Chapter 18
Silas looked down, slightly confused but too drunk to say anything. I quickly pulled back, a smug smile tugging at my lips.
But then, instead of letting me go, Silas’s arms tightened around me. He buried his face in my hair, murmuring, “Don’t leave me.”
His words startled me. “Silas, what’s wrong with you? Are you… in love with me?” I asked, half–joking, half–serious.
Silas’s grip tightened further, and his voice was barely a whisper. “Yes, I love you.”
For a moment, I was taken aback. Had he really fallen for me? Had my plan worked? But then, his next words shattered that illusion.
owena… I love you. Don’t leave me.”
Rowena. My old name. The name I hadn’t gone by in years. My heart clenched as the memories came rushing back. He hadn’t forgotten me. But how could he say he loved me when he’d been responsible for the deaths of my two daughters? He had let them die, all for Lena’s son.
As Silas clung to me, refusing to let go, I struggled to keep my emotions in check. His arms were tight around me, and I could feel the weight of his drunken state pressing on my chest.
“Silas,” I muttered, trying to wiggle out of his embrace, but he was too strong, even in his drunkenness.
I turned my head and caught sight of Silas’s assistant standing awkwardly a few feet away, unsure of what to do. “Your Alpha is drunk,” I said firmly “Pull him away from me.”
The assistant hesitated for a second before nodding and stepping forward to untangle Silas’s arms from around me.
“Silas,” the assistant said gently, trying to coax him away. “Luna is throwing a tantrum again. We need to get you home.”
But Silas, in his intoxicated state, barely registered his assistant’s words.
He slurred, “I don’t care about Lena,” and then continued to hold onto me, murmuring my old name–Rowena–under his breath. “Rowena… Rowena, don’t leave me.”
It was exactly what I wanted. Silas was falling into the trap, and I could only imagine how Lena would feel if she heard him now, calling me by a name she probably despised, begging me to stay. I saw an opportunity.
The assistant’s phone rang, and we both knew who it was. “It’s Lena, isn’t it?” I asked, watching the assistant fumble with the phone, clearly torn between answering it and dealing with the current situation.
I gave him a small smile and said, “Answer it. Let Luna and Silas talk about this. Maybe if she hears him, he’ll stop clinging to me.”
But of course, that wasn’t my true intention. My real goal was for Lena to overhear Silas calling my name–Rowena–in his drunken haze, making it clear that he had never truly forgotten me.
I wanted her to hear every word, to feel the weight of that betrayal. It would shatter her.
The assistant glanced at me nervously but eventually answered the call. “Luna,” he began, his voice shaky, “I have Silas here, but-”
Before he could finish, Silas waved the phone away, grumbling, “I don’t want Lena. I want Rowena.”
His voice rose, and he shouted at me again. “Rowena, please! Come back to me. I regret everything. I love you.”
The assistant’s eyes widened as Silas’s words spilled out, clear enough that anyone on the other end of the call could hear.
I could only imagine what Lena was thinking. I looked at the assistant. “What did she say?” I asked, curious to hear Lena’s reaction.
The assistant winced. “Luna… she’s furious. She said she’s coming to pick him up personally. She’s throwing a huge tantrum.”
Of course, Lena would come running. But as much as I would have loved to see her face when she arrived, now wasn’t the right time. I sighed and grabbed my bag.
“Well, if she’s coming, I’d better leave before things get messy.” I cast one last glance at Silas, who was still slumped over, mumbling my old name. “Take care of him,” I told the assistant before turning on my heel and walking out.
12:29
Alpha’s Regret: Magnificent Return of the Rejected Luna
33.3%
Chapter 18
Silas’s voice trailed behind me as I exited. “Rowena, don’t go…”
I didn’t stop. My mission for the night was accomplished. Silas had unwittingly played into my hands, and now Lena knew where his true loyalties lay–whether she admitted it or not.
When I got home, the weight of the night’s events hung over me, but I wasn’t about to let it show. As soon as I walked through the door, I found Branwen sitting at the table, calm and collected as always.
“I signed the contract,” I announced, trying to sound upbeat. “Evans Group is officially working with us. This is going to be great for Silverlake.”
Branwen barely glanced at me, his expression neutral. “I know,” he said softly, his tone betraying no emotion. It wasn’t the reaction I had expected.
After all, this cooperation was going to benefit his pack just as much as it would mine. But Branwen was hard to read, and I knew better than to push him.
Thankfully, I didn’t have to dwell on it for long. Joanne and Joey burst into the room, all energy and excitement.
“You’re home!” Joey exclaimed, running up to me. “You have to hear what happened at school today!”
I smiled at them, happy to see their faces light up. “Alright, tell me all about it.”
