>"Zoe?" A familiar voice echoed through the silence that had settled in the compound hall as everyone was waiting for the other to make the first move.We looked at the troubled newcomer."Dad?" I asked in disbelief. Who called him? Why was he here? No! He was not supposed to be here."Sweetie, what is going on here? You didn't come home and your phone's GPS said you were here," Dad looked worried but I was more concerned for him."Well, well. What an unexpected turn of events." Richard smirked, getting more and more confident with each passing second."He had nothing to do with anything. Keep him out of this!" I growled while on my knees and then shouted to Dad, "Dad, please leave!"A swift sharp slap cut my cheek, "Nobody asked for your opinion, you wolfless Omega!"My eyes widened. He knew. How long had he known?"You will pay for that!" Xavier started walking towards us determined and in a flash, I had been pulled up to my feet, my back to Richard's chest as he held a
>Everything hurt.I couldn't focus on which pain was more unbearable. The ache in my heart at the loss of my last family member, my only shelter in the cruel world. Or, the pain from the bones that kept breaking on their own for some reason.I wailed with everything I had until the pain consumed me. I couldn't see anything. I couldn't hear anything. All there was, was a terrible, unbearable, red-hot pain, all over me.I felt like my brain was being boiled. It was like my skull was about to explode. I couldn't think straight. I couldn't focus. The pain was overwhelming all my senses. I couldn't move. I wanted it to stop. I didn't know how to stop because I had no idea what was happening. It was like every bone in my body was breaking. From my fingertips to my guts, I could feel all my nerves getting stimulated at once. How could one be conscious of one's gut? I wanted to scream. I opened my mouth. I don't know if any sound came out. I wanted to cry.I closed my eyes.
>Alphas had similar strength levels. During alpha to alpha combat the difference usually came from training. But Richard couldn't have more training than me. No one could. No one had a madder father than me. No one could've started as young as I did or trained as hard as I was forced to do.That is why I was confused about how Richard was able to overpower me. I could feel him trying to knock me unconscious as he tightened his head lock on my neck stopping air flow to my body and circulation to my head.I glanced to the other side and saw Zoe bloodied and bruised holding her father's dead body. I had failed her.She yelled and I looked around. Most of my men were dead or dying. We were losing. I was going to lose Zoe.That thought woke up something inside me.Spike took over without a warning.The transformation took Richard by surprise and we were able to get out of the headlock. We kicked him back and took a deep breath. A few seconds more and we would've passed o
>The pain had started again and this time the creature wasn't there. I wanted to cry. I think I heard my scream echo through the woods.I don't know how long it went on. The bright day of the woods had once again shifted to the night. I had curled up in a fetal position and closed my eyes in pain. The feeling of shifting guts was back but worse.Finally, I heard it again.'I'm sorry that I had to leave like that.'I looked up and saw the creature and I could feel empathy radiate off of it."Where were you?" I asked as the pain slowly eased and I could breathe again.'Our fated mate needed saving.' It said in a matter-of-fact tone."We have a fated mate?" I asked in surprise and disbelief.'You didn't know?' It asked surprised at my reaction. I shook my head.'So, you've never met the tall, guy with the grey eyes and his wolf called Spike?' It asked curiously.My eyes widened."Spike?" I asked in disbelief. Xavier's wolf was Spike. How many wolves were named Spike? The d
This chapter is a recap of all the major events that happened in the book so far. This is where the story of the wolfless Zoe ends and the story of the Hybrid Zoe with her special animal Dahlia begins. Many new problems await Zoe and her fated mate, Xavier. Many new secrets await to be revealed. Many friends old and new, many foes, old and new. And many new hurdles in the long journey.RECAP:Zoe is a wolfless girl, the daughter of an ex-beta of the Silver Moon Pack in North America. Her boyfriend, John, the new beta cheated on her with a new girl, Alyssa, who is of Alpha bloodline of an ally pack. He embezzled the pack's finances of a huge amount, framed her father, and blackmailed her to be his mistress for him to spare her father.At his engagement party, she met a stranger, Xavier Shaw, who happened to be a member of the werewolf council who could help her unveil John's schemes. She asked for his help and he agreed to help her solve her crisis for a price.Five years ago, he had a
>Zoe felt a new strength surging through her veins. Every sound, smell, and sensation felt a thousandfold.She glanced around. The first rays of dawn were illuminating the compound. She heard a swift pitter-patter and turned in the direction before her eyes focused on a cockroach in a corner on the other side of the compound scurrying around. She had never seen or heard anything this distinctly before.A breeze flew in from one of the broken windows, and Zoe felt like it breached her skin and chilled her to her core.The colors around her were more vibrant than she had ever seen them. But it was not a pleasant sight. The only color other than the cement-grey of the compound was red. Blood and organs red. A random shoe or piece of fabric could be noticed drenched in thicker blood that was coagulating and drying quickly.She swallowed thickly and took a deep breath to prevent herself from hyperventilating. Wrong move. She only managed to inhale the vomit-inducing scent of
