And then he emerged from the closet. He was indeed holding a bag. The ground seemed to tilt beneath Jewel’s feet, and she stumbled forward, barely catching herself on a chair in the sitting area. Tears welled up in her eyes, blurring her vision as the possibility of Dalton leaving became all too real. She knew her heart would stop beating as soon as he walked out that door. Without Dalton by her side, Jewel would be incomplete, an empty husk, blown about by whatever wind might come her way.
Dalton’s expression was unreadable as he looked at her, his hand gripping the bag tightly. Jewel held her breath, bracing herself for whatever he was about to say or do. Every second felt like an eternity until finally, with a heavy sigh, Dalton spoke.
“I’m going to contact Dillon and see how I can help with the mess Cain has caused. I don’t know when I’ll be back.”
It sounded more like he was saying he didn’t know “if” he’d be back. There was no emotion on his face or in his voice. He spoke to her as if she was an acquaintance, not the woman he’d planned to build a life with. She’d rather he put a dagger in her chest, and she already knew how painful that was. It was still preferable to this.
Jewel opened her mouth, but then shut it without making a sound. What could she say? Did she have any right to beg him to stay? She’d been lying to him by omission for weeks. Her thirst for knowledge drove her to explore the possibility she had discovered. However, she knew Dalton would not be pleased with her actions. No one in her pack would be okay with it and, more than likely, Tanya and Dillon would forbid it.
Dalton stood there, his powerful arms flexed and tense, his broad shoulders pulled back in a show of strength. His chin was lifted confidently, and the fiery determination in his eyes was almost tangible. What did he want? For her to plead for him to stay? Surely, he already knew she wanted him to stay. Did he want her to beg at his feet, tears streaming down her face? Jewel couldn’t imagine sinking so low, but she couldn’t deny the desperation clawing at her from within.
“Are you going to say anything?” Dalton’s voice cut through the tension like a knife.
Jewel straightened from where she had been leaning on the chair. She wiped away the tears that had escaped her control and then bit her lip hard, trying to hold back the words that wanted to escape. She couldn’t reveal everything yet. With a deep breath, she composed herself and answered through gritted teeth, “I don’t know what to say.” The pain in her voice was palpable, but she couldn’t let it break her completely.
“You could start with the truth,” Dalton growled. “I’m your true mate, your husband. We share a damn soul together. I deserve your honesty.Iam the person you should be able to tell anything. I’m the one you should feel safe with. I’m yours and you are mine, Jewel. But you’re acting like I don’t deserve your honesty or trust. That’s what this comes down to. If you feel you can’t talk to me, it’s because you don’t trust me. And by the Great Luna, I can’t figure out what I did to lose your trust.”
Jewel was horrified by his words.She’dmade him feel this way. The complete betrayal in his eyes and voice was entirely her fault. He had done nothing but love her. “I’m sorry.” Her voice trembled. “It kills me to hear you say that, for you to think that.”
“Not enough.” His voice was cold and emotionless, which was worse than his anger and pain.
Dalton waited for his mate to tell him he was wrong. He stood there like a fool, hoping she would run into his arms and let him in. He hated to sound cruel to her. He despised the indifference in his voice. But he was at a loss. He thought back to all they’d been through in their relationship. And there’d been a lot of pain already.
“I told you once that you’d denied me the right and privilege to take care of you,” he reminded her. “I thought you understood. I told you that there was no longer ‘me,’ but ‘we.’ We are a team, a partnership. I thought you agreed.”
Jewel’s face hardened, though her eyes were still full of tears. “Well, if we’re going to take a walk down memory lane, then how about this, Dalton Black? You once told me that if I thought you would just walk away and give up on me, then I was a bigger fool than even you.” She motioned to the bag that he gripped in his hand. “Who’s the bigger fool now?”
Each word she spoke felt like a scorching brand, searing through every nerve in his body. Dalton had thought that losing Jewel the first time had been the worst pain he could ever endure, but now he knew he was wrong. Her cold rejection and constant deceit had been like a relentless onslaught of fiery arrows, piercing his heart and soul. The bond between them, once strong and unbreakable, now felt like a tattered rope that threatened to snap at any moment. This agony was unlike anything he had ever known before, and it consumed him completely. “I am,” he said, softly. “For believing that one as young as you could possibly be ready to make the kind of commitment that our kind makes. I know you’ve been through hell, but I’d thought you’d made progress. Now I realize I don’t know as much about you as I thought.”
She looked as if he’d slapped her across the face, and he immediately wanted to take back his words. His wolf was pissed at him for saying such things to their mate, but the man washurt. She’d managed to do what no one else ever had: make him feel insignificant and unworthy. Dalton stomped toward the door, knowing that if he stayed longer, he’d say more things he regretted. He’d do even more damage to whatever bond might be left between them. Dalton had no idea how to come back from this or if they even could.
As his hand wrapped around the knob, he paused as she gasped his name.
“Dalton. Are you leaving me?”
He didn’t answer her question. He simply waited. Still hoping she’d trust him, like the fool he admitted to being. After several seconds, he blew out his breath. “If you’ve cared for me at all, during this time we’ve been together, at least tell me this. Have you been meeting a lover at these brothels you’ve been going to?” The entire drive back that night, he’d been thinking about it. As a gypsy healer or witch, she might have a way of removing the scent of another male. Since she’d effectively shut down the bond, he had no way of seeing into her thoughts and memories. He hadn’t planned to ask. But if she answered nothing else, he would demand an answer to this.
Jewel gasped. “What?”
“You heard me just fine. Answer the damn question.”
“You think I’m capable of that? You think so little of me?” He heard the shock in her voice.
Dalton’s chuckle was dark. “Little dove, I have no idea what you’re capable of anymore. You’ve made it clear that you don’t really give a rat’s ass what I think of you.” He waited, his eyes on his hand gripping the doorknob.
“You are the only lover I have ever had.” She spoke so softly that a human wouldn’t have heard the words.
He opened the door, and just before he slammed it closed, he heard her whisper, “The only one I’d ever want.”
Dalton didn’t let the words sway him. His steps ate up the floor to the front door. The farther he got from her, the more the pain ripped through him. When he was a good fifty yards from the mansion, he pulled out his phone and found the contact he wanted. He hit the call button and waited. Two rings later, a woman answered.
“What can I do for you, Dalton Black?” He could hear the curiosity in Elle’s voice.
“Why is Dalton calling you?” Dalton heard Sorin’s voice come through the phone.
“Well, I wouldn’t know. You haven’t given him time to answer me,” Elle told her mate. “Now, where were we? Oh, yes. You were about to explain to me why you’re calling me. Is Jewel all right?” The last question was asked with some urgency, as if she had just realized a problem with Jewel would be the only reason Dalton might be calling.
“I need your help. And the answer to your question about Jewel is complicated.”
