"You can stay here until I find a cabin for you."

"Forget it," I told Ethan. "Are you really going to do this to Lara? After all the pain you've already caused her, you're willing to cause her more—"

"It was never my intention to hurt her and you know that. Silas—"

"We'll be staying at the pack house until you have everything ready. It'll be best for Lara to stay as far away from you and Avery." His eyes lowered. "At least until we've settled and talked more about how we're going to handle things."

"She's handling Luca just fine." Ethan walked over to the window. "I saw the look in her eyes when she was changing him."

I sighed loudly and ran a hand through my hair. "It's hurting her Ethan! Can't you see the pain in her eyes even though she's smiling?"

He stayed silent even though I knew he could feel my glare. Muttering under my breath, I made my way towards the door. We needed to leave before Lara fell in love with Luca—that was if she hadn't fallen in love with him already. I had seen the way she had looked at him. Was she feeling the same I was when I looked at Luca? Does she have this urge inside her to start her own family?

I froze in my tracks when I entered the kitchen and spotted my mother leaning against the cabinets with her arms crossed over her chest. She had a look of pure confusion on her face.

My eyes darted over to Lara who stood as if frozen by the sink. Luca was tugging on her hair but it didn't seem to bother her. His hand suddenly dropped to grip the chain of her necklace and that got her moving. Panic flashed across her face as she reached up to pull his hand away.

A familiar stab of pain flashed through my chest. I had to remind myself once again that Lara couldn't help what she felt. It'll take a while for her to get over Ethan. Lara glanced up and our eyes locked. She swallowed and then glanced over at my mother and then back to me.

I sucked in a breath as I made my way across the kitchen towards Lara.

"Silas," my mother said softly.

"Mother."

I reached for Luca but then paused. How were you supposed to hold the baby? My eyes snapped to Lara's in question. She gave me a small smile and turned Luca around as she handed him to me. He was heavier than expected and so damn small than I was afraid of gripping him too tightly. Without realizing it, I lowered my head and sniffed at him. He smelled good—baby-like—and so damn different.

My eyes locked with Lara's. I could see the same longing I felt. We both wished for the same thing and we both knew that we would never be able to have what we wanted.

"Mom, what are you doing here?" Ethan's questioned snapped me out of my daze.

I made my way over to him and carefully handed his son back to him. "I take it that there's an empty room in the pack house?"

Ethan frowned. "I'm afraid not. With the youths starting training, the house is full. But the Alpha's floor is open for you to use until I find a cabin for you guys."

"A cabin?" my mother exclaimed. "Why do you want to live in one of the cabins? You stayed here the last time, why don't you stay here—"

"No!" I yelled, turning to glare at her. "Lara and I want our own place."

Her face fell. Mother glanced between the three of us and then nodded. She uncrossed her arms and straightened.

"I came here to invite Ethan and Avery to dinner. I didn't know that you'd be here Silas, but since you are, why don't Lara and you join us?"

My lips parted with the refusal on the tip of my tongue, but Lara interrupted me.

"We'd love to, Valeria," she said softly. "What time does it start?"

***

"I don't know why you agreed to dinner," I muttered as I pulled on a clean shirt.

"It would've been rude to refuse."

I scoffed. "She wanted to invite Ethan and Avery to dinner, not us."

"That's because she didn't know that we're home," Lara said.

"I told her that we were coming home," I told her.

"Did you tell her when?" Lara questioned.

I turned around to face her and leaned back against the wardrobe to watch her as she searched through her luggage. Half of it was already on a heap on the bed. She pulled out a neatly folded dress and held it up, after staring at it for a few seconds; she placed it aside and started searching again.

"No," I finally answered. "I hadn't told them when we'd be arriving."

"See—"

"Why do you want to go?"

"I told you it would've been rude to refuse."

"Liar." My eyes narrowed when she froze for a moment before continuing. "You want to see Ethan again, don't you? It's why you were so eager to agree."

