Playing The Alphas

Chapter 76: The Ghost Of The Past

DARLINGTON.

I could not move.

My feet were rooted to the floor, my hands hung limp at my sides. My heart had stopped beating, or maybe it was beating too fast. I could not tell.

Seles. The former love of my life.

She was standing in Jayce’s chambers, wearing a silk robe that barely covered her body, her dark hair falling over her shoulders, her red lips curved into that familiar, cruel smile.

Seles.

The woman I had loved. The woman who had left me. The woman who had broken my heart and walked away without looking back.

"Seles," I breathed.

Her smile widened. "Hello, Darlington. It has been a while."

I ran to her.

My legs moved before my brain could catch up. I crossed the room in three strides. My arms wrapped around her. I pulled her against my chest, hugging her shamelessly.

She smelled the same. Like flowers, honey and happiness.

"I missed you," I whispered, my voice cracking. "I missed you so much."

She hugged me back, her arms wrapping around my neck. Her fingers tangled in my hair.

"I missed you too," she said. "That is why I am here. I am not here for Jayce. I am here for you."

I pulled back to look at her face. Admiring every single thing about it. Her eyes, her lips.

"Then why are you dressed like that?" I asked. "Why are you in his chambers? Why are you wearing a mask?"

Seles’s smile faltered. She looked away, her fingers played with the edge of her robe.

"I wanted to surprise you," she said. "I wanted to see you. But I knew Jayce would not let me in if he knew I was here for you."

"That does not explain the robe."

"It is just clothing, Darlington. It does not mean anything."

"It means everything." freewebnøvel.com

She looked up at me. Her dark eyes were soft. Vulnerable.

"I left you because I was scared," she said. "When you turned into your beast, I could not handle it. I was young. I was foolish. I ran away."

"You ran to Jayce."

She flinched. "That was a mistake. I know that now. I loved his aggression. His confidence. But it was not love. It was infatuation."

"And what was I?"

"You were love. Real love. The kind I was too scared to accept."

I stared at her. My heart was pounding. My hands were shaking.

"Why are you here now?" I asked. "After all this time. After everything that happened."

Seles reached up. Her hand touched my cheek. Her fingers traced my jaw.

"Because I realized what I lost," she said. "Because I realized that I still love you. Because I want another chance."

I felt my resolve crumbling. Her touch was top seductive for me. But wait...why was she suddenly here? After my father had assigned sex slaves for us? What was she up to?

"I do not know if I can trust you," I said.

"You can. I swear. I am not here to hurt you. I am here to make things right."

She stepped closer. Her body pressed against mine. Her lips were inches from my ear.

"Do you remember the first time we met?" she asked.

I nodded. "The autumn festival. You were selling flowers."

"I remember you bought every single one. Even the wilted ones."

"You looked so sad. Like you had lost something. I wanted to make you smile."

She laughed. It was a soft sound. "You did make me smile. You always made me smile."

"Then why did you leave?"

She pulled back. Her eyes searched mine.

"Because I was broken. Not because of you. Because of my family. My past. Things I never told you." freewebnσvel.cøm

"Tell me now."

Seles hesitated. She walked to the window. Her back was to me.

"My mother was a slave," she said. "My father was a nobleman. He used her and discarded her. She died when I was seven."

I had never heard this before. My heart ached.

"I grew up in the shadows," Seles continued. "Always watching. Always waiting. Never belonging. When I met you, I thought I had found safety. But I did not know how to accept it. I did not know how to be loved."

I walked toward her. I stopped behind her.

"You could have told me," I said.

"I could not. I was ashamed."

"You never had to be ashamed. Not with me."

She turned. Her eyes were wet.

"I know that now. But I was young. And I was scared. And I ran."

"And Jayce?"

"Jayce was an escape. A way to forget. But it never worked." She reached for my hand. Her fingers intertwined with mine. "I thought about you every day. I wondered if you hated me. I wondered if you had moved on."

I squeezed her hand. "I tried to move on. I tried to forget you."

"Did it work?"

"No."

She smiled. It was a real smile. Soft. Hopeful.

"Then let us try again," she said. "Let us start over."

She leaned in, her lips parting and her eyes closed.

I wanted to kiss her. I wanted to feel her lips against mine. I wanted to forget everything—the past, the pain, the betrayal.

But something stopped me.

A face flashed in my mind.

Not Samantha. Something else. Something I could not name. I refused to be used again by any woman.

So, I pulled back.

"No," I said.

Seles’s eyes opened and onfusion flickered across her face. She could not believe that I was resisting her.

"What?"

"I cannot do this."

She reached for me again. "Darlington—"

I stepped back. My hands dropped from hers.

"I am sorry," I said. "But I cannot."

Seles’s expression shifted. The softness disappeared. Something harder took its place.

"What is wrong with you?" she asked. "Do you not want me?"

"I do want you. But—"

"But what?"

I shook my head. "I cannot explain it. I just... I cannot."

Seles’s eyes narrowed. "Is there someone else?"

I did not answer.

Seles laughed. "There is, is not there?"

"It is not what you think."

"Then what is it?"

I opened my mouth. To explain. To say something.

But no words came.

Seles sighed. She dropped her hand.

"Go," she said. "Run away. Like you always do."

"Seles—"

"Go. Before I say something I regret."

I looked at her. At her face. At her eyes. At the woman I had once loved.

I wanted to stay. I wanted to fight for her. I wanted to explain everything.

But I could not.

I turned. I walked toward the door. My hand reached for the handle.

"Darlington."

I stopped. I did not turn around.

"This is not over," Seles said. "I will not give up that easily."

I did not answer. I opened the door. I walked out.

I then leaned against the wall, closing my eyes and taking a deep breath.

My heart was still pounding and my hands were still shaking.

I did not understand what had just happened. I did not understand why I had walked away.

But I knew I could not go back to Seles. Not now. Not ever!!