Zoya’s P.O.V
"Aren't you supposed to be a doctor?" Silas continued to press, oblivious to my sudden panic and confusion. "Shouldn't you know better than to be careless with your intake to keep the baby from harm?"
I blocked out everything he was saying. Because the word "pregnant" kept reverberating in my ears, and I desperately wanted to silence it.
This couldn't be happening. What? What was going on? Did I even hear him right? It felt like I was in a recurring nightmare, and I desperately wanted to wake up from it, but couldn’t.
"You're lying," I protested, my voice shaky and filled with denial. "This can't be true. You're a liar. Stop messing with me!"
But Silas's expression was stern and determined. He seemed even angrier with me, and his words sharp and stern.
"I'm not lying, Zoya," he retorted, his eyes blazing with anger. "And you have no right to be angry at me, woman. You’re the one who slept with someone else and got yourself knocked up, and you didn't even know it!"
How dare he? How dare he make comments about my personal life when he had run away from the pack two months ago after murdering his own brother’s mate, and was now apparently engaged to the same woman who had caused me to crash that night?
I resisted the urge to slap him across the face because I didn't want to cause a scandal by slapping Tania's boss' fiancé, who I was not supposed to be acquainted with prior to this event. So I balled my hands by my side instead.
"My life is none of your business, Silas," I snapped back, trying to hide the pain in my voice. "You don't get to judge me for my choices."
Silas clenched his jaw, clearly struggling with his emotions. "It is my fucking business, Zoya," he said, his voice tight with restraint. “Because you are my mate! I cannot just sit by and watch you got together with someone else!”
This douchebag!
"Mate? You think that’s a good enough reason for you to stake some wolfy claim on me? What are we to each other, Silas? In fact, what have we ever been to each other?" I shot back, my frustration reaching its peak. "Nothing, Silas! Nothing! You’re a stranger I saved and I thought of you as a friend, but you broke my trust!”
“You can't just show up out of nowhere and act like you have a right to be angry with me.” I shook my head, feeling the burden of all the emotions clog my throat. “And don't act so holier-than-thou with me, you little prick. You're angry at me for having someone else in my life, yet here you are, at my own cousin’s wedding with a fiancé of your own! Do you realize how hypocritical you sound when you call me your mate? How entitled?"
"Who, Anika? She's no-”
“Enough, Silas…please. Just let me go.” I begged, not wanting to deal with this anymore. Coming here was truly a mistake. If only I had known that this was how it would turn out…
Silas's jaw clenched again, and I could see the internal struggle within him. The emotions between us were complicated, and I wasn't sure if we could ever truly understand each other.
"No!" He snapped indignantly, and my heart raced because the volume of his voice was gradually rising. "I will never let you go Zoya, because you are my mate!"
Silas's angry words hit me like a wave, and I could feel my heart racing in my chest. The intensity of his emotions scared me, and I desperately wanted to escape the spotlight he had unintentionally put on us.
His loud voice had caught the attention of the people around us, and I wanted nothing more than to dig a six-feet hole and bury myself.
"Silas, please," I pleaded, my voice shaking. "Not here, not now."
Goddammit.
But his anger seemed to overpower any restraint he had left as he stepped closer to me, a little too close for comfort. The people around us were now staring, their curious eyes making me feel even more vulnerable.
"You can't just walk away from me, Zoya," he said, his voice not as loud but filled with frustration. "We are mates, and you can't ignore that. No matter whose spawn you’re carrying, you’ll always be mine!"
My eyes darted around, looking for an escape route, but Silas blocked my way, trapping me in his gaze.
Anika instantly appeared beside Silas as soon as she sensed that something was about to escalate, concern etched across her face. She placed a hand on his shoulder, trying to calm him down, but he seemed unyielding.
"Silas, let her go," Anika said firmly, her voice a stark contrast to his.
Thank the heavens. Please, please, Silas. Listen to your fucking wife-to-be.
But before Silas could respond, my mother emerged from the crowd, her disapproval evident in her expression.
Oh, god! Everything that I had feared was happening all at once.
"What is going on here?" she scolded, looking between Silas, Anika, and me. "Zoya, why are you causing a scene at your cousin's wedding? Are you intentionally trying to sabotage her? This is why I told you not to come! Why are you here anyway?"
Her words only fueled my fear, and I felt my cheeks flush with embarrassment and frustration.
"I'm not trying to cause a scene, ma," I protested, my voice shaky. "I just needed some space, that's all."
My mother's disapproving gaze softened slightly, but she still looked unconvinced.
"Well, whatever it is, you need to handle your emotions better," she scolded, giving Silas a disapproving glance as well. "You're ruining Tania's big day."
Silas finally seemed to realize the attention we were drawing, and his angry expression softened.
"I'm sorry," he said to my mother, his voice calmer now and he seemed to have a better hold of his emotions. "We'll take this somewhere else. We're weren’t trying to cause a scene ma’am, just trying to have a private conversation here, as you can see."
Dammit, Silas! That was a wrong move!
Because what he said instantly seemed to offend Anika as she turned to look at me with something akin to disgust in her eyes. "Who is this woman to you anyway, Silas?" she demanded. "Why does your conversation with her need to be private?"
At this point, I couldn't help but think if Silas had done it on purpose, because even my mother was now watching the chaos unfold with utter curiosity, waiting to find out the connection between me and Silas.
I was fucked. By now, I was dead scared that the instant Silas opens his mouth; I would be shunned by her entire fucking family for trying to steal another man and breaking up yet another couple after my own failed engagement.
Dread settled in my stomach as nausea churned, and I was scared that I would be rushing to the bathroom that instant, causing yet another scandal.
But then, before Silas could speak and ruin my life in front of my whole family, a voice sounded from behind me live a saving grace.
A voice, that Silas and I were very familiar with…
“She's my fiancée.”