LOGINShare
Chapter 45
Last Updated:
2022-02-22 00:15:40Time 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
Related chapters
The Sigma's Reluctant Mate Chapter 46
The scent of a male wolf wakes me up with a protective growl. Doctor Zhang is standing at the foot of the bed whispering to a nurse while they look at Zara’s folder.“You can stand down, Keller. I’m just checking in on Zara.” He holds his hands up in surrender.“Sorry, Doctor.” I feel my cheeks flush with embarrassment.“No worries. Happens all the time.” He gives me a warm grin. “We’re supposed to be protective of our mates. Especially if they are sick or injured.”He has me wake Zara up so he can check her over. As soon as she sees the doctor, she freezes up and presses her body firmly against me. The wave of fear overwhelms me for a moment until I’m able to collect myself. It takes about twenty minutes to convince her and Lavender that they are safe before she relaxes and lets the doctor examine her. When the nurse tries to move the bed to take Zara for x-rays, she freaks out again and it takes another
Last Updated : 2022-02-23The Sigma's Reluctant Mate Chapter 47
When we get back to the car, I help Zara into the passenger side and buckle her seatbelt.“Thanks for all your help, Greg. I really don’t know how to repay you.” I shake his hand before I get in the car.“You can repay me by making sure that young lady stays safe,” He winks, “and gets accepted by her mate sooner than later.”I look at the ground and nod. “I’ll figure it out. Don’t worry.”I climb into the car and make my way down the main road toward the front gate. I glance over at Zara to make sure she’s okay. She’s looking out the window, with her hands fidgeting in her lap.“How do you feel, Pocket? Ready to get home?”“Keller, I want to do something special to thank Jasper for saving me,” she taps her finger on her mouth while she looks out the window.“Okay, did you have something in mind?”I lean over, pull a little leaf out of her hair, and hand it to her.
Last Updated : 2022-02-23The Sigma's Reluctant Mate Chapter 48
“Zara, can I come in?” I put my ear to the door. I give her a minute to answer, but there’s silence from the room. “What are you waiting for? Go!” Rocky huffs impatiently at me. “Zara, I’m coming into the bedroom to check on you.” I turn the knob and push the door halfway open. When I peek inside, I don’t see Zara in the bedroom, but the bathroom door is ajar, and the light is on. Something seems off. I listen closely and hear her heart pounding fast. “Zara?” I slowly press the bathroom door open until it bumps against something soft. I look down and see her feet blocking the door from moving further. Rocky whines as he paces nervously, “You need to help her!” I twist my head inside the door and see Zara laying on the marble floor with her forearms over her face. Her chest is heaving in silent sobs. She’s only wearing her underwear
Last Updated : 2022-02-24The Sigma's Reluctant Mate Chapter 49
Between the bathtub and ice packs, I’m able to keep Zara’s body temperature under control, but just barely. Every time I leave and come back into the room, her skin is turning pink again, so I keep going. Repeating the process of cool baths and ice packs over and over. I get a notification that I have a delivery. I look at my watch. It’s already four-thirty. When I open the door, a man with a cart full of bags of ice comes in, followed by another guy with a giant ice maker like you would see in a restaurant. They fill my freezer and hook up the ice maker, showing me how to use it before they leave. There’s only one person who could have made this happen. I pull out my phone and send a text. Keller: Thanks Mom Amy: Take care of her, Honey. She needs you. I look at the text and frown. Yeah, Zara needs someone, but it’s not me. I make my way down to Zara’s room to tell her the good news about the ice delivery. When I open the door,
Last Updated : 2022-02-24The Sigma's Reluctant Mate Chapter 50