>I drove the van as Dahlia instructed me.This newfound strength and these heightened senses were hard to work with. By the time Dahlia told me to stop at a clearing, the steering wheel of the van was bent and barely working.I knew Xavier had hitchhiked the ride but I was in no mental state to converse. Even if Dad were alive, I would've hated Xavier for abandoning me and choosing another over me.I stepped out and for a second just let the sounds and smells of woods envelope me. I always loved nature. It had helped me calm down back home. But I had never felt nature the way it felt now. It was like seeing the world for the first time. Like I had been wearing a dark curtain over my senses and it had finally lifted allowing me to see the true magic of the world.But I had a loved one to bury.That thought weighed on me so much that it numbed my senses again. I couldn't celebrate my first transformation or ponder on its possibility because I was too busy mourning my only r
>Once Zoe's father was no more than ashes, she left it there and numbly walked back to the van.Xavier didn't follow her this time. She half expected him to but didn't wait for him.Xavier knew that the disappearance of Alpha Peterson would have been noticed by this time. This meant that even if his team had arrived after Zoe and Xavier left and cleaned the crime scene. Peterson's people were going to eventually get worried and start connecting the dots. Which meant that Zoe was not safe anymore.He wanted to be with her, to be there when she broke apart in her grief. But he knew that she needed some space as well. Also, he wasn't sure how she would react to his help. So far, she had been ignoring him and keeping her distance without a word.He knew she now knew that they were mates and he had told Spike not to tell her animal that they had known all along but Spike had been overjoyed to meet her animal that he answered her every question truthfully. Zoe drove the van to
>It took an hour and a lot of emotional blackmail on behalf of Aunt Julie to convince Zoe to let Xavier go with her to Kansas City. And that too only on the condition that nothing would be expected of her and it was only a test for Xavier to see if he can keep to his word.After a lot of persuasion and tales of mates, second chances, belief in the Moon Goddess, and the fact that technically Xavier was the only one left in the world who was hers and on her side for good, Aunt Julie smiled and patted Zoe's back, "I'll go up and tell him that you need to talk. Be nice, okay?"Zoe didn't dare roll her eyes at Aunt Julie, she respected her way too much for that. But she did shake her head slightly knowing how Aunt Julie managed to convince her but she let her do it. If anyone had any right to Zoe, it was Aunt Julie after everything she had done for the Simmons family and how she had been so much more than just a distinct cousin of her Dad and their housekeeper. She was family a
>Zoe climbed up the stairs decisively while Xavier stayed in the garage trying to calm down and make peace with the fact that his forgiveness was going to take some time. He was hopeful that it would come eventually, just a bit late.He wanted to tell Zoe about Claire so she would stop worrying about him going back to her. But, Zoe already had so much on her plate, that she didn't need to be pulled into everything Claire was a part of. Xavier felt like it was pointless to make his worries hers when she hadn't even forgiven him yet.The more important thing was staying by her side. Which meant, he had to persuade her to let him come with her. The world was a much darker place than she knew and he wanted to protect her from it even though physically she didn't need protecting.Plus, he had no idea how idea what awaited them at those coordinates. Since it had been more than a decade since those numbers had been put down on that letter, there was a possibility that they would f
>"Zoe, I cannot relate to your pain or anything you are going through. So, I will not even try to say that I understand. I don't. And I know how many times I have let you down," He started the speech he had been working for hours as they drove to Silver Moon two days ago."Don't, please," Zoe tried to turn away. She wanted the apology. She had spent nights dreaming of the moment Xavier realized what a huge mistake he had made to let her go. But, that was not the moment for it. She was already an emotional mess."Let me, please. You need to hear this and I need to say this." He cautiously stepped closer and held her arms gently to ensure she didn't leave without hearing but could if she wanted to."Why? You didn't care about saying or being heard a few months ago." Zoe looked up at him bitterly, his touch igniting sensations stronger than she had ever felt because of her heightened senses."Believe me or not but I really thought that letting you go to have a new life was th
