Chapter 18 — Shoot His Worthless Ass

~ RONAN ~

Silas takes a seat opposite me as he answers, "Aside from the fact he's like you? Not much." Then he gives a bitter laugh. "I only met the bastard once, the day he showed up at Amanda's family house to break things off with her. I was there that day because Amanda had called me earlier to talk. She was my best friend at the time, and she needed someone to lean on." He lifts his head, his eyes full of pain. "He killed her, you know? She didn't want to live without him. Even after we got married to cover up the fact that she was pregnant for him. She wasted away to nothing five years after Lyra was born."

A warning jingles in my head. "Wasted away?"

"It was the worst thing I've ever seen. She just..." Silas lowers his gaze, shaking his head. "After she had Lyra, she stopped caring. The doctors did all they could, but you can't make a person want to live if they don't want to. Lyra wasn't enough. I wasn't enough." Then in an instant, Silas becomes hostile, snapping his head up. "I won't let you do the same thing to Lyra. She might be my stepdaughter, but to me, there is no difference. I won't watch you destroy her like her father destroyed Amanda."

I know the sadistic smile I'm giving Silas is menacing, but I can't contain my contempt. In human form, it isn't difficult to bare my fangs. I display my teeth in a manner that reveals my anger. If given the chance, I'd tear the man who deserted my mate even before she was born, tear him piece by bloody piece. But he isn’t here, so Silas is going to take that anger for withholding all this information from Lyra, which in turn put her in danger.

"I'm nothing like Lyra's father," I say in response to Silas's outburst. The man has balls of steel for going off on me like that. "You knew what her father was, didn't you? You knew he wasn't human."

Silas nods. "I knew."

"And you didn't think you should tell Lyra? Don't you think she has the right to know who she is and where she comes from?"

I have to fight for control, furious at what might have happened if my mate hadn't started the process of dream pairing. Without her other half to guide her through the transition, she could have gone mad. One of the Alphas in the area would have had to put her down. With the recent media attention and fear of our kind, no pack would be willing to take on the responsibility of a crazed Halfling.

"Don't act so high and mighty," Silas spits, refusing to back down. "I took necessary precautions." When I arch a brow, Silas says, "It's amazing how much information folks are willing to share if you throw a little money around. I knew what we were dealing with. There was a good chance she wouldn't inherit the trait."

"But she did inherit the trait," I growl. Shit! I'm losing control. "It's a damn good thing she found me. Otherwise, she'd put everyone around her in danger. She's already feeling the changes."

"Let's cut to the chase," Silas growls, reclining in his chair, and I can feel the tension electrifying the air. "You brought Lyra home, and you didn't cut and run. That tells me there's some honor in you. I want to know what your intentions are. Are you going to do the right thing? Or do you plan to amuse yourself by using her until someone else comes along and tickles your fancy?"

I move before I'm aware, hands on the desk as I lean toward Silas. "Be very careful what you say to me, Silas. You may be her stepfather, but that won't mean a damn thing to me if you disrespect her in front of me."

"You don't scare me." Silas doesn’t break eye contact, and no fear accompanies the statement. "That young woman out there means more to me than anything. If you honestly believe I'm going to back down from the likes of you, you have another thing coming. Answer my question. Why are you here? What do you want with my stepdaughter?"

"Lyra is my mate," I declare, putting the fact out in the open. "I intend to claim her as such before my pack."

"You're going to marry her?" Silas asks quietly. "Is that what you're telling me?"

"That's exactly what I'm telling you. What's mine, I keep," I answer and stand. "And make no mistake, she's mine."

"You say that like she's—" Silas catches himself, realizing his mistake.

"What? An animal?" I can't help but snort. Leave it to a human to put things into simple categories—man or beast.

"She's not a belonging. You don't own her."

"No more than she owns me." When Silas frowns, I smile. "Your confusion is understandable since you know little about the ways of our kind. But it's safe to say your stepdaughter has me wrapped around her little finger. There's nothing I wouldn't do for her."

"Aren't you too old for her?" Silas asks, scrubbing his hand across the back of his neck. "Hell, you're probably even older than me."

I decide not to clarify or share my age. Yes, I'm a helluva lot older than the man, but providing that information wouldn’t do either of us any favors. Right now, we’re on common ground. "Relationships aren’t always perfect," I reply instead.

"She’s going to live forever, isn’t she?" The strength in Silas is beginning to fade, leaving him a worn-out human who has more years behind him than ahead. "She’s like you now."

"Not yet, but she will be."

Silas mulls over my words before responding. "And you're going to care for her? You're going to do everything in your power to make her happy?"

"You have my word."

As the word leaves my mouth, I hear Lyra in the other room softly talking to Maura. The floor creaks, indicating she’s rising from the couch. I know I have to hurry. There’s one positive thing coming from all of this, one thing Magnus Dusk couldn’t have anticipated. Not unless...

"Did Lyra’s father know Amanda was expecting? Did he leave her knowing she was carrying his child?"

"He did," Silas huffs, cheeks flushing red in anger, back to his former fighting self. "I don’t think he would have even come to see Amanda if she hadn’t pushed the issue. He didn’t want her coming to see him anymore. He came to tell her to stop."

Just like that, everything changes.

Magnus had given his child over to another male to raise and protect. If Silas accepts my union with Lyra, no one can stand in the way of our mating.

"One more question," I say, grinning as I hear Lyra’s approaching footsteps. "If you came face-to-face with him again, what would you do?"

"The same thing I did the first time." Silas graces me with a grin of his own, one that promises retribution. "Shoot his worthless ass."

I smile. That’s more than enough for me.