33. SILAS

33

SILAS

Two Days Later

I dial the number again, growling when it goes straight to voicemail. No one is answering my damn calls. Not Kylan, the bastard who is reaching for my rightful seat. Not Darius, the Beta I gave a better life to. And not even my damn mother who only has the power she does because I shared that serum with her.

From the new batch too.

The good ole Alpha doctor has come in handy, especially with his newer experimental trials and the subject he's currently working on.

I chuck the device across the room, smiling when the screen cracks as it clatters to the floor. One of the Betas enters what used to be the council room, a room I have taken over to lead the pack of the Forbidden to take over the Nightshades. It hasn't happened yet but I can feel how close victory is. Even with the few Alphas and that fucking Beta who won't return my calls.

"What is it, Benjamin?" He's one of the last Betas I have to rely on, several of the other ones dead from their inability to measure up. I don't ask for much—just complete submission and absolute obedience. It is their fault if they fail. "Benjamin, if you came in here with bad news, then-"

The Beta shakes his head, obviously terrified to be bringing me information. "Alpha, someone has come to see you. They say it's urgent."

A dark chuckle bubbles from my throat as I grab the first thing next to me—a glass vase—and chuck it across the room. It shatters by his head, shards catching his cheek, neck, and arm. He does well not to flinch as I stalk forward, the serum running through my veins causing me to half-shift. "They can wait ."

"Actually, I can't." Pierson pushes through, roughly discarding the Beta outside of the room and shutting it behind him. He's drenched in sweat, naked from head to toe as he stalks forward, the elder shaking from what looks like a long run in his wolf form. Dirt and mud are caked into his skin, leaves dotted through his hair as he moves toward me. "Whatever plans you have been building won't work. The magic has returned to our lands and it favors your brother."

"Not fucking possible. I have done everything correctly. I may have been exiled but that Luna will be mine. I even sent her a fucking present."

Pierson lets out a nervous cackle. "Are you talking about that fucking Beta wolf? Do you have any idea who he is?"

"Do not fucking shout at me. I know very well because the Alpha before me made sure to rip that fucker from her grip. He's loyal to me and his only orders were to bring her back. Darius is the perfect trap." I lick my lips, just imagining her supple body in my hands as the Beta joins us in the nest. Nepheline screaming on my knot has been something I've been fantasizing about for weeks.

Pierson's silence tells me he doesn't agree. "Silas, I followed your mission because of the power it promised and the status it gave. Before all of this, Ilsa was close to ripping me of my title as elder along with a few others and I couldn't let that happen. As much as I fucking hate you, you would have let me remain. You would have taken power away from Mateo and my son would have returned to me."

This time it's my turn to laugh. "You're stupid if you think Remmington would choose you over Mateo. I might not like my brother but the bond between those two wouldn't have broken because I took his seat. That being said, tell me about my Beta. You seem to know something."

"You left him for dead on our lands to be found by Mateo and Asani, the fucking real Alpha of the pack of the Forbidden. Nepheline recognized his scent immediately, requiring the Beta to be at her side."

"As I planned. What's the problem?"

"Darius isn't just Nepheline's Beta, you lunatic. He's from the Sapphire wolves, the companion pack. His bond to protect and love her is stronger than any loyalty he gives to an Alpha. They only bond once, you fucking idiot and his bond is with her. He even carries the Nightshade crest on his chest now."

I glare at Pierson, refusing to believe that. Not once did Darius shift in front of me so I would have never seen his wolf. I wasn't even there when he was relocated to this pack without his memories, but the Beta quickly became my right hand, showing interest in the cause and the ability to gather information. He's the only one I trusted in this operation. What Pierson is alluding to doesn't work for me.

"You're fucking with me."

Pierson shakes his head moving farther into the room to plop into a chair. "I did not just spend my time running through the woods to bring you information to fuck with you . Your inside ticket—Kylan—has been torn apart by your brother. Your mother rescinded her bond from your father and then tried to attack the Luna you so desperately wanted. Silas, Nepheline shredded your mother. She is in pieces strewn across that clearing. No one moved to bury her or clean her up. They are on their way, headed straight here so that Nepheline can see justice one more time."

I open my mouth to speak when Pierson cuts me off.

"It's over, Silas. As disappointing as the rollout of your new reign is, it's over. It's time to give up because in no world will you win this fight."

A rumbling growl tears from my throat as I let my shift overtake me, grinning when Pierson stares in horror. Unlike the other Alphas, my wolfish form has now taken on a life of its own. I still stand on two legs, my clothes still attached to my body but my wolf is present, rearing its ugly head. My words are human but the rest of this form is wolf.

"That's fucking terrifying, Silas. It's an abomination to our animal to look like that." His brows furrow as he scoots back from me.

"In this form, I am the strongest creature in these woods. Magic or not, Mateo will not win this fight, Pierson. The good ole doctor has ensured my victory." I puff out my chest as I stalk forward, intent on intimidating Pierson and his sorry excuse of a shifter persona. "And when Mateo falls, I will take back exactly what I had planned."

"You're delusional," Pierson spits out. "I might have still had faith if Calista was alive or if Mateo hadn't convinced the Sapphire wolves to visit. There is no running from this end, Silas."

"I am not afraid of my brother."

"That isn't the wolf you should be afraid of."