Zara's POV"Oh my goddess, Zara, we were so worried," Levi muttered when he took me into his arms. "Are you alright?"I was at a loss for words, so I just nodded.I was slowly processing everything that Alpha Jack and Luke had told me, and I was hoping and praying that nothing was true."Come," Levi said. "Your father is in the car, waiting for you."Levi thanked Alpha Jack, steered me back toward the car, and opened the passenger door.My dad remained silent and would not even look at me."I'm-""Save it!" He snarled and glanced back in the rearview mirror. "Alpha Nicholas informed me of the incident over the phone earlier.""Your father is not upset with you," Levi mindlinked. "He is just mad that Nic will not have your father sign the treaty; he only wants your signature on the paperwork.""That doesn't make things much easier," I sobbed."Nic called and asked to see you," Levi said.As soon as I did not respond, Levi turned to face me, and I could feel his intense gaze."What happ
Nicolas POV"I will be out in a minute, Levi-bear!" My heart skipped a beat when I heard Zara's voice coming down the hallway. Her sweet remarks about Levi made me feel envious and territorial.Levi raised his hand defensively and hastily, as if sensing my change in mood."It's not what you think," he defended. "Zara has been calling me that for as long as I remember. It is only a nickname. I swear.""A nickname?" The two words rolled tiredly from my tongue. I was physically and emotionally worn out. It was starting to wear on my body and mind because I had not slept at all for the previous two days.Nevertheless, I was compelled to come and attempt to correct things with Zara. I had to tell her I was sorry, hoping she would accept my apology."Yes," Levi replied."Have you heard me,...?" Zara called once more, a little louder this time."Yes, I did," Levi shot back at her. "I am eagerly awaiting your arrival. Our food is starting to get cold. Hurry up and get dressed! I am starving!"
Zara's POVI heard Nic's voice down the hallway, and I silently crept closer, my heart pounding in my ears.How could Levi allow him inside? Does he not realize that I am not interested in seeing him?"Well, technically, you did not tell him why you were not interested in seeing Nicholas," Kaya said, startling me. "It appears that he intervened on his own to encourage communication between the two of you.""That does not mean that he can make decisions about things that are personal for me in secret," I snapped.I moved to get a better look by moving toward the end of the hallway.Unaware of my presence, Nic was facing away from the hallway. His hair was neatly combed back and tied up, and he wore black pants and a white formal shirt."Stop being upset with Levi," Kaya said. "You refused to say anything more when you got home, and he seemed concerned about your emotional state. He cares about you. Levi must have been so distraught that he called Nicholas.""Nevertheless!" I clenched m
Nicolas POVI have spent the last thirty minutes standing at Zara's bedroom door, apologizing.Still, she had not even attempted to unlock the door.Will her heart ever soften enough to forgive me?Will I ever get an opportunity to present my case to her?My phone started ringing in my pocket, and I hesitated to answer. At that point, I was not ready to give up. I pressed the side button on my phone, and it went silent."Zara," I called out. "I am sure you can hear me. I apologize for saying those things, but you only heard one side of the conversation. Please accept my apology.""That would not exactly improve the situation," said Ray.I continued hammering on the door and calling her, ignoring Ray.I was aware that Zara was still in her room. Her rich, euphoric wildflower scent was still lingering in the surrounding air.I called out to Levi and moved away from the door."Yes, Alpha," he replied, looking from the door to me."Have you tried linking Zara?" I asked, desperate to find
Zara's POVI didn't even grab anything to eat. I simply bolted from our quarters, shifted as soon as I was outside the packhouse, and ran as fast as I possibly could.I did not care that I had just destroyed my favorite training outfit or that I had an appointment with my father later that day.All I wanted was to be by myself.I simply needed to get my thoughts straight and see things from a different perspective.I was aware that things were slowly eating me alive from the inside out, messing with my head and making me feel lost.Maybe Nicholas was right after all since I am still a kid at heart."You are not a kid at all!" Kaya growled. "You are just a young adult, that all!""What separates the two from one another?" I lost my temper.Kaya said nothing after that. She knew that nothing she said to me at this point would be helpful. I refused to hear it.Though I had no idea where I was heading, I knew that Kaya would not allow me to go past the pack boundary. Given my current stat
Zara's POV"Someone seems very happy this morning," Levi teased as I sat for breakfast. He was holding his piece of toast in his hand and had already served him some food. "It appears that the storm washed away all of your sorrows."I laughed and took a seat at the table, grabbing a slice of bread and piling some bacon and eggs onto my plate.Levi narrowed his eyes as he attempted to read me."You seem different this morning," he went on. "Something has changed. I simply cannot put my finger on it."Levi placed his toast back down on his plate, sat back, and watched me for a moment.I felt uneasy about his stare, embarrassed to the point where my face flushed.Could he figure out my little secret?Can I keep this secret hidden for long?"I am not sure what you are talking about," I said, reaching for the strawberry jam jar.While I carefully smeared some jam onto my toast, Levi bit his lip and observed me."I believe you do," he remarked, and I unintentionally turned to look at him.W
