SILAS“We have to go.”Riley shook his head again, the same sharp refusal he’d been giving me all day. Without a word, he turned and stalked back to the kitchen. I followed him, leaning against the counter as he grabbed a glass of water.This thing I’d become—the wolf—I hadn’t figured out how to settle into it yet. Everything felt too much: sounds sharper, scents stronger. It was like the world had been turned up to an unbearable volume. Even Riley’s voice, when he wasn’t careful, could scrape against my nerves like glass.And then there was us. The tension that hung in the air every time he so much as glanced at the door. My gut clenched at the thought of him leaving—my mind spinning out scenarios where he walked away and never came back.“It’s a death sentence,” Riley muttered, finally breaking the silence. His voice was rough, edged with frustration. “And he might already be—” He stopped himself, his jaw tightening as he gave me a look that said it all: *Why are we wasting our time
RILEYI couldn’t stop pacing. Every second that passed felt like a countdown to disaster. It had been over an four house since Silas disappeared into that compound, and every what if clawed at my brain.What if he was caught? What if he was dead? What if I’d already lost him, and I was too much of a coward to stop it, to follow him?“Fuck,” I hissed, gripping the car door handle. My chest heaved as I stared at the treeline where he’d vanished. I should’ve gone with him. Should’ve followed sooner.No more waiting.I swung the door open, stepped into the biting morning air, and ran toward the compound.The sun had risen, painting the sky in soft blues and yellows, but it didn’t ease the dread crawling up my spine. Birds chirped overhead, oblivious to the hell happening in my head. I reached the metal gate, gripped the cold bar, and swung over. My feet hit the snow, sending a sharp jolt up my legs.I paused, scanning the open space. Too exposed. If anyone was watching, they’d see me.I b
SILASNo, no, no...My eyes flew open, panic clawing at my chest. My neck throbbed, my head ached, and my mind was hazy as I took in my surroundings.A cage.A fucking cage just like the others.The walls were smooth, seamless glass. My reflection stared back at me, as I pressed my palms against the cold surface and shoved. My muscles strained, my breaths coming fast and shallow as I slammed my fists into it, over and over. Nothing. Not even a crack.“Fuck. Fuck!” I hissed, dragging my hands through my hair, pacing the small enclosure like a caged animal.How long had I been here? Hours? And Riley—had he realized something was wrong? Had he gotten away?God, I hoped he’d left.I slumped into the corner, my back pressed against the glass. My jaw clenched, teeth grinding as I glared at the single door in the spacious room. It stood there, silent and mocking, daring me to hope for an escape.I sat in the corner, the minutes felt like they stretched forever. The only sound was the dull rh
RILEYI couldn’t wait any longer. Orin was taking too damn long, and the thought of what he might be doing to Silas made my blood boil. So I barged in.The door slammed against Orin, sending him flying to the ground. My chest heaved as my eyes landed on Silas—trapped inside a damned glass cage. His fists were pressed against the barrier, his expression a mix of relief and fear.Orin groaned as he got to his feet, wiping blood from his nose. “You’re still following my boy like a lost pup, I see,” he sneered, straightening his stance.I didn’t let him finish. My fist collided with his jaw, snapping his head to the side. He stumbled, but not for long—his recovery was too fast.He grinned, blood trickling from his split lip. “Still as weak as you were in my basement,” he mocked before lunging at me.The memory of that basement flashed through my mind—the chains, the cold stone floor, the way he laughed every time.The hesitation cost me. His shoulder slammed into my stomach, driving us bo
RILEYThe silence was suffocating, thick like smoke in a room with no windows. My hands trembled slightly as I sat in the car, crammed into the confined space with Silas, Ronan, and Marcus. None of us had spoken since we left.Marcus.My mate. Alive.The thought circled in my head like a cruel joke, over and over again. He was here, flesh and blood, close enough to touch. But no matter how hard I tried to wrap my mind around it, no matter how much I told myself to be happy, my gut twisted in protest.Because I had seen him die.I had watched as his body crumpled, blood pooling beneath him, the knife lodged deep in his chest. I had held him, felt the life slip away from his body. That memory was seared into me like a brand. And yet, here he was. Breathing.I couldn’t bring myself to look at Silas. His silence was loud, deafening, and I didn’t need to see his face to know what he was thinking. His jaw was clenched so tight it could snap steel, and his knuckles had turned white against t
SILASMy chest burned, a wildfire of anger and jealousy that I couldn’t extinguish. Mate. Riley’s mate. Marcus. Even the name grated on me, a reminder of what I’d lost before I ever had it. Marcus wasn’t supposed to be here—he was supposed to be dead. And yet, there he was, and Riley was with him. I saw it in Riley’s eyes, in the way their hands lingered together when he pulled away from me. It gutted me. I shoved the door open, the sound echoing in the room like the crack of a whip. Ronan was sitting on the edge of the bed, staring out the open window, the night air brushing against his face. I still couldn’t fully wrap my head around it—having a brother. A brother I’d let myself forget. I shut the door, the soft click echoing as I crossed the room. “I’m sorry,” Ronan said, his voice quiet, almost hesitant. He didn’t turn to look at me, just barely moved his head in acknowledgment. “I told him. That man. I told him about your change back there.” I shook my head. “It’s o
