Chapter 77

“What do you mean, No?” Liam asked as he walked up to Scott, “Liam, look at her. She’s too weak. It will kill her. We don’t even know what the mercury’s doing to her. We don’t even know if it’s actually mercury. This can’t be the only way to save her.” Scott said as they glanced back at Hayden while Silver tried to soothe her.

“It saved mine.” Liam said and Scott shook his head, “You know that was different. You were hanging off a ledge.” Scott said and Liam glared at him. “You promised. You said you’d do everything you could.” Liam said, making Scott sigh softly, “Which is why I’m not going to do something I think is going to kill her.” He said before his breathing started to wheeze slightly.

“There has to be…” Scott tried to say as he started breathing heavily making Silver look up, “There has to…” He said in a slight whisper. Silver quickly started digging through his pockets for an inhaler but Theo beat him to it as he pulled one out of his pocket.

“Scott!” Theo said, making Scott look at him as he tossed him the inhaler, Scott quickly shook it before taking a puff and a deep breath. “There’s another way to save her.” Scott said as Hayden started breathing heavily in pain again, “Guys.” Theo called out, making them look at him as Silver focused on Hayden.

“I don’t know what the statistics are for surviving a Werewolf bite, but she’s definitely not surviving this. We need to do something.” Theo said and Silver sighed softly as he let go of Hayden’s hand and stood up. “It’s not good.” he said, making them look at her, “We know rejecting a bite is rare but that’s if it is human to a wolf. She’s not human anymore.” he said.

“I’m pretty sure this is mercury poisoning and with how weak she is right now, the bite could work or it could make her be in more pain and speed up the poisoning. We have a better chance getting actual medical help.” Silver said and Scott nodded, “I’ll call my mom.”

🎭

Hayden now laid on a metal table as Melissa set stuff up while everyone stood around them. “What’s that?” Liam asked as Melissa pulled out a couple bags from a cooler, “It’s called chelation therapy. It removes heavy metals from the blood. But, the problem is… is that it can injure the kidneys, and Hayden only has one to begin with, so…” Melissa trailed off before she went to put an IV needle in Hayden’s hand.

Hayden winced in pain as the needle went through her skin, “Hey, you’re hurting her!” Liam said as he grabbed Melissa’s arm making her look at him. “And you’re hurting me.” Melissa said, making Silver shoot him a look, “Liam!” he said, making him look at him before looking at Scott and quickly letting Melissa go.

“Sorry…”

“Hey guys? Remember, we’re here to save a life, not kill each other.” Theo said and Silver sighed, “It’s the full moon. Werewolves can feel it during the day. And, it’s a supermoon.” he said and Scott nodded in agreement while Melissa glanced at all of them.

“What, is that supposed to make you guys, like, super strong? Super aggressive?” Melissa asked as she hung another bag of IV fluids.

“Both,” Scott answered. Silver looked at him for a moment, steady and unreadable, but Scott wouldn’t meet his eyes. After a beat, Silver reached over and took his hand anyway. “I think we should talk,” Silver said. Scott finally looked up. “Silver – ”

“Now.” There was no edge to it, just certainty. The kind that didn’t leave room to argue.

Silver led him out of the exam room and into the empty main area of the clinic. Rain tapped softly against the windows, steady and indifferent. Neither of them spoke at first.

Then Silver turned. “What happened with Stiles out there?” Scott’s gaze dropped almost immediately. “We talked.”

“Scott.”

“That’s all.”

A short, humorless laugh slipped out of Silver. “You’re lying to me.”

Scott straightened at that. “Don’t do that.”

“Do what?” Silver asked, voice still calm – but something underneath it tightened. “Ask questions?” Scott’s eyes flashed. “That’s not fair.” “Oh, now you care about fair?” Silver gave another dry laugh. “Because from where I’m standing, it’s pretty unfair that my boyfriend can’t even look me in the eye and tell me if he thinks my best friend is a murderer.”
Scott went still, and the silence thickened fast. “I didn’t say that,” Scott said, but it came out weaker this time. “You didn’t have to,” Silver shot back. “You’re acting like it. Like everyone around you is either a threat or a liability, and I’m starting to wonder where I fall on that list.” Scott stepped closer, voice rising to match. “I’m trying to keep people alive!” “So am I!” Silver snapped back, louder now. “But I’m doing it while you look at me like I’m one bad decision away from becoming the enemy!”

