Zoe's POVThe 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 descri
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
They discuss a painting and a little bit of his past. He offers to paint a nude portrait like the Greek masterpieces. As they start Zoe gets a call from a persistent John and Xavier overhears. He gets furious and goes to chop off some firewood even though they had enough to blow off some steam. She follows him outside to calm him down where they kiss and he carries her inside to have sex after which he paints her while she acts as his therapist and they discuss more paintings.They stay in the cabin for the night and the next morning Zoe sneaks out of the cabin for a run in the forest. Xavier wakes up from a very sensual and romantic dream of himself and Zoe and not finding her there panics. Only to see her car and belongings are still there. He tracks her down and finds her near a frozen lake in the forest. He promises to bring her back there in summer when the lake is liquid and has swans.Xavier receives a call from Jacob about an important thing about the case that he needs to chec
Claire blackmails Zoe into leaving so Claire can't plant the seed of doubt in Xavier's mind about John and Zoe. Claire sabotages Zoe and Zoe ends up getting lost in the forest. Xavier saves her from a bunch of rogues and the weekend trip is cut short because of the dangers of a rogue attack.Zoe works for a catering company and goes to serve at a party. At the party the pianist suddenly couldn't play so Zoe steps up and saves the evening, until Claire gets jealous and embarrasses her at Xavier's father's birthday dinner party, which is a huge formal affair. Xavier leaves the party with Zoe (causing a scandal at the party), to drop her to her house in her pack. They argue on the way. She says they should not have left like that. Zoe retorts by telling him off in her hurt that she is not a damsel in distress, but a well-trained beta's daughter and knows how to take care of herself and he should focus on the legal matters. Xavier feels regret at talking to her like that and so does she. S
Zoe thinks she was nothing to him more than his fuck-buddy while he helped her save her father. So when her father is safe, John is being questioned for all his crimes, and his engagement is over. Zoe goes to Xavier one last time to thank him but overhears Claire offering him to join her in the King's court and work with her there, appointing Alyssa as the Alpha for the time being. Xavier says he'll think about it and Zoe takes it as his acceptance to choose Claire. Claire keeps saying that she is worried for him and that he overworks himself and needs a break. She offers to go to the island owned by his pack for leisure time, offering that she would join him too so he won't be alone. He only says he will think about it to make her stop talking as he was too focused on thinking about Zoe's next course of action.Zoe chose to leave the pack territory to move to another state because she thinks Xavier chose Claire. Zoe wants to leave without goodbye to Xavier. Zoe has a final goodbye to
Zoe's POVStrength surged through my veins. Every sound, every scent, every sensation felt a thousand times stronger.I looked around. The first rays of dawn lit up the compound. I heard a quick scuttling noise. My eyes snapped to the source. A cockroach moved across the far corner. I had never noticed such small details before.A breeze blew through a broken window. It felt like it pierced my skin, sending a deep chill inside me.The colors around me were too sharp. Too vivid. But nothing looked beautiful. The cement-grey walls were stained with only one other color—red. Blood. Organs. Pieces of fabric soaked in dark, drying pools.I swallowed hard and took a deep breath. Bad idea.The stench of death filled my lungs. Werewolf remains. I nearly gagged.A massacre. More blood than anyone should ever see. I couldn't take it anymore.From the corner of my eye, I saw Xavier moving closer. Before he could reach me, I stepped away. I moved toward my father.He lay face down in blood. His c
Zoe's POVI 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 relati
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 her
Xavier's POVOkay, Zoe was mad. She was so mad she hadn't just confronted Fiona, she had worn my shirt for it, and hadn't even glanced my way before walking out of the room.The only part that made my heart flutter was my shirt. She was marking her territory, and it was so attractive. She had accept
Zoe's POVI stood gawking speechlessly for a moment. All my rage dissipating into disbelief. She had made herself at home already."Would you like to come in?" Her soft, calm voice brought me out of my trance, and my brows furrowed.I walked in with my head held high, "I will do whatever I want in M
Zoe's POVI couldn't sleep. How could I? How could anyone after being humiliated in public with the news of a promised wife of my mate right before my vows of coronation? I had controlled my tears when the ceremony was interrupted. I couldn't lose it in front of a hall full of strangers for whom I
Xavier's POVMy cuffs are rolled. My top button is undone. My hair is messy from all the times I have run my hands through it. I have no idea where my coat is. My feet are more sore from all the pacing than when I was tortured in Riverwoods. It's looking terrible. Zoe hasn't come out of her room. O
Xavier's POVI paced around the room. Lady Aroosa and Fiona were sitting calmly with their backs straight and serene expressions.Pack lawyers, related officials, pack elders, and Lady Aroosa's whole entourage were all gathered in the same meeting room where I had sentenced my father and his allies
Xavier's POVEverything was going great. Zoe had memorized each bow and each step beautifully. She was graceful, gorgeous, and simply perfect. After signing the papers, she was officially a member of Blood Crescent. I was elated by the way the ceremony progressed.It was hard to keep the smile from
Zoe's POVThe day was here. It was the big day. How did it creep up on me so soon?Taking deep breaths to calm myself down, I waited in my room for Olivia. Xavier had been overseeing all the preparations. Everyone who was everyone in Blood Crescent and the neighboring packs was going to be present.
Zoe's POVThe next couple of days passed in a blur of learning loads of new information, meeting new people, and adding input about the coronation. It was a little overwhelming, but I tried to keep it all together. I was not going to be ungrateful for the one good thing going on in my life. Blood C
Zoe's POVI was standing in front of the mirror, still unable to believe that the gorgeous girl staring back at me was me. I kept thinking how my life was changing once again. I was never the ambitious one. My only hope used to be to awaken my wolf and become a patrol guard to my old pack. Those da