MATED TO SERIES COLLECTION

78. LARA: THE END OF THE BEGINNING

"Trust me," Ethan had muttered to me when they left and that was two hours ago.

What was taking so long? Why hadn't we heard anything yet? What if they decided to lock him up without me getting a chance to tell him goodbye and how much I loved him?

I had no clue exactly what was going on. Silas had returned home with a blank expression. Without saying a word, he had handed me a file before walking away. The contents of the file worried me even more. I had placed the file aside and went to search for him. Silas was sitting on the bed with his face buried in his hands. He looked so defeated that fear filled me.

"They're going to lock me up," he had said.

I snapped back to reality when Valeria touched my shoulder. She gave me a small smile as she wrapped an arm around my waist and led me to the couch. I sighed when she pushed me down onto it and handed me a tall glass of water.

"You need to take it easy."

"What's taking them so long?" I asked no one in particular.

David sat forward with his elbows resting on his knees. He looked just as tired as Valeria but a little more stressed. His eyes locked with mine for a few seconds before darting away. I caught the guilt that flashed through his eyes before he glanced away. What was he feeling guilty about?

"I'm sure they'll be back soon. As Alpha Ethan has the right to question their punishments. He would be able to talk them into giving Silas a shorter sentence or a different punishment, but the final decision will depend on the elders."

His words didn't make me feel any better. It only made me worry more. Sipping some water, I leaned forward and placed the glass on the coffee table before I leaned back to watched David from beneath my lashes. Valeria walked over to him and took a seat next to him. She placed a comforting hand on his thigh. David looked at her and gave her a small smile but it quickly faded.

In what felt like forever, the door finally opened. I was on my feet in an instant, waiting eagerly for Silas to enter, but he never did. Devon entered with his head hung. My eyes darted behind him but nobody else entered.

"Devon?"

He sighed and turned towards me. "They had a witness to testify. Apparently Kyle testified against Silas. He stated that he had also seen Silas kill the boy and bury him."

"If he had seen it all. . ." Valeria trailed off.

Devon nodded. "He told them that Ethan helped Silas."

"Oh god."

The room tilted dangerously. I heard Valeria call out before everything faded into darkness.

***

A familiar scent surrounded me.

I sucked in a deep breath and leaned into the hand cupping my cheek. Even the touch felt familiar. It took a few seconds for me to remember what had happened. My eyes snapped open and locked with a pair of familiar peculiar eyes.

"Silas," I gasped, instantly shooting up in bed to throw my arms around his neck.

"Lara."

He hugged me tightly and buried his face against my neck. We stayed like that until he pushed me away and sat up. His eyes darted over my face.

"How are you feeling?"

"Fine." I pressed a palm against his cheek. "What happened? Your dad said that Kyle testified against you—both of you."

"Kyle is an idiot, sweetness." He grabbed my hand and turned his head to press a kiss against my palm. "It doesn't matter, what matters is the fact that I'm not getting locked up."