That shut Scott up for half a second. For a moment, neither of them moved. Silver’s breathing changed – faster now, sharper at the edges. “Theo said it happened in the library,” he said quietly. “That migraine I had in the library. Would you believe me if I said I felt something there?” Scott’s expression flickered. “We don’t even know what you can do, Silver. How can we trust it?”

A bitter laugh slipped out of Silver. “There it is.” Scott frowned. “What?”

“You don’t trust me,” Silver said.

Scott shook his head quickly. “I trust you. I just – ” “You just what?” Silver cut in. “Pick and choose when it’s convenient?” Scott’s voice rose again. “You lied to me all summer about your visions. How am I supposed to know you’re not lying now?”

The word landed wrong between them. Silver didn’t move, and Scott’s expression shifted immediately. “Silver – “

“No.” Silver stepped back. Not angry now – just distant, like the space itself was what was keeping him upright. “Don’t come near me.” His fingers lifted without thinking, brushing the chain at his neck where the ring stayed hidden beneath his shirt. That detail hung there between them.

Scott’s anger drained, replaced with something quieter. “I didn’t mean – “

But Silver was already shaking his head. “I’m not a damsel in distress, Scott,” he said, voice roughening at the edges. “I’m an Argent. Even if they don’t accept me. Even if I’ve got this stupid mark and I don’t even know what it means yet – ” He stopped himself. A breath. Then, softer: “I don’t want to do this anymore. I’m tired.”

Scott took a step forward instinctively, and Silver looked at him, really looked. Then turned slightly toward the door. “I’m going to go see if Lydia and Ren need help.”

Scott watched him move toward the door, his chest tightening with every step Silver took away from him. “Silver.”

Silver’s hand rested against the door. Scott took a shaky breath. “I love you.” Silver closed his eyes for a moment, his shoulders dropping slightly. For a second, Scott thought he might turn around. He didn’t. Silver opened the door. Scott just stood there in the middle of the clinic, the rain still tapping against the windows, staring at the empty space Silver had left behind.

🎭

“So, what are we looking for again?” Silver asked as he followed Lydia through the library, the Bestiary balanced in his arms.

“The Ghost Riders,” Lydia answered, setting a stack of books down on one of the tables. Silver raised an eyebrow. “The story Ren told us?” Ren looked up from the book he was already flipping through and let out an exaggerated laugh. “I know I’m pretty and smart,” he said with a grin.

“You don’t have to keep bringing it up.” Silver rolled his eyes. “So what are we looking for?”

“Ren mentioned them,” Lydia said as she searched through another volume. “And I think it might help us figure out what Parrish is.”

A few moments passed before Ren stopped turning pages. “Right here.” Silver and Lydia moved beside him. Ren pointed to a faded illustration, and Lydia read aloud. “Woden’s Hunt, also known as the Wild Ride or Wild Hunt, a myth of devilish riders in the sky accompanied by black dogs, spectral beasts whose eyes glowed with fire. A bearer of death and guardian of the supernatural, the black dog is known by its more common name…” She looked up. “The Hellhound.”

The words hung in the air. Lydia’s expression changed, and her eyes lost focus. Silver noticed immediately. “Lydia?” She didn’t answer. A noise behind them made Ren turn, but he never saw Theo coming. Theo slammed into him, throwing him across the room. Ren crashed into one of the heavy wooden tables, the edge catching the side of his head with a sickening crack before he hit the floor.

“Ren!” Silver spun around, but Theo was already moving. Silver barely had time to react before Theo grabbed him. One hand locked around the back of his neck while the other seized the left side of his face, his fingers digging into the scar tissue around Silver’s blind eye.

Pain exploded through his head. Silver cried out, instinctively trying to pull away, but Theo only squeezed harder. The migraine behind his damaged eye erupted into blinding agony as his left hand burned and the mark flared beneath his skin. For the briefest second, Silver felt something else – fear. Not his, but Theo’s.

