Page 23 of The Alpha's Silent Mate

He tried to stab you through the heart. That’s what you don’t want to say.

And he nearly did.

“But I survived. The rest of the pack arrived, and we killed them.”

Even the woman who betrayed you?

Shay peers into my eyes and sighs. “Even Kira. It’s why no one talks about her anymore. They know what she did, and they hate her for it, just as I do.”

But that isn’t all she did. She broke your heart.

“I wish…” His voice trails off, and I curse myself that I can’t read his heart the way he can mine.

I squeeze him.

You wish what?

“Nothing, pup.” Gathering me close, he rolls again, this time with my head tucked against the hollow of his throat. “Sleep now, Lexa.”

I tell myself that I won’t sleep. That I can’t after what Shay told me about his near death.

Maybe it's this new position that makes my eyelids heavy and the sleep so impossible to resist.

But my eyes flutter shut as the warmth of the cabin, the feel of Shay’s arms snug around me, and the scent of him tickling my nose lull me into the sleep I was so desperate to avoid before.

7

Dead blue-green eyes stare up at me.

All around me, the courtyard lies in ruins. He’s not the only one dead, but he’s the one I focus my attention on. He’s the only one I see.

“Shay,” I whisper, wanting to move closer but unable to even breathe.

You spoke, and now he’s dead. They’re all dead. Because of you.

The thought whirls in my head. A dark whisper that never dies.

You did this.

I take a step back, shaking my head. “I didn’t do this.”

That’s what he wanted, for you to talk. He didn’t want to tell you in case it hurt you, so you spoke, and now he’s dead.

Tremors shake my body.

I spoke, and I killed Mack.

And then I hear the whistle.

The song.

No, no, no.

I clap my hands over my ears, but I can still hear it. It’s inside my head.

A twig snaps and I spin around, my eyes probing the dark ruins of the courtyard. From the treeline, a man appears. Aron. His blue eyes glint at me. “Lexa, sing for me. I’ve missed your sweet voice.”

I turn on my heel and run.

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