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Chapter 37
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2022-02-18 01:22:50Dad looks me in the eye laughs. Slow at first, then hysterically. He laughs so hard the whole golf cart shakes under his weight. His face turns red and tears roll down his face. I've never seen him find anything so funny.
He wipes a couple of tears from his eyes. “You had me going there for a minute. Keller ‘The Playboy’ Marshall with a sigma for a mate! That’s rich!”
I furrow my brow and frown. Has he lost his damn mind? Why would I make any of that up? When he sees I’m not laughing along with him, he suddenly stops.
“Dad, I’m serious. I haven’t accepted her yet, but she’s my mate. Zara's different from other sigmas. She doesn’t drink or do drugs and she’s smart as Hell.” I clear my throat and look down. “She had a family who loved her until the middle of July, but they kicked her out. Besides that, I don’t know how to explain it, but her heat doesn’t affect me. I don't feel t
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Zara’s POV He recognizes me. He knows. Jensen doesn’t have warm, welcoming eyes like Keller. He’s deep brown eyes are glaring at me like he’s going to pounce on me again. I can feel my heart pounding in my chest. “Say something, Zara!” Lavender pushes. “What should I say?” I feel like my mind is being scrambled. “Anything! Distract him!” She sounds slightly panicked. “I, um, I work at the Cozy Up Cafe. Maybe that’s, uh, that’s where you’ve seen me? If you, um, if you haven’t been there, y-you should try the meatloaf. It’s amazing,” I stumble over my words. “Kids, come on, time for dinner,” Amy calls from the dining room. Jensen keeps staring at me while we all make our way to the dining room and take our seats. “I remember now. You were in th
Last Updated : 2022-02-18The Sigma's Reluctant Mate Chapter 39
My captor drags me into a dark room and slams the door behind us. Lavender pushes forward to protect me with a deep growl. My fangs and claws extend and vision becomes sharper in the unlit room. “Lavender, it’s okay,” I hear Keller’s voice in my ear. It sounds raspy and deeper than his usual smooth alto tone. His rosemary and basil scent calms me, but Lavender still won’t move. “I’m here, my beautiful mate. You’re safe. Don’t scream, okay?” I nod and the arms confining me loosen, then turn me around. Lavender tenses up as we look into the dark and find Keller looking back at us. His eyes are black with Rocky at the surface. “Please tell Zara I’ll keep both of you safe, Lavender.” Rocky’s voice says from Keller’s form. He pulls me back in and hugs me tight. “He might not accept you yet, but you’re my mate. I accept you.” Ever so slowly, Lavender relaxes an
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I’m in my bed. Sunlight is peeking through the blinds. Everything is in slow motion. My head is pounding and I feel dizzy. I think today is purple, but it might be an elephant. I’ll ask Mom when I remember her name. I try to raise my arms, but I can’t because I’m being held down. Keller is holding me in his arms. His breath is even and slow. Is Keller a dragon? Can he breathe fire? I tilt my head to look up at his face. Even through the fuzzy edges of my vision, he looks peaceful with his eyes closed. I feel calm surrounded by his muscular arms. As long as they don’t turn into snakes, it’s okay. I take a deep breath. His scent is so comforting, it even feels like it’s helping my headache, but my belly feels funny. I was a bunny, but I don’t think I’m like that anymore. Keller’s mom has pins taped to the ends of her fingers. She’s scary. His dad is a monster with vice grip
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“Hi Keller.” Zara’s little voice comes up beside me while I’m sitting at the kitchen counter. “Hey Pocket. How are you feeling?” I turn and face her, observing her movements. She looks remarkably still. When she moves, it is slow and calculated. She gives me a vacant stare, as if she isn’t sure what’s supposed to happen after I speak to her. I watch her blink and look at her hand, turning it over with a confused look on her face. She holds it up and looks at her fingernails in awe. Now I’m in familiar territory. This is the reaction most she-wolves have to the ketamine concoction Mom gave Zara. They become calm and compliant. Some have hallucinations, some don’t, but it looks like Zara is. I pull her next to me, giving her a side hug. She doesn’t resist. In fact, she leans heavily against my side. “What happened?” She pouts. I’m not sure
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The longer Zara lives in the penthouse, the more I notice quirks in her personality and behavior. Like when she put carrots in a vase as if they were a bouquet, but when I asked her about it, she didn’t remember doing it. One afternoon, she laid pens out all over the floor in arrow patterns. She said it was so she wouldn’t get lost. I thought it had something to do with studying, so I didn’t move them. In the morning, she picked up her pens, annoyed that I left them lying around. One night, though, things got really weird. I came out into the kitchen to grab my keys and found Zara standing still in the kitchen with no lights on. I flipped on the light but it didn’t phase her. She froze on the spot and had her hand near her ear, pinched into the shape of a hand puppet. Her eyes were glazed over like she was mind linking someone, but I still don’t know who it could have been. “Zara, what are you doing?