Then Theo shoved him backward. Silver lost his footing and crashed to the floor, pain shooting through the entire left side of his body as his vision blurred. He heard Lydia gasp. Silver forced himself to look up to see Theo standing over them. Lydia stumbled backward, her eyes wide.

“You know what’s coming… don’t you?” Theo asked. Lydia looked at him. “Someone’s going to die here.” Theo nodded. “You’re right.” He took a step toward her. “But I can’t let you tell anyone.”

“Why?” Theo’s expression softened into something almost sympathetic. “Because I want you, Lydia.” His gaze shifted briefly toward Silver and Ren lying on the floor. “I want all of you.”
Lydia frowned. “What are you talking about?” Theo smiled. “Don’t worry.” He raised his fist. “I’ll give you some time to think about it.”

Silver tried to push himself up. “Lydia – ” He was too late. Theo punched her, and she crumpled to the floor beside him. The last thing Silver saw before darkness closed in was Ren lying motionless across the room.

🎭

At first, Silver thought he was dreaming.
There was no pain. No memory of Theo’s fist. No awareness of the library or the voices shouting his name. There was only darkness, endless and silent, stretching in every direction.

Then a baby cried.

The sound shattered the void.

Silver blinked.

Light flooded his vision so suddenly he had to shield his eyes. When he lowered his hand, he found himself standing in the corner of a hospital room.

The room looked old-fashioned compared to modern hospitals. The equipment was bulkier, the walls a faded shade of cream, and the fluorescent lights cast everything in a pale glow.
A woman lay exhausted in a hospital bed.

Beside her stood a man Silver recognized immediately.

Chris Argent.

Victoria had been laboring for hours, her usual fierce composure pushed to its absolute limits. When the first cry finally pierced the air, it was loud, fierce, and demanding. Allison came into the world screaming at the top of her lungs, a vibrant, furious burst of life that instantly brought a wave of relief to the room. The doctors cleared her airways, wrapped her up, and placed her in Victoria’s exhausted arms. But the relief lasted only a second. Then came Silver. There was no cry. No sound at all. When the doctor lifted him, the silence in the room became suffocating. Silver was entirely still, his skin a terrifying, pale shade of blue. He was fading before he even had a chance to begin. The room erupted into a blur of motion. Nurses and specialists rushed in, cutting the cord and instantly wheeling him away to the intensive care unit

The room remained silent as the nurse lowered the child into the crib.

Silver felt the entire room tilt. Panic, cold and sharp, flooded his chest as he realized he was watching his own birth – or his own death. The baby still hadn’t cried. Still hadn’t moved. Still hadn’t opened his eyes. The adults crowded around the space weren’t celebrating a new life; they were managing a crisis. They were watching a child fight just to exist.

“Come on,” a nurse whispered.

The words caught Silver off guard.
“Come on, sweetheart.”

She rubbed the baby’s chest with two fingers, trying to stimulate a breath, a reflex, anything.
Nothing. No cry. No movement. No reaction.
The silence in the room became unbearable, heavy enough to suffocate. Then, the monitor suddenly screamed. A long, continuous, piercing tone filled the space.

Flatline.

Silver froze, his breath catching in his throat as the nurse’s face turned completely pale. The doctors moved instantly, a blur of emergency equipment and desperate measures.

From his vantage point inside the memory, Silver watched the scene shift. The medical team scrambled around the fragile baby, hooking him up to what felt like every machine in the hospital until wires, monitors, and tubes completely covered the tiny infant.

Through the glass of the observation window, Silver saw his father. Chris Argent sat just outside the room, never taking his eyes off his son. He kept his hand pressed flat against the cold glass of the incubator.

“We are running out of conventional options,” the doctor said, his voice heavy with exhaustion. He pointed toward the incubator. “We want to try an experimental oxygen treatment. It’s a specialized therapy infused with trace amounts of colloidal silver. It’s designed to aggressively reduce deep pulmonary inflammation and ward off infection in distressed newborns.”

Chris stared at the man, his knuckles white against the glass. “Will it work?”

