Zane's POV
“You’re not alone in your grief and love is not a weakness!” Arella’s words cut through to me and finally, I saw the reality for what it truly was. “It’s the bridge that will connect you to the people you care about even beyond death! And if you lose that, you truly lose yourself!”
She spun around finally finding the bandage that she’d been looking for. And finally – FINALLY! – I realized something important…
“Who?” I asked softly, as all the rage and anger melted away. “Who did you lose?”
It was the only thing that made sense. Why she could relate to me so easily. Why she was so defensive of my children. Why she understood their and my emotions so well.
She knew grief…
“My mother,” she replied, her voice losing some of its edges. And as if mentioning her mother, my little angel’s lips title
Zane’s POVMy saving angel…A small smile crept over my face. Once I said those words with a sarcastic and mocking undertone. Now I realized it was my favorite nickname for her. She felt so perfect in my arms, all I wanted to do was hold her close and---Kiss her!For a second I could have sworn it was my wolf’s voice urging me. Or perhaps I just finally voiced the desire that had been brewing inside my guts ever since I’d first laid eyes on her. But I didn’t care which one it was.I just wanted her…I leaned forward and following my wolf’s or my own instincts, I brushed my lips against hers. Gently at first, seeing how she responded. She froze for a second, as if she couldn’t believe what was happening. The thought struck me that she might not want this. And had I been a normal man, I would have pulled back. Giving her a chance to accept me or push me away.I
Zane's POVI waited until Arella was asleep before I stood and walked out of the cabin. I undressed and shifted into my huge brown beast that quickly ate up the distance between the cabin and the castle. I gave a quick greeting to the border patrols and again to the guards when we entered the castle. The sun had gone down a long time ago and it was well past midnight, so I didn’t bother asking where the children were. I might be a shitty father, but even I knew how to keep track of their bedtime.“Zane?”I spun around to see Noah giving me a surprised look.“What are you doing here?” he asked--- and my wolf let out a low growl.“He seriously needs to get laid!” my wolf gruffly huffed, in a voice I barely recognized. But that still didn’t stop me from mentally grinning. Yeah, that sounded like something my old wolf would have said. I snickered, and for a brief moment, wondered
The stereotypes are there for gags – please just laugh…Arella’s POVHe kissed me!Zane actually kissed me--- and I didn’t slap the living shit out of him! I honestly think that’s what shocked me the most. Not the fact that he was a divine kisser – I already suspected that he was… I mean, I’d seen his body. There was no way that a guy like that didn’t have a harem of women throwing themselves at him at every corner…And a part of me hated that!Hated that he probably had countless women begging for his attention. Women that had gone all the way and knew what that steel shaft felt like. Knew what it was like to have Zane fill them up completely--- while I’d pushed him away.Stupid!So stupid! Why had I done that? What was the harm again? I mean ranger and criminal sounded more like a bad Spanish soap opera o
Arella's POVPain and betrayal raced hot through my veins and I hated the fact that my eyes stung with tears. Damn it! I ran for the chest and slammed it open, cursing myself for being so stupid. For still being so naïve, for letting myself---It hadn’t been touched.All of my weapons and magazines were all still there. He hadn’t taken off with them. With a strange sense of relief and surprise, I stood gaping at the chest for another moment. Why hadn’t he taken off with it, a part of me wondered? That part of me was also the part that accepted that I’d never be loved and accepted. That I was a fool for trusting men. That I was wrong in trusting Zane and his stupid words.Another part of me was confused.Why hadn’t he taken them when he had the chance? That part of me wondered. When he knew, that I was beginning to trust him? When I was giving in to his infuriating, demanding yet seductive presence
Arella's POV“I don’t know!” I yelled again and threw out my arms, forgetting that I had a loaded gun in my hands. Angry at myself now, I slammed it down on the table before turning to him again. “No woman knows how a man can tell her to calm down! That’s the point of being upset. You’re upset!”“Fine, be upset,” Zane growled back and folded his huge arms over his impressive chest. “But I’m not telling you shit until your ass has the fuck calmed down, so be my guest and sulk!”Silence!My pounding heart seemed to be the only thing that echoed in the quiet room. But surprisingly, it wasn’t speeding up like you might have expected it to do.It calmed…Because whether I liked it or not, I couldn’t control Zane. I couldn’t force anything out of him and, honestly, I was the one acting like a brat right now. Zane wanted to sha
