Caspian shivered, Silvia had to be a Beta, but the raw power she had was just so compelling that he found himself responding without realizing.
Asher was in between them again, and Caspian was made aware of the sight they painted.
Playing cat and mouse in the middle of the ballroom made them spectacles but Asher and Silvia didn’t even seem to notice.
"I’ll go ahead and find somewhere to sit," He said to Asher, walking away from his face off with Silvia.
Asher immediately turned to go after him, but Silvia easily stepped in his path.
"He’ll be fine if you leave him alone for a few minutes, you know." She teased.
Although Silvia’s voice was light, Asher could see that her shoulders were tense.
He wouldn’t be able to walk away until she wanted to let him go, or it would just be a repetitive cycle of her stepping in his path.
And he would rather not have a brawl with her in the middle of the function.
"I’m not worried about that," Asher muttered, his mood dark as he accepted that he would have to have this conversation with Silvia.
"What is it then?" She flicked nonexistent flints off her black dress. "Has one of the Mafia Kings found love?"
"Like you’d know a thing about love," Asher countered, his sharp eyes focused on Caspian who had found a table to sit.
Silvia leaned closer, "Oh, I do know about love," Her voice dropped, "That’s why I can tell that’s not what you’re scared of."
Asher took his eyes off Caspian for the first time, his eyes cruel as he glared down at Silvia. "Tread carefully."
"You’re too nice to cause a scene on the ballroom floor," Silvia read him like an open book.
Asher’s jaw tightened at that, she was right, he wouldn’t.
This time, Silvia was the one to tip his jaw back to the table Caspian was seated on, and it hadn’t even been two minutes, but someone had already approached him.
"You’re scared that he’ll leave you for someone else," She trailed her sharp black nails down the side of his neck and over his chest.
But just like every other time she did it, it was more menacing than sexual.
Asher’s jaw had started to hurt from locking it up so tight, Silvia’s dangerous nails resting on the delicate vein on his neck.
So, he was forced to listen to her tell him everything he would rather not hear instead of ripping the Alpha coming onto Caspian a new breathing hole.
"You don’t know what you’re talking about." He half-growled.
"Don’t bite my head off," Silvia giggled like they were having a very pleasant conversation. "Hate the message, not the messenger and all that..."
Silvia knew that this would be Asher’s exact reaction, she had known the Mafia King far too long to not be able to read him well.
Besides, she was merely trying to help him out, she truly meant no harm, she just found their situation fascinating.
And it was why she had spent resources keeping tabs on their relationship...
"See," She tipped his jaw again, making the pissed off Mafia King focus on his Omega who now wore a scowl on his beguiling face, the Alpha that had approached him long gone.
"You don’t trust him," She went on, her words sharper than her nails. "Even though he’s never given you a reason not to. Even though he turned down Nikolai’s offer of triple his bid."
Asher didn’t bother asking Silvia how she got that information, even though it was his first-time hearing about it.
"I didn’t know you were venturing into love counseling." Asher said dryly, the tension going out of his muscles as he stopped trying to get back to Caspian.
Silvia retreated, her black eyes glittering with humor. "Now that you mention it, maybe I should."
"That wasn’t a suggestion, Silva," Asher matched her tone, all the lethal energy seeping out of their conversation.
"You diagnosed your first client wrong," He crossed the distance between them and tipped her jaw up so they could keep eye-contact.
"It has nothing to do with trust. I’m just a jealous bastard." He tossed flippantly, dropping his hand when Silvia quickly put distance between them.
"I don’t like people going after what’s mine."
This time Silvia didn’t try to stop him when he started off, certain that there would be terrible repercussions if she did.
It didn’t dim her smile as she walked off, ignoring the nervous people who clearly wanted a word with her but couldn’t work up the moxie to approach her.
She could be calling it an early night, she had really only come here because she knew Asher would be, and if he was, there would be a slim chance his Omega would as well.
Caspian sat at the table with a flute of champagne he was reluctant to drink.
Without Asher’s broad back and overpowering presence to protect him, the leering and curious eyes on him were so heavy.
He was tempted to ask for a gun the next time he was accompanying Asher to one of these. He never imagined that he would ever say that Silvia was less trouble.
Because although he had already turned away two men in quick succession, a third was already approaching him.
At least Silvia didn’t wait till he was alone to seek him out, and their interactions were more about teasing Asher than anything else.
He eyed the glass of golden wine in front of him, blue eyes focused on the condensation. He might need a drink to get him through the rest of the night.
Caspian looked up when Asher approached, his scowl falling away at the sight of the Alpha.
He also didn’t miss the cold look he shot over his shoulder at the approaching Alpha who was quick to make himself scarce.
"Are you upset that I left without you?" He asked, nervously reaching for the flute of champagne he had been trying so hard not to drink.
Asher actually looked pissed; it was nothing like the look of exasperation he had on while dealing with Silvia.
"What do you think?" He placed a heavy hand on the table in front of him, his voice low, rings catching the ballroom lights.