“It’s a long shot,” the doctor admitted candidly. “Highly unconventional, and it isn’t strictly proven to work in a case this severe. But at this stage…”

Chris didn’t hesitate. He gave a firm, desperate nod. “Do it. We have to try everything.”

But as the chaos erupted around the crib, the temperature in the room plummeted. The lights buzzed and flickered, casting long, distorted shadows against the walls. From the corners of the room, the air seemed to warp, and three figures materialized out of the gloom. Tall, thin, clad in heavy leather and rusted metal masks. The Dread Doctors.

They didn’t look at the doctors or the nurses, who seemed frozen in a fractured second of time. One of the masked figures reached out, its metallic fingers adjusting the valves on the experimental oxygen line, forcing the trace amounts of colloidal silver deeper into the infant’s failing lungs.

Silver tried to scream, tried to step forward and pull them away from the crib, but the memory held him fast. He could only watch as the metallic hiss of the machine blended with the flatline, the experimental vapor swirling inside the incubator, altering him before his life had even truly begun.

🎭

Scott walked into the library and glanced around before noticing Silver laying on the ground in between bookshelves. “Silver!” He yelled as he ran over, “Hey, Silver.” He said as he gently grabbed his face – careful of his scars –  but he didn’t make any movement.

On Silver’s hand – his mark was burning red, matching the temperature of his body.
He glanced around before noticing a line of mountain ash making him furrow his brows before walking back over towards the tables.

That’s when he noticed Theo closing off the line of mountain ash making his eyes widen. “That’s not possible.” Scott said as Theo turned around, “You’re right. A Werewolf shouldn’t even be able to touch mountain ash.” Theo said and realization crossed over Scott’s features. “You’re a Chimera.” He said and Theo smirked slightly.

“I’m the first Chimera. It’s the coyote part you don’t notice. It’s why Malia trusted me first, even though she probably didn’t know it. You found the perfect word, though, Scott… Because a “Chimera” isn’t just a monster with different parts. It can also mean something impossible to achieve. An unrealizable dream.”

“And they realized you?” Scott asked, “They came close with me. But, we can’t all be perfect. We can’t all be True Alphas.” Theo said and Scott ran at him making Theo step back past the mountain ash. Scott hit the barrier and fell back making him groan in pain.

“Damn! I felt that.” He said before walking over to turn on a phone jammer, “No calls, Scott. No Stiles, no Malia, no Lydia, no Ren You’re just going to have to wait here for what happens next.”

Scott’s eyes stayed on Silver for a beat too long.
The glow in his hand pulsed again – faint, unstable, like it was reacting to something only it could sense. Like something was still in the room with them even if they couldn’t see it.

Scott looked back up. “What did you do to him?” he asked Theo again.

Theo didn’t look concerned. If anything, he looked mildly impressed – like Scott was finally asking the right question, just a little too late.
“He’s a smart guy,” Theo said instead, calm as ever. “You really should listen to him more.”

Scott frowned. “That’s not an answer.”

Theo’s gaze flicked briefly toward Silver on the floor. “That thing on his hand? I never saw him use it until we rescued Liam.”

That made Scott’s expression tighten. “What are you talking about?”

Theo reached into his jacket.

Scott shifted immediately, but Theo wasn’t reaching for a weapon.

He pulled out a folder.

And tossed it.

It slid across the library floor and came to rest near Silver’s body, half-open, papers spilling out like they’d been waiting for this moment to be seen.

Scott glanced down instinctively – then back up.
Theo exhaled. “I guess they were waiting for him,” he said. “Waiting for him to be a success.” Theo nodded toward Silver again. “Not only can your boyfriend see visions,” he continued, almost conversational, “but he can also feel emotions, hear voices, feel pain.”

Scott’s eyes flicked back to Silver – something shifting in his expression now. Alarm replacing anger.

Theo tilted his head slightly. “He should be awake for what happens next.”

“What do you mean? What’s next?” Scott asked and Theo smirked, “The supermoon.” He said before walking away.

🎭

A little while later Scott pushed against the barrier before groaning in pain and stopping as he breathed heavily. “Come on… You’ve done this before. You can do it again.” He whispered to himself before he groaned slightly and pulled out his inhaler, taking a puff.

