chapter 6

Daisy's frown deepened, and she opened her mouth to explain, but Silas cut her off before she could get a word out.

"Daisy. Apologize to Arvil."

"But I didn't do anything."

Daisy tried to defend herself, but he shut her down with that cold, commanding tone. "Apologize."

Daisy didn't want to make this worse, so she took a deep breath and forced the words out. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean anything by it, so please don't read into it."

"It's okay." Arvil's voice wobbled. "I know how frightening I look right now."

Then she started crying, and Silas immediately pulled her into his arms on the hospital bed. His voice went soft in a way Daisy had never heard before. "Arvil, you took this curse for the pack. No one would dare look down on you."

That seemed to calm Arvil down a little, and she turned to look at Daisy. "You must be Daisy. You're human, but you're really pretty."

Her expression fell again as she said it, like even that thought made her sad.

Silas was right there to comfort her. "Arvil, she's just a lowly human. Don't let it bother you."

"Really?" The hope in Arvil's voice was unmistakable.

Silas smiled and nodded. "Really. Don't overthink it."

Daisy stood there watching them, watching this intimate scene play out like she wasn't even in the room. The nausea hit her so hard she couldn't hold it back anymore, and she bolted for the bathroom.

Silas's brows furrowed, and his eyes followed her retreating figure. He made a move to go after her, but Arvil caught his hand just in time.

"Silas, she probably just can't handle the smell of the herbs," Arvil said pitifully. "Stay with me, okay?"

Silas finally pulled his gaze away and held her hand instead. He looked at her thin, gaunt face and smiled softly. "Arvil, don't worry. I won't let anything happen to you."

Arvil smiled back at him, a genuine, happy smile. "Silas, you still love me, don't you? Even now?"

A flicker of struggle passed through Silas's eyes, but then he smiled and nodded. "Arvil, I love you."

Just then, the bathroom door opened.

Daisy had heard everything, but she acted like nothing had happened. "I want to go home."

Silas stared at her, watching for her reaction, and his voice came out cold. "I'll take you back when I'm ready."

Daisy knew there was no point arguing with him, so she just stood quietly in the corner and zoned out.

"Am I abusing you or something?" Silas said with clear displeasure. "Go sit on the couch."

Daisy figured he just found her presence irritating, so nothing she did would be right anyway. But she didn't feel like fighting about it, so she obediently walked over and sat down on the couch.

Silas's gaze stayed on her the whole time, and it wasn't until Arvil tugged on his hand that he finally snapped out of it.

"Silas, I get so bored here every day," Arvil said. "The moment I saw Daisy, I really liked her. Could she maybe stay and keep me company for a few days?"

Arvil spoke earnestly, but Silas frowned and refused. "She's a clumsy human. I'm not comfortable with her being around you."

"Silas, even though I'm cursed and weak right now, I used to be a beta who stood by your side," Arvil said with a shy smile. "I'm not that fragile."

She glanced over at Daisy, and when she saw no reaction, her lips curved into a slight smile. "Daisy, can we be friends?"

Silas also looked at Daisy with a warning glare, his eyes dark and heavy.

Daisy had her own plans, so she glanced at Silas before slowly breaking into a smile. "Sure. If he agrees, I'll come keep you company every day."

Right now, Silas had completely cut off all her social connections, and if she wanted to escape successfully, she had to first get access to the outside world.

Arvil had just handed her the perfect opportunity.

Daisy's fingers curled slightly, and worried that Silas might refuse, she added fuel to the fire. "But he's so possessive of me that he probably won't let me leave his side, so there's nothing I can do about that."

When Arvil heard her showing off her relationship with Silas like that, her expression twisted for a brief moment, and she pressed him. "Silas, just let Daisy come keep me company, okay?"