Page 14 of Rising Luna
With a roll of my eyes, I clicked my tongue in annoyance. "I'd like to see her try. Lupe wouldn't get very far if she tried to kill me."
Silas growled, making Hunter pull back just to slam him against the wall again. I checked my surroundings for guards or bystanders. No one would intervene if my mates tried to kill Silas right now. That wasn't on my bingo card for this week, but neither was Lupe stating that the werewolf students had to remain in their dorms like they were kids.
"So I'm not imagining things? She wants to kill you? What the fuck, Dylan? Why would a high-ranking teacher want to kill you?"
All his questions were valid ones to ask, but I didn't want to tell him the answers. I didn't really think he deserved answers right now. If anything, I wanted to throw him off smelling what was happening at the school so he wouldn't get involved. It was bad enough I had to monitor Sera to keep her safe. Adding someone else to that list would make it too hard to keep up with what Lupe was doing.
"None of your business, Silas. If you want to fix shit with me, that's fine. Stick to that. You don't need to get involved in anything else."
Silas scoffed at me and broke Hunter's hold on him with a quick move. Free from Hunter's grasp, Silas shoved him aside, then glanced toward me. He opened his mouth to say something, but Jackson's fist connected with the side of his jaw first. I heard the punch land and watched Silas's head snap to the side. He paused, then turned toward Jackson. Hunter stepped back just to give Jackson and Silas some room. They looked like they were squaring each other up.
Isn't there punishment if students fight each other outside of combat class?
Maybe. Do we care?
I’d rather my mates not be separated from me for periods of time right now. What if Lupe uses that to take them?
Fair point.
I groaned as I stepped between the two men. Hunter tried to grab me, but I made myself go astral so his hand would glide through my arm. I glared at him for a moment as I stood in front of Jackson. Hunter stopped trying to grab at me and stood still, waiting for me to tell him what to do next. I let it go, knowing, if I needed him, he would be there. When I looked at Jackson, his eyes were still glowing. His wolf was in charge right now, making this a little harder to navigate. I pushed away my astral power so I could grab each side of Jackson's face and pull him down so he had to look at me. I relaxed my expression, sending calming energy through the mate bond between us. He looked at me, his green eyes blazing with anger, before finding mine. They softened, making the glow dissipate.
"Jack, he isn't worth it. If you fight him right now, Lupe will punish you somehow. I need you by my side, not in some detaining room."
"It's him you need to talk to. He's touching Hunter like he wants to fight and touched you when we are right here. He has no business touching you."
I clicked my tongue. He had a point, but Silas was a mate of mine, too. Jackson was touchy about Hunter touching me before he marked me, so I felt he would be the same way with Silas. I looked over my shoulder at Silas, noticing his eyes were on my hands. A longing was in his gaze at my touching Jackson. I questioned his present state of mind. Did he regret rejecting me? I didn't anymore. I found Jackson and Hunter because Silas sent me here. How would I have met them otherwise? I wasn't sure. This was the path I was supposed to take, though it didn't change how pissed I was at Silas.
He rejected me because of being a Shadowborn. He needs to learn that Shadowborns aren't evil before I can consider forgiving him.
My gaze returned to Jackson's. "I understand. However, I know Lupe will find a reason to keep you from us. She will use that to her advantage. Let's not give her that, okay?"
Jackson looked over my shoulder and glared at Silas. "We'll square up in Combat, then. Touch her again, though, I won't give a shit what happens. I'll remind you why you don't touch someone else's mate."
Silas glared back at him. "She's mine, too, Falstof. Whether or not you like it, the Great Moon gave her to me, too. I came back to show her I regret what I did."
"You haven't even regretted your choice, dickhead. Don't touch her until she gives you the consent that you can," Jackson snapped.
"I'm here, aren't I? I could've stayed back at the pack and fixed nothing."
Hunter slammed his other hand against the wall to make Silas look at him. The fact Silas didn't flinch was a turn on. Even I found myself frightened of Hunter at times due to his deadly nature. Yet Silas acted as though Hunter couldn't kill him a hundred different ways. "You fucking hired me to kill her. If anything, I hope Dylan gets to kick your fucking ass in combat this week."
Silas leaned his head back and sighed. "I'm not arguing here. I just want to know why a fucking teacher wants to kill my mate. Am I allowed to know that much?"
"No," the three of them said in unison.
"Why? I could help keep you safe."
The way I chortled made Silas glare at me. "Fucking doubtful. I don't trust you to watch my back, Lynch. Get fucked until you understand what Shadowborns are. I still want that fuckingletter, too. Until you understand why I'm pissed off and show me you can be the open and loving mate you were meant to be, don't fucking talk to me. Got it?"
Silas sighed again and just nodded his head. He looked away from me for a moment, then didn't meet my eyes when his head turned back towards mine. "I get it. You don't trust me, and I need to right my wrongs before you will. Just please promise me something, Dylan."
Silas didn't use my last name this time. The joking tone in his voice was gone, too. It was progress, but just a small amount. "What?"
"If things really go sideways, and you need help, you will come to me. I know you don't trust me, but I will be there for you through anything that's going on here. You are my mate. The way things happened that night…shouldn’t have, and it’s my fault. I heard too much from my father about Shadowborns and took it as truth. I'll learn about Shadowborns, I'll write that letter, and I'll prove I'm not thatguy from that night anymore. I know what you are to me, and I fucking hate myself for letting you slip through my fingers like that, but for the love of the Great Moon, don't make me lose you because you needed help and let pride get in the way of asking me."*
I swallowed as my throat went dry at his declaration. I didn't expect something so heartfelt to come out of Silas Lynch, but it happened right in front of me. He just opened up his heart and showcased it for me, Hunter, and Jackson to see. It made me think he might have changed, but I wouldn't trust it until those words had some action behind them. I needed friends around here more than enemies. If Silas wanted to work on this, I would let him, but I still needed to see the changes first. This was a significant step that had to happen, but it wasn't enough to let him in even a little.
"Fine. I can be woman enough to agree to those terms. Don't fucking let me down again, Lynch. I'll kill you before I let you rip out my heart a second time."
