MATED TO SERIES COLLECTION

48. SILAS: RESCUE, PART TWO

"What?"

Ethan pushed Alark away and fixed his clothing. My eyes darted over his shoulder to my fathers' as they stepped out onto the porch. Mom said something that made both of them pale. David was the first to move, he hurried down the steps and towards us.

"I'm the reason you can't shift," Ethan said softly, drawing my attention towards him.

He was staring at me but not really seeing me. His breathing sped up slightly. It looked like he was close to having a panic attack.

"Ethan," David called but he ignored him.

"Mom had asked me to keep an eye on you because they had to attend a meeting. I didn't want too because I had plans with friends. They forced me to take you with us and I did."

"Ethan," David said, gripping his shoulders and spinning him around so they faced each other. "Stop."

"I have too," he croaked. "I can't handle it anymore. It's too much."

I stepped forward but they both ignored me. They stared at each other like they were having a silent conversation. David gripped the back of Ethan's neck and tugged him closer. The low rumble of his voice assured me that he was softly speaking to Ethan. Whatever he said to him made him tense. They stood like that for a few minutes before they pulled apart.

Ethan glanced at me and then walked off. He disappeared around the side of the house. A few minutes later I heard the rumble of his truck as he started it and drove away.

"Silas," David called.

I glanced at him.

"We'll talk about this once we're home as a family, not now. Getting Lara home safely is the only thing we need to focus on right now."

I stared at him for a few more seconds before I walked past him. He was right. Getting Lara home safely was the only thing I needed to worry about. Once she's home, we all needed to sit and have a talk. We had things to sort out.

"Silas—"

I ignored my mom and walked passed her and into the house. Once glance at the clock assured me that I still had a few minutes left before I needed to pick up the money, but I needed to get out of here. I grabbed the phone and hurried towards the door, then paused. Ethan was supposed to give me his truck but he left in it.

"Here," Alark said, holding out keys. "You can use my truck."

"Thanks."

I pushed all thoughts from my mind as I drove through town towards the bank. How could it possibly be Ethan's fault? I was born without the genres to shift, I was sure of that. I couldn't remember a time where I changed from skin to fur. Why had David stopped him? I was missing something and as soon as Lara was home safely, I'll find out what they were hiding.

The money was ready and waiting minutes after I arrived. I watched as they loaded the bags onto the truck, and with a nod of thanks at the bank manager, I climbed back into the truck and drove off.

We would be meeting at the park where they had taken Lara from. When exactly an hour had passed, the phone rang. I sucked in a deep breath before I answered.

"I see you're nice and early."

"I told you I'd have your money in an hour. Wh—"

"Climb out of your truck with my money and walk towards the East side of the park. You'll see a bench marked with red ribbon. Leave the money there and walk back to your truck."

"What about my wife?" I questioned.

"She'll be waiting for you at the truck."

He instantly hung up once he was done speaking. I got out of the truck, grabbed the bags and followed his instructions. There were four benches and the one closest to the edge of the park was marked like he had said it would be.