truth. Now what?”
“Hurt me,” I whisper, tears falling from my eyes, as all the missing pieces click into place. All the times I thought they didn’t like being challenged by other Wolves, they were protecting me. The day everything changed. The way they looked at me.
Our lives are entwined, and they have been all along. They weren’t targeting me; they were protecting me.
“Hurt me, Coal. Please.”
Delilah
“Not like this,” Coal whispers, dropping his hands, and looking up at me. “Not your first time.” He shakes his head, and my heart sinks. “You deserve more. Better than being fucked by the men who made your life a living hell for years. You-” Coal closes his eyes, sighing before he goes on. “You have to leave, Delilah. You have to walk away. Nothing can change between us. When we see my father on Monday… Nothing has changed. Leave.” He’s firm now, and the hard look in his eyes makes my chest ache.
“You need to keep your distance, Delilah. We’re only so strong, and this could cost you everything. Please. Don’t throw away your life, after everything we’ve done to keep you safe.” Quil’s tone is softer than I’ve ever heard it, and I think that, beyond just his words, is what makes me grab his shirt off the floor, and pull it on over my head.
“I’ll be with Dean if you need anything,” I say, as I turnaway from them. I can’t look at them again, or my heart will break.
“Delilah?” Dean frowns, opening his door wide, letting me into his room. Matteo is on the couch and perks up when he hears my name, until he sees me.
“What happened?” He jumps up and rushes over to me as Dean closes the door behind me.
“It’s a long story, but it’s probably something you both need to hear,” I sigh. I don’t know how much to tell them. I don’t want to put Coal and Quil in more danger.
Ten minutes later, I’m curled up on the couch in Dean’s clothes, and wrapped in a fuzzy blanket.
“I can’t tell you everything. Some of it isn’t my story to tell. I just need you to know that, whatever you think of Coal and Quil, it’s probably wrong. It’s not them I need protection from.” I sip the tea Dean made for me and watch as they both frown.
“I don’t understand. Aren’t they the ones who’ve been hurting you for years?” Matteo asks, and I tilt my head side to side.
“Yes, and no. They had a reason, and if they hadn’t, I would have gone through worse.” I’m trying to keep the details vague, without leaving them completely in the dark. “For now, I need to ask you both to trust me.”
“If you’re sure,” Dean agrees, and Matteo nods.
It’s Sunday night, and I’m snuggled up to Dean on his couch, reading another book about this bird man mating aHuman. Very bizarre. Matteo walks in, and a growl rumbles in his chest. I get up and walk into the kitchen to get a drink.
Matteo lifts his head, sniffing the air, and I glare.
“Oh, my god! Stop fucking sniffing me! You assholes spend way too much time worrying about what I smell like!” I snap, as I get a drink from the fridge.
Dean looks smug, and Matteo is still all growly. I march over to him, wrap my arms around his neck, and rub myself against him. I stick my face in the crook of his neck and rub. I turn around and rub my back against his front, and he grunts. He grabs my hips and stills my movements, but I don’t care.
“There, now I smell like you too! Stop growling!” I snap at him and try to take a step away, but he pulls me back against him.
He drops his lips to my ear, “If you rub your ass against my dick like that again, I’ll do more than just stand here next time.” The heat of his breath against my skin makes me shudder. Fuck. These men are going to be my undoing. “Do you have any idea how long I’ve wanted you, Delilah?”
“No, I don’t. But I want to. Why wouldn’t you shift?” I whisper, as a sliver of pain creeps back into my heart. Bunny had once been so important to me.
“I wouldn’t have been able to control myself,” he says, and maybe it’s because he’s behind me, but I feel brave enough to say what I’ve held in all this time.
“You broke my heart, Bunny. I wouldn’t have minded if you lost control with me…”
“Young Wolves are driven by instinct and emotion. If Matteo had shifted, he might have done something that can’t be undone, like giving you the mate mark,” Dean says softly from the couch, as Matteo holds me tightly. I can’tsee the look on his face, but I can feel the tension in his body.
“I couldn’t risk your life. You were too important to me. You still are.” Matteo moves, so his arms are wrapped around the front of my body, and I snuggle back into his arms, breathing in his scent as it soothes me. “When we learned we were being sent to Primal Moon Academy, I knew you’d be here. I made a plan with Dean to find you and claim you. But Coal fucked it all up. I’m sorry Delilah, but we’ll find a way to fix this,” Matteo vows, and I nod, staying silent. “We’ll get you out of here.”
Dean huffs as Matteo sits us down next to him with me on his lap. I don’t move as Matteo drops his hands to my hips. I like the feeling of his strong body behind me, and I don’t want to get up.
