Chapter 28 The Devil’s Brother
Silas stood perfectly still in the doorway. His expression remained neutral, concerned even, but his mind was racing.
She found it. The girl actually found the room.
He'd been careful. So careful. The wards should have kept anyone out. Should have alerted him the moment someone crossed the threshold.
But Amanda had triggered them only on her way out. Which meant she'd been inside. Seen everything. Photographed it.
"What kind of things?" Silas asked. His voice was perfectly measured. Curious but not defensive.
Derek's jaw tightened. He picked up the phone and held it out. "This."
Silas moved closer. Looked at the screen. His heart rate didn't change. His breathing stayed even. Years of practice keeping his mask firmly in place.
The photos showed everything. The ritual circle. The vials. The books. His work laid bare.
But Silas had survived worse. Had talked his way out of tighter situations. This was just another challenge.
He studied the images for a long moment. Then let out a slow breath. "I can explain."
Derek's eyes narrowed. "Then explain."
Silas set the phone down carefully. Moved to the chair across from Derek's desk. Sat down like a man preparing to confess.
"I've been studying dark magic." The words came out heavy. Reluctant. "Trying to find a way to break your curse."
Derek went very still. "What?"
"After you forbade anyone from trying. After all those failed attempts in the first year. I couldn't just give up." Silas's voice was raw. Honest. "You're my brother, Derek. In every way that matters. Watching you suffer for three years, knowing I couldn't help. It was killing me."
"So you turned to dark magic?"
"I turned to everything. Every text. Every forbidden grimoire. Every source I could find." Silas leaned forward. "I kept it secret because I knew you'd stop me. You'd see it as giving false hope. But I had to try."
Derek stared at him. The conflict was clear in his eyes. Wanting to believe. Afraid to.
"The blood vials. The hair. That's mine?"
"I collected samples over the years. With your permission, remember? For the healers to study. For Nadia to examine." Silas's voice dropped. "I've been using them to trace the curse. To understand its structure. To find a way to unravel it."
It was a good lie. Close enough to the truth that Derek's memory would support it. Far enough that the real purpose stayed hidden.
"And Amanda just happened to find this room? Tonight?"
Silas's expression shifted. Became carefully concerned. "I don't think it was an accident, Derek. I think she's been watching me for days. Maybe weeks."
"Why would she do that?"
"Because she sees me as a threat." Silas stood. Paced to the window. "Think about it. She arrives here. Claims she can break your curse. Starts making progress. But then you begin questioning her methods. Doubting her. And suddenly she needs a villain. Someone to blame if things go wrong."
"That's what I said."
"Because it's true." Silas turned back. "I've seen this before with bloodline gifts. The power can affect judgment. Make you paranoid. Make you see threats where there aren't any."
Derek's brow furrowed. "You think her gift is making her unstable?"
"I think it's possible. The magic she's channeling is ancient. Powerful. It could be warping her perception." Silas moved closer. "Has she been acting differently? More aggressive? More suspicious?"
Derek was quiet for a moment. Then nodded slowly. "She's been on edge. Jumpy. She accused you days ago without any proof."
"Exactly. And now she's breaking into sealed wings. Taking evidence without context. Making wild accusations." Silas's voice softened. "Derek, I'm worried about her. Not angry. Worried. If her gift is affecting her mind, she could be dangerous. To herself and to you."
The words were poison. Carefully measured. Perfectly delivered.
Derek sank into his chair. "I don't know what to think anymore."
"Then don't think. Just feel. In your gut, do you really believe I'd betray you? After everything we've been through?"
Derek looked at him. Really looked at him. And Silas held his gaze. Let every year of friendship, every shared memory, every moment of loyalty show in his eyes.
"No." Derek said it finally. "I don't believe it."
Relief flooded through Silas. But he kept it hidden. Just nodded. "Thank you."
"But Amanda believes it. Completely."
"Then we need to help her. Get Nadia to examine her. Make sure the magic isn't damaging her mind." Silas paused. "And in the meantime, maybe you should limit your sessions with her. Just until we're sure she's safe."
