Page 22

CHAPTER 22

S ilas

I woke before the sun, my instincts pulling me from sleep before any of the others stirred.

Lia was still tucked against my chest, her breathing even, her body soft and warm beneath the blankets. I let myself savor it for a moment—this rare, quiet peace—before the reality of what we were about to do crashed back over me like ice water.

Today, we were going into that cave, and there was a chance none of us were coming back out.

I exhaled slowly, pressing a kiss to the top of Lia’s head before shifting out from under her. She murmured something in her sleep, burrowing into the blankets, but she didn’t wake.

Good. Let her rest a little longer.

The camp was stirring as I stepped out into the cold morning air. Rowan was the first to meet my gaze, his face worried as he adjusted the straps on his pack. Varek squatted nearby, rubbing the back of his neck, looking almost relaxed, if not for the way his nervous eyes kept darting in the direction of the mine entrance off in the distance.

Ryan, Caleb, and Hale were finishing up the last of their rations, moving with the quiet efficiency of men who knew this might be the last meal they would ever have.

I rolled my shoulders, stretching out the stiffness from sleeping on the ground. “We all know the danger we’re facing,” I said, my voice calm. “Now we just need a plan.”

Rowan grunted, tightening the straps on his belt. “Varek, you still going in with Silas and me?”

Varek smirked. “I was planning on letting you two get eaten first, but yeah, I’m going in.”

Hale shot him a look. “That’s comforting.”

I ignored them, scanning the terrain. “Ryan, Caleb, and Hale, you three stay outside, covering the forward and flanks of the entrance. Keep constant watch and set up a fallback point. If anything comes out of that cave, you don’t hesitate: you kill it by any means necessary.”

Ryan nodded, his face grim. “And if you don’t come out?”

Rowan exhaled through his nose. “Then get the hell away from here.”

No one said anything after that. We all understood that if we didn’t make it back, if we failed, the best thing they could do was run.

I turned back toward the tent, my eyes landing on Lia. She was awake now, sitting up, her hair a messy halo around her face as she rubbed the sleep from her eyes. The sight of her—so soft, so human—made something stutter in my chest.

I crossed the short distance between us, kneeling and reaching for her without hesitation. My fingers brushed over her mark, tracing the place where my teeth had claimed her, where she had let me make her mine.

She shivered beneath my touch.

“Good morning, my little mate,” I murmured.

Her lips parted slightly, her breath fogging in the cold morning air.

I let my fingers trail down over her jaw, tilting her chin up so I could see all of her face. “Are you sure you’re ready for this?”

She swallowed, but her gaze was steady. “Yes.”

I exhaled through my nose, my hand sliding down to her waist. “Then be careful.”

Her brows lifted slightly, teasing. “You worried about me, Alpha?”

I smirked, squeezing her slightly. “Always.”

She bit her lip, but before she could say anything else, I leaned in, grazing my lips over her temple, lingering there. “Stay out of the cave, Lia.” My voice was quiet now, just for her. “Promise me.”

She hesitated for just a second too long, but then she pulled back to meet my eyes and nodded.

“I promise.”

I studied her, scanning every inch of her face, every detail that made her mine. The slight arch of her brows, the fire in her green eyes, the curve of her lips that always seemed to carry just the hint of a smirk.

She was so damn beautiful.

I exhaled slowly, my eyes locked on hers. “You steal my breath away every time I look at you, Lia.”

Her breath caught, just slightly, but enough for me to see that brief moment where her fire softened. I reached up, brushing my thumb along her cheek, letting my touch linger. “Stay safe. And remember who you belong to.”

She rolled her eyes, but her voice was quieter now, gentler. “I won’t forget.”

“Good girl.”

Then she surprised me—both hands coming up to cradle my face, her green eyes holding mine, steady and sure. “You stay safe too,” she said, “because you belong to me just as much.”

The words struck deep and I had to swallow hard before answering. “I know.”

Her smile was soft, knowing, and then she leaned in, pressing a kiss to my lips— slow, deliberate, real —like she meant to brand it into my skin.

When she finally pulled back, her voice was a breath against my mouth. “Good boy.”

And fuck if that didn’t do something to me.