Nicolas POV"Looks like someone got it all this morning," Ronan said, peering in through the door of my office.I turned to face him and waved him in."Maybe I did," I said, smiling, and I leaned back in my seat. Just thinking about Zara brought a bigger smile to my face. "I feel like a-""A million dollars?" he asked, raising an ironic eyebrow in response."Something like that," I uttered as I glanced down at the document in Ronan's hand."What's that?" I asked."The information you requested," he said, handing it to me. I set it aside. "Did you manage to talk to Zara?"I nodded in response, and my thoughts quickly trailed off to last night.While Zara slept and the storm raged and poured outside, I was staring at her until the early hours of the morning. I couldn't get enough of her. She looked so beautiful under the fire's dim light and looked even more amazing in my arms.I sighed.Zara fitted perfectly in my arms, and I wanted nothing more than to hold her soft, delicate body aga
Nicolas POV"From where did you obtain the information?" I asked Ronan as I turned the final page of the file. Though I never imagined it went that deep, the contents shocked me and made perfect sense for the Nightingale Pack to be supporting the Red Claw Pack."I have my resources," Ronan said, grinning and interlacing his fingers.He patiently waited for me to complete the file review and offer my opinion."Hopefully, this information was not obtained unlawfully," I responded, closing the document. It could put a target on our backs, and I didn't want that. My pack's safety was more important to me."I did not need to; it was all done in favor," he said, grinning smugly.I turned my head to the side and furrowed my brows. My spine tingled with an unholy sensation.What was Ronan getting up to?Who and why did they provide him with this information?Was there someone he was blackmailing?"I do not think so," Ray said, listening in on my thoughts. He was interested to see what Ronan h
Nicolas POV"This is absolutely absurd! How do you expect us to just hand over our Luna?" Ronan asked angrily. "He injected her with wolfsbane, leaving her in excruciating pain. What kind of animal would do that to another being? And he claims to be her mate? He would hurt her more if we gave her to him!"Noah decided it was safer for him to leave Zara there in the hallway of the restaurant. There were too many humans around to put up a proper fight. He left through the back door of the kitchen, followed by Levi, who vanished as quickly as he had appeared.Zara was completely unconscious when I attended to her. Her reaction to the wolfsbane was normal and not too critical to handle.The local police insisted on taking Zara to the hospital when they arrived.I tried to assure them that everything was fine and that the drug Noah gave her would wear off soon; however, they refused to listen.Kyle quickly got on the pho
Zara's POVI woke up with the sound of birds chirping close by, and I moaned under my breath. I had this annoying pounding feeling at the back of my skull.I dragged my heavy, swollen eyelids open and blinked a couple of times against the blinding light before I could manage to make out anything in the room.I struggled for a moment to make sense of what I was seeing.This wasn't my room at all. I wasn't at home.My heart started to pound inside my chest as my gaze traveled over the room. Yet I couldn't find anything out of place. It was very stylish, yet so simple.I was lying in a comfortable king-size bed, the bedding white and soft.Only a single black-and-white painting adorned the tall white walls, but thick, expensive curtains covered the broad windows.My attention moved to the huge double glass doors. The late afternoon breeze lazily tugged on the thin sheer curtains covering them. They were left open.
Zara's POVMy legs gave way under me as the wolfsbane poison spread through the rest of my body, leaving me in excruciating pain."Why are you doing this to me?" I managed to push the words over my lips. My tongue has already swollen in response to the wolfsbane. "I'm mated... and... marked. I... don't... belong... to you..."My voice sounded strained and foreign to my ears.A sinister smile appeared on his lips; he knew it wouldn't be long until I lost consciousness.My head suddenly felt heavy, dropping to the side, while my eyes rolled back in their sockets. I was fighting with everything inside me to stay conscious—my mind threatening to give in and drift off to the darkness.Noah grabbed my chin between his fingers, forcing me to look at him."I am your rightful mate," he hissed. "The Goddess chose you for me, and we will honor her decision! You will soon belong to me!"Noah moved my shirt f
Zara's POVI could feel Nicolas's eyes on me as I made my way between the tables toward the hallway.There was a long hallway at the exit that led down to the ladies' restroom, and I followed behind Levi in silence. He seemed occupied by his own thoughts and didn't say a single word to me.I wasn't sure if he was angry at me or if something else was bothering him.He appeared more like a guard standing by my side than my closest companion escorting me to the restroom.Whatever the situation was, it made me uncomfortable. Levi's behavior wasn't familiar to me.Levi came to a stop, abruptly held out my handbag to me, pushed open the bathroom door for me, and gestured for me to go inside.His eyes were unreadable, and his body language was stiff and cold.Did something happen while I was in the boutique with Nic? Or was he upset because he could detect Nic's scent on me?"What has gotten into him?"
