Chapter Sixteen
Joseph
The air is crisp with morning dew as the ceremonial grounds fill once more. Guests chatter excitedly, their voices weaving together like the hum of an awakening hive. I stand among them, staring up at the mountain’s jagged silhouette as Silas and Danae descend. Relief washes over me, a spark of pride igniting to life in my chest.
She did it.
I hadn’t doubted Silas would make it to the top he’s Silas, after all. But Danae? She’s even more incredible than I imagined. I had seen her determination when she arrived, the quiet fire in her eyes, but this is something else entirely. She didn’t just pass the test; she conquered it.
As they reach the bottom, attendants rush forward with bundles of clothing, offering both of them something more modest than the loincloths they’d climbed back down in. They disappear behind a small stall, and I can’t help but smirk. The symbolic climb always has a way of stirring things up in couples, and from the way Silas and Danae looked at each other before slipping behind the stall, it’s clear they aren’t immune.
When they reappear, fully dressed, they join the priest on the platform. The crowd erupts into cheers as the priest raises his arms.
“Today,” he announces, his voice reverberating over the grounds, “we celebrate Silas Jorg and Danae Walker, a perfect match made by the moon goddess herself. Let it be known …they are now engaged!”
The applause is deafening. Even some of the Jorg family members who had been whispering their doubts about Danae seem caught up in the moment, clapping and hollering as if they’d always supported her. Although most of them still look unenthusiastic.
My attention moves to the newly engaged couple. There’s a strange kind of unease between them, subtle but very evident. Silas avoids her eyes after every glance, and Danae blushes every time their eyes meet. I can already tell something happened in that cave. The look on their faces isn’t too dissimilar from the kinds I’ve seen from couples before the ritual strikes again. Climbing that mountain in near nakedness, relying on nothing but each other and the pull of their pheromones, it always works its magic.
But there’s something else their expressions hold more than just desire. There’s frustration there, too. Anger, even. They look like two people who desperately want to rip each other apart whether that’s out of passion or irritation is anyone’s guess.
The goddess has a sense of humor, that’s for sure.
The party kicks off shortly after the ceremony. Music fills the air, mingling with the clinking of glasses and the laughter of Danae’s brothers. Damien, Jerome, and Mathis are particularly jubilant, clapping each other on the back and passing drinks like it’s their last day on earth.
But as the celebration builds, I notice Silas slip away. He moves quietly, weaving through the crowd until he disappears toward the estate.
I hesitate for a moment, then follow.
Silas’ office door is ajar when I arrive, and I pause outside, listening. Inside, there’s the sound of liquid pouring into a glass.
No, not a glass. I hear gulps. I peek in just as Silas tilts the whiskey bottle back, drinking straight from it.
The sight stings. I hate seeing him like this, so tied up in his own head that he can’t think straight.
I step in. “Hey, is everything okay?”
He doesn’t look at me. He just shakes his head and sets the bottle down with a heavy thud. “How the hell can everything be okay when I’m out here getting pulled around by pheromones?”
Ah, there it is.
“What do you mean?” I ask, though I already know.
He lets out a bitter laugh. “I hate this. I hate that I’m so attracted to her. I don’t want to be. It’s just physical, Joseph. It has to be. Her pheromones are messing with my head, and I can’t…”
“Here we go again,” I mutter under my breath.
“What?” he snaps, glaring at me.
I sigh, stepping further into the room. “Okay, Silas, I’m going to tell you this not as your employee but as your best friend. I think you like her. I think you really, truly like her. And you need to stop making excuses.”
He scoffs, looking away, but I press on.
“This isn’t just about pheromones. This is you. You’re feeling something for someone. For an Omega and it’s scaring the hell out of you.”
He’s quiet for a long moment, staring at the desk as if it holds the answers to everything. Then he looks at me, and for the first time in years, I see it: a crack in his armor. It’s almost uncomfortable to see him like this, but he needs to come to terms with his emotions.
“I know this is hard for you to admit,” I say softly. “But she’s your perfect match. We all saw it at the ceremony. And I know you felt it.”
His jaw tightens.
“Don’t reject her because of your past,” I add, keeping my voice low. I know he hates Omegas, how wouldn’t he after what happened with that Omega all those years ago. I don’t say it aloud, but I know he gets the message I’m trying to pass.
Silas nods slowly, but his expression is unreadable.
The silence stretches, and I start to feel that our words are really starting to settle.
But just then, he asks, “Why do you care so much, Joseph?”
The question catches me off guard.
“You’ve been defending her ever since she got here,” he continues, his tone almost casual. “Why?”
“I …I just don’t think she’s done anything to deserve to be treated badly,” I say, the words coming out of me a little too quickly than I would like.
But I can tell Silas isn’t buying it. He raises an eyebrow, a smirk tugging at the corner of his lips. “I’ve known you a long time, Joseph, and I can tell it’s a lot more than that.”
I open my mouth to speak, but a damned stutter from nowhere plagues me. I clear my throat, shaking my head. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.” I finally say.
He laughs a low, knowing sound that makes me want to punch him. “You like her.”
“I do not.” There’s that damn stutter again, and it’s even worse this time because I’m sure my face betrays me.
“You do,” he says, leaning back in his chair with an infuriatingly smug grin. “Admit it.”
Is it that obvious?
A sigh escapes me as I run a hand over my head. “Fine. Yes, I like her. Are you happy now?”
Silas chuckles, taking another swig of whiskey. “She must really be something then, given that she has both my brother and now my best friend pining for her.”
I clench my jaw to keep from smiling. “Oh, she’s something, all right,” I mutter.
Silas tilts his head, studying me with a look I can’t quite decipher. “Would you like to be in a family unit then?”
Wait. What?
The question floors me. My eyes blink furiously.
“What?”
He shrugs as if this is the most casual conversation in the world. “We’ve known each other our whole lives, Joseph. If you have feelings for her, I don’t see why we can’t share.”
I exhale sharply, forcing myself to shake my head. “Is this some kind of joke?”
He smirks, taking another sip. “Why not?”
“You’re really an asshole for joking about stuff like this,” I say, rolling my eyes.
But his words stick with me. I can’t deny it, and I know he can see it too. A family unit. The thought creates a thrill, a kind of hope in me, no matter how much I try to pretend it isn’t there.
“It’s not about what I want,” I manage finally. “She’d have to want it, too. And she doesn’t like me that way.”
Silas chuckles, a knowing gleam in his eye. “Oh, I think she likes you well enough.”
His words hang in the air. I’ve run out of responses. I want to brush them off, to dismiss this entire conversation as ridiculous.
But I can’t. Because deep down, I can’t help but wonder.
What if?