Page 10 of Snarl First, Kiss Later (Alpha’s Prophecy #2)
TEN
SILAS
T he forest narrowed as they rode. Pines clustered thick around the path, old and heavy with shadow. Silas kept to the front, jaw set, eyes scanning every tree line like it might split open and spill another ambush.
Behind him, Ava’s mare trotted steady, hooves muted by the pine needles underfoot. She hadn't spoken much since the firelight conversation last night, just watched him with that sharp green gaze like she was dissecting something beneath his skin.
Didn’t help that every step forward tugged at something buried in his gut.
Something old. Something dangerous.
It hit halfway through a sunlit glade, subtle and sudden, like walking through a line of heat. Her scent, which was already burned into his instincts from blood, sweat, and stubborn defiance, had shifted. Not by much, not enough for a human to notice. But to him?
It was everything.
A thread of warmth, like crushed cedar and firewood and something distinctly Ava. The kind of scent that didn’t just settle in his nose but carved down into the marrow of his bones. His wolf went still, quiet in the way predators did right before they pounced or fled.
Shit.
He slowed his horse, heart hammering too loud in his ears. She rode up beside him, brow arched.
“You good?”
He nodded once, curt. “Yeah. Just scouting ahead.”
She didn’t buy it. Her eyes lingered too long, sharp enough to catch what he wasn’t saying. But she didn’t press, and he was grateful. Barely.
Silas didn’t believe in fairy tales. Didn’t believe in prophecies either, until Landon made the world kneel.
But mates? Bonds that tethered souls tighter than blood?
That was the kind of thing other shifters whispered over fires.
The kind of thing he’d always figured wasn’t meant for bastards like him.
He wasn’t supposed to have a bond. He wasn’t supposed to feel like this.
He gritted his teeth and pushed the horse faster.
Ava grumbled behind him but followed without argument. Typical. She didn’t know what had just snapped loose inside him. Didn’t realize that every inhale made it harder to keep space between them.
They crossed a stream before noon and took a break near the water’s edge. Caz caught up after checking their flank, dropped beside a mossy log, and tossed Silas a look.
“You’re walking weird,” he said around a bite of dried meat. “Something bite you or just finally got that stick outta your ass?”
Silas ignored him.
Ava bit back a smile. “Maybe he’s allergic to peace and quiet.”
Caz snorted. “Wouldn’t shock me. He’s twitchier than a raccoon in a rainstorm.”
Silas rose to his feet. “We’re close. We move soon.”
Caz nodded, but his gaze lingered, knowing. Bastard always noticed too much.
They were only a few hours out from court now. The terrain had started to smooth, the trees thinning into well-traveled trails. Far off, banners of silver against black flew, the mark of the new Lycan reign. Landon’s territory.
Silas hadn’t seen the court since the war ended. Since he'd slipped into exile before anyone could ask what the hell to do with a traitor-turned-shadow.
He didn’t want to come back. Not like this. Not with news that could crack peace wide open.
But Ava’s scent was still curling in his chest like smoke making his decisions even murkier. He hadn’t asked for this. And now he couldn’t outrun it.
They made camp again before dusk, choosing a hollow between ridges where no patrol would stumble across them. Ava tended to the fire, murmuring to herself in irritation as the wind fought her spark. Silas stood watch, eyes always on the trees.
“You gonna hover all night or help?” she asked.
He moved beside her, crouched low. His hands were steady as he struck the flint, shielding the kindling from the breeze until it caught.
She didn’t thank him. He didn’t expect her to.
“Something’s off,” she said after a minute.
He stilled. “Off how?”
“You,” she said, glancing at him. “You’re… different.”
His pulse skipped. “You’ve known me five minutes.”
“And I’m observant.”
Silas met her gaze, held it. “You trust me now?”
“No,” she said plainly. “But I don’t think you’re trying to screw me over anymore.”
High praise, coming from her.
He turned back to the fire. “We’ll be at court tomorrow.”
“Big day,” she muttered.
He said nothing.
After a beat, she asked, “What’s he like? Landon.”
Silas leaned back on his heels. “Smarter than most. Fights like hell but doesn’t enjoy it. Loyal to the people who never gave up on him. Which means he’s got more to lose now.”
Ava stared into the flames. “You’re afraid to face him.”
“I betrayed him once before I really knew who he was,” Silas said. “Even if I changed sides at the end, some debts don’t disappear.”
She glanced over. “Do you believe Caz?”
He didn’t answer.
“That’s what this is about, isn’t it?” she pressed. “You’ve been weird since yesterday. Looking at me like I’m a puzzle you can’t figure out.”
“You’re not a puzzle,” he said quietly.
She blinked. “Then what?”
“You’re… unexpected.”
Her lips twisted. “I get that a lot.”
Silas stood, needing space. Needing to breathe something that didn’t smell like her. He walked to the edge of camp and let the wind hit him. Cold. Grounding.
Behind him, Caz spoke from the shadows.
“You gonna tell her?”
Silas didn’t turn. “No.”
“You’re an idiot,” Caz said lightly.
“She’s human.”
“So? Sonya fell for Landon beforethey knew for sure he was who he was. Hell, he was more human than wolf being suppressed like that.”
“She deserves better.”
Caz crossed his arms. “She deserves truth.”
Silas turned then, voice low. “You ever think some truths ruin more than they fix?”
Caz stared at him. “Every damn day.”
They fell quiet.
That night, Ava didn’t ask more questions. She didn’t press, didn’t prod. Just curled in her bedroll, eyes half-lidded, and listened to the wind.
And Silas lay awake beside the dying fire, scent of ash in his lungs and her name on his tongue, wondering how close a man could get to something holy before he burned.
Tomorrow they’d reach court. Tomorrow the lies stopped.
But tonight, he watched her sleep and hated how much of him already belonged to her.
Not because of fate.
Because of choice.