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 took his time cleaning her. She allowed him to rinse every inch of her naked skin. He pooled water from the shower in his hands and let it drip down from her neck to her breasts and down through her belly button. It pained him to see her so unresponsive. But he hoped that she knew that he was not going anywhere now. That he had decided to stay for as long as she needed him to. Everything else and everyone else ceased to matter to him. He was done putting others over her. He was finally going to set his priorities straight and his mate came on top.When he was finally done, he grabbed a towel and wrapped her, gently walking her to the bed. He pulled a simple tee and jeans for her from her wardrobe and she did not resist. She just sat there silently staring into the void. It was a heartbreaking sight. It was like she had lost her fight. She had gone to many lengths for her father. She had faced everyone alone and now she probably felt like the sole reason for her be
Zoe's POVI could barely think. My apartment was a mess. My heart was even worse. I didn't know what to do. Then I heard a voice."Zoe? What happened here?" Angelina asked. She looked around, eyes wide with worry.I wanted to answer, but my throat felt tight. Before I could try, she stepped forward. Then she stopped. She had seen Xavier."Zoe?" Her voice was sharp now.Xavier stood up slowly. I felt numb."Angelina, I am Xavier. There's nothing to worry about," he said.Angelina frowned. "It doesn’t look fine. And how do you know my name?"She moved in front of me, blocking Xavier. Her body was tense.Xavier raised his hands. "I mean no harm."Angelina’s eyes flicked to his cufflinks. Her expression hardened. "Tell me who you are. Now. Or I call the cops. You don’t want to know who my brother is."Xavier stayed calm. "I know who your brother is. That’s how I know you. Trust me, I’m on your side."Angelina didn’t relax. "I just got a call. My brother is missing. Now a Blood Crescent wo
Xavier needed Zoe out of Golden Eclipse borders but Angelina was not going to let him even try to convince Zoe to come with him.So, he made a decision. He looked at Angelina and told the truth, "Zoe's father is dead."Angelina's face changed so fast. She whirled to face Zoe who had sucked a breath at the mention of her father and was looking at the messed-up floor."Goddess, Zoe, I am so sorry. What happened? How?" Angelina asked the questions to Xavier."Long story." He said with urgency, "Please convince her to come with me. I promise you, there is nowhere safer for her than my side.""Why is her life in danger? What is going on?" Angelina asked getting more worried."Because she," Xavier contemplated the truth. He had no idea if Zoe remembered what Dahlia did. Usually during the first transformations, the animals took full control and the human parts had no memory. But Zoe was not a normal werewolf and he was desperate."Her beast killed the guy who killed her father." Z
Zoe's POVI drifted in and out of sleep, my father’s voice echoing in my mind. It felt real, but it wasn’t. I must have whispered his name. The ache in my chest was sharp.When I opened my eyes, the dashboard’s dim light greeted me. I was in a car. Xavier was driving. We were alone.I sat up, my body tense. Where were we going? Why was I here with him? My father was gone, but right now, all I could think about was Xavier."Stop the car," I said, my voice rough.Xavier’s hands tightened on the wheel. He had been waiting for me to speak, but not like this."We’re in the middle of nowhere," he said, trying to sound calm. But I could hear the restraint. He wanted to ask if I was okay. He knew I wouldn’t answer."I said, stop the car." My voice was sharper.He took a slow breath. "This isn’t a safe place. We can stop when we—""What part of 'stop the damn car' don’t you get? I don’t want to be near you. Stop. The. Fucking. Car!" My voice broke. I was done.Something shifted in his expressio
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