Silas’s P.O.V
I weighed my options, and it took me a good few moments to do so, because even though a helping hand had been what I was looking for the whole time, I didn’t know if I could fully trust him. I had both my pride and faith hurt by the members of our pack, including Gustav, when they had started chasing me that night, so it was only natural for me to hesitate. The childish part of me wanted to walk away and leave this mess behind, but I couldn't ignore the fact that Lily's killer was still on the loose. And if it was someone from our pack, then we were all in danger.
"All right," I said, finally. "Let’s help each other out."
I stumbled as we made our way back to the cabins, my mind racing with thoughts of the recent events. I had my own theories formulated in the back of my mind; I had all the time in the world to think, back in Zoya’s cabin. But I did not want to verbalize them yet…
As I followed Gustav's lead, I couldn't shake off the fear and confusion that still lingered within me. I couldn't believe that I was being saved by someone who had just tried to kill me moments before, someone who I thought had turned against me just like the rest. Belatedly, I realized that this could be a trap also. My mind was racing with questions, and I couldn't help but wonder what Gustav's true intentions were.
My heart was pounding as I tried to make sense of the situation. I didn't know who to trust or who to turn to. All I knew was that I needed help, and it seemed that Gustav was the only one who could provide it. I couldn't help, against my better judgment, but to think that this situation was similar to the one I had with Zoya. I had to trust him, even if it meant risking my own life in the process.
When we arrived at an abandoned cabin, far away from the one Zoya was staying in, I found out that someone was already at the cabin, waiting for us.
Fuck! It’s a trap! I thought to myself, just as a figure walked out of the cabin to stand by the door.
"Cam?" I ask, confused. Camilla, the nurse from the local clinic that Zoya was currently in charge of…and Gustav’s mate and the mother to their daughter. "What are you doing here?"
Gustav cut in before she could respond, "I told her to be here when I first caught you at the boarders. She knew you were injured the first night you ran, so she needs to make sure you’re healing well" I glanced down at my chest, where the wound from the wolf attack was still healing. Zoya had done an exceptional job at healing me, but I was a wolf and only a wolf healer could help me recover fully.
Camilla approached me with a gentle hand, "Let me take a look at your wounds." As she inspected the wound, she glanced up at me with a curious look in her eyes. "I recognized your scent on Zoya when she came to the clinic the first day. That's how Gustav knew you were alive. I told him that I could scent you on her. I also scented your blood near the cabin the night Lily was killed, but I didn’t know what to do about it at the time, and I thought that my own senses were simply deceiving me. Sorry, that I wasn’t able to help."
I nodded in understanding. "Thank you for helping me," I said, grateful for their assistance. "But what's going on? What do you know about Lily's death?"
We all sat down inside the cabin, talking about the night that Lily died. Camilla was the first to speak. “Don’t you think it’s strange? That someone unknown would enter our pack unnoticed, kill Lily, and then escape without being noticed as well? I mean…what are the odds?”
Gustav spoke up, "We don't know much, but we have our suspicions.” He paused, and Camilla took it as the opportunity to speak her mind, “We think it was someone from inside the pack. Someone who knew the land well and could move around undetected. Someone who none of the pack members would suspect."
I was not taken aback by this revelation, because I had thought of the same thing myself. "I had similar thoughts,” I admitted. “But who would do something like that? Everyone loved Lily! She was a healer, a beautiful soul…I can’t even imagine anyone hating her." It truly was unimaginable…anyone hating Lily…
Camilla chimed in, "It could be anyone, Silas. You know as well as I do that there are some who have always been envious of her. Not only had she been the Alpha’s lover, but she had also turned out to be the mate of the Alpha’s brother."
I knew that much as well, but I had never really given it some genuine thought. I did not want my image of my own pack to be tainted, poisoned, by groundless suspicion. Those who might have been envious, never actually did so in front of us. But we couldn’t let any evidence slide. Everyone was a suspect.
“You’re right.” I sighed, pressing my hands to my temples.
In the end, we all agreed that it had to be someone from inside the pack. The evidence thus far had suggested as much, and even though it hurt my heart to admit, it made all the sense in the world.
"But who?" I asked despite myself. Who could’ve hated her enough to want to kill her?
"That's what we're going to find out," Gustav said. "And we're going to do it together."
My emotions were a jumbled mess, and I couldn't control the anxiety and fear that I felt. I was worried about what was going to happen next, and angry for Lily’s, but somewhere in the back of my mind, I found a new fear arising.
What if…the target had never been Lily…but my brother Ezra?