He put the inhaler back into his pocket before running at the barrier only to fly back into the tables. He groaned slightly before sitting up and noticing a door that led up to the roof. He glanced at Silver  before running past the door and quickly climbing up the ladder.

He ran out onto the roof and walked over to the ledge holding his hand out only to get stopped by the barrier again. He groaned in frustration before slamming his hand down on the barrier before he started wheezing. He pulled down his inhaler and took a couple puffs before yelling out in frustration, crushing the inhaler. A cloud of purple came out of the inhaler making realization cross over his features, “Wolfsbane…” Scott got up and turned around before noticing a fully shifted Liam,

“Theo let you in.” Scott said. “Did you lie to me?” Liam asked and Scott shook his head, “I’ve never lied to you.” He said.

“But you won’t save her.” Liam said angrily, “I can’t save her- at least not with a bite. If you’d just think about that for a second, Liam, you would know that I’m right.” Scott said and Liam nodded as he walked back and forth in front of Scott.

“I am thinking! I’m thinking about alternatives.” Liam growled out, “Liam, it’s the supermoon. It’s feeding your anger. It’s making you more aggressive.” Scott said.

“It’s making me stronger! You’re gonna keep your promise… Even if it kills you!” Liam yelled before letting out a loud roar.

All of the sudden, Liam and Scott came crashing through the skylight and into the library. Liam growled as he slammed Scott into the librarian’s desk before slamming him into the wall. He punched him twice before grabbing him and throwing him over the desk making Scott hit the ground with a groan.

Liam jumped up into a table before grabbing a chair and slamming it down on Scott’s back. He grabbed Scott by his jacket before slamming him down onto a table a few times. He wrapped his arm around Scott’s neck and Scott tried to fight against him, making them stumble back onto a table and some chairs.

Scott managed to get out of Liam’s hold but Liam grabbed him again before tossing him onto a table making Scott roll off. Liam jumped up onto the table and roared before Scott kicked his chest making him fall back.

“Don’t do this, Liam!” Scott yelled as he ran up the stairs, “I can’t let you kill me.” Scott said as Liam looked up at him with a growl. Scott turned around and looked out at the supermoon before letting out a slight roar as he shifted before turning around.

Scott jumped up onto the upstairs part of the library before looking down at Liam. “He’s using you, Liam! He wants you to be the Alpha because he can’t take the power from me- only you can. But, once you do, he’ll take it from you. That’s why he wants you to kill me.” Scott said as Liam walked up the stairs.

“That’s what you don’t get, Scott. I want to kill you! I want to!” Liam yelled before running at him. Liam went to kick him, making Scot block it before Liam grabbed him and slammed him into the book shelves.

Scott went to punch him but Liam ducked before Scott wrapped his arms around him. Liam fought against him making Scott back up into the shelves before Liam flipped him over his shoulders making Scott fall down the stairs. He hit another set of shelves before Liam roared and jumped down the stairs.

Scott quickly got up and went to run off but Liam tackled him down the stairs. Liam lifted him up slightly before growling and slamming Scott down onto the stairs making him groan.

Liam growled as Scott weakly sat up before gaining some strength and charging at Liam. But all Liam did was flip Scott over his shoulders down onto a table, completely smashing it.

Liam roared as he swiped at Scott over and over again until Mason ran into the library. “Liam! Liam! Liam! Liam! Liam, what are you doing?” Mason yelled, making Liam stop and look at him before realizing what he was just doing.

“Hayden…” Liam whispered and Mason shook his head, “She’s gone. Hayden died a few minutes ago. She’s gone.” He said.

Liam glanced at Scott before slowly backing away and running out of the library.

“Scott… What happened?” Mason asked as he wrapped Scott’s arm around his shoulder to help him up. Silver groaned quietly as he slowly started to wake up.

“It’s the supermoon. It was just-” Scott started to say but got cut off, “Bad timing.” Theo said as Silver slowly sat up to see him walk into the library. “I mean, seriously? You couldn’t have waited five minutes?” Theo asked before slamming Mason’s head down onto a table.

“I should’ve stayed. I should’ve made sure.” Theo said, “Because now you have to kill me yourself.” Scott said, making Theo look at him.

