Chapter 39: 39: Double Standards
"Where are you taking me?" I asked, but Rowan did not offer a reply.
He stormed down the corridor, ignoring everyone in our path. Every pack member we ran into cleverly averted their eyes or dashed away, allowing Rowan to storm through the corridors unobstructed. Eventually, he kicked open the door to his office and chucked me in.
I tumbled, catching my balance on the edge of the table before I felt him close in behind me. I barely managed to flip my body around when Rowan’s arms locked me in between them, caging me between the table and his towering figure.
His gold eyes seared right into my soul as he stared down at me. At such a close proximity, I found it hard to breathe.
"You know, Briar Argyris, I can’t decide whether you’re scheming something, or you have truly turned into a spineless, brainless coward," he sneered.
Hilariously, that was probably the most he had ever said to me.
I gulped, swallowing the bile in my throat. My throat went dry, but oddly enough, it wasn’t because of fear. Quite the contrary, I felt a rush of heat soar through my body, twisting in my heart. It fueled my nerves, as though I had just taken a shot of liquid courage.
"And what do you suggest I do?" I shot back.
Rowan seemed taken aback. His eyes widened ever so slightly. It wasn’t enough to be dramatic, but with how close we were positioned, I could see even the most minute of changes in his facial expression.
"Grow some backbone," Rowan retorted. "Or are you planning to live like this forever? By taking whatever Violet has to dish out? I thought you had more fight in you."
I nearly laughed at the ludicrousness of it all. Rowan Hadeon, of all people, was telling me about finding a backbone and fighting against my tormentors? What an impossible thought!
The fucking audacity of this man.
"Isn’t this what you and your brothers wanted anyway?" I asked, snapping. "To see me punished and mistreated? You’re all selfish bastards. You only care about getting what you want. It doesn’t matter who or what is sacrificed in order to do so."
Rowan growled. "And what, pray tell, do you think is what we want?"
"Your skewed sense of justice," I hissed. "You just want me committed for a crime― it doesn’t even matter what crime it is. I don’t know what I have done for all of you to hate me so― no, scratch that. I know exactly why Violet hates me, but at least she has a mighty fine reason, albeit an immoral one. But I have no idea what is wrong with the three of you."
Violet hated me because she thought I was a threat. At least, that was the most plausible reason why she would ever hate me, especially considering she already had everything she could ever ask for in life. I was a sore spot in her pristine life because her chosen mates were my fated mates. It wouldn’t even be so bad if they had rejected me, but no, they had decided to keep the bond alive and active.
If I were Violet, I too would grow insecure. Woman to woman, I couldn’t entirely fault her for it. Was she an asshole for doing such a thing? Absolutely. However, I could, at the very least, understand her reasons for doing it.
Yet, the triplets were different. They hated me for no reason ever since I returned to the pack. I had never recalled them ever liking me or treating me with kindness, even before Willow’s health started declining, and before rumors were spread that I was the reason for her said declining health. It was just that they had mostly resorted to indifference back then, but Willow’s death eventually became the final straw that broke the camel’s back.
But the problem was that I didn’t even know where the first pile of straw came from. What had I done to gain all three of their ire?
Rowan’s eyes darkened, but I wasn’t done. He had activated a switch in me, and the furnace that was my body continued to burn brighter and hotter.
"Even before Willow went missing, you three have hated me. What have I done wrong then?" I asked, pushing Rowan by his chest. Surprisingly, he budged, moving slightly backwards. "And after Willow went missing, you three would rather declare her dead than actually find out what happened. I was branded the murderer―"
"Because you are the murderer!" Rowan cut in, but I ignored him, speaking over him.
"―even though there was never any clear evidence for it! You’ve all just listened to Violet’s words and decided I was guilty!" I threw my hands up in despair. "But all of a sudden, when Violet herself decides to exact her form of punishment on me, I am at fault for not retaliating?"
"You are the murderer," Rowan said again, carefully enunciating every word clearly this time.
"And it’s so possible for a wolfless, practically human girl to murder a werewolf," I slowly said, my tone even and firm, tinged with a little bit of sarcasm. "You have no proof."
"I don’t need proof," Rowan said. "I know you’re capable of doing it."
"Then what do you have against Violet’s punishment?" I asked, staring at him defiantly. "If you think I’m guilty, shouldn’t you be absolutely fucking ecstatic about what she’s doing to me?"
I gestured up and down my body, and Rowan instinctively followed my movement. His eyes raked across my figure, and only when his Adam’s apple bobbed up and down did I realize why his gaze felt like honey.
I looked down, and instantly regretted that decision. I had completely forgotten that Violet had dressed me in a skimpy set of lingerie. The nude color was almost a perfect match for my skin tone, and from a distance, it could even look as though I was completely in the nude.
Rowan’s eyes lingered for a second longer than they should’ve, and I felt my body burn beneath his eyes. He wasn’t even touching me, but my skin already felt as though it were on fire, sizzling and scalding in desire.
The heat that was burning in my body quickly went from anger to arousal, and I cursed under my breath when I realized what was happening to my body.
This was almost the same as what happened right before I first had sex with Rowan. Our fated bond must be triggering my heat. Even though it wasn’t as intense this time, I could still feel it creeping up on me with gathering intensity.
I needed to leave. I couldn’t stay in the same room as Rowan, or the same mistake would simply happen again.
"Forget it," I said, shoving past him. "I’ll take it as you’re giving me permission to return to my room―"
Before I could say another word, Rowan clasped my arm, holding me in place. His fingers sent tingles of electricity through my arm from our point of contact, and I gasped in surprise, turning back to glance at him.
His jaw was clenched together tightly, and his golden eyes were practically glowing in the dark of the room. The small lamp on the table only further intensified the look of starvation in his eyes.
"What are you doing?" I asked, frowning. This was bad. With the added physical contact, I could feel my core starting to burn with desire. "Let go of me―"
I had hardly finished my sentence when Rowan tugged me over. In one swift movement, he yanked me back to his side, his face coming down towards me, before his lips captured mine in a breathtaking kiss.
