Silas’s P.O.V
As the years went by, Lily and I went from reluctant teenage lovers in secret to giddy, open young adult partners, and we were happy with the way things were, even when we realized early on that we weren't mates. I remember when Lily and I were together and so much in love. It was brief, but it was intense. I couldn't help but be drawn to her. She was smart, beautiful, and had a sharp wit that always kept me on my toes.
But that happiness was short-lived when a little over a year ago, a rogue attack killed several in our pack, including my parents. I had no choice but to call Ezra back to our pack, and that was when everything changed. Ezra was now twenty seven, and the truth came out that Lily was Ezra's mate. It was like a punch to the gut, knowing that the woman I loved belonged to someone else. In a blink of an eye, our decade long connection was severed with one word from their lips: Mate.
I tried to be happy for them, I really did, but it was hard, and I couldn't help but feel like I had missed out on something special. I understood that a mating bond was impossible to resist, as I was finding out myself, and I no longer blamed Ezra for taking away Lily from me.
At first, I couldn’t help feeling a little jealous. I had always been close to both of them, beyond my romantic relationship with Lily, before everything else we were first and foremost friends, and now I felt like I was losing them both.
But I tried to put those feelings aside. I knew that Ezra and Lily were meant to be together, and I didn’t want to stand in the way of their happiness. I just wished that I could find my own mate, someone who would love me for who I was and not just because of my rank in the pack.
I tried to move on. I had brief flings in the year that Ezra and Lily were mated, but nothing ever quite measured up to what I had with Lily, even if it was only for a short time. It was like a flame that had been extinguished too soon, too quickly, but I couldn't dwell on it forever. Life goes on, and I had to keep moving forward.
Now, as I thought back on those memories, I realized that this is probably how Ezra had felt once, when he had been kicked out of the pack by my mother and sent away from the place he knew. Maybe it was my karma that was working against me?
But I pushed those thoughts aside for now and focused on what lay ahead. “I need to go back to that cabin. It’s the only place I will be safe for now. Since Cam is close to Zoya, Ezra wouldn’t think it is possible that she would lie to him.”
“I’m not lying to my Alpha,” Cam denied instantly. “I’m just leaving out some of the truth. But you need to be careful, Silas. Don’t get too close to Zoya, or he might catch a hint of your scent on her. They have been working on a patient together, someone who had an accident recently. They went to the city today to deal with that issue.”
Gustav nodded, his voice was firm, determined. "We'll find out who did this, Silas. We won't rest until we do."
I nodded, grateful for their support. But at the same time, I couldn't shake the feeling of unease. “Take care of everyone in the pack,” I told them. “We don’t even know if this person was even after Lily…or if she was simply at the wrong place at the wrong time.”
As I watched, a tear slid down Camilla’s face. She must have been devastated as well by Lily’s death. After all, Lily had learned all about being a healer from Cam. She had been her precious student.
“I’m sorry, Cam. I wish I could have been there to protect her,” I said, my voice thick with emotion. “If only I had been faster. If only I had gone there earlier. She wouldn't have… I could have…”
“Don’t blame yourself, Silas,” Camilla replied, wiping away her tears. “It wasn’t your fault. You did everything you could. You made her last moments a lot less lonely.” The look in her eyes told me that she truly didn’t blame me. And it was a huge relief to know that at least, someone believed in me.
I stood up from the seat, my determination firm and the road ahead full of unknown dangers. “I must go back now. It’s almost evening and it’s time for the guards to switch duties. There will be fewer guards now and I can still make my way back to the cabin undetected.”
Gustav placed a hand on my shoulder; it was warm. “We will see each other soon, brother. Stay safe.”
I nodded in agreement, glancing back and forth between them. “You two. Let me know if you have any leads.”
“We will,” Gustav replied, shaking his head. “We’re investigating every possible angle. We’ll find a way to get word to you as soon as we find any clues.”
“That’s what I was thinking too,” I said, my mind racing with thoughts of who could have done such a thing. “But why would anyone want to harm Lily? She was such a sweet and kind person.”
“Be careful.”
It was the last thing I heard from Cam as I opened the cabin doors and snuck out into the darkness.
The sun had already set, but there was still plenty of light left to guide me back the way I had come. Today, I may not have been able to seek help from the neighboring Alpha, but at least I discovered that there were people in my own pack who still believed in my innocence.
I couldn't change what had already happened, and I couldn't go back in time and stop all this from happening either. All I could do was fight for my innocence and hope that someday; both Ezra and Lily would forgive me.