Silas #5
“No,” Cassidy says, her voice trembling despite the firmness in it. “But you are all attempting to cast doubt on us.”
Vivienne opens her mouth, but nothing comes out immediately.
Harlan turns back towards Cassidy’s parents, and whatever fragile restraint her response bought them disappears from his expression.
“That isn’t what anyone meant to do, I’m sure,” Elliot cuts in. “We care for you—all of you—and I don’t want to see you hurt down the line when you realise things are… different than you imagined.”
Silence settles across the table, broken only by the faint crackle of the baby monitor from the next room.
Cassidy looks at her dad, surprise flickering over her face, and places her wineglass down as her other hand disappears beneath the table.
“Regardless of what you meant to say, we all had to sit here and hear the accusations,” Harlan says darkly. “We’re still sitting here hearing you doubt us. Doubt our care for our mate—for each other.”
Harlan doesn’t look away from her parents and misses the adoration in our girl’s gaze.
Early in this fucking mess, Harlan barely noticed when Cassidy was drowning because he was too busy fighting himself.
Now, he’d tear apart anyone who failed to see her struggling.
My brother.
My pack.
I breathe once, slowly, swallowing the growl vibrating low in my chest before it can unsettle Cassidy further. Getting angry helps nobody. Least of all Cassidy.
“We understand the concern you have,” I say calmly. “But this is something that has already been handled. There are no concerns for anyone involved.”
Every gaze turns towards me. Cassidy’s, too.
There’s trust in her eyes, not desperation or panic, but genuine trust.
She knows I can handle this—handle them. That matters more than anything else.
“From the moment I realised Cassidy was ours, I made sure the professional considerations were handled,” I continue, giving her a soft look before returning my attention to the rest of the table.
“Between Cassidy and Harlan’s close working relationship and the fact that she’s already in a…
tenuous position as the only omega in her department, I wanted to make sure she was protected from any and all backlash. ”
I’d been preparing for every possible professional consequence from the moment I laid eyes on my gorgeous little mate.
It hadn’t occurred to me that I’d need to protect Cassidy from our families questioning whether she’d earned the life she chose.
I should’ve realised the people who loved her could still be the ones who hurt her.
Fucking idiot that I am.
Paxton leans forwards slightly, his crest cufflinks catching the candlelight as he rests his forearms on the table and looks at each of our parents in turn.
“For clarity,” he says evenly, “Silas requested to make their relationship official in the company’s eyes.”
A few brows lift, Harlan’s included, and I want to give my brother a shake.
Did he really think I’d risk Cassidy’s future? Risk his career?
Fucking hell.
“I reviewed the documentation myself and signed it on behalf of the company. Every policy was followed correctly,” Paxton adds, giving me a nod.
Silence settles again, and I know this little win isn’t going to end the battle taking place tonight.
Unfortunately.
Vivienne inclines her head as though I’ve merely confirmed something she’d suspected all along.
“I see.” Her fingers tighten fractionally around her wineglass. “And how are you going to handle it becoming public knowledge among the rest of your peers? There will be accusations of favouritism. People might question Cassidy’s role and whether she’s actually earned—”
“That’s enough,” Harlan snaps. The words crack across the table, and Cassidy startles.
Immediately, Harlan notices. He doesn’t apologise, but he forces himself back into his chair, his long fingers gripping the edge of the table while every muscle in his body remains rigid with restraint instead of fury.
Cassidy’s hand is still beneath the table, and my brother’s scent eases a fraction. I glance down to find her palm resting firmly on his thigh.
This time, it’s Cassidy offering us the comfort, even whilst she’s the one being torn apart.
She’s fucking perfect.
“She earned her role before any of us knew she was our mate,” Evander says, a low alpha rumble buried beneath the dangerous pleasantness of his voice.
Evander exhales through his nose before continuing, his shoulder never moving away from Cassidy’s.
“If Cassidy had been bad at her job, I’d understand the concern.
But she isn’t. She has earned every opportunity she’s been given, and then some.
She’d still have earned them if none of us had ever scented her. ”
“People questioning Cassidy’s talent doesn’t make their doubts valid,” I say. “She’s already suffered that simply by being an omega in a profession that wasn’t built for her designation. She’s talented, capable, and more than able to rise to every challenge put in front of her.”
