Runaway Rogue

Chapter Twenty Five: Caspian's POV

Silver. His mate had silver in her bloodstream. And he had tried to mark her.

There were a thousand emotions ripping through him and he didn't know how to label half of them. He just watched Bentley gently take his mate's arm and help her into the car. He should have hated seeing another man -- especially an alpha -- touch his mate. But all he could think of was the way she stiffened up when she was in his own arms last, the grimace of pain.

Caspian's reaction to Bentley's offer of letting her stay here had been one of immediate primal protection. Now, in the car with a sickly-looking Indigo who wasn't able to meet his eyes, he said, "You know you can stay here, right? Bentley already offered and I want...you need to be comfortable."

"I'm okay going back to your pack. I won't be comfortable here with all the strangers anyway."

He drove Anabelle's car back to his packlands, parking behind his own home. He left the keys in the cupholder, knowing that Forest or his mate would be here soon enough to retrieve it if they needed.

Caspian moved to help Indigo out of the car, but by the time he was on her side, she had already risen to her feet, holding onto the car for support. When he offered her his hand, she turned away and made the small but seemingly painful journey into his home.

He could do nothing but watch as she all but fell onto the couch, the same one she had been sleeping on, and winced.

"What do you need from me right now?" he asked, almost too afraid to get the words out of his mouth.

"Nothing," she said.

"I'll wash the sheets from my bed. That way you can have my room to yourself," he offered, already turning away.

She said something to him, but his back was already turned. He did his best to keep his head clear while he went about tidying and cleaning his bedroom. They had to talk; it was as simple as that. But every single possibility was haunting him. And with the state she was currently in, he knew he wouldn't be getting his answers any time soon.

How long had she been consuming silver? It was what caused her strange odor apparently, which meant that she had been taking it the night he went into heat the first time. Had she been taking it before? Was that why he hadn't found her? Had she somehow known that he was out there? Had she not wanted to take the chance of meeting her mate when she was clearly in love with someone else or had she not wanted him?

Caspian felt his jaw set as he shoved his laundry into the washer, being a little rougher than strictly necessary. He had been waiting for her for years. He had given up hope. And somewhere, she fucking some other guy, taking pills so he couldn't find her.

Caspian forced himself to take a deep breath. It was an assumption. That's all it was. But why did it hurt so bad then? Why did he want to crumple to his knees and bury his face in his hands?

He went back to her. "Is there anything I can do to make you feel better right now?" he asked.

Indigo was still seated on the couch, but her head was tipped back, her eyes closed. "No, it'll pass on its own."

Caspian swallowed hard. "Do you want to talk about it?" Because simple words could fix this. Because if she told him some simple things, assured him a little, he was certain they could get through it.

"There's not much to talk about," Indigo responded flatly. "I took some silver capsules; you tried to mark me. End of story."

Caspian stilled. End of story, indeed.

"I'm going to step out for a bit to give you some space," he managed through a tight throat.

She didn't respond.