“They’re still mine. Maybe not yet, but they’ll come around.” Theo said and Scott shook his head, “Not for you.” Scott said before Theo stabbed his claws into Scott’s stomach.

“They’re not like you. They never will be.” Scott said and Theo raised his eyebrows slightly, “Because I’m a Chimera? Because I’m not a real Werewolf?” He asked.

“Because you’re barely even human.” Scott said in a whisper making Theo look at him angry before slamming him down onto the stairs, shoving his claws deeper.

“No,” Silver said. It came out barely audible.

Theo turned at the sound, like he’d forgotten Silver was there at all.

Silver pushed himself up from the floor too fast. His legs almost didn’t take his weight, but he forced them to. Every step forward felt delayed, like his body was moving through water while his brain was already at the stairs.

“Scott…” Silver’s voice cracked on his name.
Scott didn’t answer.

“Oh,” Theo said softly. “You’re awake.”

Silver didn’t answer. He couldn’t. He was already moving.

The first strike came fast – too fast for someone who was still technically waking up. Silver grabbed a chair and slammed it into Theo’s side with everything he had. Wood cracked on impact.

Theo barely staggered.

Silver saw it before it happened – Theo stepping in, grabbing him, throwing him hard into the bookshelves.
He moved just
barely in time.

Theo’s grab missed.

But the follow-up didn’t.

Theo slammed him into the shelves anyway, faster than physics should’ve allowed. Books exploded outward. Silver hit the ground hard, air ripped out of him.

“You don’t understand,” Theo said, crouching slightly as if talking to someone much smaller. “You think this is about him.”

Silver coughed, trying to get up again. “It is.”
Theo tilted his head. “No. It’s about control.”
Theo smirked slightly, wiping the blood off his neck before walking out the library.

“Silver?” Mason called out. Mason found Silver struggling to move on the floor. “Silver!”

Silver didn’t answer Mason. Instead he dragged himself over to Scott – his right eye’s vision was blurry – he was struggling to see his way.

His knees hit the stairs hard as he dropped beside him, hands hovering for half a second like he was afraid touching him would make it real.

“Scott,” Silver said, quieter now. “Hey – hey, look at me.”

His fingers pressed to Scott’s wrist.

“You think you’re the victim,” Michael said, crouching beside him. His voice was quieter now, almost calm. “You’re not. You’re the reason everyone else ends up dead. You pull people in, make them care, and then you destroy them.”
No pulse.

“No,” he whispered. “No, no – “

“Scott,” Silver said again, sharper now. “Scott, don’t do this – “

His forehead lowered slightly, almost touching Scott’s arm, like he couldn’t decide whether to fall apart or stay upright.

“Scott,” he said again, barely audible now. “Please. Please don’t leave me. Please, I love you.”

“Scott! Scott!” Melissa yelled as she ran into the library, “No, no, no, no, no, no, no.” Melissa said as she dropped down next to Scott’s body.

Melissa felt his pulse and took a deep breath before starting to do CPR, “One, two, three, four, five…” She mumbled making them look at her.

Silver’s breath caught. “Melissa – ” but Melissa ignored him, “Six, seven, eight…”

“What are you doing?” Mason asked, making Melissa look up at him, “Bringing him back!” She said and he slightly shook his head.

“But, his… his heart… He… He hasn’t had a pulse in over fifteen minutes. You can’t bring back someone that’s-”

“He’s not someone- he’s my son, and he’s an Alpha, and he’s too strong to die like this! Come on! Open your eyes and look at me, okay? Come on! Breathe, baby, breathe!” Melissa yelled.

“Come on. You can do this. You’re an Alpha. You’re an Alpha. Come on, Scott. Roar. Come on! Come on, Scott! ROAR!” Melissa yelled and forcefully slammed her fist down on Scott’s chest right. Scott’s eyes shot open glowing a bright scarlet red as he let out a loud roar.

🎭

“I lost, Mom…” Scott said in a slight whisper as Melissa was cleaning up some of the blood, “Every leader suffers loss. Sometimes more than you think is bearable.” Melissa said and Scott slightly shook his head.