RILEYI turned my eyes from Silas’s retreating form to Marcus, and the smell of anger filled the room. The tension between them—between all of us—was suffocating, but the last thing I needed was for them to tear into each other. I couldn’t think straight as it was.“Riley,” Marcus said, his voice low, familiar, and too much all at once. The sound sent a shiver through me, a reminder of everything I thought I’d lost. Before I could protest, he grabbed my hand and pulled me outside.“What the hell was that, Marcus?” I yanked my hand free, shaking my head as I crossed my arms. The cool night air did nothing to steady me.“He started it,” he said, his voice calm like it was the most reasonable thing in the world.A scoff slipped past my lips before I could stop it. “He—? God, now you’re acting like a kid.” I leaned back against the wall, tipping my head up to the sky, desperate for some clarity.“I noticed, you know. I’m not blind,” Marcus said suddenly, his voice sharper now.I snapped m
RILEYThe car smelled like us—like sex. The kind of scent that clung to everything, sticking to my skin and seeping into the leather seats. It was too much, too obvious, and I wasn’t going to risk Marcus catching it. Reaching for the box of wet wipes, I muttered, “We reek of sex. So does the car.” Silas didn’t respond. He didn’t have to. The way his jaw locked said it all, but he still parked the car with a sharp pull of the wheel. I yanked my pants down just enough to clean myself, running the wipe over my thighs, my skin still sticky with dried cum. The coolness of it made me shiver, but not as much as the way Silas was watching me, his knuckles tight on the steering wheel. I passed him a wipe. “Seriously?” he bit out, his tone a mix of irritation and anger. But he took it anyway, pulling his denim down and dragging the wipe over himself with a little too much force. “We didn’t even fuck,” he snapped, throwing the wipe onto the dashboard and leaning back against his seat
SILASThe full moon hung high in the sky, bathing the forest in silver light. Tonight was the pack run, and while everyone else seemed eager, all I could think about was Ronan. Since I’d found him, he’d been calm to the point of indifference—aloof, even—but lately, cracks had started to show. When I asked him if something was wrong, he’d brush it off with a curt *I’m fine,* but I wasn’t so sure. “Silas,” Riley’s voice cut through the hum of chatter. He pushed past the gathered wolves,m until he stopped in front of me. I straightened, pushing off the tree I’d been leaning against. “Where’s Ronan?” Riley asked, glancing around the clearing. I clenched my jaw, feeling slightly frustrated. I’d asked him over and over to join the run, but his answer never changed. No. He hated how he looked when he shifted, and no matter what I said, he wouldn’t budge. Eventually, I’d had to respect his decision. I clenched my jaw and shook my head. “He’s not coming,” I said, trying to keep my
RILEY“I can’t believe Liam fucking escaped,” Marcus said, pacing across the room. His voice was loud, his movements jerky, but I stayed where I was—leaning against the wall, arms folded. Watching. He turned, his expression softening as his eyes landed on me. “You must be scared,” he murmured, stepping closer and resting a hand on my arm. But I wasn’t scared. Not about that, anyway. Liam’s escape was the least of my worries. The real problem was standing in front of me. I didn’t know how to tell him. How to make him understand that things weren’t the same anymore, that my heart didn’t belong to him now—it belonged to Silas. Marcus sighed, his jaw tightening. “I even asked him to stay, but he fucking refused. He’d rather risk being hunted than join a pack that could protect him.” I frowned, pulling away slightly. “Who?” “Silas,” Marcus said, his voice quiet but hard, his hand gripping my shoulder like he could pin me in place. “Make him stay, Riley. Him and Ronan. They ca
SILAS“Talk,” Marcus growled, his voice low and sharp. I stayed where I was, leaning back in my seat in a tree, arms folded as I kept my glare locked on the man tied to the tree. “I’d be dead either way,” the man said with a twisted grin, blood smearing his teeth. His words only seemed to irritate Marcus further. Marcus crouched, his massive frame closing the distance between them until their faces were inches apart. “You will m be dead either way if you don’t talk,” he said, his voice dropping to a lethal whisper. “And it’ll be the worst fucking way imaginable.” His hand shot out, gripping the man’s hair, yanking his head back hard enough to make him wince. “Why the fuck are you in my mountains? Why are you attacking us?” The man hesitated, his eyes darting between us like a cornered animal, before a weary sigh escaped his lips. “We were looking for you,” he said. The words had my entire body locking up. My muscles tensed as I straightened in my seat, my attention fully focus
