Page 55 of Rising Luna
Hunter slept in nothing but his boxers, but tonight he had on a pair of sweatpants. It left nothing up to the imagination, so I found myself staring until Sera smacked me playfully. Jackson followed suit, sleeping at the bed’s foot on the floor. When I didn't stare at Hunter, I stared at Jackson. They were too hot,excessively hot even. It had gone to their heads if you asked me. If Sera wasn't here, I'd be taking advantage of this.
But she was, and I had to worry about Silas.
Silas wore sweats and a shirt, hiding away his amazing body. I should be thankful, but it made me want to growl and demand for him to take the shirt off so I could stare at him, too. He didn't notice me looking at the others, which reminded me of how he felt off. Silas normally looked at me with saddened eyes as I gazed at my mates. He hated knowing he had messed up so badly I ignored him while we were in the same room. Watching him try to get comfortable on that couch, his tall form trying to shrink himself to fit on it, instead of watching me, was out of character.
What the fuck did they do to my mate?
~*~*~*~*~*~
Nothing seemed to improve or change the rest of the week. Silas talked little to us during our eating periods, and he paid more attention to the teachers than he did to us. Hunter and Jackson noticed what I was seeing and watched Silas closely. They feared Lupe had gotten to him, but I didn't see it. I've seen people react like this after being taken from their pack as hostage and then returned. They were withdrawn for a while until they could move past the experience.
"No, I agree with the boys," Sera told me as we got ready for the day in the bathroom on Friday morning. "Silas isn't the same. Something is wrong."Sera stopped running a brush through her red curls and frowned at me. "I can't put my finger on what is off about him, though."
"He's withdrawn. Silas is just trying to get back into things after being captured and most likely tortured. We don't know what he went through down there. He doesn't remember." I tried to give an excuse because I didn't want to accept that,whatever was going on with him, was worse than just trying to move on from a traumatic experience.
"No, Dylan. There's something more about what is going on with him. I don't even know how he doesn't remember what happened to him. What if Lupe has gotten to him?"
I shook my head at her. "No. He's not acting quite like the others after Lupe turned them into the wolf-ridden zombies."
Sera sighed and nodded. My normal bubbly friend seemed more concerned than normal, making me and my wolf whine at her.
"It's okay, Dylan. A lot is going on, and I just want to make sure we are all safe. The other students have no idea." She bit her lip and then smiled at me. "What if we told the entire school? Or even the other teachers!"
I shook my head. "Why would they believe us? Lupe's reputation is keeping this school safe."
"We don't know until we try. What if we are the reason the others look more into Lupe? Why is this all on our shoulders?"
Those words frequently echoed my thoughts since stumbling upon all this. Only I couldn't shake the idea that, if we said anything against Lupe, it wouldn't end the way we expect it to. Lupe charmed every school teacher. None seemed to be investigating her, not even Talia, and the angel councilwoman had felt like she understood something wasn't right about Lupe but hadn't done a damn thing about it, so why would anyone else? Talia would have meetings and what not with Lupe as a councilperson to the school.
"The teachers are noticing things, Sera, and still aren't doing a thing about it. Teowulf is mated to her and can't see that she is abducting students and residents nearby. Wilcox has noticed Lupe not being right in the head and hasn't done anything either."
"Wilcox has?"
"Yeah. At the assembly. Didn't you notice her making faces during Lupe's speech? She knows something is off and hasn't done a thing about it."
Sera returned to looking at the mirror, applying product to her hair to keep it from frizzing. "Maybe we should talk to Wilcox then. She might be the one teacher who would do something if she was given all the information."
Sera had a point, but I didn't know how much use it would be for the issue at hand. Not to mention I would assume, if Lupe thought I would talk to others to bring her down, she would openly attack me. She already stole my mate from me and basically made him forget who I was to him considering how often I have to make him come back to me. The wall in our bond was still there. It felt disgusting to even touch. Every time I tried, it was too vile to push too hard.
The issue originated from Silas’s absence. With the bond being severed, I couldn't get into his head at all. It would have been easier if I had re-accepted the bond, maintaining our connection until official completion. That would have given me access to his feelings and intentions.
Never thought I would regret rejecting Silas, but here I am, regretting it intensely. Now I could lose him for good and it would be my fault.
"I have to go. I need to attend the mentor class with Silas. I am hoping I can get through to him and make him remember something while sparring."
Sera stood from her chair and wrapped her arms around me to give me a hug. "Good luck. I really hope Silas pulls through this."
I hugged her back. "Me too."
When I walked out into the bedroom, Silas was already gone. Jackson shrugged at me and shook his head.
"He left before you two even started talking. Hunter is tracking him. He told me to walk you to class and then stay with Sera. No one may be alone until we have Lupe dealt with."
Sera walked out behind me, and I turned to face her. "I think you need to walk with us so Jackson doesn't get all growly."
There was no arguing. Times were getting too tough for any of us to be alone. I loved that my mates were just as protective of my friends as they were of me. It showed me how they would be when we returned to the pack, making my heart clench at the thought of home. I missed my parents. I missed Cassie. Things with Silas needed to be worked out so I could graduate at the end of the term and return to them.
While we walked to my class, I noticed we all kept looking in every direction so no one could get the drop on us. Tension between the three of us from having to be constantly on guard had my skin itching. I couldn't wait to walk around and not have my life on the line anymore. This shit was too much, and I swore if my gorgeous purple hair got white streaks, I was making sure Lupe went through some torture before I killed her.
