MATED TO SERIES COLLECTION

84. SILAS: CONFESSIONS

"How many died?" I asked as soon as the door closed behind Lara.

My father hesitated. "We're not sure yet. David is doing an inventory to find out who's missing. We have a few injured but nothing as bad as you and Luca."

I had to swallow a few times before I found my voice. "A-and E-Ethan?"

I already knew the answer but I needed him to confirm it. His breathing sped up slightly until it matched mine. My body jerked when he place a hand on my leg.

"H-he didn't make it," he croaked. "They tried but. . ."

"T-the burns were too bad," I finished his sentence for him.

He nodded and moved closer. I tilted my head back and blinked up at the ceiling to stop the tears from falling, but I lost the battle when my father took a seat on the edge of the bed. Pain shot through my chest and I tried to breathe through it.

"D-Does Lara know?"

"David told her."

I nodded and lowered my head to look at him. Our eyes locked and for the first time in years my father truly showed emotion. He wasn't trying to hide his pain. He was allowing me to see his anguish. Would he have felt so much pain if I had died instead of Ethan? I reached up and rubbed at my eyes.

"W-what happens know?" I questioned after I've managed to get myself somewhat under control. "Lara said that the pack house and some other houses got burned."

Devon cleared his throat and stood. I watched him as he walked over to the window and stared out of it. His shoulders sagged and his head dropped. He didn't get the reaction he was hoping for from me. What was he expecting? Was he expecting me just to forget about everything that had happened and lean on him?

"I don't know," he finally said.

"You should start by investigating the fire," I told him. "It was no accident."

"I know." He turned around. "Calib is already on it. There's going to be a lot of chaos now that the pack is without an Alpha."

And it was all my fault. I should've gone in there sooner to get them out. He had said that there was some business he needed to take care of. I didn't expect him to go home. If I had known I would've reacted faster. He wouldn't be dead.

"You think they will challenge each other for the position?"

"Yes," he muttered, moving closer to the bed.

"What about Calib? He's Ethan Beta, isn't he?"

"Calib is a good kid, but he's not ready to take over. Even if he's announced as Alpha, he's not much of a good fighter so the chances of him winning a challenge are slim. Why Ethan chose him as Beta is beyond me."

I studied him as he paced back and forth by the edge of the bed. He hadn't come here to talk about the pack. Something else was on his mind. Licking my chapped lips, I reached for the cup and took another sip of water. I stared down at my shaky hand as I placed the cup back down. I felt weak. The pain meds they had been giving me were slowly starting to work out of my blood. I could feel every inch of pain.

"Why are you really here?"

He paused and seemed to be debating his answer. Slowly Devon turned to face me.

"We're worried about Lara."

I frowned at him. "She seemed fine."

"That's the thing, Silas. She lost a mate and she's not reacting the way she should. She should be screaming and crying. You know what she told your mother?" I shook my head. "She told her that she felt nothing."