Zoya's P.O.V
"Do you still have feelings for Silas?"
I blinked…several times. Trying to process what I was even hearing.
Excuse me? Was he being for real or was I just hearing things?
The weight of his words bore down on my chest, a mixture of confusion and hurt swirling within me.
I turned to him, my eyes searching his face for any sign of… Well, to be honest, I didn't know what I was looking for from him. Regret? Guilt?
"What?" I managed to sputter out in a whisper, my voice tinged with a mix of disbelief and vulnerability.
Ezra's gaze met mine, and I could see a war of emotions waging behind his eyes.
His brows furrowed, and he seemed lost in his thoughts for a moment before he finally spoke.
"I don't know, Zoya," he admitted, his voice laced with a touch of frustration. "I guess with everything that's been happening, I let my insecurities get the better of me."
His words left me even more baffled. We had shared countless moments together, faced challenges, and celebrated joys as a couple.
We're going to be a family, for heaven's sake.
Our bond had deepened over time, and the fact that he was now questioning my feelings for Silas seemed unfathomable.
"Ezra," I began, my voice a mixture of hurt and incredulity, "we've been together for months now. You know how much I care about you, and we're having a child together. Why would you even think that way?"
Ezra's words seemed to echo in my mind, hanging in the air, heavy with a both concern and vulnerability.
A part of me understood his point of view, the idea that my mating bond with Silas might still be tangled with lingering emotions from the past.
I would do the same for Ezra, if Lily had still been alive, to be honest. The only reason why I no longer saw her as a threat was because she was gone.
But Ezra didn't have the same luxury as me. The man he should be threatened of as my other mate candidate was alive and well and the Alpha of an unfriendly pack nearby. Very and likely to be my true mate, should I tire of him as he feared so.
Yet, it also stung to think that Ezra might doubt the depth of my feelings for him.
He looked at me earnestly, his eyes searching for some kind of reassurance. "Zoya, I'm not doubting our love," he began, his voice gentle yet tinged with a touch of anxiety. "But the fact that Silas and I both felt your collapse, and just the mere fact that he was also affected by it... It makes me wonder if our bond is still open ended, and if there are still feelings between you and him."
His words felt like a blow to my chest, a sharp pang of hurt piercing through me.
But even through the pain, I recognized the raw honesty in his confession.
Taking a deep breath, I met his gaze with unwavering determination, eager to show him the depth of my love for him. "Ezra," I said softly, my voice carrying the weight of my emotions, "from the moment I met you, there has never been anyone else. Silas... at one point, I might have thought that there could be more between us, but that feeling is long gone."
Ezra's expression shifted, a mixture of relief and vulnerability washing over him. I saw the doubt in his eyes begin to dissipate, replaced by a glimmer of hope. "Zoya," he whispered, his voice filled with both gratitude and relief.
Unable to hold back my own emotions, I reached out and pulled him into a tight embrace.
Our bodies pressed together, the warmth of his presence a remedy to the uncertainty that had gripped us.
I nestled my head against his chest, feeling the steady rhythm of his heartbeat beneath my cheek. "Ezra, there has never been anyone else for me," I murmured, my words a testament to the truth that bound us.
He held me close, his arms wrapped protectively around me, and I felt a sense of unity that was unbreakable.
In that moment, the doubts that had haunted us seemed to fade into the background, replaced by a renewed sense of trust and devotion.
“If I still had any sliver of feelings for Silas, I would never have slept with you in the first place, no matter how much pain I was in,” I told him sincerely. “Remember, I was raised in a conservative household where sex is basically taboo if done before marriage. So the fact that I allowed myself to be vulnerable in front of you means something, doesn’t it?”
My words hung in the air, a mixture of honesty and vulnerability that I had never fully expressed into words before.
Ezra's eyes held a whirlwind of emotions as he listened, his gaze locked onto mine.