Chapter 209

Victor’s POV

I promised Daisy to tell the truth from now on and hide nothing from her. However, total honesty could make me lose the woman I love. But I made her a promise that I had to keep.

“I’ll tell you what happened that made Alex test me, but please give me a chance to explain why it happened,” I said.

She sat closer to me. “Okay, I’m listening, but it better be the truth.”

“We need to work on trust along with honesty,” I mumbled.

Daisy heard me. “I agree with that, and we’ll work on being more trustful. But for now, please tell me what you did to make Alex test you.”

“I went to some bars and got drunk,” I told her. It was the truth, just not the entire truth.

“Why would you getting drunk make Alex doubt your affection for me?” I heard the doubt in her tone. “There must be more to it than that.”

It was harder than I thought it would be to tell Daisy what Alex saw when he walked into Moon Glow that night. I was ashamed of myself for acting the way I did, even if I had a reason for doing it.

Daisy didn’t know how devastated I was when she asked me about the differences in a man’s kiss. My pride made me do my best to hide it from her.

But my devastation didn’t seem as valid of a reason as it did at the time when jealousy and self-pity took hold of my senses.

It shouldn’t have been such a shock that Daisy enjoyed William’s kisses over mine. I knew she had been infatuated with William for a long time. It was what she wanted out of our agreement.

“Victor, answer me,” Daisy said and dragged me out of my thoughts.

“What did you ask?” I knew, but I was delaying the inevitable.

She was getting impatient. “Why would you going to bars make Alex go to such an extreme to test you? It doesn’t make sense.”

My wolf nodded. “Tell her everything,” Adam said. “She may understand your feelings. Daisy is very empathetic.” He had been listening to our conversation and murmuring with Diana. Their future was also at stake.

“It started the night after we first kissed,” I began. “Do you remember meeting me in the foyer after your date with William and asking if people kiss differently?”

“Yes,” she replied hesitantly. “Why?”

“You asked me that question because you were kissing William, right?”

“Uh-huh,” she replied.

“I know I was teaching you how to attract him to make it happen, but knowing he kissed you like I had the previous night drove me mad.”

“Especially when you preferred his kiss,” I added. It was a relief to get it out in the open. That one question of Daisy’s has haunted me ever since.

“But I didn’t like William’s kiss better than yours,” she said.

“You didn’t?” I held my breath while I waited for her answer.

“No. Not at all,” Daisy replied. “It was very different.”

Joy exploded in my heart and mind. She didn’t like William’s kisses better than mine!

“What do you mean?” I needed to know exactly how she felt because her innocent kisses had been the highlight of my life.

Her lips were sweeter than any I had ever tasted. It was difficult to stop at kissing her and not go any further, but I didn’t want to abuse her trust.

“What did you mean, Daisy?” I repeated. “Please tell me.”

“First, tell me what my asking you about kissing has to do with Alex testing you,” she demanded.

“Okay, but listen to everything before you judge me,” I pleaded.

Her wolf nodded.

“I was devastated when I learned you were kissing William,” I confessed. “And when you asked me about people kissing differently, I was sure you preferred his kisses to mine.”

“I never said that,” she argued. “But go on.”

“Well, I was hurt, and I reacted by trying to turn into the man I was before I met you.”

“You were a playboy before I met you.” She was growing angry.

“You promised to listen before judging,” I reminded her, making her wolf nod again.

“I left here and went straight to a bar. That night, I got drunk enough that I had to leave my car there and take an Obi car home.”

“Is that all?” Daisy sounded like she was sure there was something worse.

She was right. There was.

“I went out several nights that week, but all I did was drink, dance, and flirt. I was trying to forget you. You always wanted William, and now you had him. There was nothing left for me.”

I paused to see if she would say anything, but she waited quietly for me to finish.

“That Friday night, I was meeting a friend at Moon Glow … a woman I used to know. While I waited for her to arrive, some other women approached me to flirt and party. After my date arrived, one of the girls felt challenged and sat on my lap.”

“What?” Daisy got to her feet.

“You promised to listen,” I said. To my relief, she sat down again, but several feet away from me.

“I was drinking and missing you, and …I should have made her get up from my lap immediately. I don't know why I didn’t. I don’t even know her name. She’s nothing compared to you.”

“But a minute later, when I had my date sitting across the table, two other women at my sides, and that blonde on my lap, your father walked into Moon Glow.”

“I don’t believe this,” Daisy said. The hurt in her voice made me cringe.

“It will never happen again,” I insisted. “Daisy, I didn’t do anything with any of those women. I couldn’t because I love you.”

“Victor, I don’t know what to think. I’ve endured a lot lately, and I need to process everything. But at least I know why Alex felt he needed to test you.”

“Daisy, I am sorry for what I did and that it resulted in Alex moving you into the city for a short time. I own that. My stupid mistakes caused that whole mess with Olivia, and I’m sorry.”

I moved in front of her and looked into those gorgeous green eyes. “I need you to believe me when I tell you I haven’t slept with anyone since I met you.”

“I …I do believe you,” she said. “But I still need time to think.”

“But you liked my kisses better than Williams, huh?” I pretended to be teasing, but I needed to hear it from her.

“Yeah, I did,” she admitted.

“Why?” I asked.

“Ugh. I have to go,” she said and ran toward the house.

“Daisy, wait,” I called and ran after her.

But she was more agile than me among the roses and other obstacles. By the time I made it to the side of the mansion, I saw her wolf leap onto the balcony outside her bedroom and vanish.

“Follow her onto the balcony, Adam,” I said. “I need to talk to her.”

“No,” Adam replied. “Victor, she has repeatedly asked for time to think. You need to give her some space. If you are disrespectful and follow her into her bedroom, she may reject you entirely.”

“But she’s going to be deciding between me and William while thinking the absolute worst of me. I need to talk to her for a few minutes, and then I will go home.”

“No. Don’t force me to jump onto her balcony,” Adam insisted. “Think about it. You would be invading her privacy when she needs it the most. Walk away for now, or you will ruin your chances to be her mate.”

“I’m not used to being this helpless, Adam. Any other time when I’ve wanted something, I go and get it.”

“Love isn’t a business deal,” Adam said. “Please, go home. The more space you give her, the better your chances will be. Trust me. I know more than I can tell you at this time.”

I stood under Daisy’s balcony and looked up at the light coming from her bedroom. Was Adam right about giving her space? This was the toughest decision I ever had to make.

If I walked away from Daisy now, would I win her or lose her?