Page 25 of Silas

“I will keep that in mind for sure. So I have some questions, if you are open to answering them,” I say to him with a lift of my eyebrows.

“Yeah, I am okay with that. Let me ask you a question first, though. What is the last thing that you remember from last night?”

My heart rate picks up. How did he know I was not sure how I got here? I can feel my face flush when I say, “The last thing that I remember from last night was a very enjoyable dinner, then you asking if I wanted to take a walk. I remember us walking out of the restaurant and then your demeanor changing. You told me to run and after that, everything is pretty hazy.”

He breathes out a heavy sigh before saying, “I am sure that another one of your questions is ‘how did I get here’ followed closely by ‘why don’t I remember going to sleep last night’. I can answer all of those for you and more, but first I would like for you to eat your breakfast and get dressed. Gail brought over some of your clothes. Apparently, you gave her a spare key to your house. Anyway, I would like to talk with you in the living room by the fire with our coffees, if you are okay with that.”

I look down at the tray of food and back up to Silas, “Yeah, I am okay with that. Give me about 20 minutes to eat, then I will be ready to sit down to talk with you.”

I finish pulling on the fleece lined leggings with paw prints, trees, and wolves that were definitely not in my belongings. The long sleeve thermal shirt matches perfectly to the leggings. She also gave me a pair of fur lined soft boots to pull onto my feet. I have no idea why she told Silas these were my belongings, because I know for a fact it wasn’t. Super cute outfit and all that. I love the little paw prints that match the necklace that Silas gave me. I run my finger along the chain down to the pendant and lay my hand across it.

Placing all my breakfast plates and silverware back onto the tray as I pick it up to take to the kitchen. Not sure where that is, but I am sure it can’t be that hard to find. The tray balances on my hip as I pull open the solid wood door that Silas came through earlier. A look to the left and right, I decide that the right is the correct direction given there is a staircase in that way. Heading towards the staircase, I look along the walls. There is a handrail on my left that opens to the bottom floor. There is a soaring ceiling that is vaulted with the wood planks running along it. From one wall to the other wall, there are enormous logs running across the room. On the farthest wall from me is floor to ceiling windows displaying powdery white snow, snow covered spruce trees, and the sun peaking over the mountains. It is a stunning view, that is for sure. I run my fingers down the wall to my right and where there are frames with all sorts of different families. Each one is standing before the windows I just seen with a Christmas tree behind them.

Descending the stairs, I hear the crackling and popping of logs in the fireplace. The smell of burning spruce fills the air and gives that cozy, warm feeling. I come around the staircase into the open area I was just looking in. There are overstuffed couches with a beautiful hand carved coffee table between them. In front of the fireplace are two matching wingback chairs with a small round matching hand carved wood table. The fireplace is stunning with masonry work all the way to the ceiling. Above the fireplace is a wood mantle adorned with small trinkets with Pine Garland hung across it.

Silas is sitting in one of the wingback chairs, quietly reading a book. I clear my throat to get his attention. He looks up from his book, “Oh good, you are done with breakfast. How was it?”

“It was wonderful, thank you. I was going to bring the tray into the kitchen if you could point me in the right direction,” I say as I look around for an idea which direction the kitchen is.

“Nonsense, as a guest of this house, I can’t have you do that. Let me take that for you.” He reaches for the tray and gently pulls it from my hands. “Would you like a fresh cup of coffee?” I nod my head and follow him as he heads towards what I assume will be the kitchen.

He opens the swing door into the kitchen, I almost faint at the beauty of it. This might be every single person’s dream kitchen. There is a center island large enough to seat six along the bar top. The seats are made of cut trees that have been sanded and sealed. There is masonry running all around the sides of the island. Hanging above the island is what looks like a tree coming out of the ceiling and lights glow softly beneath it. The island is covered in butcher’s block with a copper farmhouse workstation sink. Across from the island is an 8 burner gas stove with masonry running along both the cabinets and backsplash.The hood vent above it is also decked out with stones and wood accents. There is another wall covered with floor to ceiling windows showing the snowy exterior. You could seriously cook anything in this kitchen.

I hear chuckling only to look over and see that Silas has placed the tray on the island and is looking at me. I realize that my mouth is hanging open as I snap it shut. “You good over there?”

“Don’t make fun of me alright. For one, I have lived my entire life in New York City, where the size of this kitchen is most people’s entire apartment. For two, you know that this is basically every woman’s dream kitchen,” I say as I pop my hip and place my hand there.

He holds his hands up in surrender. “Fair enough, it was just cute to see you processing the kitchen. I have seen it my whole life, so I forget the grandeur of it. I am glad to hear that it exceeds your expectations.”

I join him at the coffee bar as he pours our fresh cups of coffee. He has an assortment of coffee syrups, various sugar bowls, and all different types of toppings for your coffee. I nudge him with my elbow, “You have a little bit of everything for a coffee. Are you one of those coffee snobs?”

Shaking his head back and forth, he smirks at me while looking at me out of the corner of his eye. “Gail might have told me you love sweet coffees and since I am just getting to know you, I might have bought everything, hoping I got something here to make you happy.”

Oh, now that is the sweetest thing. This man is doing a number on my heart already and I don’t know how much more of this I can handle before I am a puddle on the hardwood floors.

My cheeks burn with a blush, “That is sweet of you Silas, thank you. I love my coffee sweet, probably too sweet, but coffee should be enjoyed however you like it.”

“Good to know. Let’s take our cups back to the fireplace. This house might be gorgeous, but it doesn’t come with central heat and air. So you will want to be near a fireplace as much as possible.”

Taking our fresh coffees back to the chairs, I pick the chair he wasn’t sitting in before. He smiles fondly at my selection before taking his original chair. “Before I begin, I want to ask you to have as open of a mind as you possibly can. There are explanations for everything, but first I need you to understand some things first.”

I pull my cup back from my mouth and feel my heart rate pick up. I feel a sense of panic that is stronger than my own, which is weird because I shouldn’t feel another set of emotions outside of my own. Silas takes a deep breath and forces the air out through his clenched teeth.

“Gail told me you have read books about wolf shifters. So you are familiar with at least how the fictional world of wolf shifters works, right?”

My eyebrows shoot up, “What does my taste in reading have to do with why I can’t remember getting here last night?”

He holds up a hand, “I promise it will all make sense shortly. I am trying to gently tell you without scaring you…”

“Are you trying to tell me you are a wolf shifter?” He has got to be joking. I am not sure this man is sane if he really thinks that he is a man who can shift into a wolf.

He lets out a heavy sigh as he rubs his hands down his face, “There isn’t really a gentle way to say this, but yes, I am a man who can shift into a wolf. I am exactly what you have read in your books. Well, to some degree. They have a few things wrong, but the concept is there for sure.”

Scoffing, I set my coffee down on the little table between us. “You are insane, Silas, and I don’t find this funny at all. That doesn’t even explain why I can’t remember anything past you saying run last night, nor how I got here.”

Shaking his head, “You don’t believe me, do you?”

I stand up from the chair and move to put distance between us. “No, I don’t believe you at all. Frankly, I think it would be best for me to leave. Can you…”

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