The silence that followed the explosion of silver light wasn't peaceful; it was heavy, vibrating with the residual energy of a power that shouldn't exist. My hands were still shaking, a faint, ghostly glow clinging to my fingertips like frost. I looked at Silas, expecting anger, expecting him to roar at me for harming his warriors or defying his orders.
Instead, I found a man who looked like he had seen his own death.
Before I could even find my voice, Silas moved. He didn’t walk; he blurred, his Alpha speed cutting through the distance between us in a heartbeat. His massive hands clamped onto my shoulders, not with his usual iron grip, but with a desperate, trembling intensity.
"Silas, I... I didn't mean to—"
"Quiet," he rasped, his voice a jagged edge of command and fear. He turned h
