TAMING THE PLAYBOY ALPHA - Chapter 123: Chapter 123

: YOU
FREYA'S POV:
Of course, the necklace wouldn't have been kept alongside the rest of the family crap that had been on display back at the museum.
This is what crosses my mind while Silas carefully places the jewelry round my neck, clasping it in place.
I turn to my reflection, looking at the image of myself next to Silas, like a pair. The beautiful necklace adorned on my neck and the wizard's crouched form watching us and snickering to himself.
"You know... my grandfather believed it had some sort of power." He says now, looking at both of us through the reflection, oblivious to the wizard staring back at us.
"Power? Like magic?" I ask, looking up at him as my ears perk up.
Is that why the wizard wants it so desperately? Because of it's magic?
Silas chuckles at my words.
"Not that I believe in any of that but yeah, it's rumored to be." He admits.
From his reaction, I can see he's a total unbeliever; if only he knew how real it is and that it's the reason we met and why I can be here with him.
I myself had been skeptical of its existence before, but I say nothing.
"It has a whole story behind it actually. It had been a gift to my great grandmother from a sorceress. It was laced with an insurmountable source of power, like a battery, and she decided our family would be the only ones to use it." He explains.
"Isn't that a bit selfish?" I ask with a raised brow.
He thinks about it for a moment before shrugging
"She wasn't the best queen." She comments.
"The whole lot of that family are selfish thieves to be correct.' The wizard comments, giving his input.
I look at his image, wanting to ask what it means but Silas is right here, so I look away again, choosing to ignore him.
"What does it do?" I ask Silas, running my fingers through the intricate designs on the chain down to the warm glowing jewel.
"It's said to enhance one's innate power. Like makes you smarter or gives you the ability to see the future... so I'm told."
From the sound of it, its clear he really doubts the possibility of the necklace actually being able to do anything for real.
But deep down in my guts, I know for a fact that it's not ordinary.
Especially from the way the ominous dark figure next to my reflection drools over just the sight of it.
Hearing this crazy story makes me second guess handing something rumored to be powerful to this creepy man, but what he does with it isn't my business.
While I stare at myself, Silas leans in a bit closer, casually brushing some hair away from my face.
"It looks beautiful on you." He whispers softly next to my ears.
Even with the lack of physical contact, it sends static through my skin and down my spine, igniting things that should remain dormant.
I turn away from my reflection, unclasping the necklace and taking it down from my neck before looking at him again.
"Silas, tell me the real reason why you are doing this.
Taking me here, letting me touch some important family heirloom... Is this another tactic?" I ask, getting more frantic again; I just want to prepare myself.
"I swear, it isn't. I'm not trying to pull anything on you, Freya."
"Then why?"
"Because... I trust you."
I freeze once the word 'trust' slides easily out of his mouth. It makes me waver for a second till I stop myself from falling for it.
"I know you don't trust me anymore, and that's all on me. I want to let you know how much you mean to me by trusting you with all my secrets, starting with all this."
He turns away, slowly walking ahead of me now. With his eyes away, the Wizard seeps his voice into my mind.
'Switch it!' He yells, echoing his voice loudly. "Switch it before he turns back."
With haste, I swiftly dig the real I've been holding into one pocket, pulling out the fake from the other and placing it back into the open box with my heart pulsing widely.
As soon as I'm done and I can breathe again, I close it shut, letting out a heavy breath of anxiety.
Now, I just need to get out of here before I'm caught.
"Tell him you are leaving.'
I jog up to Silas that has gone a few feet ahead of me, already forming an elaborate excuse in my mind as to why I need to leave suddenly.
He turns back to me before I can speak, pulling out another item a piece of paper, and giving it to me. "What's this?" I say, confused while rolling the paper open.
"The real reason I brought you down here is for all that and to tell you... I found a way to get out of my betrothal with Elena."
"What?" Surprised by the new information, I falter backwards, reading through each line carefully.
"Lucas and I dug through some files..."
"Wait, Lucas is in on this as well?" I look up now in disbelief.
"Yeah... He worked it out to sort of atone for his crime."
"Doing that isn't going to make up for any of the trauma I went through." I point out, feeling a rush of strong conflicting feelings.
"He knows that. That's also the reason why he promised to stay away from Xena until you give your blessings."
Wait... what?
He wants to fight against the bond's pull to... to get my blessings?
I take another step back, overwhelmed. There's just too much information hitting me all at once.
I can't understand why he would do that just for my forgiveness that I probably won't still give afterwards.
Suddenly, he wants to be such a good friend and boyfriend...
"But... Why would you want to do that? Why would you risk doing any of that knowing how psycho your father is?"
Why would anyone willingly anger that psychopath of a King powerful enough to be unstoppable? "I don't want to be controlled anymore. I don't want to be forced to be with someone I don't want to be with." He explains with a pained voice and his forehead furrowed.
