Betrayed By One. Bound To Three-Chapter 83: Silas Cruelty.

Though Silas has made up his made what what he needed to do to secure the crown, he did not go to Loretta immediately.

He told himself he needed time to think, to be certain, but the truth was harder to admit. Every step toward her chamber felt heavier than the last, as though something in him was resisting in a way he could not fully control.

He poured the drink himself.

The glass sat on the table for longer than it should have, untouched, as he stared at it in silence. The liquid looked no different from any other—clear, harmless, almost inviting. No one would question it. No one would suspect anything.

That had always been the point.

His fingers tightened slightly around the edge of the table before he finally reached for the small vial beside it. The contents inside shimmered faintly, almost beautiful in the low light.

Silver.

Deadly to their kind.

For a brief moment, he did nothing.

His mind betrayed him then, unhelpfully pulling forward memories he did not need.

Loretta laughing softly in the gardens, her hand resting over his as though it belonged there. The quiet way she had looked at him when she told him about the child, nervous but hopeful, as if she believed that news alone could secure a future for them both.

He had believed it too.

At the time.

His jaw tightened, and without allowing himself another second to think, he uncorked the vial and poured its contents into the drink. The liquid did not change color. It did not thicken or shift.

It simply became something else.

Something deadly.

He set the empty vial aside and picked up the glass, his grip firm now, controlled. Whatever hesitation had existed before, he pushed it down, burying it beneath something colder, something far more familiar.

Necessity.

By the time he stepped into the hallway, his expression had already settled into something calm and unreadable.

The guards outside Loretta’s chamber straightened immediately when they saw him, bowing their heads in respect. He barely acknowledged them, his attention already fixed on the door.

"She has been resting, my Alpha," one of them said quietly.

Silas gave a small nod, then pushed the door open.

The room inside was dim, lit only by the soft glow of a single lantern. The curtains had been drawn to keep out the early light, leaving the space quiet and still.

Loretta was awake.

She sat propped against the pillows, her hair loose around her shoulders, her face pale but not weak. When she saw him, something in her expression softened instantly, relief flickering across her features before she could hide it.

"Silas," she breathed.

There was warmth in her voice.

Real warmth.

It struck something in him before he could stop it.

He stepped further into the room, closing the door behind him with a quiet click. "You should be resting," he said, his tone even, controlled.

She gave a small smile, though it didn’t quite reach her eyes. "I have been. It gets tiring, lying here all day."

Her gaze shifted briefly to the glass in his hand, curiosity flickering there, but she didn’t question it. She trusted him too easily for that.

That trust pressed against him in a way he did not expect.

He moved closer to the bed, slower now, each step deliberate. "The healers said you need to keep your strength up," he said, holding the glass out toward her. "You should drink this."

Loretta studied him for a moment.

There was something in her eyes then—something searching, something uncertain. It was not suspicion, not fully, but it was enough to make something in his chest tighten.

"You made it yourself?" she asked softly.

Silas did not hesitate. "Yes." 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

The answer came easily.

It always did.

She held his gaze for another second, then nodded, accepting the glass from his hand. Her fingers brushed his briefly as she took it, the contact warm, familiar.

She looked down at the drink, then back up at him. "You’ve been distant," she said quietly.

The words were simple, but they carried weight.

Silas remained still. "There is much to handle," he replied.

"That’s not what I meant."

Her voice was softer now, but steadier.

"I can feel it," she continued, her fingers tightening slightly around the glass. "Something has changed."

For a moment, neither of them moved.

Silas met her gaze, and for the first time since entering the room, something real slipped through the control.

Not enough to expose him.

But enough to make the moment heavier.

"You should drink," he said again, quieter this time.

Loretta watched him carefully.

Then, slowly, she lifted the glass.

Silas did not look away.

He watched every movement, every shift in her expression as the rim of the glass touched her lips. There was a flicker of hesitation, brief but noticeable, before she took the first sip.

Then another.

And another.

Until the glass was empty.

She lowered it slowly, exhaling softly as she set it aside.

For a moment, nothing happened.

Silas remained where he was, his expression unchanged, his body still, as though he were waiting for something inevitable to unfold.

Loretta leaned back slightly against the pillows, her gaze still on him, though it had begun to soften again.

"You’ll stay?" she asked quietly.

The question landed deeper than it should have.

Silas did not answer immediately.

His gaze drifted, just briefly, to her stomach.

To the life that had once meant something more.

Then back to her face.

"I can’t," he said.

The words were calm.

Something flickered in her eyes then—hurt, confusion—but she nodded anyway, as though she had expected it.

"Of course," she murmured.

Silas stepped back.

Once.

Then again.

Putting space between them.

"I will send someone to check on you," he added, his voice returning fully to that controlled, distant tone.

Loretta gave a faint nod, her strength already beginning to fade, though she didn’t seem to realize it yet.

Silas turned toward the door.

He did not look back.

By the time he stepped out into the hallway, his expression had already hardened again, whatever had surfaced in that room buried so deeply it might as well have never existed.

The guards straightened as he passed, none of them noticing anything unusual.

To them, it was just another visit.

Another routine moment.

Silas walked past them without pause, his steps steady, measured.

Behind him, the door remained closed.

And inside, the outcome had already been set into motion.

By the time the sun fully rose over the pack, everything would be different.

And when the questions came—

He would already have the answers ready.