Chapter 77

Elliot’s POV

“What are you talking about?” I asked, folding my arms across my chest as I stared at my men.

They all stiffened and looked amongst themselves.

“They think something is off with Silver,” Luca said, motioning in the direction Silver walked, “She seems different, but all the facts are there. The imposter has her scent and she’s dirty. She’s a rogue.”

Something inside of me angered; was it my wolf?

Why would he be reacting this way towards a rogue wolf?

“I was just saying that we need to slow down. We need to sit down and figure this out,” Beta Leo said, shrugging one of his shoulders.

“I can find out for certain if this is the real Silver,” Erik surprised us all by saying. He’s usually quiet and in the background; so, the fact that he was speaking up was different. “I’ve become friends with Silver and—”

“You’re friends with my wife?”

How had I not known that? Silver never mentioned befriending the gamma I appointed as her bodyguard and driver. I narrowed my eyes at him almost accusingly.

He nodded, rubbing his hand behind his neck, looking almost sheepish.

“We happen to have a lot in common and she’s pretty good company. We spend a lot of time together and figured it was better to be friends than strangers,” Erik explained. “I don’t mean to overstep…”

I wanted to reprimand him for keeping this from me and ask him how close to Silver he was. That jealous pit in the middle of my stomach nagged at me, but I swallowed it down. Now was not the time to show this jealous side.

“How about we head to the police station and see if we can get her to crack? I don’t want to spend all night there. I’d like to get home to my wife,” I said, running my fingers through my hair.

They nodded in agreement.

Not before long were walking into the pack police station.

“Alpha,” one of the gammas said, standing straight as I passed. “The imposter is in the holding cell.”

I nodded my thanks to him and walked past him into the back room, towards the holding cell. As said, the imposter lay on the ground with silver chains wrapped around her arms and legs. Her clothes were ripped, and she looked filthy. Her hair was a knotted mess around her shoulders and down her back. Her eyes looked tired and worn; her body thin and bruised.

My stomach twisted at the sight of her, and I swear I could hear my wolf whimpering not liking what he was seeing. He had a strong impulse to go to her and protect her, but I kept him back. I nearly lost control at the sight of her but after taking several deep breaths, I managed to hold him inside of me.

He was just confused because of how much she looked like the real Silver.

The imposter lifted her gaze, and I could see tears in her eyes; it nearly brought me to my knees.

“Tell me where you came from,” I ordered, my eyes narrowing in her direction.

She looked utterly baffled by the question.

“Where I came from?” She asked, her voice hoarse.

“Don’t play stupid with me, Imposter. Where did you come from? Who are you working for?”

I already knew who she was working for, but I needed a name and a location; two pieces of information I wasn’t sure of.

“I…I don’t know…” she whispered, staring at the ground now. “I don’t remember where they brought me… or who took me… I just remember a face and his words saying that he was going to prove to me that you don’t love me and—”

“Stop lying,” I growled. “You are not my wife, Imposter. I don’t know where you came from or why you are trying to trick me into thinking that you are my wife. But I can see right through you.”

She lifted her gaze, and I could see the tears pooling in her eyes.

“It doesn’t matter what I say, you’re never going to believe me,” she said hoarsely. “So, why should I bother.”

The look she gave me was defeated; like she had given up all hope and something inside of me snapped in half. I took a step away from her, needing to get out of here and return home to my wife.

“If you don’t talk, then my gammas will make you talk,” I said through my teeth. “Rest up; because tomorrow is going to be quite tortuous for you, Rogue.”

I turned away from her, not wanting to look at the tears in her eyes any longer. I hadn’t noticed Erik standing at the doorway, watching the scene unfold. I only thought Luca and Leo were with me. They were also watching the show, but their expressions were harder to read.

“Do you have something to say, Gamma?” I asked, my eyes narrowed.

His eyes remained on the imposter, but he shook his head.

“No, Alpha,” he said. “Do you mind if I stay behind and speak with her though? Maybe I will have better luck.”

I wasn’t sure how I felt about that, but I looked over my shoulder and saw that she was playing with the dirt on the ground with the tip of her finger. I sighed and nodded, turning back to Erik.

“Make it quick and report back to the palace as soon as you can,” I ordered.

“Yes, Alpha.”

I turned and started to walk out the door when I heard Luca saying, “Mindlink me anything you find out.”

“Yes, Gamma,” Erik replied.

Their voices faded as I left the jailhouse.

….

Silver’s POV

I watched as Elliot left, taking the shattered pieces of my heart with him. I was completely numb. I couldn’t remember anything that happened besides the face and the voice right before everything went black. I wasn’t sure where I was, or what had happened. The next thing I knew, I was waking up in the forest and being cuffed by my husband Gammas.

I was so confused.

After Elliot left, closing the door behind him and leaving me feeling more alone than ever, Leo and Luca glared at me with uncertainty on both their faces. They were speaking to Erik, but their eyes never left mine.

I felt so small at this moment. I slid back on my backside and against the furthest part of the wall of my cell. The chains pulled and tugged at my limps, making me wince in pain because they were made of silver.

I was barely coherent with what was being spoken by the men. I stared down at my bare and cut feet, feeling hot tears burning in the back of my eyes. Soon, I heard the door shutting and when I lifted my gaze, the only one left was Erik.

He didn’t look at me with anger or disgust like the others; he was obviously curious, and his lips were turned down in a deep frown as he approached my cell.

I shuddered, wondering what he was about to do to me. I couldn’t bear the thought of someone I considered a friend hurting me… but I also didn’t expect Elliot to turn his back on me either.

My eyes remained on Erik as he knelt in front of me on the other side of the cell, his brows furrowed.

“I told Elliot about my friendship with Silver,” he said, speaking carefully, assessing my face for any type of reaction.

I hadn’t told Elliot that I had become friends with Erik, but I also wasn’t hiding it either. It just never came up and with everything that happened between us, it didn’t seem important. I wasn’t sure why Erik told him though and why he was telling me this information.

I decided not to give him a reaction; I waited for him to say more.

“I told him that I’d be able to tell who was telling the truth and who wasn’t. He’s pretty certain that the woman in his palace right now is the real Silver and I think he’s going to return home to have sex with her.”

I couldn’t help but flinch at his words; it was like a slap in the face. I wasn’t sure who that woman was, but I knew she was the real imposter. But Elliot would never believe me, and I didn’t think Erik would either.

Why would he?

Erik sighed and ran his fingers through his hair.

“For a second, he was actually jealous of my friendship with her…”

Why was he telling me any of this? It didn’t make any sense. But then something he said made me furrow my brows.

“Jealous?” I asked, meeting his eyes. “Why would he be jealous of our… of your friendship with… her?” I asked, stumbling over my words and wincing with each one spoken. “There’s no reason to be jealous… you’re gay.”

Erik confided in me a couple of weeks ago about being gay; I didn’t think much of it. In fact, it made me like him that much more. I didn’t have any male friends and knowing that I could be authentically friends with Erik without the fear of him misunderstanding anything made me comfortable around him. I trusted Erik… or at least I did.

“Holy shit…” Erik said, his eyes large as he stared at me.

I looked back at him, wondering what was wrong suddenly.

“Silver…” he whispered, and then he stood up abruptly, startling me. As he stared down at me, a smile spread across his lips. “Holy shit, Silver!” He nearly shouted.

I was still struggling to figure out what was happening when his smile began to drop slightly and worry clouded his vision. “Oh, fuck….”