CHAPTER TWENTY SEVEN

CHAPTER TWENTY SEVEN
Silvana's Point Of View

What?

"What?" I blurted out, taken aback by his words.

"I wanted to," he breathed out. "Silvana. I kissed you back because I wanted to, what's so hard about understanding that?"

"Still. I don't care," I said, feigning indifference despite the fact that my heart was beating fast at his words. I stood up and began walking towards the door desperate to escape his presence and this increasingly uncomfortable situation, but I felt a tug on my wrist stopping me in my tracks. I looked down to see his fingers wrapped around my wrist tightly.

"What's wrong with you?" He asked.

"Nothing," I shrugged, trying to pull my arm free. But that was a fucking lie. I was terrified, yesterday proved that I was a shameless, helpless and hopeless lovesick idiot who couldn't stop lusting after him, and I was more than scared of him using me and discarding me aside like a toy.

"That's a lie!" He growled, his eyes narrowing.

"It's not," I insisted, trying to maintain my composure. "Why do you even care?" I snatched my arm free, but before I could take one step, he stood up and gripped my shoulders, holding me captive.

"Why do I care?" He asked, his eyes boring into mine, his gaze intense and unwavering. "Can I not care about you?"

"Oh please," I rolled my eyes, trying to dismiss his words as meaningless platitudes. "We aren't an actual couple, Garrick. Don't let yesterday get into your head," 

"It's already in my head,"

I opened my mouth to speak, to come up with some sort of clever defense, but no words came out.

It was also in my head too and I wanted more.

"Silvana... I..." He let out a shaky deep breath and looked up again, this time boring more deeper into my eyes as if he was searching for an answer he had long been looking for. "I've always wanted you..."

His confession had my heart racing a thousand miles per second. My breath caught in my throat, and my mind went blank. I stared back into his eyes, searching for any sign of deception, but all I saw was sincerity.

"What?" I choked out, my voice heavy with unshed tears. 

Why was he doing this? Why? Why?! All I needed was just a little more time to finally get over him and yet..... Wait, wasn't this even my fault? Why did I care? Why did I go to his room last night? Why did I kiss him? Why is my destiny this fucked?!

He leaned in, his face close to mine, his breath warm against my skin. A shudder ran down my spine as he trailed his hands up and gently cupped my cheek, his fingers tracing my jawline. "I said I want you, and I only kissed you back because I wanted to, Silvana," The words were soft, almost hesitant, but the intensity in his eyes were undeniable.

"That's bullshit!" I spat, the words laced with bitterness as I looked up at him.

"I know,"

Tears began to pour from my eyes, hot and stinging, tracing down my cheeks. The dam had finally broken, releasing all the pent up fear and frustration that had been building inside me for weeks. 

"You're insane Garrick!" I yelled even louder, the tears now flowing even harder.

"I know," he repeated, his eyes filled with a mixture of regret and something else.....something that looked like hope.

"You're an asshole!" 

"I know,"

"I hate you!" I screamed, the words raw and desperate. A desperate attempt to push him away, to protect myself from all the pains he had inflicted.

"I love you." He countered.

The words hung in the air between us. My eyes widened as I stared at him in shock. The world seemed to tilt on its axis, I was unable to think, unable to speak. My head felt blank, as if all the thoughts had been sucked out, leaving me an empty shell.

Did he really mean it?

Or was this just a game?

He wrapped his arms around me, pulling me into a tight hug. The familiar warmth of his body was a strange comfort, even as my mind reeled from his confession. He rested his chin on my head, his breath ruffling my hair.

"I'm an asshole, I know. I treated you wrongly, I know. I was cruel, rude and dismissive, I know. I pushed you away at every turn, I know. But I love you, I always had and always will. I love you Silvana, and not as Morgana, but as Silvana. I love you for you, for your spirit, your wit and your fire. It scares me more than you could possibly imagine, it scares me because I've never felt this way before and I don't know how to handle it. I'm a monster, Silvana, I'm a broken person and you deserve better but unfortunately I don't want to let you go, I want to change but-" my heart clenched as his voice began to break. "I'm just scared, I'm scared of how much I love you but I'm more scared of losing you. I tried so many times to deny our bond, to deny what was between us, I tried to hate you, I tried so many times to use the lie as a valid reason to hate you but instead.... I just kept falling for you more and more and now I'm fucking stuck. I'm stuck on you Silvana,"

The words tumbled out of him, a torrent of honesty that seemed to surprise even him. He was laying bare his soul, exposing his vulnerabilities, and the weight of it all threatened to crush him.

I was already wailing my eyes out by the time he finished his confession, tears steamed down my face, soaking his shirt. His words, his honesty had pierced through my defenses, melting the icy wall I had built around my heart. I looked up at him, trying to read his eyes once again, and for the first time, I finally saw him, the real him, stripped bare of his arrogance and his cynicism. I saw the fear, the vulnerability, the genuine emotion that he had so carefully concealed for so long.

"Garrick..." I began, my voice trembling. "I love you too."

He managed a small smile, a flicker of hope illuminating his features. "I know." He said with a wink, a hint of his old arrogance returning, but this time it felt different...softer, almost playful.

I pushed him away, causing me to break free from his embrace and slapped him across the face. "That's for everything you did to me, asshole!"

A smirk tugged on his lips as he rubbed his cheeks. "Feisty, that's cute,"

"Don't make fun of me," I warned. "I'll spit on you!"

His eyes widened, a mischievous glint sparkling in their depths. "Oh, you're threatening me with a good time,"

"Fuck you!"

"When?" He winked when my eyes widened. "It will be fun, trust me."

My mouth fell open, just as I was about to toss a comeback at him. The door opened and his beta walked in. His expression grim.

"Alpha," he began, his voice laced with urgency. "There's an emergency."