“But this time, I lost everyone.” He said, making Melissa look at him, “You’ll get them back. You have to.” She said “Why would they come back?”

“Because you’re their leader… And even when a leader thinks they have nothing left to give, there’s still one thing-hope. Give them hope.” Melissa said and there was a light knock on the door making them look over to see Silver standing in the doorway.

Melissa smiled softly before standing up. “I’ll leave you two,” she said before walking past Silver.

Silver sat down on the floor in front of Scott. Reaching behind his neck, he unclasped his necklace, sighing quietly as he held it up and placed it gently into Scott’s hand.

“How did you find it?” Scott asked.

“It was next to a pair of my sunglasses,” Silver replied. He sighed again, moving closer to Scott to grab the abandoned towel from the floor. He gently wiped Scott’s forehead, cleaning away the leftover, drying blood. “Sometimes it’s hard to remember we’re still in high school, with everything we’ve dealt with.”

Scott looked down at the engagement ring resting in his palm, his thumb brushing over the cool metal.

The weight of it felt grounding, a sharp contrast to the chaotic blur of the last few hours. “I’ve ruined everything,” he murmured.

“This is not on you,” Silver insisted.

Scott gave a small, humorless smile. “It’s not not on me either.”

“Maybe,” Silver conceded. “But who am I to judge on trusting the wrong people?”

Scott let out a slow breath, staring intently at the ring. Silver folded the towel and set it aside. For a moment, neither of them spoke; the silence wasn’t uncomfortable, just incredibly heavy.

“I’m sorry I made you feel like you couldn’t trust me,” Silver said softly, breaking the quiet. “I’m sorry I lied to you about everything.”

“Silver – ” Scott began.

Silver shook his head, cutting him off gently. “I know. I know I had my reasons. I know I thought I was protecting you. But that doesn’t change the fact that I hurt you.”

Silver’s voice cracked slightly, his composure wavering as a deeper, painful memory surfaced. “And when everything went wrong… when I saw you lying there, and I thought you were gone… I was so furious with myself, Scott. The last time we spoke, we were fighting. You told me you loved me, and I just… I walked away.”

Scott looked away, his jaw tightening as he absorbed the weight of Silver’s confession. “You weren’t the only one who lied.” Silver glanced at him as Scott continued, “I kept things from you too. I shut you out. I acted like I was the only one who could fix everything, and I didn’t even think about what that would do to you.”

Silver’s expression softened as he listened. “I made you feel like you were someone I had to protect instead of someone I could stand beside.”

A quiet moment passed between them.

“You’re not a burden, Scott,” Silver said.

Scott let out a shaky breath. “Neither are you.”

Silver looked down. “I just don’t want us to keep hurting each other because we’re scared.”

Scott’s eyes moved back to him. “I don’t either.” He looked down at the ring in his palm once more, then carefully closed his fingers tightly around it.

Scott’s eyes moved back to him. “I don’t either.” He looked down at the ring in his palm once more, then carefully closed his fingers tightly around it.

Silver looked at the ring still clenched tightly in Scott’s hand.

“You don’t want to marry me.”

The words landed like a physical blow. Scott’s face fell. “That’s not true.”

“Not now,” Silver clarified gently. “Not like this.”

“Silver—”

“We’ve spent weeks lying to each other. Fighting. Keeping secrets. Getting hurt.” Silver’s eyes dropped briefly to the dried blood still staining Scott’s shirt. “I thought I was never going to get the chance to tell you I was sorry.”

The room fell quiet.

“I had this whole plan,” Scott admitted quietly.

Silver laughed through his tears, his smile widening slightly.

Scott looked down at the ring. “I wanted it to be perfect.”

“It doesn’t have to be perfect.”

“It does.”

Silver reached over and nudged his shoulder. “It really doesn’t.”

“For you it does.” The words slipped out before Scott could stop them.

Silver froze. “Then keep it.”

Scott blinked. “What?”

“Try again.”

“Silver—”

“I’m serious.”

Scott stared at him. Silver’s smile grew warmer this time. He leaned forward until their foreheads touched.

“And when you ask me again…”

Scott’s breath caught.

“…I’ll still say yes.”