~Zahara~ Deep breaths, take deep breaths. I repeat this in my mind to calm myself and Aria. All I really want to do right now is sit next to my mate; give him my strength. I do not want to be at this table, eating lunch with the group from Wild Trail. I don’t particularly care for them and I definitely have no interest in Laslo. I hate the fact that his mother is here. I get that she is still performing Luna duties, but something about her rubs me the wrong way. I try to pay attention to the small talk that is going on around me. I join in here and there with one word responses, but I don’t say too much. The doctor told me that I would be informed if there were any changes, but I’d rather just be by Cory’s side. I made sure to scrub myself clean. I didn’t want anyone to catch Cory’s scent on me. Something about his incident doesn’t sit well with me and I’m feeling like I shouldn’t trust this group. I keep feeling Laslo’s eyes on me and it is making m
~Laslo~ She can’t be serious! She is really going to deny me over someone that she has never even met? This makes absolutely no sense to me. I’m here! I’m strong and I’m an Alpha for fucks sake, but here she is denying me. The entire concept of fated mates is ridiculous to me and I found out first hand just how ridiculous it can be. My father was my mother’s fated mate and that got them nowhere. He was a warrior and my mom is of Beta blood. When they met, my mother was ecstatic. She always wanted her fated mate and had been waiting to find him since she became of age. Mom went to a mating ball one year and she found her mate there. She always told me how handsome he was; how much I look like him. They had an amazing time, dancing the night away. Mom was so swept up in it all, that she didn’t consider that anything could be wrong. After the ball, mom said that they went to his room and that is when everything was ruined. My father and mother mated, but when she wo
~Zahara~ I swear my territory seems bigger than it’s ever been, but I know it’s just because I’m so eager for this tour to be over. I want, so badly, for this group to leave so I can go back to Cory. We are back in the packhouse and heading up the stairs for the meeting that we plan to have. I stop dead in my tracks when a feeling flows through me. I can’t quite place it. It felt kind of like fear or anxiousness. I’m not sure nor do I know where it came from. I continue my journey to our meeting room and hope that this meeting is over quickly.✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦ Finally we are done and finally I will be free. The meeting was extremely boring, but I’m glad that nothing was signed. There was a lot proposed, but I don’t think we will come to an agreement. We are the better pack out of the two, yet the Wild Trail pack, or I should say the Luna, is expecting us to come up with so much in this treaty. It’s hard to see how we benefit based on her proposals
~Zahara~ I’m finally able to get Cory out of the hospital. I wasn’t sure that it would happen any time soon, but I guess that blood transfusion worked wonders even with Cory having no wolf. I sent some clothes down to Cory while I signed paperwork for his release. I head to his room to find him sitting at the edge of the bed looking nervous. “What’s up?” Cory jumps which makes me guess that he didn’t notice me entering the room. “Oh……uh…..hey. The, uh, the doctor said I could go.” I smile and walk towards him. “It’s just that……I have nowhere to go.” I stifle my laugh. He looks so damn adorable right now, but I don’t want him to think that I’m laughing at him. I sit next to him and turn to face him. “That’s why I’m here.” I reach for his hand and hold it gently in mine. “I came to collect you. Did you think that I would leave you high and dry?” “I….I can stay here?” I wonder why he is so surprised to learn about him staying here.
~Zahara~ The ride back to the packhouse is quiet, each of us seem to be lost in our own thoughts. I’m struggling to keep Aria at bay. She has been on the verge of exploding since Cory told us how his life has been. She is beyond angry and would love nothing more than to run to Wild Tail and rip everyone apart. At this point, I’m in agreement with Aria, but I have to be the level headed one. As hard as it has been to keep Aria in, having Cory in my presence has been slightly helpful. He gives me a sense of calm and peace. When we get to the packhouse, I have people take the bags out of the car to put them into Cory’s room. It is almost time for dinner, but after what happened earlier, I’m not sure if it would be best to eat in the dining room with everyone. Then again, it may be best to make sure that everyone understands that Cory is here to stay and they need to get over it. My thoughts were distracting enough that I didn’t realize that Cory had exited the car an
~Nona~ My head is killing me. What the hell happened? One minute I’m in the garden, at least I think I was in the garden. Wait, what just happened? Zora? Silence. Where the hell is Zora? Why can’t I feel her? I can feel my heartbeat quickening and my palms start to sweat. I’m starting to freak out a bit because I have no idea what the hell is going on right now. I need to figure things out and freaking out isn’t going to help me. I stop and take deep breaths. I can feel softness underneath me. I must be on top of a bed or something, but it is a lot softer than my own so there is a chance that I’m not at home. I continue to breathe regularly and try to go back in my head. I remember eating lunch with my sister. We usually eat together and after we eat, I like to walk in the garden. I’m hoping to study botany in school, but my dad still hasn’t agreed to let me leave the pack and attend college. It has been a battle with him for years. He is afraid to allow me to b
~Zahara~ I don’t know how long we’ve been running. When Cory started talking about rejecting him and needing someone better, Aria couldn’t take it. She took over and took off into the woods. The pain in my heart felt 10 times stronger and we ripped through the woods. I thought we had come to an understanding. I thought Cory realized how I felt about him and how important to me it is to have him by my side. I could never let him go, never live without him. If he rejects me, I’m not not sure I will survive it. Aria, please! Aria…….. Aria has blocked me out this entire time. I’ve been trying to push past her block, but it has barely moved an inch. I’ve been pleading with her to head back to the packhouse, but she is in so much pain. She doesn’t have Cory’s wolf to bond with so his talk of rejection pains her in the same way. She feels that he doesn’t want her and it is killing her inside. We finally stop in an open space. Aria collapses on the forest floor and start
~Laslo~ Last night was pure torture. This damn mate bond is hell. All night long I felt a pull to Nona. Every cell in my body, every ounce of blood, every hair follicle longed to be near Nona. My skin itches, begging to touch her, to brush up against her. I felt a chill in my body with something telling me that only the heat from Nona would make it go away. As much as I, Nero and I, want Zahara, thoughts of her weren't enough to erase the images of Nona. They couldn’t erase the raw need that was growing in me. I got up early this morning; got up while it was still dark outside. I thought maybe a run through the forest would help me forget, help me maintain my distance. I should have known this was not going to be that easy. Instead of the run helping to clear my mind, it brought me right where I didn’t want to be. I found myself in a pair of basketball shorts, sitting in Nona’s room just watching her sleep. Her scent encompassed me and sleep took over.✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