"Yes Silas. I want to see Ethan." Lara spun to face me with her hands on her hips. "I want to see if I can be close to him without feeling like my heart is being ripped in two. I want to be able to have a normal conversation with him without being reminded of the time we spend on the island. Do you have any idea how hard this is for me?"

"And you think this is easy for me?"

"It is easier for you!" she yelled. "He's your brother not your mate!"

"Hell Lara! I was the one who asked him to—"

"And I was the one who agreed," she softly interrupted. "We all agreed to this. None of us expected Avery to fall pregnant."

I sighed and walked over to her. Gripping her hips, I tugged her against my body. My fingers slipped underneath her shirt to rub her skin. Lara placed her palms against my chest and gave me a small smile but it quickly disappeared.

"I told you that we were cursed."

I leaned down and pressed my lips against hers. They instantly parted under the pressure of mine. I sighed when her hands slipped into my hair. I slowly slid my hands down to cup her ass and pull her body against mine. Lara moaned and arched her body against mine.

"Silas," she sighed, pulling away. "We're going to be late."

"We can be a few minutes late, it won't matter," I muttered against her lips and my hands slid lower to hook around her thighs to pick her up. "They can wait."

***

David answered the door for us. He greeted us with a slight frown before standing aside for us to enter. I smirked when we passed him because I knew exactly why he was frowning at us. With my hand pressed to the small of Lara's back, I guided her towards the voices coming from the living room.

Everyone fell silent the moment we appeared in the doorway. My eyes were instantly drawn to Ethan's. He had been talking to one of the elders but after seeing that the man wasn't paying any attention to him, he turned and froze. I watched as his eyes trailed over Lara and then his nose twitched. My eyes dropped to his hands as it curled into fists.

She's mine now, brother. You had your chance and you walked away.

"Silas, Lara," my mother said as she made her way towards us.

She shot me a disapproving glance over Lara's shoulder when she hugged her.

"I'm glad you made it. I was starting to worry that you wouldn't make it."

"Here we are mother, as you can see," I muttered, glancing around again. "You never mentioned that the elders would be here too."

She shrugged and hooked her arm through Lara's. I watched them as my mother led her around the room and introduced her to the elders as my girlfriend to which Lara quickly corrected her by telling them that she was my wife. My smile widened. Tonight was going to be an interesting night.

Some of the elders had left by the time my mother announced that dinner was ready. I wrapped my arm around Lara's waist and led her into the direction of the dining room. I couldn't remember the last time we used it. The only time mother ever set the dining table was when there were important meetings to be held regarding pack business. Then I remembered those times where Ethan and I were home alone and we'd use the table to play table tennis.

I was pulled back to reality when I felt Lara stumble. "Are you okay?"

She didn't answer so I followed her gaze to the other side of the room. Anger instantly filled me when my eyes fell on them. Avery had her arms wrapped around Ethan's neck and her lips pressed firmly against his and that bastard! That bastard was kissing her back!

"Ignore them," I whispered against her ear as I steered her towards our seats. "Do you want to leave?"

"I need to do this," Lara whispered, turning to face me. "I just need a moment. Where's the bathroom?"

I spotted the tears in her eyes before she lowered them. "Down the hall to your left. Want me to come with you?"

Lara shook her head before she stepped around me and hurried out of the room. I watched until she disappeared from sight before I turned to glare at Ethan. He gave me an apologetic look and a shrug. I sucked in a breath and slowly blew it out as I tried to control my temper.

I won't hit him. I won't hit him.

Everybody was ignoring me expect for my parents. Devon would start a conversation with an elder but the moment he started to include me in that conversation, it would die down almost immediately. It frustrated me to no end. I was part of the family but they treated me like strangers.

"Silas?" I raised my head to glance across the table to David. "I want to congratulate you and Lara on your marriage. It's a big step."

"Thank you." I forced a smile.

"Where is she?"

"The bathroom."

I frowned; she was taking a long time. Placing my fork down, I pushed my chair back and excused myself to go and check on her, but just as I stood, a loud scream echoed around the house.