Chapter 8

Kamari's Point of View

'Meet me at the park.' The text was short and sweet. Nearly made me trip over stones as I rushed to my car. But I wanted to go. Zayan would know what it meant. I needed to vent. To scream.

Arik wanted to keep me here just because he could. Because he felt entitled to me even after rejecting me. It was a slap to my face. Something I would never forget.

"Where are you going?" Arik called from behind me. It was still early. I still had a full day of cleaning ahead of me. For the first time since being branded as an omega, I was outright defying him. To hell with whatever consequence would follow.

"I am leaving for the day!" I screamed back and fumbled with my keys. There was a ping on my phone but I didn't dare look down. Didn't dare give the Alpha another moment to catch up. 

"I didn't dismiss you! You still belong to me!" Arik screamed back. I could hear his footsteps on the gravel behind me. Hear him approaching at an alarming rate. My keys refused to correct themselves. Refused to work with me instead of against me. I cursed under my breath and tried to press the button again to unlock the car.

There was nothing but silence. The battery had died, I was sure of it. Talk about shitty timing.

"If you want a mate to order around, go get fucking Eris! I am done!" I hollered back.

It was a mistake. Seconds later, Arik was on me. Pressed my front into the car. He was reaching in front of me to get at the keys. We struggled for a moment. I could feel his muscles coil around me. The beat of his heart on my back. Butterflies churned and danced inside of me. Every nerve in my body was keenly aware of his proximity.

Of his warmth.

I hated that I could be betrayed by my own being.

"I said you aren't going anywhere." His voice was a deathly whisper in my ear. Caused goosebumps to spring up across my skin. It took everything for me not to moan his name and give in. Stay here. If he wanted me so badly, then why reject me at all?

I tried to turn around. Tried to look him in the eyes. But Arik shoved me harder when I tried to flip. I yelped, the sweet sensation of his skin on mine turning into pain and panic. 

"Let me go," I whispered.

"Never." He replied.

Another pair of footsteps approached. Lazy at first. Then hurried. One moment Arik was on me and the next he was gone. I could breathe again. Savored the feel of a breeze on my back. Inhaled deeply but kept my key close to me. 

This gave me an opening to flee, as I had planned.

"What the fuck are you doing, Nolan?" Arik growled. I perked up at the name and turned around, my plan turning to dust. 

Nolan had Arik's arm in his grasp. Pressed down hard. Arik's face was contorted in fury but he remained still. If Arik decided to hurt Nolan, the consequences would be dire. Nolan's father wouldn't approve of the Alpha hurting his only son.

"I could ask you the same fucking thing," Nolan said. He was cold to the touch. Eyes set on Arik. Mouth turned into a frown. I shivered but fumbled one last time with my keys. 

Nolan's eyes lifted toward me and he nodded. His sign that I could get out. He would handle things from here. I smiled at my friend and hurriedly inserted my key into the door. Yanked the door open so hard that I nearly tipped over in the process. 

They exchanged more words whilst I started the car. Arik tried desperately for Nolan to let go of him but Nolan refused to move. Kept his grip firm. Speeding off, the last thing I saw in my rearview mirror was Nolan finally letting go and Arik running a few steps after me.

***

Somewhere between Crescent Shine and the human town, I took out my phone. Noticed that Zayan hadn't just sent one text but several. They started out as normal. 

'On my way.' It was sent only seconds after I had sent mine. But as time grew on, they became more frantic. More concerned.

'Where are you?'

'Are you alright?'

'What happened?'

'Answer me!'

'I swear if he hurt you, I am going to take out his balls with a butter knife!' 

The last one got me to smile at least. Although the look on Arik's face when my dad asked him his price would haunt me for the rest of my life. He almost looked defeated. Sad. Embarrassed. But none of it was enough for me to excuse him. 

He had rejected me and now he wanted to keep me around just for his own amusement. It was cruel. Unusual. If he had wanted me so badly, he should have accepted me. Traditions and superstitions be fucking damned. But he had rejected me. Chose Eris as his future Luna. He had no right...

Zayan was leaning against his bike when I finally pulled up. His face was pinched into a frown as he stared down at his phone. For a second, I stopped the car and just watched him. Watched as he let his thumbs fly across the keyboard. A moment or two later, another message popped up on my phone.

'I'm sorry for being a nagging asshole but I just want to know you are safe.' 

It was enough for me to park the car right there and get out. The moment I did, Zayan's head bobbed up. My scent most likely filled the space around him, a breeze blew behind me and toward him. He smiled brightly. Too brightly. 

Until he realized I had been there when I read his message.

"You know, you are the worst texter in the history of phones." He grumbled. I smiled back at him. Although, it didn't reach my eyes. Barely made it to my nose, if I had to say so myself. 

"Things got out of hand when I tried to leave. Arik got-"

Darkness crawled over Zayan's eyes. Deep and unyielding. I wanted to shy away from him. From it. I didn't want another male to handle me the way Arik had just now. So I did the only thing I could. I crossed my arms over my chest and stopped a few paces short of Zayan.

"Did he hurt you?" It was a rumble of sound. Had several different emotions hidden in those words. I shook my head. Tightened my arms on my chest. 

I was doing my best not to let my emotions slip. To let him see the pain I had endured this morning alone. Because I was enough for Arik to admire from a distance but never to accept as his mate. His Luna. I was good enough for him to clean his house and one day tends to his kids. But to never have his kids.

My bottom lip trembled. 

Zayan noticed the slight change in my body. His eyes softened. Lips twitched into a gentle smile. Before I could breathe again, he was standing in front of me. One hand brushed away a stray blonde curl. The other placed itself on the small of my back. For a few seconds, all we did was stare into each other's eyes.

Two people who knew each other too well. Not because of anything other than rejection. Pain. Loss. Heartache. It was a swirling mess.

"We will get him back for all of it, okay? We will make them pay." He said, resolution in his voice. I nodded but didn't answer. "You deserve so much more than this pain..."

"If that were true, then the goddess wouldn't have chosen him for me. This is payback for being a black wolf. For betraying her wish to have no darkness amongst her kind." I said. Zayan frowned.

"Do you honestly believe that? That she is punishing you?" I nodded and looked up at him again.

His lips were soft. Eyes a glowing amber. Zayan had high cheekbones but a deep-set brow, making him look pissed off most of the time. Yet he was soft with me. Gentle. Kind. 

Zayan noticed me staring at him. Noticed the way my eyes locked on his. A small smile played on his lips. He cocked his head to the side. Kept his hand on the small of my back. It felt like a child in his grip. Too small for him to handle properly.

"I think the curse is true. But not in the way most people think. It is true because I am condemned to live a life of solitude when I was born to be a pack animal. All because of the color of my fur."

"You aren't alone anymore, Kamari," His hand gently tipped my chin up to him. Forced me to look stare directly at him. "We can be alone together."

It was an unspoken promise.