Zina"I don’t need babysitting," I said flatly to Anthony when he opened the front door. I was annoyed with myself for entertaining stupid thoughts about him.Unfazed, he responded with a lazy smirk. I was 5'7" and not exactly short, but he was several inches taller, so much so that I felt like a dwarf next to him and was forced to tilt my head back to meet his gaze.Grey was tall, but I never felt small or insignificant in his presence. Anthony made me feel like a child. "You need to tone it down. I didn't kill your husband. You’ve been condescending with your words and actions ever since we met."I silently pleaded with myself to get a grip on my emotions. Grey and his brother might have shared similar striking features, but their personalities were opposites. Grey was sweet and gentle, unlike this one."Please excuse me.”His hand remained on the door. "Don't you think hugging the Alpha like that is very unbecoming of a grieving widow?”"What’s that supposed to mean?" I bristled.
“Are you okay?”My heart banged against my ribcage. What was I supposed to say? That I had been dreaming about him, dreaming that he was my savior when, in reality, he was the one causing my turmoil?“I’m fine,” I lied, my voice betraying me with a slight quiver.Anthony’s eyes narrowed slightly as though he could see right through me. “You don’t look fine,” he said boldly, stepping closer. I backed away, but there was nowhere to go. The large room suddenly became too small and suffocating. Even from the few feet that separated us, I could feel the heat in his body.“I heard you shouting when I was in the hallway.”Was I that loud?“Why were you in the hallway at this time of night? Shouldn’t you be asleep?”He smirked and leaned against the door; it was a struggle not to drool. “Don’t read too much into it. I couldn’t sleep, that’s all. But if you don’t need my help, I’ll leave.”He turned to go, but I stopped him and regretted it almost immediately, for the look in his eyes seemed l
Anthony's POVI felt a violent and uncontrolled anger and let out a guttural roar. The audacity of this bitch to show up here and introduce herself as my wife was beyond anything I could have imagined.Zina bolted from the dining room and headed to the bathroom. The shock of meeting Vivian must have hit her hard. The betrayed look in her gaze stung me. She had no reason to believe me, and I didn’t blame her. No one would believe me, especially not my mother, who was eating up Vivian’s lies without hesitation.“Why the hell did you get married without telling me anything, you reckless child?!”Her eyes were wild with anger, and before I could even attempt to explain, Vivian interrupted her. "We even have a three-year-old daughter," she said with a feigned sweetness that made my blood boil.My mother’s face crumpled as she began to cry. “Oh, Anthony, you're so mean. Why hide your wife and daughter from your family?”I glared at Vivian, but she shot me a triumphant smirk when my mother
Zina My throat constricted, and I was seething with anger, barely able to contain the fury boiling inside me. How dare Anthony have the audacity to tell me to go inside, as if I were some servant at his beck and call?The command in his voice pissed me the fuck off. I was not someone to be controlled, and I wouldn’t let Anthony talk to me like that. Even when Grey was alive, he had never spoken to me with such disrespect. And here was Anthony, an irresponsible man who couldn’t even keep his life in order, thinking he could order me around? “Watch your words, Anthony. Don't you dare talk to me in that tone?”He didn’t respond immediately; he just stood there, making eye contact with a brutal look. I felt chills and looked away. A small voice in the back of my mind whispered guilt. I had always believed in hearing both sides of a story before judging, but this situation felt different. I had been raised with strong beliefs in women’s rights, and I’d always been a hardcore feminist.
ZinaBurning with embarrassment, I rushed back to my room. How could I have been so stupid? I should have turned and left the second I saw him step out of the bathroom.But no, I had stood there like a sex-starved fool, stared at my naked mate, and then ran away like a chicken. He was going to misunderstand things. I didn't leave my room, but I didn't want to sleep in this room, not after last night’s restless hours. To distract myself, I picked up a book from the nightstand—a fantasy novel about dragons. I immersed myself in the story for about two hours, letting the world of fire-breathing creatures and epic battles take me far away from my troubles. Ignoring the hunger pangs in my stomach, I didn’t think about dinner or taking my medication. I knew I was neglecting the baby’s needs, but the last thing I wanted was to bump into Anthony again.Eventually, I put the book down, slid it into the nightstand, and then turned off the lights. “This is your husband's room,” I said, tryin
ZinaVivian’s story seemed sincere, but Anthony's words made me easily doubt what I believed. What if he was telling the truth? What if I had been too quick to judge?After I freshened up that morning, D’Angelo visited. My heart leaped at seeing him, and without thinking, I rushed downstairs and into his arms. He caught me effortlessly and placed a gentle kiss on my forehead.“You shouldn’t do that. My mother-in-law thinks we’re lovers.”He chuckled, clearly amused by the idea. “Why hasn’t she said it to my face?"“Because she’s afraid of you,” I replied with a small smile. “You being an Alpha and all.”He shook his head, still smiling, but his eyes were grave as he looked at me. “Are you okay? I've been worried about you.”I shrugged, not knowing how to answer. How could I possibly explain everything that was happening and I was feeling? “I'm fine. How's Kira?”“She's fine. I want to marry her as soon as possible.”My hand flew to my mouth to suppress my excitement, and I hugged him
ZinaI walked inside. Vivian was sitting on the edge of the couch, her shoulders shaking with silent sobs. Without a second thought, I went over to her and wrapped my arms around her, pulling her into a tight hug. She melted into the embrace, and her tears soaked into my dress. “Take it easy,” I whispered, trying to soothe her. “It’s going to be okay.”I guided her to sit, gently pressing her into the chair, and knelt beside her. Her breath hitched as she wiped her eyes. “I swear on my father's grave that If I see Anthony with any other woman, I'll kill her. If I can’t have him, no one can.”Holy shit!My head began pounding. “Isn't that too extreme?”She let out a cold, humorless laugh. “Oh, come on. Why do you look so unsettled? I’m not going to kill anyone. But I’ll make sure that whoever tries to be with him will wish they hadn’t. I’ll make her life a living hell. That relationship will never stand.”Seeing a side of her I hadn’t noticed before was an eye-opener. Her words were
AnthonyShock and confusion slammed into me when Zina confirmed that Grey had named me his next of kin.Of all the things I expected to hear, this was the last. I tried to make sense of it. Why would Grey, who had a wife and a baby on the way, choose me as his next of kin?Our relationship had always been distant and strained. The few times I’d tried to reach out to him over the years, he’d been so formal that it irritated me. He rarely picked up my calls, and when he did, our conversations were short and awkward.A painful flashback hit me, and I remembered the day Vivian had me arrested and her goons beat me senseless. I hadn’t known then that the loan sharks she had convinced me to take money from were working for her.I had been living with my enemy, completely unaware.Drenched in a pool of blood, I had done the only t