Chapter Seventeen Dylan #2
As we neared the room, the silence pressed in, thick and suffocating.
Not a single trace of life could be sensed.
My stomach twisted at the possibility that the space was empty.
What if nothing was here…No Silas? The thought sent a sharp wave of fear through me.
His absence here prompted the question: where is he?
He wasn’t in the first room. That meant we’d have to push deeper, move to the other compartment to find him. Astral projection would make that easier—if I wanted to do this quickly, that was my best option.
Glancing at the others, my mates caught onto my intentions instantly. They nodded, unspoken agreement passing between us. There was only one problem with that plan.
Sera couldn't go astral.
I turned to face my friend with a tight smile. "Keep watch. We are going to move forward using my astral form."
Sera didn’t ask questions—she simply nodded, turning toward the door to keep watch.
I drew a deep breath, reaching for my wolf’s magic, calling the energy forward.
As the power surged through me, I let it spill outward, pushing it toward my mates.
A slow smile curled on my lips. Every time I did this, it made me feel like a complete badass.
And knowing I could extend that feeling, letting my mates experience it too? That only made the rush even better.
We moved as one, stepping forward in perfect synchronicity. As we passed effortlessly through the walls, I felt a rush of relief. Previously, it demanded significant effort; Now it came naturally. Avoid repeating the puzzle; we can easily circumvent it.
And sure enough, before I even laid eyes on him, I felt it—Silas’s energy, steady and unmistakable.
Just like I thought, Lupe had brought him here.
Silas was bound to the chair, and at the sight of him, my wolf rumbled with fury. The scent of blood hit next, sharp, metallic, and my growl twisted into a full snarl.
I reached him first, dropping to my knees, my gaze scanning every wound.
They had done a number on him. Blood trailed from his nose, smeared across his split lip, and pooled from the gash along his cheek.
Fresh. Recent . My stomach tightened. The last time I’d seen someone like this, they didn’t make it.
I shot to my feet, fingers trembling as I pushed back his collar, heart hammering in my chest. Terror clawed at me. If Lupe had done to him what she’d done to the others… But relief crashed over me when I saw smooth skin. No puncture, no wound. Lupe hadn’t pulled her usual stunt. Not this time.
Despite their recent occurrence, the wounds should have healed by now. Silas was an alpha, so he had the power to heal from his wounds faster than most. If they weren't healing, then something was wrong.
Hunter and Jackson pulled out knives from their pockets to work on the ropes that tied him. Something smelled off. I couldn't put my finger on it, but I knew something was wrong. When my mates sucked air through their teeth and growled as they dropped the ropes, I realized what I was smelling.
Wolfsbane.
Someone doused the ropes in wolfsbane. That was why Silas wasn't healing from his wounds. Wolfsbane was poisonous to us and slowed down our healing. Lupe hadn’t used wolfsbane before, so I wouldn't have expected it.
This could complicate things. When Silas woke up, he could attack because of his system being compromised.
I had to hope his wolf would recognize us as a pack if he woke up.
Hunter and Jackson halted their attempts to cut the ropes, the bitter scent of wolfsbane thick in the air.
They turned to me, waiting—but I had no simple answer.
If Silas woke up, still bound with the toxin lingering in his skin, in a panic, disoriented and feeling cornered, he might think he was under attack and try to free himself, which would only lead to further injury that could end up with him dead.
If we cut him loose, at least the wolfsbane would have the chance to wear off; even if he attacked us, we could knock him out again until we got him back to our dorm room.
"Cut through them," I told them, choosing the lesser of two evils.
Hunter or Jackson could handle Silas if it came to needing to knock him out because of the wolfsbane. They were more than strong enough. I had faith they were more than capable of managing the situation with ease.
Both of my mates gritted their teeth against the sting of wolfsbane as they worked to free him.
The toxin slowed them down, but after painstaking effort, the ropes finally fell away.
My wolf paced within me, restless, my instincts pulling me toward Silas.
If he woke up, I would need to keep him calm.
A mate’s touch always helped soothe the chaos inside.
His lashes fluttered, and for a moment, his eyes cracked open, only to squeeze shut again, pain tightening his features.
I whined softly, the sight of him struggling cut deep.
He was fighting to wake, pushing through the haze of exhaustion and agony.
A low growl rumbled from his chest, and I held my breath. We had to hope his wolf recognized us.
"Shh. It's okay. We are here to help."
