Ken just stared at him, struggling to keep his expression impassive. He didn't really want to talk about Rick's antics right now.
"But what about you?" Rick continued. "I mean, I saw Lily cornering you earlier... it looked like there was a commotion?"
"No," Ken said through gritted teeth, not wanting to let Rick see how much her words had wounded him. "Nothing happened."
"All right, if you say so," Rick replied with a shrug, clearly unconvinced by Ken's nonchalant tone. "I'm just concerned about my friend."
"Don't fucking pretend like you care. You're the one who dragged me along here, knowing what it would do to me."
"Dude, I didn't tell you to proposition Lily by the sandwich table. Fuck, don't you know she's a viper? I thought you two had met already."
Ken laughed, incredulous. "I didn't fucking proposition her! She came onto me like a freight train and didn't take no for an answer. Of course she spun the narrative to make it sound like I'm the creep."
At least Rick had enough sense to scowl along with Ken. "Fuck, that sounds like Lily. Sorry. If I'd known she was going to be here, I would have warned you."
Ken's feet itched to get the fuck out of here, but he couldn't help the seething rage that threatened to consume him every time he thought of how this town had changed. They all expected Ken to change with them, but he couldn't.
"I know you mean well, but for fuck's sake," Ken bit out, "I'm not like everyone else in this godforsaken town. Half of you dumb fucks had aggression issues for decades because of the goblins' treasure sickness, and now that the treasure has been destroyed, you all look down at me for struggling withrealissues that don't just disappear like magic."
"You're grieving, Ken," Rick said, "and I respect that. We've all had our issues. No one's issues are any more or less valid. But you can't keep using Beth as an excuse. It's been what, fifteen years?"
"Fourteen."
"Fourteen years, Ken. Aren't you tired of being alone? You're not exactly young anymore. Maybe it's time to settle."
"I can't settle after I've hadher."
"So you thought she was the one, but maybe she wasn't. Why can't you deal with a breakup like a normal person for once and go fuck around and see what else the world has to offer?"
Ken growled. "Sheisthe one. I'm not going to fuck around on her."
"Sheleft you, Ken. No one likes seeing you like this. Lily might be a bitch, but maybe she had the right idea. You could use a quick fuck or ten to get Beth out of your head."
"Fuck you. You don't fucking get it, do you? Beth wasn't just some fling or a long-term fuck. She's my mate! I can't just forget about her like she was nothing. She was my whole world. She was my heart. She was everything to me, and you want me to just forget about her? Get over her? Fuck you!"
"Ken, I didn't mean—"
"Fuck you, Rick!"
Rick was silent for a moment, taken aback by the vehemence in Ken's voice. Ken had even managed to surprise himself.
Ken swallowed hard and continued. "I'm sorry. I know you're just trying to help. But you can't fix this. No one can. I just have to learn to live with the pain."
"You don't have to forget her," Rick said quietly. "You only have to learn how to enjoy life again. Maybe finding yourself another girl isn't the answer, but neither is it worth it to kill yourself from the inside out like this. We're all worried about you."
"I need some space. I'll see you later." Ken tugged the hem of his shirt. "Thanks for trying."
Rick didn't look happy when Ken left, and Ken only had himself to blame. Fuck, he hadn't meant to snap, but he was fucking sick of everyone treating him like he was a problem. The whole town had been cursed, for fuck's sake!
The treasure sickness had all the males in the Silvercoast pack riled up and sick with rage to the point that the men became angsty and abusive, Ken had every excuse to be a dick like them. He’d matched their anger without realizing it, all because he’d lost his mate.
The treasure sickness came from the goblins, the last hurrah of their feud that had torn the Silvercoast pack apart almost three decades ago. The treasure sickness gained its name from how the treasure had first affected the wolves when the goblins betrayed them: the wolves had taken the treasure that was rightfully theirs, by agreement with the goblins, only to be cursed and fall into a rage. They’d fought one another, killing their own kind because of the madness.
In time, it had died down, and only remnants of that anger had remained in the wolves over the years. It wasn’t until they discovered the last of the treasure and destroyed it that the wolves of Silvercoast were released from the curse.
But Ken's issues had never been because of the curse, as much as he wished it had been. Then he would have a legitimate excuse for being a dick, and then he could be moving on and forgetting those horrible years of their lives like everyone else. He wouldn't be the one left behind.
No matter how hard he tried to put up a facade of indifference, the years had begun to weigh on him.