Betrayed By One. Bound To Three-Chapter 32: Silas Apology.
Third Person POV:
The corridor did not empty right away after the confrontation. Servants moved carefully along the walls, pretending not to notice what had passed in the receiving chamber, yet their silence carried curiosity. The air itself seemed aware that something delicate had shifted.
Silas walked beside Selena, his hand resting at the small of her back as he guided her forward. The touch looked gentle to anyone watching, almost affectionate. Yet there was a firmness in it that did not go unnoticed. It was not comfort. It was direction. His thumb pressed slightly as they turned the corner, subtle but deliberate, as though reminding her of where she stood.
Selena did not pull away. She did not lean into him either. She simply walked, her spine straight, her expression composed. Inside, however, she felt the weight of eyes on her back. She knew exactly who those eyes belonged to.
The triplets followed a few steps behind.
Ronan moved with his usual relaxed stride, but his jaw was set more tightly than usual. Kael walked with quiet precision, every movement controlled to the point of rigidity. Edris brought up the rear, silent and still, his gaze fixed on the space between Selena and Silas, as if measuring it.
No one spoke. The silence felt crowded.
When they reached the inner hall where the corridor split toward the private quarters and the eastern terrace, Selena gently stepped away from Silas’ hand. The movement was smooth and deliberate. Not a rejection. Just distance.
"I need some air," she said softly.
Silas studied her face, searching. "You handled yourself well in there," he said. "Better than most would have."
"That was the intention," she replied evenly.
A faint smile touched his lips, though it did not reach his eyes. "You will grow used to this. To being observed. To being discussed."
"I already am."
His hand hovered briefly as if he meant to touch her again, then fell to his side. "Do not wander far."
It sounded polite. It was not.
Selena held his gaze for a moment longer than necessary. "I never do."
She turned toward the terrace and walked without hesitation.
The triplets remained where they were. Silas lingered long enough to ensure they would not follow, his eyes brushing over them in quiet warning, then turned down the opposite corridor, his steps calm and unhurried.
The moment he disappeared from sight, the tension shifted from restrained to exposed.
Ronan released a slow breath. "I dislike him," he muttered.
"That is generous," Kael replied quietly.
Edris’ eyes remained on the corridor Silas had taken. "He thinks proximity equals claim."
Kael’s hands curled at his sides. "He thinks position equals ownership."
"She is not property," Kael said, his voice lower now.
"We know," Edris answered, though his tone carried its own edge.
"He spoke as if she were already his," Kael continued, anger sharpening his words.
Edris inhaled slowly. "She handled it."
"That is not the point."
Kael’s control began to thin. "She should not have to stand there while he speaks over her as if she is part of the arrangement."
Ronan stepped closer. "Kael."
But Kael was no longer fully in the corridor. He was back in the receiving chamber, watching Silas’ hand settle too comfortably at Selena’s waist. Hearing the word mate spoken as if it were fact rather than choice. To him, the word carried weight. It was not romance. It was permanence. It was a claim carved into bone.
His breathing deepened. His pulse slowed in that dangerous way that meant anger was settling rather than flaring.
Edris noticed at once. "Do not," he warned quietly.
"He is claiming her," Kael said, his voice rough.
"And you reacting like this confirms his fear," Ronan replied firmly. "You show your teeth, he shows his authority. And she stands between you."
For a brief second, control slipped. A low growl rose in Kael’s throat, quiet but unmistakable. The nearest torch flickered.
"Enough," Edris said sharply. "She asked for composure."
Footsteps approached from the terrace.
Selena returned.
The moment she saw them, she understood. The air felt charged. Kael’s shoulders were too rigid. Ronan stood too close. Edris’ expression was too still.
She walked toward them without fear.
"Kael," she said quietly.
He lowered his head slightly, his jaw tight. "I apologize."
"For what?" she asked, though she already knew.
"For nearly forgetting where we are."
Her gaze softened, just enough. "You did not forget," she said. "You chose not to act."
"That is not the same thing," he replied.
"It is exactly the same."
Ronan and Edris exchanged a glance.
Kael met her eyes. "How long are we expected to watch him touch you?"
The question carried more than jealousy. It carried frustration. Helplessness.
"As long as I allow it," she answered calmly.
His expression shifted at that. "And if he mistakes your tolerance for acceptance?"
"Then he will learn," she said quietly.
She stepped closer, lowering her voice so only he could hear. "If you lose control, you prove his point."
"And what is that?" he asked.
"That you are dangerous. That I require his protection. That he is justified in placing himself between us."
Kael’s breathing steadied.
"You protect me," she continued, "by trusting me to handle him."
His eyes searched hers. "And if he oversteps?"
"Then I will be the one to correct him."
There was steel in her tone now. Not defiance. Certainty.
Slowly, the tension drained from his posture. The wolf inside him receded.
Ronan spoke gently. "We do not doubt your strength."
"I know," she replied. "But strength must be quiet sometimes."
Kael nodded once. "Understood."
Yet something had changed. Silas was no longer simply irritating. He was calculating. And Kael was no longer certain how long patience would remain the wiser path.
Selena returned briefly to the terrace once more, drawing in the cool air. She pressed her fingers lightly against the stone railing and closed her eyes.
Silas’ sudden obsession did not disturb her.
His entitlement did.
His assumption that time and proximity would bend her will unsettled her far more than open conflict ever could.
