Chapter 15 Silence everywhere.
CHAPTER 15
KANE
The hallway leading to her chambers seemed longer than usual. The night had grown colder, the kind of chill that seeps into your bones and leaves you restless, unwilling to stay still.
I tried to reason with myself, to avoid this impulsive decision, but the thought of Catherine alone was enough to set my nerves alight.
When I reached her door, I hesitated. She had enough reason to keep me at arm's length, and perhaps knocking on her door at this hour wouldn’t help.
With a clenched jaw, I raised my fist and tapped on the door, softly at first, then with more force when there was no answer.
Silence.
I tried again, waiting, but still, nothing. Anxiety filled my chest, and before I could stop myself, I pushed the door open, stepping inside.
Her scent engulfed me immediately. It was woven into the air, clinging to the fabric of her blankets, curling around every corner of the room. I closed my eyes, breathing it in, feeling the beast within me settle, growling in reluctant contentment. This was where she belonged.
But as I looked around the room, I noticed that no one was inside. This realization displaced the fleeting calm.
The bed was undisturbed, the sheets untouched, and there was no trace of her anywhere.
"Where would she go at this hour?"
My gaze swept over the room once more, searching for any clue, any sign of where she might have gone.
Quickly, I found myself moving out of her room, striding down the hall, eyes scanning the shadows for a glimpse of her.
As I stepped through the dim corridor, I caught sight of her, a glimpse of her hair catching the low light
She was talking to someone. Her voice was barely audible but unmistakably hers.
My heart surged, a fierce wave of relief rushing through me, but then, I noticed Damon standing beside her. He must be the one she was conversing with.
They were speaking quietly and too close for my liking.
A flare of anger erupted within me, hot and volatile.
Why was she speaking to him like that? I could barely get a word out of her, and here she was, her voice carrying a soft note I hadn’t heard since she’d arrived.
“You didn’t try hard enough,” my beast’s low growl echoed inside, coiled with resentment. “She’s slipping away, and we both know why.”
“I’ve tried,” I shot back. “More than anyone could understand. You know it hasn’t been easy.”
“Try harder,” the beast sneered with accusation. “While you hold back, she’s already leaving us. Look at her, she’s finding comfort in someone else.”
The thought clawed at me, twisting deeper than I wanted to admit. She should’ve felt that comfort with me; she was mine. And yet, every attempt, every careful step I’d taken only seemed to push her further away. She wasn’t meant to speak so easily to another, least of all my own Beta.
“I am her mate,” I reminded the beast, though my voice felt thin against its simmering anger. “She’s bound to me, and she will come to see that in time.”
“Time? Time is exactly what you’re wasting.” My beast’s voice turned savage. “She should feel it. Our bond. Our strength. Yet you linger in the shadows, afraid to touch her, afraid to claim what’s ours.”
The accusation stung. I hadn’t realized just how much I’d been holding back, how many times I’d convinced myself that caution was necessary.
“You think I don’t want her to come to me willingly?” I countered, my tone fierce yet hollow. “Do you think this is easy? I won’t be the beast that frightens her, that leaves her feeling trapped.”
The beast growled. “You are not the only one with fears, Kane. But if we are too timid, too afraid to show her who we truly are, we’ll lose her to someone else.”
The words sliced through me. Damon—Damon, who knew more of my life than anyone, who had stood by me through blood and chaos.
But now, every sidelong glance, every quiet murmur shared with Catherine felt like a threat, as if he, too, sensed the fragile threads of our bond slipping.
“If you’re so sure, then what would you have me do?” I demanded, half-expecting the beast to shy away, to leave me floundering without a clear answer.
But its response was swift and uncompromising.
“Stop hiding. Show her who you are. Stop letting others come between you. Let her see you, truly, before she forgets she’s ours.”
I clenched my jaw, feeling the beast’s truth pierce me like a knife. I couldn’t deny the flicker of shame that came with it.
I’d fought so hard to protect her from my darkness, to shield her from the monster that dwelled within me. But perhaps, I’d kept too much hidden.
I waited there, trying to fathom what they were discussing actually. After what looked like hours, Damon finally turned and walked away.
Right then, the restraint I’d been clinging to snapped. Without hesitating, I closed the distance between us, making sure she knew someone was coming behind her.
She barely had time to react before I was in front of her, my gaze fixed on hers with an intensity I couldn’t suppress.
“You,” I said out roughly, “will have dinner with me.”
"What? What are you talking about?"
I didn't listen to her. I stood there, staring right into her face as she looked at me with confusion no doubt.
"Kane... you're hurting me." She winced in pain.
Only then did I realize I had my grip tight on her fragile, slender wrists.
"I'm sorry." I muttered, stiffking a cough ASI looked away.
"So, what's all this about?" She stared right into my face and all anger I felt earlier melted right away. That one gaze was everything to me in that moment.
"You'll have dinner with me, Catherine. Let's go." I uttered, holding her hand once again.