"We're almost through the ropes," Hunter told me, but it made Silas growl again.
"Silas, it's us. Your pack. Fight through the fog."
The growls hadn’t stopped, and I wasn’t sure what would calm them. A high enough dose of wolfsbane would have left him disoriented, struggling to remember himself. The toxin-soaked ropes suggested significant exposure.
I cupped his face, urging him to open his eyes—to see me, to catch my scent. His lashes fluttered, and finally, those green eyes locked onto mine, glowing with the presence of his wolf. I leaned in, closing the distance, making sure he saw me clearly.
His hands, now free, shot up, closing around my wrists. My mates growled, their protective instincts flaring, but I shut them down through the bond. Silas didn’t need that right now. Not when I was the one in his grasp.
"Silas Lynch, I am your mate! Fight through this damn fog and come back to me."
The swell of my power filled the room as I felt him slam into me.
My wolf, being close to the surface and wanting to battle it out with Silas's wolf, overwhelmed me.
It was a dominance game as he stared into my eyes, challenging me to look away.
I wanted Silas to see I would fight for him as it looked like he was losing control over his wolf as his scent surrounded me.
If I looked away, his wolf would find me lesser than him. This wasn't Silas right now. It was his wolf. I had to remind his wolf of who I was before he became too lost from us. That I was his mate, and he was mine.
The one thing I could do was bite him, claim him as mine. Considering it and knowing that seemed the sole method for his return, I ruled it out. I didn't want to do that, yet. He needed a way to purge the wolfsbane.
My wolf pushed out her power a little more, directing all her energy into him.
Suddenly, his eyes glowed brighter, and I felt his power shift before his actual shift came.
Hunter and Jackson yelled out as they tried to grab onto him before his wolf took over.
It was no use. I saw the black fur in a blur before he was on top of me.
When I tried to move, his jaws snapped near my face.
That pissed me off, and it pissed off my wolf even more.
So I shifted.
As I did, I pulled on my Shadowborn magic and went astral.
Silas snapped closer to my body than before, but in my astral form, he couldn't touch me.
I rolled away and let go of the magic to return to my proper form and jumped on top of his back.
Silas didn't expect that and went down. The snarls between us filled the room, and I sensed Hunter and Jackson shifting through the bonds.
No!
We will not let him attack you! Hunter growled in my mind.
No! Let me handle this. If he is close to going feral, we won't get him back if you attack him!
The distraction allowed Silas to get the upper hand. He pushed into my stomach, barreling into me. Rolling to my paws, I knew I would need to do something quick to bring him back.
I'd need my mates.
Pulling onto the bonds I shared with Hunter and Jackson, I felt the tension of them wanting to do something inside them.
I had to push their feelings aside and draw on their power.
Once it channeled inside me, I lowered my head and readied myself for an attack while pushing everything I had outward.
Combining the power the three of us wielded, it would at least outweigh what Silas brought to the fight with just himself.
If he drew upon his pack's power, I would lose. I only hoped this plan would work and he wouldn’t consider using pack magic.
Silas's dark coat looked like a shadow as he stalked toward me.
With his hackles raised and teeth bared, the thoughts of this not working were vivid in my mind.
This had to work. Silas should recognize our power, our scents, and calm down.
Pushing it on him like this had to work.
Biting him right now wouldn't work because he would just sense it as an attack.
Please, Silas. Come back to me.
Silas picked up the pace, and I saw how his legs bent to leap in the air, but something passed through his eyes before he did, and he froze. My heart skipped a beat as the glow lessened in his eyes. It was recognition I saw.
Silas remembered me.
The shift back was instant, and Silas was on his knees with his head bowed.
Hunter and Jackson ran to my side, but kept their eyes on Silas.
I shifted back and quickly crawled over to him.
Silas didn't move, which made me worry. He wouldn't look at me, but I wasn't having that shit.
I grabbed onto his face and made him look at me.
"Dylan," he whispered, and I could hear the hoarseness from being down here for hours.
"You came back to me," I whispered.
"Did I hurt you?" His voice was still low.
I shook my head. "No. You wouldn't hurt me. Your wolf wouldn't either."
"For a moment there..."
Hunter and Jackson growled and stepped behind me.
"We need to get out of here before Lupe gets back."
Something flashed through Silas’s eyes at the mention of Lupe. I planned to question Silas later.
Right now, we needed to get him home.