Page 53 of Rising Luna
"We're almost through the ropes," Hunter told me, but it made Silas growl again.
"Silas, it's us. Your pack. Fight through the fog."
The growls hadn’t stopped, and I wasn’t sure what would calm them. A high enough dose of wolfsbane would have lefthim disoriented, struggling to remember himself. The toxin-soaked ropes suggested significant exposure.
I cupped his face, urging him to open his eyes—to see me, to catch my scent. His lashes fluttered, and finally, those green eyes locked onto mine, glowing with the presence of his wolf. I leaned in, closing the distance, making sure he saw me clearly.
His hands, now free, shot up, closing around my wrists. My mates growled, their protective instincts flaring, but I shut them down through the bond. Silas didn’t need that right now. Not when I was the one in his grasp.
"Silas Lynch, I am your mate! Fight through this damn fog and come back to me."
The swell of my power filled the room as I felt him slam into me. My wolf, being close to the surface and wanting to battle it out with Silas's wolf, overwhelmed me. It was a dominance game as he stared into my eyes, challenging me to look away. I wanted Silas to see I would fight for him as it looked like he was losing control over his wolf as his scent surrounded me.
If I looked away, his wolf would find me lesser than him. This wasn't Silas right now. It was his wolf. I had to remind his wolf of who I was before he became too lost from us. That I was his mate, and he was mine.
The one thing I could do was bite him, claim him as mine. Considering it and knowing that seemed the sole method for his return, I ruled it out. I didn't want to do that, yet. He needed a way to purge the wolfsbane.
My wolf pushed out her power a little more, directing all her energy into him. Suddenly, his eyes glowed brighter, and I felt his power shift before his actual shift came. Hunter and Jackson yelled out as they tried to grab onto him before his wolf took over. It was no use. I saw the black fur in a blur before he was on top of me. When I tried to move, his jaws snapped near my face. That pissed me off, and it pissed off my wolf even more.
So I shifted.
As I did, I pulled on my Shadowborn magic and went astral. Silas snapped closer to my body than before, but in my astral form, he couldn't touch me. I rolled away and let go of the magic to return to my proper form and jumped on top of his back. Silas didn't expect that and went down. The snarls between us filled the room, and I sensed Hunter and Jackson shifting through the bonds.
No!
We will not let him attack you!Hunter growled in my mind.
No! Let me handle this. If he is close to going feral, we won't get him back if you attack him!
The distraction allowed Silas to get the upper hand. He pushed into my stomach, barreling into me. Rolling to my paws, I knew I would need to do something quick to bring him back.
I'd need my mates.
Pulling onto the bonds I shared with Hunter and Jackson, I felt the tension of them wanting to do something inside them. I had to push their feelings aside and draw on their power. Once it channeled inside me, I lowered my head and readied myself for an attack while pushing everything I had outward. Combining the power the three of us wielded, it would at least outweigh what Silas brought to the fight with just himself. If he drew upon his pack's power, I would lose. I only hoped this plan would work and he wouldn’t consider using pack magic.
Silas's dark coat looked like a shadow as he stalked toward me. With his hackles raised and teeth bared, the thoughts of this not working were vivid in my mind. This had to work. Silas should recognize our power, our scents, and calm down. Pushing it on him like this had to work. Biting him right now wouldn't work because he would just sense it as an attack.
Please, Silas. Come back to me.
Silas picked up the pace, and I saw how his legs bent to leap in the air, but something passed through his eyes before he did, and he froze. My heart skipped a beat as the glow lessened in his eyes. It was recognition I saw.
Silas remembered me.
The shift back was instant, and Silas was on his knees with his head bowed. Hunter and Jackson ran to my side, but kept their eyes on Silas. I shifted back and quickly crawled over to him. Silas didn't move, which made me worry. He wouldn't look at me, but I wasn't having that shit. I grabbed onto his face and made him look at me.
"Dylan," he whispered, and I could hear the hoarseness from being down here for hours.
"You came back to me," I whispered.
"Did I hurt you?" His voice was still low.
I shook my head. "No. You wouldn't hurt me. Your wolf wouldn't either."
"For a moment there..."
Hunter and Jackson growled and stepped behind me.
"We need to get out of here before Lupe gets back."
