Page 59 of The Silent Mate

Gio seemed to understand my question. “You’ve been sleeping on and off for four days. The pack is in an uproar, preparing to go to battle against the Mendosian rebels.”

The Mendosian rebels.The territory that Roman claimed had defected from theIntonat NoctePack’s sovereignty. The ones whosupposedlyslaughtered Malik and the rest of the patrol, leaving only Alpha Roman alive.

I dipped my chin in a nod. I’d gone numb, unbothered by the thought of war. If the Mendosian pack truly murdered my mate, they deserved whatever fate waited for them.

“Estelle will be here soon,” Gio murmured, pulling one of the blankets higher over my waist, as if that might quell my tremors. “I’ll go fetch the food.”

Again, I nodded, never quite looking the young soldier in the eye. Soon, he swept out of the room and left me alone once more. I stared blankly ahead, seeing butnotseeing the thin layer of dust covering the wardrobe on the opposite side of the room.

Though the space lacked any of Malik’s personal belongings, if I inhaled deep, I could smell his comforting scent lingering in the air. Slowly, I rolled onto my side, burying my face in one of the pillows and breathing him into my lungs. The familiar combination of mint and tobacco leaf simultaneously broke my soul and soothed the shattered pieces.

A knock sounded at the bedroom door, but I didn’t rise, even when the knob turned. I assumed Estelle had come to run her check-up.

Except, the footsteps were slow and heavy, and the air in the room shifted. I looked up in time to see Alpha Roman stop midway between the bed and the door. He wore a t-shirt and jeans, though bandages peeked beyond his t-shirt and up hisneck, where the worst of his injuries had been. Faded green bruises marred his symmetrical features.

Gio said you’d woken up,he said through our pack bond, his voice a painstakingly gentle echo. It soundedwrong.

I glared at him and seethed. “Get out of my head.”

I didn’t want to hear him in the place where I’d last heardMalik,as if using the mental bonds to speak to others might override the memory of him.

His eyebrows rose in surprise, but he heeded my growled order. “I wanted to check on you. To answer any questions you might have and…” Roman cleared his throat. “Estelle told me that you are with child.”

Instinctively, his mention of my baby set me on edge. My muscles tensed, readying to fight to protect my young. Without Malik here to protect us, it would not be unheard of for Roman to try to dispatch of his brother’s heir to safeguard his own line of succession…

As if he could read my unease, Roman’s eyes flared wide and he lifted both hands in the universal sign of surrender. “Goddess,I will not harm you, Aria. Despite what you believe, I’m not a child-murderer.”

I didn’t believe him, nor did I relax.

His throat bobbed. “Malik saved my life. We were attacked while we slept, completely overpowered. We fought them off for as long as we could, but…” He trailed off, and I swore I saw tears well on the surface of his eyes. “Hesavedme. Gave me enough time to escape the rebels and run home. And in our last communication…”

I felt sick. I didn’t want to hear more but also hung on to every word. I couldn’t detect deception in his voice, but I’d also never been skilled at reading liars.

Roman lowered his head. “He asked me to protect you. To keep you safe and cared for, as if you were my own.”

Emotion clogged my throat, a strange combination of fear and heartbreak and revulsion. I hated every word that Malik’s brother spoke, but if he spoke the truth… Did Malik truly ask Roman to protect me? Is this really what he wanted?

“You’re lying,” I whispered, my voice a hoarse shell of itself. “You hated Malik, and you hateme.”

He blinked. “I did many things I’m not proud of, but I owe Malik my life. The least I can do is ensure that his mate and child are safe.”

The bitter taste in my mouth worsened. “I will not stay here without him. I-I can’t. Let me return to my father.”

“This was his dying wish,” Roman answered, his voice remaining even and calm. “He knew there would be a target on your back, since there are those who are loyal to me who would hunt you and your child down to prevent any question about the line of succession.”

I shook my head, but he continued. “If I accept you as my Luna and assume the child as my own, no one will question a thing.”

Clamping my eyes shut, I drew my knees into my chest as if that might hold me together and keep me from breaking. I would’ve lost my stomach many times over if I had any food in its depths.

“I’d rather die than be your Luna,” I whispered, a single tear spilling from the corner of my eye as I glared at him.

A muscle in his jaw dipped, the only sign of his displeasure. “And what of your pup?”

His words hit me like a blow to the gut, knocking the air from my lungs. Was that a threat? A gentle reminder?

If I refused his offer, I sentenced the child—Malik’s child—to certain death. This babe was all I had left of him.

To protect it, I could endureanything.

---