Nicolas POV"I know what you are going to say," Kyle said, as I pulled a chair back to take a seat at the table.I stopped what I was doing and stared at him in shock. He was no mind reader.My gaze swept over the familiar face, taking in the changes that had occurred. I haven't seen Kyle for more than five years. He looked a bit older than the last time I saw him, and his body and face had changed a bit.Kyle had always been on the thin side, but now he was massive and masculine.My gaze swept over his face. Isabella's illness had etched deep worry lines under his eyes, now replaced by lines of laughter. His face had become more full and less sunken. He looked much healthier, and he had definitely gained some healthy body weight.My gaze swept over his medium brown hair; it was now longer, curling around his ears. Yet, even after all the changes, his green-blue eyes were still the same, clear but sad."Ronan had alre
Nicolas POV"Mrs. Zara," Jenn, the saleslady, called us as we exited the private room. Despite the strange expression on her face, she maintained an even tone. She must have heard us having sex in the dressing room."Yes," Zara answered, her attention shifting toward her."Your husband asked me to hand you this," she said, handing her an envelope."Thank you so much," Zara replied, opening the envelope.I patiently waited for Zara to read through the contents. I already knew what Levi was planning; he had informed me when I arrived."Levi says he has another surprise for me," Zara said, seemingly a bit worried about it."Oh? That sounds promising," I replied. "Where to?""He says we should meet up at Martino's," she sighed."Then that is where we'll go," I replied, taking her hand and heading to the door.Martino's was a small Italian restaurant, just around the corner from the boutique.
Zara's POV"Nic?" I gasped, startled. "What are you doing here?"My eyes darted around the room, taking note of the fact that Jenn and her assistant were no longer there."Beta Levi called me," he proclaimed as he inched closer. "He told me you needed some assistance in picking the perfect dress for the ball."Finally, Nic paused and leaned close to my ear, saying, "But now it seems like this was a setup."I shivered, closing my eyes as his warm breath brushed over my skin."You seem capable of picking your own dress," he continued, his voice betraying his need.My flushed cheeks compelled me to bite my lip. I was already overwhelmed with desire, especially with Nicolas by my side.Did Levi intend for this to happen?"Let me help you out of that dress," Nicolas said, smirking as he pulled away. "It might be pretty, but it certainly doesn't betray your beauty."A small moan escaped my lips as I bec
Zara's POV"Oh my," I exclaimed in shock as Levi dragged me inside a posh boutique in the city. "This is a bit unexpected."I didn't anticipate him taking me here."Well, what kind of mate would I be if I couldn't get you a decent dress for the ball?" Smirking, Levi said."You are the greatest!" I shouted with delight as I reached up to kiss his cheek.Smiling, Levi gestured for the salesgirl to come closer."Good morning, Zara," a friendly and elderly woman with short, light-blond hair greets us. She was a human named Jenn. The last time I was at the dress boutique for an event similar to this one, I ran into her."It is great to see you," she went on to say. "I understand you and your husband will be attending a grand ball this Saturday?" she asked. "Is that right?"With a smile on my face, I nodded. Levi must have notified her about the ball."Great, let's get started. Follow me, please." She gestured
Nicolas POVI had my fists firmly clamped around my father's neck, choking him. He was crushed against the wall. Ray's power was more than I had expected."Alpha," Ronan's startled cry resounded across the room. Nor has he ever seen me allow Ray to maintain control, nor has he ever seen Ray lose his fury like that. "I think you should sit your father down before you kill him."My father's face flushed, and his eyes popped out of their sockets as he struggled against Ray's grip. However, I became even more enraged as I relived the memories of what he had done to me."Why should I?" My grip on my father's neck grew tighter as Ray let out a howl. "He erased all traces of your Alpha's past... We thought we were cursed."Ronan turned his gaze away from me, a hidden emotion visible in his eyes as if he had anticipated Ray's words.Was my dad truly so corrupt? Did Ronan realize it? His silence baffled me."Your fath