Zane’s POVFor a second, everything inside of me went black.There were no emotions.No senses.Nothing…Just a void of nothingness. All while a film played out in front of me.No sounds.No color.Nothing… Arella was in the line of fire.The man pulled the trigger.And I didn’t do anything!Nothing…I just stood there – frozen as I watched her jump in front of me. I didn’t act. I didn’t think. I didn’t--- Well, actually, I did think one thing:What the hell is that female doing here?And then I had dismissed her, counting on her to be smart enough to stay out of danger.Infuriating female!Sure, the man had a gun pointed toward me, but there was no bullet that could kill me. It had to be laced with silver or wolf’s bane to harm the King of t
Zane’s POVI sat there, staring at her in the hospital bed. A whirlwind of emotions had washed through me the last couple of hours and, honestly, I felt exhausted.I felt guilty.I’d failed her…She’d almost died protecting me because she didn’t know that--- My wolf growled low, wishing he could kill those asshole humans again. But in a way, I also wanted to thank them. NOT for shooting my little angel, but--- if they hadn’t, then…I know I should feel like a bastard!I know I should feel bad for taking away her choice. That I’d turned her, without her even knowing what I was.Yet a part of me couldn’t be sorry.I’d already decided to show her what I was. After she caught me returning from the castle, I knew I wouldn’t be able to weasel my way out of it anymore. And while there would be consequences for my ac
Zane's POV“Zane?” My father asked, the worry in his tone making my human half have some compassion towards the man. He was just worried about me, his son. Before me, he’d been the King of the Werewolves, and everything I knew about the kingdom, he’d taught me. He was a great father – strict but caring and kind to his pups. And I used to always listen to him and take his advice when I had tough decisions to make.Lately, that hadn’t been the case.I fought with him all the time, since he and Noah were the only ones who still could get away (and live) with that shit. They couldn’t take me in a physical fight and the few times we became physical, I remind them of that. Not that I actually wanted to hurt my family, but I’d been afraid that if I didn’t keep them at a distance, I would end up killing them…“They-they say you had human blood on you,” he continued, as my brother came up next to him, as if ready to intervene if my wolf t
Zane’s POV“She’s a menace!”I slammed the door to my study shut with a force that made the hinges rattle. My blood was boiling, my fists clenched so tight I could feel my nails digging into my palms. Arella had gotten her way, and now, I was supposed to accept it. Because even if I didn’t want to, there was no way in hell I’d let myself be the butt of a joke where she fucking played me like a fiddle!Damned, stupid, Alpha pride!I couldn’t go back on my word! If I did, I’d look weak--- no, worse. I’d lose my respect. My pride was everything to me, but Arella was making me question every fucking thing I thought I knew.FUCK!Growling, I stomped over to my desk, turning it over and making my paperwork fly everywhere. Frustrating, inaugurating female! She had no idea what she was playing with—what this could mean for her, for my pups, for the entire
Zane's POVFury, the likes I’d never felt before, colored my vision red. My wolf let out a howl of pure unadulterated wrath, his dominance like a whip cracking down on anyone close to him.I had to get out of there!I had to stop this!“Zane, Please!” I heard Selena beg, but she suddenly seemed so far away I could barely make out her words. “It’s for the pups! It’s---”“Where?” I asked although the sound that came out sounded like some kind of animal. “Where is Arella?”I wanted to believe that I could protect her, protect them, and keep everything inside these walls safe. But now I was confronted with the reality of it—an open invitation to the very monsters who had torn my life apart.I couldn’t!“The banquette hall,” Selena once again gave it up, unable to resist my alpha aura. I stormed off, ignoring the calls and plea
Zane’s POV“… they’re so excited about it…”“...I wouldn’t want to be in her shoes when King Zane finds out…”“...all the planning goes through, Miss Garcia…”I’d been walking to my office when I picked up bits and pieces of conversation whispered in the corners by the omegas. It wasn’t until they mentioned Arella’s name that I stopped and listened. But the second the omegas saw me, they went pale and scurried away like I’d been the devil himself.Sighing, I couldn’t really blame them…Despite feeling better than I had in a year, my wolf was still unpredictable at best. And it wasn’t getting any better considering that I was trying to distance myself from my little angel. I hated that my body literally felt like shit when I wasn’t around her. What I hated even more, was letting her believe that o
