“Of course.” The awkwardness persisted. Silas bowed his head, then turned and headed out through the doors. Elijah watched as he went.
After everything they’d shared, they couldn’t even kiss each other goodbye.
Elijah shifted his weight and jammed his hands into his pockets, then sighed and turned away. He was no more than ten steps down the hall when he crossed paths with Greyson.
“Elijah, there you are.” Greyson came to a stop. “Counselor Nash has been looking for you.”
“Counselor Nash?” Elijah hadn’t heard of Nash before, and he had no idea what another counselor would want with him. “Who’s that?”
“Torres came in today to do a bit of extra paperwork, since there are so many of us new to the center,” Greyson explained. “Counselor Rutledge transferred your case to Counselor Nash, and Torres finalized the change today. Counselor Nash came to see you so you guys could get acquainted before session picks up again on Monday, but no one could figure out where you were.”
“What?” It felt like a mistake. Elijah’s mind worked in slow motion as he picked apart what he’d been told. Silas had transferred his case?
“Yeah, I was a little surprised, too. Maybe you came on too strong and he got spooked.” Greyson grinned, as though it were a joke. The way Elijah’s heart shattered wasn’t a laughing matter. “You were being kind of crazy, you know? An alpha with his life together like Counselor Rutledge doesn’t want damaged goods. He’s got a whole pool of accomplished omegas he works with on a day to day basis who are probably pining for him. Bet he figured out what you were doing and pulled the plug on it before it could get started.”
It wasn’t as though he had to figure it out—Elijah had been transparent about his wants. Since the beginning, he’d assumed Silas was too stuffy and noble to play him for a fool, even if he came on strong. It looked like that wasn’t the case anymore. Silas had played his cards perfectly, scoring an afternoon of mind-blowing sex with an omega in heat with none of the consequences.
If Silas transferred his case, it meant he had no interest in freeing Elijah from Stonecrest. Silas was trapping him there, used and pregnant, for someone else to deal with. All of the sweet words and the hazy promises meant nothing but lies.
“Elijah?” Greyson asked. “Are you okay? You’re looking a little strange.”
“I need to go,” Elijah insisted. He didn’t want to hear any more—not from Greyson, not from Counselor Nash, and not from Torres. The only person who was going to answer for this was the man who’d started it all—Silas.
“What do you mean, you need to go?” Greyson asked, but Elijah wasn’t interested in explaining himself anymore. As rage burnt inside of him, he turned on his heels and stormed back toward the main doors. The security guard who stood duty there lifted his head as Elijah approached.
“Unless you’re with an approved staff member, I’m afraid I can’t let you pass,” he said as Elijah approached. “If you could back away—”
“Forget it.” Elijah didn’t so much as slow down. What he’d learned had to be addressed immediately. If something was going on and Silas had no idea a transfer had taken place, the situation needed to be rectified. If he was guilty of shoving Elijah off onto someone else after using him, he was going to answer for his actions. “Tell Torres I’m done here. I’m walking out more damaged than I ever walked in.”
“Hey!” the security guard shouted.
“Elijah!” Greyson called from the front doors. “What are you doing?”
“Putting my life in order,” Elijah shot back. He bounded down the stairs, energized by his fury. “I’m done with being used, and I’m done with other people telling me it’s what’s best for me. I’ve had it. No one is going to save me but myself.”