When I check on Zara later in the day, she’s sleeping peacefully. Her cheeks appear to be back to their normal tinge of pink compared to the angry red her face was earlier in the day.As much as Rocky thinks I should climb into bed and snuggle up with her, I know I can’t do that. I press a heat sensitive strip from my duffle bag lightly against her forehead, making her sigh in her sleep, but she doesn’t wake up. As far as I can tell, what we did earlier helped break her fever. I don’t know how long it will last, but I’m grateful for any relief she has during her heat.I’m not sure if I can control myself if she wants me to do it again, though.While I wait for the strip to warm up, I tilt my head and consider her angelic features. Sometimes I wonder if she’s real. I resist the impulse to brush away the long blonde hair that looks like corn silk laying against her round cheek. I can’t help but notice how naturally thin she i
Last Updated : 2022-02-25The Sigma's Reluctant Mate Chapter 51
Zara’s POV “I can’t stay here anymore, Lavender,” I exhale the breath I was holding and wipe the tears away once Keller leaves. “Keller says he doesn’t want me, but he gets mad if I want to be with anyone else. You saw how he reacted earlier this week. He didn’t even want to be near me after I had an orgasam. He left right away. I should have never let him touch me.” “I take responsibility for that Zara,” Lavender apologizes. “I was just trying to help get your body temperature down.” “It’s okay, Lavender. I mean, it worked, but you heard what Jasper said. Keller feels obligated to take care of me because of Amy. It’s kind of weird, isn’t it? Having me stay here because of his mom? Touching me like that, even though he doesn’t want to be my mate? It’s like I’m one of those women he brings home then kicks out in the morning, except he doesn’t kick me out. I-I just need to go.” “I understand, Zara. Let’s at least wait until Sunday when you finish your h
Last Updated : 2022-02-25The Sigma's Reluctant Mate Chapter 52
“Zara? Hey! What are you doing here?” Sam comes up to me with a warm smile. “Hi, Sam. I’m waiting for the property manager. You know, looking for an apartment,” I shrug and give him an awkward smile. Sam’s eyebrows pull together, and he takes a piece of paper out of a folder. “Oh.” “Oh?” I look at him, confused. He holds the paper up to me. “Is this you? Is this your email address?” The paper has the email I sent requesting to see the apartment with my email address at the top. “Yes? Why do you have it?” I feel a pit forming in my stomach. “Uh, well, I’m the property manager. It came from a university email address, but you forgot to sign your name in the email, so I didn’t know it was… you,” he rubs the back of his neck with his hand, “Still want to see the apartment?” S. Campbell? Sam Campbell. Crap. I’m so dumb. For as sweet as Sam is, he’s not very good at keeping a secret. I look into his cheerful brown eye
Last Updated : 2022-02-26The Sigma's Reluctant Mate Chapter 53
“Now what, Lavender?” I blink tears out of my eyes. Lavender stopped running when we got to a local human park. She found a park bench near soccer fields so I could sit down and catch my breath. “Well, it sounds like we should stay with Keller until you can really search and find a room that doesn’t have the insurance requirement. I think we need to make sure it’s somewhere wolves from the pack can’t find us?” She puts in her two cents. “Yeah. I hate that plan, but I think you’re right. It could take a while to find a room since I don’t have references. We don’t really have another choice other than living in the woods. It’s getting too cold for that.” I frown with defeat. We sit in silence for a while, watching teams practice. I don’t want to go back to the penthouse. Not yet. I just want to sit with my thoughts. Every time I turn around, another piece of my life falls apart. If I just sit here, maybe I can avoid doing more damage. “Do you think you’
Last Updated : 2022-02-27
Latest chapter
The Sigma's Reluctant Mate Chapter 204
“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
The Sigma's Reluctant Mate Chapter 203
“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
The Sigma's Reluctant Mate Chapter 202
“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
The Sigma's Reluctant Mate Chapter 201
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
The Sigma's Reluctant Mate Chapter 200
“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
The Sigma's Reluctant Mate Chapter 199
“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
The Sigma's Reluctant Mate Chapter 197
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
The Sigma's Reluctant Mate Chapter 196
“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