"But... It's Elena. She's perfect for you. She's from an influential family. She's your Luna." I say, questioning everything I've been told by both him and Elena and everyone else.
Questioning what even I knew.
I take a step away from him, shaking weird thoughts away from my head, the hopeful feeling suddenly swirling in my chest.
'Don't listen to him. He's clearly lying to get you to soften up.' The wizard says in my head again. His voice is like a serpent's lure.
I know he could be lying but the document seems legit. He looks honest too, which only creates more conflict within me... but no.
I look up at him again, strengthening my resolve more than ever.
"I don't believe you." I say coldy.
"Freya..."
"I don't want to believe you, Silas... I don't. You've lied enough times that it's so hard to believe anything that comes out of your mouth."
I turn around to leave, planning on tossing the fake to him before getting out of here.
"Freya... wait." He catches up to me, which I should have expected, spinning me around by my shoulders.
"I just need one chance. One more chance to make things right." He pleads.
burst
I shrug his hands away from me more violently than intended, feeling those overwhelming emotions through and begin manifesting themselves as intense anger and sadness.
"I've given you enough. You have Elena..." Tears burst through against my will. "You have everything already... Why me?"
"She's not you. Freya, you're the only woman I've ever needed this much, and I'm doing everything possible to be with you. To make us work." He steps even closer to me, gently holding onto my cheeks and forcing my eyes on him alone.
My heart pangs again, pulsing harder. Emotions I had tried so hard to bury resurface with so much force, mixed with guilt...
Guilt of wanting to betray everyone's trust simply because I had felt abandoned.
I had again sworn that I wouldn't cry over him again, yet tears continuously fall from my eyes so easily. "Why... Why are you doing this to me, Silas? The moment it feels like I can finally start getting over everything, you just randomly decide to pull this on me... I can't handle any more of this, I can't take anymore."
I can't handle the pain of my heart being broken over and over again, and the worst part, being pieced together against their will.
He pulls me closer to his chest, engulfing me in a warm tight hug. The warmth of his body wraps me suddenly and the feeling of peace I haven't felt in a while takes over.
Suddenly, all the tension in my bones falls apart and I lean closer into his comforting touch. It's all against my will. I want to hate him, but I can't.
"I swear to you, no more lies between us, no more secrets." He whispers before dropping the lightest kiss on my forehead.
It hurts so much, how much I hate and love him at the same time, hurts my heart so much.
Yet I don't pull away from him.
I want him closer.
I open the flood gates and cry my eyes out, clutching onto his shirt as the tears wrack through me. All the while, he pats on my back, allowing me to feel every emotion and let them out till I'm done and feel so much better, and he slowly lets me go. "Do you feel better?"
I nod, unable to say anymore words. He wipes more tears from my eyes with his thumb while staring into them simultaneously.
It feels like we had never fought for a moment, like the days we spent apart had never existed.
"If you'll allow me, I have one last surprise for you."
He turns away again, stepping towards a direction.
In the split second, I raise the box up to my face, second-guessing every messed up thought that's led me to this exact moment.
"He's gone. Now's your chance to get away." The
Wizard whispers into my mind.
Instead, I open the box again, looking down at the glittering fake replica staring back at me. "What are you doing?" He asks, sensing a change in my resolve.
"I can't do this... I can't." I say, taking out the fake.
I stare at it one last time before dipping it back into my pocket and bringing out the real one that pulses in my palm.
"No! Don't let him deceive you with just a few pretty words. You have no one, Freya. You have to fend for yourself. Only I can give you what you want, remember that!" His voice goes higher and more sinister.
"Yeah... Well, maybe I need to actually rethink all the choices I've been making so far." "Do not betray me, Freya. Think about your next moves wisely. Be smart and stick to the plan." His voice switches to a lower threatening octave, sending warning signals to my brain.
My hands tremble as I work faster, placing the real one back into the box
"I already know what I need to do." "You'd regret crossing me. I will make sure of it.
Soon, Freya, you'd learn never to break deals with the devil."
After his words follows a high pitched ringing in my head and I realize that it's his magic again, trying to reach me and force me into doing his bidding, but I don't give in.
Before it takes hold of me, I toss the fake to the ground and stomp on it.
The gem cracks instantly and the fake artifact slowly fades into an ominous black smoke that quickly dissipates into the air.
"No!" He yells out in agony with a bone curling shriek that leaves me terrified before his figure crumples next to my reflection and he vanishes instantly in a thick cloud of black smoke. I'm left alone, breathing heavily and thinking what the fuck I have just done. "Freya?" Silas suddenly calls from behind me.
I jump up, startled, before looking behind me, trying to act casual and less terrified. "You coming?" He asks.
I take a final look at my reflection, making sure he in't there again just to howOUT CURA FOR Come reason, he isn't but I know for a fact that it isn't over.
I look back to Silas' waiting form.
"Sure, I'm coming."