RILEY“Riley, sleep. I’ll keep watch.” I shook my head, my focus locked on the stretch of darkness beyond the fire. My back stayed pressed to the tree, every muscle tense as I listened for the faintest sound. There was no way I was letting my guard down. Not with those rogues out there. “I’m good,” I said, dragging a hand over my face. Marcus didn’t say anything at first. Then I heard him move. He stepped closer, and before I could stop him, he draped a thick blanket over my shoulders. He didn’t stop there—he settled beside me, his body warm against mine. I didn’t push him away. But maybe I should have. Because when I glanced up, I saw them—Silas, sitting just beyond the fire. His blue eyes locked on us, watching, jaw clenched. His gaze was like a punch to my chest, and no matter how hard I tried to look away, I couldn’t. Marcus shifted closer, pressing his nose against my neck. His breath was warm on my skin, and sparks flickered to life under his touch. They used to
RILEYThe scream ripped from my throat before I could stop it, the sound tearing through the cold air. The wolf lunged toward me in a blur of brow fur.I’d been too focused on Silas—on checking to make sure he wasn’t hurt—to notice the other wolf stalking me.It came fast, too fast, and I barely managed to jump to the side in time. My boots sank into the snow, the ground dragging me down. I cursed as I stumbled back, a sharp pain shot through my ribs when I hit the frozen earth.Before I could recover, it charged again. But this time, I was ready. My claws shot out, deadly, and a low, guttural growl rolled from my chest as the wolf leapt at me. From where I lay, I thrust my arm upward, slamming my clawed hand into its neck. Warm blood spilled over my fingers, staining me and the snow red as the massive creature collapsed beside me.“Fuck,” I muttered, rolling its heavy body off me with a groan. My chest heaved as I laid flat on my back, the icy cold seeping through my clothes.For a m
SILAS“Can I at least put on my pants?” Riley asked, his brows knitting together as he reached for the jeans on the floor.I tightened my grip around his ankle, pulling him closer by the good leg, refusing to let him escape. “No. Let’s talk first.” My voice was stronger than I felt, even as my pulse hammered like a drum. Because somehow, as fucked up as this was—being stuck here, in this cave, with no one but him—I was grateful. Grateful for the fall, the attack, all of it. Grateful to finally have him. Alone.Our faces were so close now that I could feel the heat of his breath against my lips. His heart pounded fast and wild, mirroring mine, and for one brief second, I swore I saw the words forming in his mind.We can’t.But I didn’t want that. Christ, I didn’t want that. What I wanted—what I needed—was for him to look at me the way he used to. Like I was everything. Like I wasn’t just… there. Like Marcus had never come back to from the dead.But instead of meeting my gaze, his eyes
RILEYThe sun hadn’t even thought about rising when we were moving again, and just like yesterday, the tension hung between us like a loaded gun waiting for someone to pull the trigger. “I can’t smell anything. Are you sure this isn’t a dead lead?” Ronan’s voice cut through the quiet, low and gravelly, and it was the first time I’d heard him talk since we started the hunt. I bit the inside of my cheek because he wasn’t wrong. There was nothing. Just the faint scent of fox and deer buried under layers of snow, and even the occasional wild wolf wasn’t enough to set me on edge. If the rogues had passed through here, we would’ve known. Their foul stench should’ve been clinging to every frozen surface, lingering in the air like a warning. But there was nothing. “Two pack members were hit. They saw them,” Marcus said, his words clipped as he pushed forward, his shoulders tense and I could tell even he was feeling frustrated already. The snow only got deeper, more unforgiving, but he d
SILASWhy the hell had I agreed to go rogue hunting with Marcus? The answer was painfully obvious. Riley. The bastard knew how to dangle a lure I couldn’t resist, and the idea of being near Riley again—after the way he’d been ignoring me since the last time we’d been together—was too much to pass up. I rubbed a hand over my face and glanced at Ronan, who was tugging on his gloves with a kind of quiet determination. "You ready?" I asked, though I couldn’t understand why he’d decided to tag along. Maybe it was instinct. Maybe it was him trying to figure out his place. Or to protect me. Either way, I wasn’t about to question it. “Yeah. Done.” His voice was clipped, barely louder than the sound of him pulling on a head warmer. I gave a stiff nod, and together we headed out, boots crunching against the snow as we stepped into the pale morning light. The sun hadn’t yet risen, and the bitter cold bit at my skin. Marcus had said he’d meet us at the pack house—a fifteen-minute walk,
RILEYThe first rays of dawn had yet to break when I slipped out of Silas’ warm embrace. His soft snores filled the room, his hand resting on the bed where I should’ve been. I hesitated for a moment, watching him in the dim light. Peaceful. Unaware.I needed to go.It had been a mistake coming here—a reckless, selfish decision—but I couldn’t stop myself. Not when I needed him the way I did.My chest tightened as I pulled my clothes on, the quiet creak of the wooden floorboards beneath me echoing louder than it should. By the time I reached the door, my shoes were on, and my hand hovered over the handle, ready to leave.The door swung open before I could touch it.Ronan stood there, his expression unreadable, a faint frown tugging at the corners of his mouth.I froze. My breath hitched, and it felt like the seconds stretched long before he shrugged and brushed past me.Glancing over my shoulder, I watched him walk to the kitchen. He grabbed a glass from the counter and filled it with w