Malachi shrugged dismissively, but his pain and misery were clear. Anger stirred in Silas. Why the fuck would anyone do that to Malachi? He was so damn lovely. He didn’t deserve that, not that anyone did. Silas wondered who it had been, some douchebag from his birth pack, presumably.
“Do you want me to hurt them?” he offered sincerely.
Malachi barked out a surprised laugh, turning to face Silas with bright eyes. “No thank you, but never change, Silas. You are awesome,” he said fondly. “It’s very sweet of you to offer.”
Silas blinked. How offering painful revenge could be seen as endearing or heaven forbid, cute, was beyond him. But fine, whatever. This pack was infuriating.
“Being an omega sucks,” said Malachi abruptly.
“No, how people think they can treat us sucks,” corrected Silas.
The healer gave him a thoughtful look. “Still, I’d rather be a beta.”
“Not an alpha?”
Malachi shook his head and grimaced. “Alphas, omegas, far too much drama.”
Silas laughed. That was certainly true. A very astute observation. There was always drama with and between alphas and omegas, whilst betas mostly got to grab some popcorn and watch or try to stay out of the way. He could understand the healer’s desire to be a beta.
He liked Malachi and was glad he was part of the pack. And if truth be told, he was also a little jealous. Malachi was an omega, unclaimed, with not one but two beta lovers who were also both into each other. A proper throuple. Wildly unconventional, while Silas, who always prided himself on being a rebel, was mated to an alpha and bearing his mark. As normal and conventional as you could get. The shifter equivalent of the white picket fence.
Damn Dean for being so worth it. If it wasn’t for him, Silas liked to think he would have done something outrageous, like settle down with his very own harem. He grinned, he was so going to tease Dean about that.
Malachi swiftly picked up a pup that had fallen over. “Any progress?” he asked.
Silas accepted the change of conversation. He knew all about avoiding uncomfortable topics. He didn’t blame the omega at all for not wanting to talk about being thrown.
“Derwent Coven have another contact to try. I just have to sit back and wait,” he answered. Neglecting to give Malachi the full details of the type of contact. He didn’t want to cope with the healer’s pity if he knew the avenue they were pursuing.
“Sitting back is not your style,” grinned Malachi.
Silas grinned back and realized how true it was. But any mundane routes were far beyond his skill set. Magic was his thing, and they had run out of arcane things to try. Exhausted all available knowledge. Or had they? A sudden thought struck Silas. It was a long shot, but they had nothing to lose. He mumbled a farewell to Malachi and rushed off to find Dean.
Chapter twenty-three
Deanlookedupatthe blackened remnants of the mansion. It reminded him of a giant hand clawing at the sky. He shivered in apprehension. It was ominous, oppressive, and he did not want to approach any further. Dread trickled down his spine, rooting him to the spot. Silas turned to look at him.
“It’s just the Fuck Off spell, you will feel fine once you get closer,” said Silas, taking his hand.
Dean let himself be led. They walked up to the ruins and suddenly they were just that. The burned remains of a big old house. He sighed in relief and released his mate’s hand.
“Fuck Off spell?” asked Dean.
Silas shrugged, “I was like eighteen, I was allowed to be childish with naming.”
“The spell is yours?” asked Dean in surprise. He hadn’t known that Silas had even been here before, let alone to set a spell. He was also impressed that a spell Silas had placed when he was eighteen was still working. He was wise enough not to mention that though. Implying that Silas had been eighteen a while ago was not a good idea.
“You’ve been here before?” he asked instead.
Silas sighed sadly. “I lived here for a while.”
Dean looked up at the shell of the house again. It had been huge. And fancy. What had Silas been doing in a house like this and more importantly, what had happened?
“Hunters,” said Silas quietly and Dean realized his question had been clear through their mate bond.
Dean reached out and took his mate’s hand. Silas flashed him a quick smile. Together they picked their way over the rubble.
“Did everyone get out?” asked Dean. He doubted it and wasn’t sure if Silas would want to talk about it, but he wanted to know. He wanted to know everything his mate had been through.