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Zara’s POV“Zara, break’s over, Baby Girl. I just sat booth eighteen for ya. It’s a three top.” Toya, the hostess, interrupts my lunch break that turned into a spontaneous mini study session.“Thank you, Toya.” I hook a pencil in my notebook and shove it all in my backpack.“Zara, something’s wrong. I just don’t know what.” Lavender was suddenly at attention.“It’s because I got interrupted, Lavender.” I dismiss her concerns. “It startled me. I’m just stressed with all the homework assignments and still having to work. Everything's fine.”“Maybe it’s time to ask for fewer shifts?” She worries.“I’ll consider it at the end of the semester.” I do my best to appease m
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Keller’s POV “Jas, where are you now?” I make a hard left as we get closer to town. “I’m outside the gate of this community called Crystal Lake. It's to the south, about twenty minutes outside of town. Zara said she wanted to go to the hospital here. The medic said they are familiar.” I’ve never heard Jasper sound so worried in my life. “They let the ambulance in, but they wouldn’t let me past the front gate.” “Yeah. We know where it is. It's a private community with their own hospital. Mom has friends there. Just wait for us. We'll get you in.” The light turns red, forcing me to brake hard. “Thank you, Jasper.” “You don’t need to thank me, dude. Zara’s your roommate. I would do anything for her.” He sounds hesitant. “Keller, those chicks really messed her up. I don’t know what Zara ever did to them, but I’m glad I walked into the Cozy Up
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Time seems to have stopped, so I don’t know how long it is before I feel Mom’s hand on my back. “Are you okay, Honey?” “Mom, no, I’m not okay. Look what they did to her.” I look up at Mom. Behind her Jasper is behind her, wiping tears out of his eyes. “She was at the diner working. It’s not like she was somewhere by herself.” I look back up at Zara and hold her hand up to my cheek, trying desperately to feel the mate bond, but it’s still not there. I hope she can feel it. Can she feel me here? “Zara? Can you hear us?” Mom looks at Zara with worry and lightly touches her forehead. Seeing how gentle Mom treats Zara makes me smile through my tears. Years of having to deal with Jensen, Skylar, and me have given her a tough skin. It makes me feel better knowing she’s on Zara’s side. A small groan comes from Zara’s chest that could be mistaken for a growl. She
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“Zara, first, I want you to know that your parents loved you. They had no choice when they left you and they never stopped trying to find you and get you back.” Tyree’s tone differs from what I’ve heard from him before. It’s more apologetic and compassionate, like a father trying to make his child understand another point of view. “Tyree, how could I possibly believe that?” Zara holds her hand up to stop him. “They left me on the steps of the pack house. I wasn’t even a week old. They didn’t want me.” “It’s not true, Zara. I promise you it’s not true. Your father’s name is Scott Eklund. Your mother is Sondi. They came here because the Alpha from Emerald Mountain banished them. They were seeking asylum, and it was granted.” Tyree sits back and sighs. “From what I understand, your father attacked the pack’s Beta, trying to defend Sondi. Your mother said she never had a problem with the Beta and barely knew him. Your father had issues with mental illness. He was paranoid and refused to
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“First and foremost, thank you all for being here today. I’m going to keep my portion short.” Jasper stands at the podium, now tenured in speaking in front of crowds, looking comfortable to address the room. He pulls out a notecard from his jacket pocket and glances down at it. “There is someone very special I would like to introduce you to. She’s not only the lead scientist for the Sigma Project, she is the mastermind behind the medication that has made this whole thing possible.” Jasper looks into the wings and gives Zara a thumbs up. I feel her take a deep breath under my hands. “This talented woman completed her undergraduate degree and masters in biochemistry, and she’s almost finished with her doctorate all in just over six years. On top of that, she is now the youngest Nobel Prize Laureate ever. In chemistry and in medicine. Friends, she’s the hardest worker in the room, by far the smartest person you will ever meet, an incredible mother, and one of my closest friends. Oh and
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“Hey guys, your flight was okay?” Tyree meets us at the doors of the Blood River pack house and ushers us inside. “I know the ride from the airport can be a killer.” “It was great. Thanks, Tyree.” Jasper shakes his hand. “We are all looking forward to this afternoon.” “Uncle Tyree!” Orli runs up to her favorite person and hops to be picked up. “Dillon and I went to kindergarten! I got to show the teacher that I know my alphabet.” “I heard! Did you listen to your teacher?” He holds Orli in his massive arms and gives her a kiss on the cheek. She nods with a shy smile and leans back. “Look at my dress! Daddy says today is special, so I wanted to look pretty. And tomorrow I get to wear my flower girl dress. So I got two pretty dresses to wear.” “Oh, my Goddess.” He smooths down the front of her dusty blue dress. “You are always pretty, baby girl, but this dress makes your eyes look EXTRA blue.” Orli giggles and leans her head on his shoulder, perfectly content to stay with him as lon
