Page 128 of A Second Chance for the Beta
Silas seems to think the same because he clears his throat. “How about you try to get treated for your injuries first,” he says shortly before anyone else can say anything.
Julianus winces at his words. “It’s nothing major, it’s—”
“Yes, it is. It was Aloysius. You are no use if you are like this. Go to the infirmary. Then you can work with the human kid to reach out to said customer.”
“He is right,” Liam says, his eyes glossing over. A few minutes later, two of our warriors appear to guide Julianus to the infirmary. It’s a safety measure for us, and Julianus probably knows we don’t trust him yet, but he doesn’t complain and instead follows them out of the office.
Silence engulfs us once he is gone.
“Lord Silas,” Ella starts.
“Please, Ella,” Silas says, smiling at her. “I know what you did and why you did it, and I approve of it. I just don’t know how to handle him.”
“Well, I can sympathize,” Ella mutters. “This sucks.”
“Indeed,” he says.
“You need to make a clear cut,” she says. “Because I think he is well…”
“Oh no,” Silas groans. “What’s he thinking!? Did he think I wouldn’t move on? It’s been years. Not to talk about how it ended. There was never any coming back from it. However…” He sighs. “He finally woke up and found a bit of courage. At least that’s something.”
“Say,” Annie says into the silence that engulfs us once more. “Ella, do you have the necklace?”
The necklace? I blink at her words. The neck… The necklace!
Goddess, it seems losing Charlie has messed with my mind. I can’t believe I didn’t think of that major piece of information.
“The necklace from your parents,” I say. “In the music box where we found Candy’s letter, there was a necklace too. The same one you have, just open. It can be opened!”
“And they were looking for it,” Ella mutters. She jumps up. “Wait here! I should have it stored safely in our bedroom.”
forty-one
The Children's Secret
*CHARLIE*
It’sfreezing,myclothesare still wet, and it feels like I’m chilled to my bones. The boys are trembling too. We haven’t talked at all, just sit the furthest away from the cell door we can and lean against the wall. There is a bit of blood on Felix’s forehead, but other than that he seems alright.
Heavy footsteps are coming closer, and the guards in front of the door move slightly, making space for a dark-haired man with broad shoulders. He is tall and looks strong, and surprisingly well put together. One of the guards opens the cell door, making me freeze in fear. Dario and Felix instinctively pull me behind them.
The man just tosses a bag into the cell before having his men close the door again. “I still need you,” he sneers. “So better not die of pneumonia yet.”
“Alpha,” one of his men mutters. “What to do with the boys?”
“Keep them for now,” he says. “The dark-haired one is pretty; maybe we’ll have some use for him.”
Felix takes a step closer. “What did you say about my brother?” he hisses.
The alpha just sneers, his lips curling into a dangerous smirk. He doesn’t say anything further, though, so at least that’s that. Once he is gone, Dario carefully retrieves the bag, emptying its contents. It’s dry clothes for us. Dario and Felix don’t hesitate and swiftly change. I give them privacy by turning towards the wall, but once it’s my turn, I can almost feel the guards’ gazes on me, my skin crawling with disgust.
No way… I would rather stay in my wet clothes.
“What’s wrong, little bunny?” one of them grins.
It looks like Felix is about to say something, but Dario holds him back. Instead, he rips his and Felix’s wet sweaters apart and ties them together into one big piece of cloth. He holds it out in front of me. “Go ahead,” he says quietly.
He doesn’t need to tell me twice. Who knows what the guards will do if I waste this opportunity. They might come inside and take the fabric away from Dario. I’ve never changed so fast and soon find myself in dry clothes. It’s like my skin takes a sigh of relief at finally being relieved of the cold and damp clothes.
