Silas’s P.O.V
I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw Ezra standing there, a confident smirk playing on his lips.
Anger surged through me as he interrupted my conversation with Zoya. What was he even doing here, and why did he falsely claim to be Zoya's fiancé?
"You," I finally spoke, my voice tinged with bitterness and disbelief.
"Silas. Fancy seeing you here." Ezra’s expression remained calm and composed, but his voice was firm. "And I see you've been quite busy in your absence."
I scowled, my anger evident. "You have no idea what I've been through."
"I don't," Ezra agreed. "But that's not an excuse for what you did."
His words hung heavy in the air, the tension between us palpable. Zoya and Anika both stood at a distance, observing the reunion of the two brothers, unsure of how our confrontation would unfold.
Ezra and I faced each other, our emotions and histories intertwining in this moment. It was a confrontation that had been a long time coming.
"Cut the crap. What's the meaning of this, Ezra?" I demanded, trying to contain my rage. "What are you even doing here? And why did you just falsely claim to be Zoya’s fiancé?"
Since the crowd of snoopy, nosy aunties were now gone from this area, the wedding no better than an abandoned ghost house, I no longer had to lower my voice for everyone’s convenience.
Ezra's expression remained cool and collected as he replied, "My claim wasn't false, Silas. I might not have had the chance to propose to her yet, but she really is my mate."
His words hit me like a thunderbolt, and for a moment, I was left speechless. His mate? How was that even possible?
I had thought that Zoya and I had a connection, that she was my mate. Yet here was Ezra, claiming the same thing.
I looked at Zoya, hoping to find some sort of explanation in her eyes. But she seemed to be unphased by this revelation as her gaze darted between me and Ezra, trying to figure out in which direction this conversation was heading.
She knew!
Fuck! She knew that Silas was her mate! And now I knew exactly who the father of her baby was!
Fucking hell! This wasn’t what I had been expecting…Zoya moving forward like this…that too with Ezra…I could’ve never imagined this even in my wildest dreams.
Before I could respond, Anika stepped forward, her eyes sharp and calculating. She must have overheard our conversation, and I could see the wheels turning in her mind.
I knew I had to tread carefully around her. Because Anika had yet to know that Zoya was my mate and I didn’t want her to find out just yet.
"Zoya is not your mate," I said, my voice steady despite the turmoil inside me. "You're just trying to create more chaos, as usual."
Ezra's smirk didn't falter. "Believe what you want, Silas. But Zoya and I have a bond that goes beyond what you can understand."
I wanted to argue further, to claim my right as Zoya's mate, but then…Anika placed a hand on my arm, her touch almost possessive, and her nails dug into my skin through my jacket.
Ezra's demeanor turned into something almost smug. "You know," he said. "I didn't expect to see you here, because you had been running around, busy going into hiding ever since Lily died."
The mention of her name brought a twitch of pain in my heart. I tried not to let it show, and I think I mostly succeeded.
"Was it because you were, perhaps, guilty of the crime?” Ezra continued to goad me.
I couldn't believe my ears. Was this guy fucking serious?
His words were like salt to an open wound, accusing me of something I would rather die than actually do. I felt infuriated that he, my brother, out of all people actually thought I was capable of killing someone whom I had once truly loved despite the absence of a mating bond.
I hated hearing him disrespect my connection with Lily just like that.
The anger inside me surged, and I couldn't hold back my retort.
"Or maybe…you're the one who killed Lily, Ezra, and now you’re just trying to pin the blame on me!" I spat back, my voice laced with bitterness. "The only scent inside that house was yours, Ezra. You're the murderer."
The accusation hung heavy in the air, and the tension between us reached its breaking point.
Our eyes locked, and it was as if the world around us had disappeared, leaving only the burning anger and resentment we held for each other.
"How dare you?" Ezra demanded indignantly. Gone was his cool composure, replaced by what seemed to be genuine offense. Or maybe he was just that good at acting. "You know as well as I do that my love for Lily had been real. I could never do that to her! She was my mate for gods' sake, Silas!"
"I had loved her too!" I shot back, my voice rising. "Before you, it was me. I loved her first. You don't get to go around saying I killed her when I would have rather offered myself than hurt a hair on her head!"
"Then why the hell did you flee?" he bellowed, stepping forward to grab my collar. In response, I did the same to him. He didn't seem to be deterred. "You must have been so blinded by jealousy that you hated seeing her with me. So you killed her. You fucking killed her!"
"Say that again and I'll rip your head off your neck!"
Zoya and Anika, realizing that things were about to escalate, rushed to intervene. They had to pry us apart, but even then, the tension didn't dissipate.
I could feel the energy crackling in the air, the Alpha pride in both of us calling for a resolution. Calling for justice.
Calling for blood.
As much as I wanted to tear into Ezra and settle the score, I knew I had to be cautious.
Fighting an Alpha was not something to be taken lightly. But in that moment of rage and loss, I couldn't back down.
Zoya looked worried and it was only later that I understood that her concern wasn’t for me, and Anika's expression was a mixture of concern and confusion. But the challenge, though unspoken, had been made, and there was no going back now.
Ezra's face hardened, and I could see the determination in his eyes. He was ready to fight for what he believed was rightfully his.
The tension between us was palpable, and in that moment, I pushed aside all thoughts of caution and consequences.
The only thing that mattered was proving myself, proving that I was the rightful Alpha, and avenging Lily's death.
"Are you asking for an Alpha challenge from me?" Ezra's voice sliced through the tense air like a razor, his eyes locked onto Silas with a mix of anger and sadness. His tone was cold, rage simmering just below the surface.
The atmosphere around us crackled with tension as we faced each other, Alpha blood to Alpha blood, each of us harboring our own pain and grievances.
If I were to declare that I accepted the Alpha challenge, it would be a direct move against Ezra's position as Alpha of his pack, a challenge that could potentially turn deadly.
Zoya and Anika stood on the sidelines, feeling like they were intruders to this dangerous dance between two estranged half-brothers.
I wondered who Zoya was rooting for. Did she no longer feel any sort of attraction toward me? Even just a sliver of attachment for the time we shared and spent together? Had it not mattered to her in the long run?
Ezra took a deep breath, visibly attempting to control the tempest of emotions raging within him. "I don't want to fight you," he said, his voice softening with sincerity. "We were friends once, little brother. Lily's death tore us apart even further… But you must know that pack matters and mating bonds take precedence over what bond we once had. So if you ask for a fight, then I'll give it to you."
"I've already lost too much," I growled, my voice tinged with both rage and sorrow. "I have nothing left to lose, Ezra."
The weight of my words hung heavily in the air, a chilling reminder of the depths of my pain and the dangerous path I was choosing to walk.
"Fine, then," Ezra said. "I ask you this again, Silas: are you challenging me, Alpha to Alpha?"
I did not give it another thought anymore. "Yes."