>"What are you so happy about?" I asked Aunt Julie whose excitement was confusing me.Instead of answering me straight away she sat me down on a couch with a nostalgic look and held my hands motherly before finally speaking."Did your Dad ever tell you that you have your mother's eyes?" She asked with a soft sad smile.She didn't wait for me to answer, probably because she knew the answer to her question. She resumed, "Of course not. He did his best to remove any mention of her from his life. That was his way of dealing with his grief."What about my grief? I wanted to ask but I chose to listen.She was right, no one was allowed to talk about Mom in our house. I was never allowed to ask any questions. Aunt Julie tried her best to fill that hole in my life but for a ten-year-old girl, no one could replace her mother. I barely had any memories of her either. The psychiatrist had told Dad that it was a form of PTSD. I don't remember what the trauma exactly was, but apparentl
>Zoe ran to her room and gathered the contents of the box. She got her old laptop and searched up the location. She rushed back down and went outside to the broken car.Xavier and Aunt Julie followed her as Zoe opened the backseat door."You can't go in that. I doubt it's even going to start." Xavier commented."It better. The coordinates are a two-day drive away." Zoe replied without looking at him. Then, she suddenly turned to him, "Key?" She brought her hand forward expectantly."Zoe," He started but she was getting impatient, "Key, now."He sighed, fetched the key from his pants pocket, and placed it on her open palm. She grabbed it and turned without a thank you. Aunt Julie tried to protest, "You can't let her go alone,""I'm not. Don't worry, " he said and waited for Zoe to try starting the car. He crossed his arms and waited as she turned the key in the ignition, but the car didn't start. Zoe stubbornly tried to keep trying instead of admitting that he was right. T
>"What are these?" Zoe put the envelope on the coffee table between herself and Xavier.Glad that she was finally talking to him, he leaned, his brows furrowed in confusion and concentration, "Letter to you?" He said."The number, what are those?" Zoe resisted the urge to roll her eyes or go over and kiss his confused expression. She knew he was trying not to upset her further. She didn't know why he suddenly cared but a small part of her was relieved that he hadn't mentioned his chosen mate yet or gone back to her. By the looks of it, he was only worried about Zoe. She didn't want to let him in her heart and get it broken again but she wasn't sure if he had left entirely the first time either."Looks like coordinates." He thought out loud."I knew it." Zoe snatched the envelope back, their fingers brushing for a moment and both tried to not show how the touch affected them."I can get the location checked. That is, if you want.." Xavier offered softly.Zoe didn't answer b
>"Weren't you informed not to call? The lines can be intercepted!" I whisper-yelled into the phone as soon as I was sure neither Aunt Julie nor Zoe could overhear."This one's fine, Sir. I made sure. And this is urgent." Jacob spoke in a hushed tone like he was afraid."Well?" I said expectantly, urging Jacob to resume."We were found. Some of our men work for your father and call him Alpha. I don't know how they found out." Jacob informed."Did they take Claire?" I asked expecting the worst."No. They tripped off an alarm I had planted around the area and I got a fifteen-minute headstart. I drugged Claire and took her before they could get us. They knew about the underground room." He told."Where are you now?""At the Shaw Safehouse. I cleaned up any evidence of the underground room being in use before we left. They won't know Claire was there." Jacob reassured me and then said, "But the bad news is, the cleanup team at Golden Eclipse didn't do as great of a job.""W
>The next morning, Zoe was up and out of the house just as the dawn broke through the sky.She had a restless night, the same nightmare burning her mind whenever she closed her eyes. She had waited for her wolf for so long. And then, she had taken even longer to accept that, unlike her fellows, she would never be able to transform into one because she was wolfless.Now, she had a beast. Granted it was not a regular wolf but an animal nonetheless and she wanted to transform. Her mind focused on her need to feel herself shift consciously just to be sure that it had actually happened. Also, this newfound focus helped distract her from the grief of her father.She called out to Dahlia and fell to her knees, trying to force her bones to move, for her skin to get covered with thin grey fur and for her canines to elongate and sharpen. Nothing happened.Dahlia did her best to aid her human but it proved futile as no matter how hard either of them tried, Zoe's body refused to trans
[WARNING: This chapter contains details of gore and death. Proceed with caution.]>That night Zoe slept in her old bed. Apparently, no one had known about their departure from Golden Ecplise or their arrival at the Silver Moon.Xavier chose to stay and Aunt Julie asked him to stay in Joe Simmons room but he refused knowing that when Zoe found out, she would be furious. She blamed Xavier for her father's death, and truthfully, so did he.Aunt Julie wanted to ask about Xavier about his pack but he had been so quiet that she decided otherwise.Zoe sat on her bed looking at the contents of the wooden box. She stared at the pictures. This time with more attention to detail than she had earlier in the day. She read the notes behind each. Some were normal comments about the picture while some were in the same language as the bundle of paper and needed to be decipered. It was just all too much information to be digested at once. The only good thing that came out of opening that