Page 87 of Silas's Sweetheart

Ziggy’s eyes glistened and Silas sighed in resignation at how his own eyes ached. He was as soft as Taylin, for damn sure.

“You do? Isn’t it too soon?”

The small voice, so full of hope, walloped him hard. Ziggy usually came across as having an endless supply of confidence, yet Silas could see that wasn’t always the case. He needed words, the same as Silas needed trust.

“I love you. The moment I laid eyes on you, I knew there was something different about you. It’s why it hurt so much to think you thought so little of what we had together.”

Ziggy gave a loud, undignified sniff, rubbing the back of his hand over his nose, his eyelashes shielding his eyes. “My snake is hassling me to ask something.”

Silas’s brows rose at the pink over the bridge of Ziggy’s nose and how he continued to not lift his gaze from somewhere around Silas’s chin. “And what’s that?”

“Not right now, I’m gonna stress, but would you maybe be interested in…” he chewed his lower lip, peeking back up at him. “Mating?”

Silas’s wolf howled in his head, running in giddy circles in his mind.Someone is happy.

Your heart is racing. I know you want this too!

“Don’t wo—”

“No… fuck… yes. Oh lord, I’m fucking this up,” Silas groaned, rubbing at his face, gathering himself when he caught Ziggy’s look of uncertainty. “My animal spirit wanted to let me know how happy he was. He was distracting is all. I would definitely be interested. But would you mind if we took the time to date beforehand?”

He wanted to prove to himself and Ziggy that he had more to offer someone than biting and fucking. He really did want to romance him.

Ziggy’s smile was slow to appear, but once the full effect was aimed at him, it was the most stunning sight Silas had ever seen. It made everything Dad said about Popi and his feelings a reality for Silas at that moment. He would do anything for Ziggy—anything—and that made all the difference.

Forty

Ziggy

“Are you okay?” Wilder shifted over on the bench, making room for Ziggy as he walked towards the table, keeping his attention away from Silas’s brothers.

“You look alright now. I don’t think I’ve ever seen you look so pale,” Isley said, eyeing him up as he sat down.

“Pale is not your color, just sayin’.” Frey leaned over and looked at the plate Ziggy had placed down. “Is that a pancake?” he looked at the counter. “I didn’t see them.”

No one gave him a chance to reply as Wilder carried on. “That was so manly of Silas, carrying you up to the house like that, not letting Booker help.”

“Booker has all the bear's strength so it would be easy for him,” Frey pointed out, looking back at Ziggy’s plate. Ziggy pushed it towards his friend and Frey beamed. Cutting the pancake down the middle, he took half. “Thanks. You’re the best.”

“Did you stay at the house?” Monty questioned, frowning when Ziggy shook his head.

They had gone back to the cabin once Ethan had shown up at the house not long after Ziggy had given in to his snake and asked if Silas was interested in mating. He was still feeling the cringe at being so obvious, but it had been that or his snake was going to take control.

He loves me.

He lovesus,his snake piped up, giving Ziggy a dose of twirling snake that made him feel dizzy.

Stop that, I’ve already fainted once ‘cause of you!

That horse was going to trample us to death. His snake went for the dramatics, like the day before.

We had a fence between us and Ethan had already explained if there was a problem it wouldn’t be with the horse. You proved him right.

Ziggy wanted to remain miffed about how that had come true, only it had given him time alone with Silas, so it was hard to stay mad.

Pfft!

“Where’s Silas?” Lennon’s voice broke through his thoughts.