SILAS – POV
The word haunted him.
Mate.
It wasn't just a possibility now—it was a reality. Sam had already found his mate. And he hadn't said a damn thing.
Silas paced his room, hands clenched so tight his claws threatened to pierce skin.
Why wouldn't he tell us?
Unless…
Unless it was someone forbidden. Someone so wrong, it would break the pack.
Oliver? No. Silas didn't buy that anymore. The bond wasn't there—not the kind a mate-pull created. And besides… Oliver wouldn't be stupid enough to lie about that to his face.
Still, it made no sense.
Sam hadn't shown any signs of a bond forming. No heat shifts. No scent change. No glowing alpha pride or possessive glances.
Unless he was suppressing it.
Hard.
Silas yanked open the drawer where Sam used to keep spare cologne bottles. There was one tucked in the back—barely touched. He uncapped it and sniffed.
Burnt coffee. Still sharp. Still wrong.
It covered everything.
Even truth.
---
Later, he watched Sam from across the training field.
Max was sparring with Damon, but Silas wasn't focused on them.
Sam stood off to the side, arms crossed, eyes low. Watching—not engaging. Just like always.
But when a young beta girl passed behind him, Sam subtly shifted away. Then again when a group of unmated omegas jogged by, sweaty and scent-heavy from drills.
Avoiding. All of them.
Not just uninterested.
Repulsed.
Silas's instincts coiled.
No alpha would react like that… unless they were already claimed—or claiming in secret.
He narrowed his eyes, watching Sam's posture, the tension in his shoulders.
Who is it, Sam?
A second later, Sam's eyes flicked up—and for the briefest moment—they locked.
Silas saw something there.
Fear.
Anger.
Warning.
And then Sam looked away.
Just like that.
Like he was daring Silas to dig deeper—but terrified of what he'd find.
---
Later That Night – In Max's Room
"He's hiding a mate," Silas said flatly.
Max looked up from his book. "You don't know that."
"I do."
Max sighed and closed the book. "Then who?"
Silas gritted his teeth. "That's the problem. It's no one obvious. He doesn't look at anyone. He doesn't react to any scent. It's like—like he's locked it down. Completely."
Max leaned back. "If he's bonded and suppressing it… that could kill him, Silas."
Silas nodded. "I know."
And that was the part that kept him awake at night.
Because for Sam to hide a bond this strong, to suppress a mate-pull until it barely flickered—
It meant he was hiding more than a name.
He was hiding everything.
---