Silas’s P.O.V
I pressed my lips together as I anxiously awaited Zoya’s response, my eyes searching hers for any sign of belief or acceptance.
But instead of succumbing to my claim, a sudden burst of laughter erupted from deep within the woman, startling me. It started as a soft chuckle, barely audible, but soon transformed into unrestrained, hysterical laughter that echoed through the room, leaving me utterly confused and speechless.
Uh… is she okay? Was she hurt? Was something wrong with her?
My brows furrowed in concern, and I reached a hand out to comfort her — maybe she was just in shock. Maybe she just needed a hand to keep her steady, anchor her to reality.
The laughter poured out of Zoya like a torrential downpour, washing away the weight of the situation, the overwhelming disbelief crashing against the walls of her mind.
As I watched her silently, confused and a little scared, her face turned red with laughter. It was like a cathartic release for her, a wild response to the absurdity of it all. Tears started streaming down her face, and I didn't know if it was brought by sheer joy or if she was actually crying.
Between fits of laughter, she managed to speak through gasps for air. "You... you can't be serious," she choked out, her voice tinged with a hint of hysteria.
I wasn’t the most emotional man, but my heart ached for her. She must be so confused, and so lost. She must feel betrayed by me, probably by everyone around her at this point. And I had to admit, that was indeed on me. I hadn’t been very sensitive when it came to her emotions.
I imagined myself in her shoes: coming home to a random man sprawled, bloodied and bruised, all over your new home, having to take care of said, possibly dangerous, stranger. And now he’s telling you that you’re his mate, and that he was a werewolf.
Yeah, I would be in hysterics too.
On top of that, the world hadn't really been kind to Zoya either. As much as she had been willing to share with a stranger, I had found out that her ex had cheated on her with her own cousin and that her mother blamed her for not being able to give her man what he wanted and make the relationship last. But none of that had been hear fault and she was just a victim of circumstances and unfortunate events.
To top it off, she now has to learn that the place she had transferred to is filled with supernatural creatures that could end her life with one easy move. Surrounded by strangers and strange creatures, she not only has to face the truth about the existence of the supernatural world but also the fact that she had been sheltering a man who wasn’t human for so long, who was also a murder suspect by his entire pack.
And the icing on that shitcake had been the acknowledgement that she was my mate. That she was now part of something bigger than the mundane and she was suddenly thrown into the middle of a supernatural conflict that she had no knowledge about being in the middle of all along.
But what else could I do, really? If it were up to me, I would’ve shielded her from all of this until the very end; because this is what I had feared might happen when she did find out.
"Me? Your mate? That's... that's just too much." Each word was punctuated by uncontrollable laughter, her body shaking with the intensity of many emotions.
My worried expression deepened, my eyes searching hers for a glimmer of sanity. I didn’t know what to say, and it appeared that nothing I could say would even help.
And it seemed that the weight of the truth crashed upon Zoya like a tidal wave, threatening to engulf me in its depths. Through her laughter, she managed to compose herself enough to speak, her voice now devoid of all amusement and instead tinged with a mix of resignation and frustration.
"You don't understand, Silas," she said, her tone laced with a touch of bitterness. “I’m a very simple woman. This isn’t my world. Hell, I can’t even fathom what kind of fantasy world you had just conjured up to me.”
“Zoya, that’s not-” I started but she held out a hand in front of her, cutting me off effectively.
"I come from a world of expectations and traditions,” she continued, her expression somber. “I come from a world where women are taught to be obedient and subservient. I was raised to believe that men were superior to me in every way possible, and even though I didn’t want to believe in it at first, the world had taught me otherwise.”
She let out a bitter sigh, looking utterly defeated. “I was brought up to believe in the concept of 'Pati Parmeshwar’. Do you know what it is?”
I shook my head, unable to speak as finally looked at her and saw a defeated woman, someone who had fought several battles and lost.
“It’s where the husband is revered as a god. As someone supreme that I must worship and respect.” She gave another bitter laugh, shaking her head. “But my reality shattered those illusions. My own fiancé betrayed me, choosing my own cousin over me. And I was the last person to find out about them."
She paused, a heaviness seeming to have settled in her chest as she continued, "I have had my entire life upended before my very eyes. I had to bear all these burdens alone. And now... now you expect me to believe that the supernatural world exists? That everything I've ever known was a lie? You can't be serious. It's too much to bear."