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The longer Zara takes the sigma serum, the more I notice differences. She isn’t taller or stronger, but some days it seems like it. She handles stress better and doesn’t shy away when she has to speak with people she’s not familiar with like she would have in the past. She almost never has a flight or fight response anymore. It’s refreshing to see her handle life with more confidence and less anxiety and fear. Katie is also doing much better with the new version of the serum than the first one. Instead of putting her on medications, they increase her therapy to once a week. Besides learning how to read with ease, Katie also observes things she never had before. Traffic patterns, the way birds fly together in the sky, the layout of the grocery store, things most people take for granted. She seems to see for the first time. As with all things, with the good comes the bad. Zara starts to have more bad days. A lot more bad days. Mom and Dad take shifts to monitor her while Estelle and
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“You’re sure you feel okay?” Zara is already sitting on my lap, but I take her face in my hands and look her in the eye. I look her over and give her a quick peck on the cheek. “You don’t feel warm or anything?” “I feel fine, Keller. I just took the serum fifteen minutes ago.” She covers my hands with hers. “It takes a couple hours for it to get into my system. Right now I’m just exhausted. We intentionally added a light sedative to this version, and it was a later night than I was expecting. If I had known you planned to stay at a hotel instead of going home, I would have packed a bag.” “I’ll know better for next time.” I nuzzle her cheek and settle into the recliner. “You tell me if you feel weird at all. Even a little bit.” “I will, sweetheart.” She leans her head against my shoulder and places her hand on my chest. I slide my hand over hers and interlock our fingers. It makes me smile to feel the ring on her finger. I look at Jasper, who has Katie in his lap as well. He has
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“Keller, it’s safe now. It’s taken a few months, but it’s perfect. Estelle and I are sure of it.” Zara hands Orli a piece of banana while she tries to convince me it’s time for her to take what she now calls the sigma serum one point one six. “Zara, I don’t know how many times I can tell you. I’m not okay with it.” I adjust the position of Dillon’s little fork and help him scoop macaroni and cheese onto it. I look up at Zara to see if she’s paying attention. She takes a sip from her glass of juice and sets it down, then places her hands on the counter and drums her fingers impatiently. “Keller-” “Zara.” I feel my mood darken as I glare at her. “Keller, I feel like a broken record. I would be a hypocrite if I said it’s fine for other sigmas, but too dangerous for me.” She wipes Orli’s mouth with a bib and hands her a sippy cup. “We know the women who have met their mates have different body chemistry now. We’ve made adjustments to the sigma serum accordingly. It’s just another leve
The Sigma's Reluctant Mate Chapter 198
I thought it was going to be difficult to get Zara to pull out of the study, but it wasn’t. She was more worried about what could have happened to Orli and Dillon and everyone else she loves and cares about. Two days after the incident, she goes to the lab to speak to the other volunteers to let them know why she has pulled out, but promises them they will still get to see her all the time because she is going to be working directly with Estelle. Katie, on the other hand, won’t be deterred. Even after we explain that she and Zara could have died, she insists she wants to keep going. Jasper is miserable, but puts on a brave face for her. He spends lunch with her every day and comes home to mope. Zara and I try to cheer him up and even help him take care of Mister Happy and Midnight. Mom takes over nanny duty while Katie is away. “Zara, it’s only been a month. Are you sure taking all nine girls all the way to Cozy Up is a good idea?” Jasper stops her from leaving the lab to let the gi
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My body feels heavy and Zara’s weight gets pulled off of me, forcing me awake. “What happened? Is she okay?” Someone drained the water out of the tub. Mom has Zara wrapped in a towel, holding her like a baby in her arms. Estelle is next to her, checking Zara’s temperature. “It’s fine, Honey. Her temperature has been normal for an hour. We’re going to put her in bed. I brought you a change of clothes. Come out when you’re dressed.” “Ace is on his way to check on our baby girl.” Estelle lets Mom take Zara out of the room and sits on the edge of the tub. She unfolds a towel and hands it to me. “Are you okay?” “I will be once I know she is.” I wipe my face and chest. “Before she passed out, she said more carrots and less love. Lavender was relaying the message.” Estelle purses her lips and nods. “Yeah. We had talked about that before the study but went with the more potent formulation. I’m going to get a batch of the other one started as soon as I get back to the lab.” “If she’s okay
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“Keller will grab Zara. I’ll grab Katie’s top half, just grab her legs. Stop her from kicking if you can.” Les motions how Jasper should try to hold on to Katie. “We’ll take her to the nursery bathroom.” “How do we know who will come out first?” Jasper looks at me and back at Les. Les gives Jasper a sweet smile. “Oh, darling, so innocent. Wolf mentality.” “Wolf mentality?” He looks at me for help. “Wait, how do we know they didn’t turn into wolves? Shift. How do we know they haven’t shifted?” “Their wolves have an advantage to use their senses but stay in human form right now.” Les tugs at her braided ponytail. “They can open doors, push elevator buttons, call for help, things like that.” “Zara is freaking out because her pup is gone. Katie is going to protect Zara to give her a chance to find her baby.” I put my ear to the door. “Katie will make sure danger is out of the way.” “Katie sees Zara as more dominant than she is in the pecking order of your family dynamic. So yes, she
