The weight of silence hung heavy in the grand hall, with the only sound being Valen's ragged breathing as he lay sprawled on the cold marble floor. Silas stood over him, his silver eyes glowing with uncontained fury, his aura suffocating, pressing down like a vice. The scent of blood tainted the air, mingling with the crisp mountain wind that howled through the cracks in the castle's walls.
"You disgust me," Silas growled, his voice low and venomous. "You think you could deceive me? That you could touch what is mine?"
Valen gasped, his chest heaving, but he dared not lift his head. He would seen Silas kill before—quickly, brutally, and efficiently—but this would not be as quick. Silas wanted to make an example of him, to serve as a gruesome reminder to the rest of the pack of what happens to those who betrays their Alpha.
Silas crouched beside him, his clawed fingers digging into Valen's scalp and forcing his head up to meet their eyes. Valen's terror was palpable, and his pupils widened with fear. Silas thoroughly enjoyed it.
"You laid your filthy hands on her," Silas continued, his grip tightening. "You whispered lies into her ears, making her doubt her place. And now, because of you, she is gone." His voice dropped lower, almost a whisper, laced with something dark and ancient. "I should tear your limbs off one by one."
Valen opened his mouth, forcing himself to talk. He would die; he had nothing left to lose. "It's your own fault, Silas. You send her in the forest…" he coughed before continuing, "and you never dirtied yourself to get her back. I'm just another leech, but you are the willain." Valen began laughing painfully, enjoying the pain on Silas' face.
A sharp crack echoed in the hall as Silas's claws sank into Valen's chest, piercing through skin and muscle as if they were nothing. Valen let out a strangled scream, his body convulsing. The blood gushed from the wound, soaking the stone floor underneath him. Silas twisted his hand deeper, fingers wrapping around the very thing that kept the traitor alive.
"You won't need this anymore," Silas murmured, and with one brutal yank, he tore Valen's heart from his chest.
The dying man let out a wet gasp, his body twitching violently before going still. Silas rose to his feet, watching the blood pool around the lifeless body. A slow, satisfied smirk curled his lips. The stench of death was strong, but he felt no remorse. Only cold satisfaction. The pack needed to remember who he was. What he was capable of.
Turning to the guards who had stood frozen in place, witnessing their Alpha's wrath, Silas's voice rang out like a death sentence. "Hang his body in the courtyard. Let the others see what happens to those who betray me."
The guards scrambled into action, dragging Valen's corpse away, their hands slick with his blood. Silas watched them go before shifting his gaze to the darkened halls beyond. His fury had not yet been sated.
"Aylin is out there. But she is not alone," he mused, his tone calm, almost thoughtful. "Her maid. The little rat who helped her all these years."
Lilliana.
Silas's lips curled in amusement. If Aylin thought she could run without consequence, she was mistaken. Lilliana would be the next to fall, and he would use her to send a message to Aylin.
He turned to one of his most trusted enforcers, the only one capable of completing this task successfully. "Find Lilliana," he ordered. "She will not be harmed yet. I need her to figure out Aylin's plans." His smirk deepened. "But make sure she understands there is no escape."
The enforcer nodded before vanishing into the shadows.
Silas exhaled slowly, his rage simmering beneath the surface. He would find Aylin. He would bring her back. And when he did, she would understand: she was his.
The heavy silence was broken by the measured footsteps of one of his most trusted men. Cassian lowered his head slightly before speaking. "The ones who aided Valen have been imprisoned as you commanded, Alpha. And there is something else."
Silas turned, his silver eyes sparkling with curiosity. "Speak."
Cassian's gaze was unwavering as he delivered the news. "Our wolves have followed the scent of an unknown Alpha near the border. Their presence is recent. But there is more: Aylin's scent was detected as well.
Silas' jaw tightened, and his silver eyes flashed with barely contained fury. "Aylin? Near another Alpha?" His voice was a low growl, dark, and frightening. He took a step forward, suffocating the air with his sheer presence. "Did she go to him? Did she seek him out?"
Cassian hesitated for a moment before shaking his head. "We don't know yet. But their scents were close. Too close."
A snarl ripped from Silas's throat, raw and full of rage. "I want them both found. Now. If that jerk thinks he can lay claim to what is mine, I will tear him apart limb by limb. His voice was as sharp as a blade, with no room for argument. "No one touches what belongs to me."
Cassian stepped forward cautiously, his expression careful. "Alpha, we do not yet know the full picture. Perhaps—"
"Perhaps what?" Silas cut in, his silver eyes burning with fury. "You think this is coincidence? That another Alpha just happened to be near her scent?"
Despite the storm brewing in front of him, Cassian stood firm and spoke calmly. "We should gather more information before making a move. If we go in blind—"
"I do not wait," Silas growled, his rage a barely contained storm. "I do not hesitate. Aylin is mine, and now an unknown Alpha dares to be near her? I will burn the entire forest to the ground before I let another claim what belongs to me." His silver eyes flashed dangerously as he turned back to Cassian. "Find them. Both of them. And bring them to me. Alive. I want to see the fear in their eyes when they realize their mistake."