Vincent Estate – Max's Bedroom (Same Night)
POV: Max Enigma Vincent
A soft knock would've been too much to hope for.
The door slammed open.
Max didn't even flinch.
Silas stood in the doorway, barefoot, shirtless, eyes wild. His breathing was uneven — like he'd run from the other side of the house. Maybe he had.
Silas:
"You knew, didn't you?"
Max didn't answer.
Silas stepped in, fists clenched, the door left swinging half-shut behind him.
Silas:
"Sam knew. And I know you felt it too. You've felt it for months."
Max turned toward the window again.
Max:
"I didn't say I understood it."
Silas:
"That's not the same as not knowing."
His voice cracked — not from weakness, but from too much fire in too small a body.
Silas:
"What the hell are we supposed to do with this, Max? With him?"
Max finally looked at him. Their eyes locked.
Max:
"He's our mate."
Silas:
snaps
"He's your mate. Yours. Sam's. Even Lucien's apparently — because why not throw in an older alpha doctor to complete the mess."
He was pacing now, like a caged animal.
Silas:
"I'm not sharing a bond with you. Or Sam. Or that smug doctor who thinks he knows everything."
Max:
"It's not about what we want. It's what we are now."
Silas:
"I didn't ask for this."
Max:
"Neither did I."
Silence. Just the fire between them.
Then, softer — almost too soft to catch:
Silas:
"…I thought if I ever had a mate, they'd be mine."
He sank down on the floor beside the wall, head falling back, hands shaking just enough to betray him.
Silas:
"I didn't think I'd have to fight for love with my own brothers."
Max sat on the edge of the bed again. He didn't look away.
Max:
"We're not fighting each other. We're fighting the bond if we try to pretend it's not there."
Silas:
"And what if I don't want to give in? What if I want to reject it?"
Max paused.
Max:
"Then you'll break. And he'll break with you."
Silas went silent.
That truth settled between them like a storm cloud.
Max stood up and crossed the room slowly. He crouched in front of his brother — his twin in blood, but never in temperament.
Max:
"You think I'm not terrified too? That I don't feel like everything's shifting beneath us?"
Silas:
"…Then why aren't you screaming like I am?"
Max gave the faintest smile.
Max:
"Because I'm too busy trying not to want him."
A beat. Silas's eyes widened — raw, stunned.
Silas:
"You too?"
Max gave a slow, painful nod.
Max:
"Yeah. Me too."
---