The silence in the room was heavy, filled only by the sound of Alaric's jagged breathing. The Prince remained on his knees, his forehead pressed against Silas's knee. He looked like a fallen king, stripped of his pride and his armor. Silas looked down at the suppressant medicine on the table. He had taken it to escape the overwhelming power of the Alpha, but now, seeing Alaric so broken, the medicine felt like a cruel weapon.
"I didn't take it because I hate you, Alaric," Silas whispered, his voice trembling.
Alaric slowly lifted his head. His eyes were red-rimmed and swimming with fresh tears. "Then why?" he choked out. "Why try to kill the only thing that connects us? I know I have been a tyrant. I know I have treated you like a prize instead of a person. But erasing the bond... it felt like you were erasing my very soul."
Silas reached out, his fingers finally brushing through Alaric's hair. It was the first time Silas had touched him without fear. "I was terrified, Alaric. I was scared that if I let the bond grow, I would disappear. I was scared of the monster everyone said you were."
Alaric grabbed Silas's hand, pressing the palm against his scarred cheek. He closed his eyes, leaning into the touch as if it were the only thing keeping him alive. "Then let me make this right," Alaric murmured. "You don't need to love me, Silas. You don't even need to stay in this palace. If these walls feel like a cage, I will open the gates myself. You are free to go wherever you wish. You can walk out of this city and never look back."
Silas gasped, his heart skipping a beat. "You would let me go?"
"Yes," Alaric said, a fresh tear falling onto Silas's hand. "But I beg you... don't erase our bond. Don't take the medicine again. Even if you are miles away, I just need to feel that you are alive. I don't ask for your heart, and I don't ask for your body. I only ask that you don't kill the connection that lets me know you are safe. I can live with your hatred, and I can live with your absence, but I cannot live in a world where our bond is dead. If you leave that bond alone, I will have the strength to fight for you—even if I am fighting from a distance."
Silas looked into Alaric's blue eyes and saw a man who was finally putting someone else's happiness before his own. The "Monster" was gone. In his place was a man who was willing to lose everything just to keep a single thread of connection.
"I won't take it again," Silas promised softly. "And I won't run. Not tonight."