Elijah was too worked up to comment. He didn’t want to run his mouth and insult anyone else.
“I know you don’t have very high opinions of my brother,” Tad said once they were alone. “Sometimes, I think he’s too rigid and emotionally detached for his own good, too, but he’s got a heart. All I’m asking is that you hear him out and let him speak while you keep an open mind. Silas has never gone out of his way to hurt anybody, and I find it highly suspect he’d want to start with you.”
“I told you, I’ll listen.” The more Tad pressured him, the more Elijah felt run-down. Silas knew how to control his alpha tendencies and seldom exercised force, but Tad wasn’t so delicate. Bit by bit, Elijah appreciated the control Silas executed in his presence. Being with Silas had never been draining. “I’m not going to be mean to him. I’ll admit, I was emotional after I found out. I acted out.”
“Well.” There was shuffling outside the door, joined by muffled voices. Elijah was certain he heard Silas speaking. “I’ll let you two talk it out. No matter what happens, you are always welcome at The Soup Pot if you find yourself down on your luck.”
“Thanks,” Elijah mumbled. He watched as Tad cleared the room and opened the door. From where he sat, Elijah couldn’t see who waited in the hall. “Sorry that I hit you.”
“Don’t worry about it. I’m gonna tease Silas about taking a hit for him for the rest of his life. I feel like that’s more than enough compensation.”
Tad left, and before the door swung closed, Silas entered. He wore a proper button-down shirt and a pair of professional slacks, but he’d lost the polish that held his look together. Silas’ dark hair was messy, and there were bags beneath his eyes from exhaustion. Stubble shaded his jaw and neck. One of the buttons of his shirt had come undone, and he hadn’t bothered to do it back up. There was mud on his shoes.
“Elijah,” Silas said as the door closed. “I know you’re upset, but I’m begging you to give me two minutes to say what I have to say. After that, I won’t bother you again.”
The strung-out hitch of Silas’ voice was upsetting. Elijah sank into his chair and fidgeted his heel against his shoe, desperate for a distraction. He didn’t like to think that he’d made Silas look and sound like that. Ignoring the evidence was easier, and it hurt less.
Elijah wished it didn’t hurt at all.
“I’m listening,” Elijah said.
“I filed to have your case transferred because I realized I have feelings for you I couldn’t set aside. Continuing to work with you would have been unethical. As a professional, I knew that the best course of action for you and your wellbeing was to give someone neutral the privilege of working with you.”
“That wasn’t what was best for me,” Elijah murmured. It hurt his heart to hear Silas talk of him so objectively.
“I know.” Silas leaned back against the door, just as Seth once had. “Professionally, it was the best course of action. Emotionally…” Silas scrubbed at his face and shook his head. “It was devastating. I filed the request on Friday, before anything serious happened between us. I was under the impression that Torres would only be back in the office on Monday, and that I had time to get in there and talk to her before anything happened with it after we went home together.”
It hadn’t happened that way. Elijah’s heel slipped out of his shoe, and he forced his foot back in and did his best to stay quiet. The rebellious, outspoken part of his personality wanted to tear into Silas for shunting his problem onto someone else in an attempt to bury his head in the sand. A larger part urged him to be understanding. For so long Elijah had been adamant that omegas were nothing more than property, and that their purposes were limited. He’d believed that Silas’ kindness was manipulation instead of sincere, even if it was well masked. Meeting Tad began to change Elijah’s mind. Kindness wasn’t always selfish.
The alphas he’d met during his stay at The White Lotus weren’t reputable people, but there were Alphas out there who were genuinely good people. The backward belief of his parents and the insidious exploitation of Baylor had convinced Elijah that good people didn’t exist.
Silas and Tad definitely existed.
Somewhere out there, the third Rutledge triplet was likely just as kind-hearted, and if the Rutledge brothers respected omegas like that, then there had to be others who did as well. Elijah had seen sheltered from the world during his time at The White Lotus, but before that, he’d seen omegas contributing to society. No matter what his parents and Baylor insisted was the truth, there were omegas out there who were valued. Important.
It was easy to fall back on old habits and mindsets, especially when upset, but Silas didn’t deserve to be punished because of Elijah’s mental hang-ups.
“What we did yesterday afternoon, I realize that it has consequences. I never intended to leave you, but the cards didn’t fall the right way. I don’t want to run away from my emotions anymore. No one has ever made me feel like you’ve made me feel.” Silas’ expression was braced for an argument. “I want to be with you more than I want to keep my job.”
Elijah didn’t doubt it. “If what you said is true, then what are you going to do?” Elijah asked. “Now that you’ve quit your job, there’s no way you can sign me out of Stonecrest, and I’m going to be trapped there until I do what they want me to do. I don’t want to stay there anymore. I’m not happy there—I’m happy withyou.”
“I know.” Silas stood up straight and rubbed his arm. “I’ve been thinking about our options. I’ve been thinking about a lot of things. What we did has changed my life irrevocably… but I like to think for the better. I’m still trying to put all of the pieces together, but I know some things for certain.”
“And what things are those?” The longer Silas spoke, the more Elijah gave in to him. He’d left Stonecrest crushed, certain that everything they’d gone through together was a lie to get him in bed. Now, hope for the future returned. A life of security. A place in life. A family…
“I have to figure out how I’m going to use my skills in order to support you and the family we’re going to have soon,” Silas said. “I have to figure out how I’m going to get you out of Stonecrest so that we can be together, and I have to figure out how to get you the education and the care you need in order to have a fulfilling life without having you committed to a rehabilitation center.”
Those three pieces alone were monumental. Elijah heaved a sigh and nodded his head.
“So I think the first, and most important, step is to formalize our relationship.” Silas cleared his throat, and as he did, Elijah lifted his head to look into his eyes. Some of the formality had slipped from Silas’ face, and the unmasked alpha he’d met briefly in the bedroom returned. “Let me show you how serious I am about you, Elijah. Marry me.”
The world lost focus for a second, and Elijah scrambled up from his chair in surprise. The rapid beating of his heart drummed in his ears and fogged his thoughts.
“M-Marry?”
“As your husband, not only will I be able to release you from Stonecrest, but I can prove my devotion. The money I possess, the choices I make, and the directions in life I go in will be shared with you. I will not stray, and I will not leave you.”
“I…” How could he say yes? The bond between them was unparalleled, but it was still so early into their relationship that committing felt crazy. Silas’ devotion was breathtaking, but Elijah couldn’t let him go through with it. He’d already caused so many other problems in Silas’ life that he couldn’t bear the thought of creating more strain. A shotgun wedding would only increase tension.