Derek hesitated. "She's making progress. The partial shift was real."
"Was it? Or was it something else? A manipulation? A trick to make you depend on her?"
"I felt my wolf, Silas. For the first time in three years."
"I'm not saying she's doing it on purpose. I'm saying her gift might be unpredictable. Dangerous." Silas moved to the desk. Placed his hands on it. "I care about you, brother. And I care about her. I don't want either of you hurt because we didn't take precautions."
Derek stared at the phone. At the photos. At the evidence that could either prove his wife was trying to save him or his best friend was trying to destroy him.
"I need to think."
"Of course. Take all the time you need." Silas straightened. "I'll be here. Whatever you decide."
He left. Closed the door gently behind him.
The moment he was in the corridor, his expression changed. The concern melted away. Replaced by cold calculation.
She'd almost exposed him. Almost ruined everything.
But he'd bought himself time. Planted enough doubt that Derek wouldn't trust her completely.
Now he just needed to make sure Amanda was permanently discredited.
Silas returned to his chambers. Locked the door. Pulled out his phone.
He dialed a number he knew by heart. It rang twice before a familiar voice answered.
"I told you not to contact me unless it was urgent."
"It's urgent, Lucian." Silas kept his voice low. "Your daughter found the ritual room. She has photos. She's shown them to Derek."
Silence on the other end. Then, "And?"
"I've contained it. For now. Derek wants to believe me. But Amanda won't stop. She's too determined. Too powerful."
"Then eliminate her."
"I can't. Not directly. Derek would know. The pack would revolt." Silas paced. "But I have another idea."
"I'm listening."
"Send Lena back. Make up an excuse. A peace offering. A desire to mend bridges. Whatever works. But get her here."
"Why?"
"Because Lena knows how to twist the knife. She's spent her whole life making Amanda feel small. Insignificant." Silas's voice turned sharp. "If we can break Amanda emotionally, make her question herself, she'll stop fighting. Stop digging. And Derek will see it as proof that her gift is making her unstable."
Lucian was quiet for a moment. "It's risky. If Lena says the wrong thing..."
"She won't. She hates Amanda. She'll do whatever it takes to hurt her. And right now, that serves our purpose."
"Fine. I'll send her. But Silas, if this fails, if Derek discovers the truth..."
"He won't. I've been playing this game for three years. I know exactly how to control him." Silas stopped pacing. "Just get Lena here within the week."
"Done."
The line went dead.
Silas set the phone down. His mind was already moving to the next step.
Amanda was too strong. Too determined. She'd broken one layer of the curse already. If she kept working, if she pushed harder, she might actually succeed.
He couldn't allow that.
Derek needed to stay cursed. Broken. Until the combat trials. Until Elias Hale finished what Silas had started.
But Amanda was making that impossible.
So he'd have to make Derek doubt her. Fear her. See her as a threat instead of a savior.
And the best way to do that was to give Derek exactly what he feared most.
A massive curse attack. One that would nearly kill him. One that Amanda would be blamed for.
That night, Silas returned to the forbidden wing.
He moved through the corridors silently. The estate was asleep. No one saw him enter. No one heard the door close behind him.
The ritual room was exactly as he'd left it. The candles had burned low. The symbols on the floor were fading.
But they still held power. Still pulsed with the dark magic he'd woven into them three years ago.
Silas knelt in the center of the circle. Pulled out the vial from his pocket. The one he'd been preparing earlier. Derek's blood mixed with binding agents.
He poured it onto the floor. Watched it spread through the grooves of the symbols. Activating them. Strengthening them.
Then he began to chant. Words in a language older than the packs. Older than the bloodlines. Dark words that tasted like ash and poison.
The air grew colder. The candles flickered. The symbols began to glow.
Silas could feel the curse responding. Wrapping tighter around Derek's wolf. Squeezing. Suffocating.
He pushed harder. Channeling more power. More malice.
Derek would collapse tonight. The pain would be worse than anything he'd experienced before. His wolf would howl in agony. And when it was over, when Derek was gasping and broken, Silas would be there and he would make sure Amanda got blamed.