Third Night on the Road

<<Narrator>>

"I'm going to shower," Zoe announced as soon as they entered their hotel room.

Xavier smirked to himself and walked over to the window that looked over the neighborhood. It wasn't a bad view. With hands in his pocket, he stood deep in thought. He had a lot to think about. He knew abandoning his pack to go after this mate was a complicated idea but he didn't expect it to have such an effect on his pack. The calls he made earlier had worried him. But he didn't want to let Zoe know anything. She had been eager to send him away from the start and they were finally making some progress.

Zoe stripped down and let the hot shower water wash her fatigue away. She stood there with her eyes closed, lost in thought. She had a lot to think about. She was far from home. Where was home anyway? She couldn't possibly return to her either of old packs to stay like before. A blurred image flashed in her mind. It was a woman in a blue flower dress, mid-length, flowing in wind. The woman had a sense of security and warmth to her. She called out to Zoe.

Zoe knew it was her mom's image. But it had been so long since she had even seen a picture of her or heard her sound that the image and the voice were vague to her now. The only thing that remained was the love that she remembered to have shared with her mother. Feeling like she was carrying a huge burden on her shoulders, Zoe wrapped herself in a towel and sighed.

Then, she groaned at the realization that she had been too eager to get away from Xavier. She had forgotten to get her change of clothes from her bag which she had left at the bed that she had called dibs on as soon as they had entered the room.

She stood contemplating at the bathroom door. Should she ask Xavier to get the bag for her? Or should she just walk out in her towel and get her clothes? It's not like he hadn't seen anything before. But it was different now. Everything had changed. She wasn't ready yet. 

Xavier started pacing in the room. He heard the shower stop and knew Zoe would be coming out soon. Then, he noticed Zoe's bag on her bed. He was sure she had not stopped to take anything out of it. Which meant she did not have a change of clothes with her.

He stood contemplating. Should he get the clothes and give her? If she wanted to come out, she already would've. Was she hesitating because of him? He wouldn't put it past her. They were making progress, but they probably weren't at that stage yet. He had missed her but he wasn't going to force himself in her personal space if she wasn't ready for it.

A knock on the bathroom door brought Zoe back to Earth.

"Zoe, I'm going to make a few calls. You can begin without me." He said it like he wasn't only leaving for her to come out and get her clothes without feeling embarrassed.

Zoe didn't respond but sighed in relief. Moon Goddess made a way for her. 

Zoe waited to hear the door open and close before she finally got out of the shower, locked the room door, and rushed to get dressed.

Then, she got to work.

Xavier returned around midnight and brought coffee with him, saying that if they were to work all night, they needed caffeine to stay focused.

Zoe sat on her bed working on her laptop while Xavier had procured a laptop as well. Zoe didn't ask if he bought a new one or had a friend in town to lend him the laptop for the night. The sum was that they were both intent on finding a solution to their problem.

A few hours later, Zoe stood up and started pacing around. Her legs had gone numb and her back hurt from driving all day and not laying down.

Xavier went to freshen up as well.

He returned and sat on his bed adjacent to Zoe's and resumed working silently. Zoe picked up her laptop and shifted to the chair and desk previously occupied by Xavier.

"I don't get it. There has to be a way to bypass the whole testing." Zoe huffed in annoyance.

"So far, not even anyone on the dark web knows how to bypass a humanity test. We are werewolves. Our blood, our DNA, is different from humans. There is no by-passing that." Xavier replied, keeping his frustration in check. One of them had to keep their senses.

"I'll find the damn loophole. There always is one." Zoe muttered to herself loudly and started tapping on her laptop once again. 

So far, they had gone over every book and article that they could find in any online library or archives that could relate to their problem.

Dawn broke through the darkness of the night and Xavier suddenly sat up straighter. It was too early to say that he had found their next step but there was hope to be had. He looked up at Zoe to share what he had found, only to see her head on her arms cris-crossed on the desk and snoring quietly.

Xavier stilled. She hadn't looked this peaceful in a while. He kept staring with many unspoken words that he vowed to tell her someday. He got up and got a blanket to wrap around her.

At the last minute, he thought against it and had a new idea. She had fallen asleep in an uncomfortable position. Carefully, he picked her up bridal-style and was surprised with himself that he had not woken her up. Instead, she had snuggled closer to him and buried her head in his chest as he walked over to her bed.

He didn't want to let go, but he had to. He knew that she'd be upset if she found herself in his bed against her will. He gently placed her on her pillow and fixed her hair. He had always been curious about her choice to keep half her head shaved. Maybe one day she'd tell him if it was more than just a fashion choice.

Xavier covered Zoe in a blanket and was about to go back to work when Zoe grabbed his arm and whispered, "Stay,"

His heart skipped a beat. Was she awake? Did she mean it? What was he supposed to do?

He listened to her heart. It was the calm beat of an asleep person. Maybe she was dreaming?

But she had a strong grip on his arm. He was sure that there was no way he could detangle himself from her without waking her up. And if she woke up, she'd go back to work while she needed rest. At least, that was the excuse he used to justify slipping next to her and dozing off for the night.