Chapter 10

Zane's POV

“This is amazing,” I exclaimed, not sure if I breathed between the next several scoops. Because not only did it taste divine, but the meat was cooked to perfection! And the grilled vegetables? I’d never in my life before wished there were more greens on my plate, but today was that day!

Arella let out a soft chuckle and I looked up, catching a genuine smile on her lips. Not one of her sarcastic ones, but a real one. One that reached her eyes and her cheeks blushed once again.

One that made my heart skip a beat…

“Is that a compliment, or am I hearing things?” she asked, not meeting my gaze but instead focused on putting an invisible strand of hair behind her ear.

And that’s when I realized---

Oh, my goddess!

I could yell and roar at her, subjugate her to the full force of my alpha aura---

But a COMPLIMENT got to her?!

A part of me wanted to laugh out loud, realizing what a stupid, yet so female thing to do. An even more wicked part of me wanted to tease her a little about it. But another part of me took a long look at the person in front of me…

She’d saved my life out there. She’d taken me into her home, shared her clothes and her meal with me. She’d been nothing but kind and helpful, and – while I had my reasons – I knew I’d been an utter and complete asshole towards her in return…

“Zane,” I said, not knowing how to make a better second – or were we on the third? – impression on her than I’d initially made. Because no matter what, she deserved my gratitude – not my attitude…

“What?” she questioned, the most adorable, quizzical look on her face.

“My name,” I clarified--- and things just went downhill from there… “It’s Zane. With a “Z”, not “SH” although it’s pronounced the same way.”

Why the hell did I tell her that?!

Goddess, let the ground open and swallow me whole, I beg you!

Unfortunately, my prayers went unanswered, as the ground remained perfectly the same. Arella nodded slowly as if being too polite to tell me that I was being a weird fuck, leaving me to awkwardly figure this out on my own.

Shit!

But no matter how desperately I searched my mind for something to say, the blanker it became. Fuck! Since when didn’t I know how to have a normal conversation?

Probably since I stopped having them, I mentally reprimanded myself. Because while I’d had females in my bed since my mate had passed away, I hadn’t really been interested in the opposite sex for more than--- well, sex!

That was easy!

I pointed to some omega, and they would trip over themselves to please me. And the favors they asked for in return weren’t cheap or small either. I humored them – of course – but if they began demanding more, I would pick another and the process repeated itself. Other women were the daughters of high-ranking members of our society. Alphas’ or betas’ daughters threw themselves at me, wanting to snare me in order to gain the power that the Luna Queen position held. I avoided them like the plague, refusing to play into their games and manipulation.

Arella wasn’t impressed by my status, nor did she want anything from me. She just helped me despite how rude I’d been towards her. And she shared her food with me, although I couldn’t give her anything in return. And she didn’t have much in the first place, which only went to show what kind of person she was…

And then I felt ashamed of the way I’d behaved towards her. I’d been a jerk, snarling at her and threatening her, while she’d done nothing to deserve it. And this time I couldn’t blame my wolf either. He’d been nothing but--- well, calling him calm would be like calling a hurricane a harsh breeze, but he wasn’t trying to fight to get out. And he didn’t seem like he wanted to kill her either. He just observed her with a permanent scowl on his wolfish face, taking in every little thing about her. And sometimes she made him laugh. Which was weird as fuck, considering that he hadn’t even been sane for the better part of a year now…

“Zane,” she echoed, pulling me out of my thoughts. “I like it.”

And I realized that I liked how my name fell from her lips with that accent of hers. I hadn’t really paid much attention to it before, but there was a slight drawl to her words, as if English wasn’t her first language. And while her bronze skin could be because she was a mixed race, I hadn’t made any assumptions…

“You---,” I asked, wondering if this was how you started a conversation. “You have an accent. Where are you from?”

Goddess, this was so awkward…

Because usually, I didn’t ask questions – I demanded answers. But it had to be like riding a bike, right? Once you know, you know?

And then I realized I’d never owned a bike…!

“Alaska,” she replied--- making me scowl.

They made them like that in Alaska?!

Suddenly she laughed, apparently finding my reaction funny.

“My parents were internet sweethearts, so it was doomed from the start,” she explained with a wry smile. “She was from Brazil and fell in love with the whole “Alaskan woodman” romance.” She shrugged, her attention back on the plate in front of her. “But fell quickly out of love when she had to live it herself. She and my dad got divorced and she went back to Brazil, but not before he knocked her up.”

“So you lived with your father then?” I asked, hoping that we’d finally get somewhere.

“I lived in Alaska, yes,” she replied with a nod, playing with her food. And hell, even a blind man could see that she was being evasive as fuck. It annoyed the shit out of me.

“How did you get from Alaska to Montana?” I asked, frowning and growing irritated with the way she didn’t answer my questions to my satisfaction. What was she hiding?

“Like most people I suppose,” she replied--- and her wry-grinning face finally looked up at me. “Airlines!”

“I’m serious,” I repeated, just barely suppressing a growl. “How?”

“You didn’t even give me your name before you flashed me your dick, and now you want me to tell you my life’s story?” she fired back, obviously trying to hint that she wasn’t comfortable sharing any personal details with me.

But---

Yes!

I had a reason to keep secrets – I was quite literally a different race to her! I had a legitimate reason to be secretive.

What was her excuse?

Privacy?

As a king, there was little to nothing that ever was private, so I, more than most people, should understand the desire to keep things to myself. But she had secrets and I wanted to know them all. Where did she come from? What was she? Was she even human? I had to know everything about her! Did that make me a dick? No, it was completely rational because I had to know everything, in order to best protect my pack.

That now included her secrets!

And while the female was irritating and frustrating, I also found it relaxing to be in her company. I didn’t have to fight my wolf all the time since his attention was solely on her. And I could breathe again. Hell, it felt like there had been a weight lifted off my shoulders and now I was finally free…

And I found that relief addicting…

“Then ask me something,” I dared her, just to be contrarily--- and instantly realized how stupid that was!

I couldn’t tell her shit!

“What do you do for a living?” she asked innocently, taking me up on the challenge. And I had to grit my teeth for just a second. Damn it! The female was better at doing her job than I was, keeping the biggest secret of our species. And I hated how a small part of me admired her for that…

“I run an investment business,” I lied easily and while I found that I didn’t like lying to her, it wasn’t a complete lie. We owned shares in several big tech companies and invested in several projects that benefited not only our pack but the forests and lands that all werewolves needed in order to shift and live happily.

“Does that business in any way relate to you running around naked in the woods?” she asked, her lips curving into a faint teasing smile.

“No,” I snapped, too late to realize that she was baiting me. “I mean--- No,” I repeated, softening my voice as if I hadn’t fallen for her tricks. But when she arched an eyebrow at me, daring me to elaborate, I didn’t fall for her trick a second time.

Not today, Satan!

“Fine,” she sighed and shrugged, her attention back on the plate. “Keep your weird-ass Illuminati secrets.”

Illuminati---WHAT?!

I opened my mouth to ask but instead inhaled the food I’d been eating. Choking, coughing, and desperately trying to breathe all at the same time, I was treated to her delighted laughter before she came over and slapped me on the back.

“Better?” she asked, smiling down at me. I nodded and mumbled a “thank you” under my breath, while still trying to clear my throat.

“Ah! And here I was hoping for another kiss,” she snickered and winked, before picking up my plate and walking over to the kitchen, refilling it.

That was when I realized something important…

This female was nuts!