Arella's POVI was glad I wasn’t sipping on my wine right then because that didn’t sound like the Zane I knew. Sure, I’d seen some of the core things that she mentioned. He was kind, and being a good King was very important to him. He wanted what was best for the kingdom and he wanted to protect his kids – although he’d been going about that the wrong way entirely. He was now ruled by anger and because he constantly had to fight his wolf, he was unpredictable at best...Hearing Selena talk about this side of him—this past version of him—was something strangely heartwarming. Something I wasn’t sure I’d ever get to see. Which strangely didn’t bother me. I’d gotten used to this version of Zane and to be honest, I think the old version of him would have bored me. While infuriating, a small sad
Arella's POV“That sounds like a lovely idea.”I snapped my head around, and there, stepping gracefully into the kitchen was Selena. She looked like those photo-shopped models that just stepped out of a magazine or something—gorgeous, poised, and effortlessly elegant. She didn’t belong in the kitchen, covered in flour and sugar. Yet there she was, eyes gleaming with curiosity.“You think so?” I asked, raising an eyebrow and wiping my hands on my apron. “I was just telling the kids about a little party we’re going to throw for them. Cain’s birthday is overdue, and Eva’s is right around the corner.”Selena’s lips quirked into a smile, though her eyes betrayed a hint of caution.“Yes, a party sounds wonderful,” she agre
Arella’s POVThe kitchen was filled with the warm smell of sugar and cinnamon as I stood at the kitchen counter, flour dusting the surface in a messy pile. Cain and Eva were laughing, both covered in a thin layer of flour, their small hands grabbing at cookie cutters and dough with wild abandon. I grinned, finally feeling like there was some kind of normalcy back in my life. After all the chaos I’d been through – being shot, almost killed, and being turned into a werewolf – I wanted to hold onto this as tightly as I could.I love to cook!My mom had been the real chef in the family, but she’d always let me cook with her. Be it a huge feast for carnival or baking cookies for Christmas, she was always moving around in the kitchen. Hell, even now, I swear I could hear her laughter as Cain helped his sister with the butterfly cutter.This felt like home…“Are we making chocolate ones too?” Cain asked eagerly, his face covered in flour
Arella's POVOK, he got points for... you know, being the actual KING! But while every instinct in my body told me to submit to his authority, my stupidly stubborn self refused. I’d been subjected to the authority of domineering, selfish bastards my whole fucking life and I’d made myself a promise to never fall victim to that ever again. I had a fucking will of my own, I had autonomy and I was nobody’s bitch!“Let me get this straight,” I snapped back, raising an eyebrow and gaping at the fucking audacity of this man. “You want me to do everything you say, no questions asked?”“YES!” His voice was a low, forceful command. Hell, it was almost cute the way he looked all angry and flustered. I stared at him, utterly floored by the ballsiness of his words.“Have you had a doctor look at that problem of yours?” I asked, my brows furring in concern for his health. “It can&r
Arella’s POVThe road home felt like hours.Each minute dragged on, the silence between us thick and suffocating. I barely even noticed as the forest moved by, as I sulkily kept my eyes trained straight ahead, trying to make sense of what had just happened. Why the hell was he so pissed that I’d left? Was it some kind of werewolf law? Surely, he couldn’t punish me for being ignorant!Right?My wolf kept working on her will…Ignoring my newly formed companion, I glanced up at Zane, wondering what was going through his head. The anger was like a storm that I couldn’t weather. The fury in his eyes when he found me outside his territory—like I’d committed bloody murder!—had left my head spinning. Hell, I’d only gone to my cabin to grab some clothes, for Pete’s sake! To feel something normal for a change. I didn’t think I was doing anything wrong! Unless it was illegal f
Arella’s POVHe won’t notice, ha? My wolf sarcastically snorted, as the huge brown beast glared down at us. I gulped, my legs feeling weak as he stood before us. His aura felt like tar, pressing and overwhelming. His eyes were pitch black, looking nothing like Zane at all. Hell, there was even foam frothing at his mouth as he stood there, panting...In my mind, my wolf was suddenly scribbling something down on… paper?! And how the hell was she holding a pen with no potable thumbs? It was a weird image, but sure enough, it was happening. She even had on a pair of Dumbledore half-moon glasses and she looked cute!What are you doing? I mentally asked, wondering what kind of freakish acid trip I was on.Writing my will, she replied, not missing a beat. With this lifestyle of yours, I’ll need one soon enough!Jeez, thanks for the vote of confidence!Wi