I hold Vivienne’s gaze, a wry smile tugging at my lips. “Why do you doubt her so?”
An uncomfortable silence follows, and I know I’ve put her parents on the spot. No matter what answer they try to give, it’s not going to sound good.
Cunts.
Vivienne’s expression softens, her bright blue eyes growing almost gentle, but rather than appeal to any of us, she turns her manipulations towards her daughter.
“None of us are trying to undermine you, lovebug. I’m just trying to prepare you.” Her eyes move briefly between the five of us. “I’ve watched people tear young women apart for far less than this. The world isn’t kind, and I don’t want you to be hurt, love.”
“I know that,” Cassidy says quietly. Her voice is so small, her scent pulled in so tightly that she barely smells like herself. She swallows roughly. “I’m sorry this has become such a problem for you all. I never meant to make anyone worry.”
The words hit the table like shattered glass, and I want to tear the fucking cunts who have made her feel this way apart limb by limb.
I don’t give a fuck if they’re our parents.
Sterling actually leans backwards in his chair, one hand going still against the signet ring he’s been turning as he stares at his cousin as though she’s just said something in another language. I don’t think he’s ever realised how badly they’ve fucked her mind.
Emmeline reaches across without hesitation, resting her hand over her mate’s wrist before he can launch himself into the conversation.
Harlan exhales sharply through his nose, honeyed citrus turning bitter, while Isaac’s caramel scent softens as he closes his eyes for the briefest second.
Every instinct in me demands I tell Cassidy she’s never been the problem.
Not once. Not ever.
Instead, I keep my focus on Vivienne.
“We’re not accusing you of anything malicious,” I say, lying through my fucking teeth. “But the five of us are more than aware of how things could be perceived, and we’re taking the correct precautions for our pack.”
Vivienne nods slowly, her grip tightening around the glass she’s holding.
“I see.” Her voice is quieter now. “So, you’re doing everything your own way, without any consideration from those who’ve done this before?”
“I might not agree with the way things are being worded,” Elliot says carefully. “But my mate has a very valid point. Why invite us here if you won’t give us the respect of answering questions?”
“What more would you like to know?” I ask, leaning back in my chair.
Around the far end of the table, Emmeline’s pack remain silent observers, their untouched glasses and rigid postures betraying how closely they’re listening.
Sterling looks as though he’s physically restraining himself from speaking, and I’m eager to get his thoughts on the subject once we’ve lost the audience.
Celeste watches Cassidy instead of the conversation, her expression growing softer every time our omega retreats into herself.
Adrian, however, finally leans forward.
“Professional safeguards are one thing. Building a life together is another. You’ve known Cassidy was your mate for what?” he asks. “A matter of weeks? That’s not enough to rearrange your life around if this is just a passing fancy.”
“I’m sorry we’ve given you that impression,” I reply, holding back the dark edge I want to unleash.
“You can’t argue the timing, Son,” Julie says gently. “Have you even decided where you’ll all live?”
“No.”
“Who cares where they’ll live. What about children?” Vivienne asks, looking at my mum. “How is that going to work with the large age gap between you all? We’ve touched on it, but no answer was given.”
Julie glances instinctively towards Cassidy. Vivienne does, too.
Cassidy’s narrow shoulders tense beneath the plum fabric of her dress as her face pales. There’s a sheen across her forehead, and I truly worry that my mate is going to be sick.
“Surely,” Adrian says, “you understand why your families might question whether you’ve thought this through if you can’t answer the most basic of questions.”
Before I can answer, Cassidy speaks. Her scent is trembling as badly as her voice, but she lifts her chin anyway, even though tears shine in her eyes.
“Why do we need to have that all figured out right now?” she asks softly.
“We’ve made the decisions that are right for us.
In terms of children, we’ve decided we’ll wait a year before discussing it.
You’re right to ask about the age gap, but before they met me, neither Silas nor Harlan even thought about settling down.
I think they’re more than capable of saying so if they want to reconsider before then, but for now, that’s where we stand. ”
Every head turns towards her, and she lifts her chin, meeting her mum’s eyes.
“We’re building a life together.” Her fingers intertwine with Evander’s beneath his hand, likely for the confidence boost rather than for his benefit. “That doesn’t mean we have to plan every year of it before we’ve even had the chance to enjoy finding each other.”