“That should do it,” Estelle says, putting the last of her supplies in her bag. “She needs help, Keller. Like, from a professional. Not a dog doctor.”
“She wants to be a scientist.” I sit on the edge of the bed and hold Zara’s hand while I watch her sleep.
“What?” I hear Estelle say.
“A biochemist. I don’t even know what the fuck a biochemist does, Estelle. But my living room is full of papers and whiteboards with a problem she is trying to find a solution for. She was her class valedictorian. She has a full scholarship to college, and she wants to quit because of me.” I take a deep breath to push down the lump of tears in my throat.
“I thought you were joking when you said she was your mate… or you were obsessed with her because of the pheromone or something. But you’re serious. Aren’t you?” She stands by my side and crosses her arms over her body. “You said she is a sigma. Keller, we both know sigmas aren’t smart and they certainly don’t have mates.
“Zara, what are you doing out of bed?” I put her phone in my pocket and rush to her. “Why were you looking at my phone?” Her voice still sounds small, but the color is back in her face. “Come on, Zara. Let’s get you back to bed. I don’t know how you are even awake right now, but you need to rest.” I turn her by her shoulders, but she stops me. When she tries to turn back around, she wobbles on her feet and grips the doorway. I catch her by the waist and support her. “No, wait, what were you doing with my phone?” She persists, trying to push my hands off of her. She is still weak, but determined. “No arguments. Back to bed.” I pick her up and carry her. To be honest, I don’t even know how to explain how upset I am about what I just saw without lashing out at her. Thankfully, she doesn’t fight me and lets me carry her back to her bed. “Keller, tell me.” She sits up straight in the bed and looks at me. Her face is full of concern. “What were you
Waking up with Zara in my arms just feels right. I kiss her forehead and nuzzle my nose into her hair, taking in her rose and chamomile scent. It is so much stronger now than it was yesterday. I close my eyes and listen to her slow, rhythmic breathing, grateful that she is still alive and laying next to me. She and I still have a lot to talk about from last night, but she’s here. That’s a start. The Goddess heard my prayers. I breathe a contented sigh while running my fingertips lazily over the arm she has draped over my chest, focusing on the flow of our mate bond. Why was I fighting this? Why did it take our blood mixing for me to feel it? It doesn’t matter. The important thing is that I have her now and I will do everything in my power to keep her safe for the rest of our lives. I adjust my position when I hear her yawn with a little snarl. I bring her closer to my body and stroke her soft hair. “How do you feel, Pocket?” “My head hurts.” She p
Zara’s POV “How about some eggs with your bagel, Pocket? If Lavender is feeling stronger, you’re going to need more calories to keep up with her.” Keller helps me on the barstool and prepares my breakfast. “Um, okay. Maybe just two eggs, though. I don’t want to upset my stomach.” I feel my mouth twist into a smile when he looks at me happily. Before he goes to his office to call Mike the lawyer, he takes my face in his hands and gives me the sweetest kiss. “Hopefully, this won’t take long. I’ll let you know if we need you.” “Okay, I’ll keep myself busy in the living room when I’m done eating.” I pick up half of the bagel and nibble on the edge. I let my legs swing on the bar stool below me until Keller shuts the office door. As soon as it’s closed, I crawl off the barstool and open the trash can to throw the food away. I’m not hungry. I told Keller that I’m ready to move forward. But am I ready to move forward with him? Can I trust what he told me
Keller’s POV “Keller, this is the literal silver bullet. Is your girl going to be able to sit in front of the pack now?” Mike is more excited about the information Zara and me sent than I thought he would be. “Mike, you should have seen the look on her face. The harassment by these assholes has taken a serious toll on her.” I think back to Zara scrolling through her phone with a frown on her face. “It’s more than just isolated incidents, Keller. They are bullying her. Alpha Williams probably doesn’t give a shit, but the Regents will. They have to.” He says with an air of confidence. “I’ll try to-” Before he can finish, a loud crashing sound shakes the penthouse, making me jump. “What the…?” “Hold on, Mike. Something just happened.” I take the phone off of speaker mode and run out of the room. When I leave the office, I see the door to the dining room open. I can smell Zara’s scent coming from inside. “Oh shit, no
“Okay. How do I start?” I cross my arms over my chest and rub my fingers over my forehead. Estelle is smart. She’s a doctor. She is going to want visual proof. “Oh, I know. Come on. I have something to show you.”I lead her to the living room. “This is what Zara is obsessed with. She says if she can figure out a solution that will hold the hemoglobin and beta-carotene compound, she will have found a cure for the sigma pheromone. I’m not exactly sure what that means, but I think it means it won’t influence male wolves anymore. Hell, maybe sigmas wouldn’t even go into heat. I don't know. I’m not sure if Zara even knows yet, but she’s sure as shit determined to find out.”When we step into the room, Estelle looks around with her brows knit. When she sees what is on the whiteboards and takes a minute to process it, her eyes pop open and her jaw almost hits the floor.Estelle reaches for a paper from a pile on the coffee table. I reach out and cover her hand. “Just try not t
I head back to Zara’s room after Estelle leaves and sits on the edge bed with a sigh.“I’m sorry, Keller. I didn’t mean to cause more trouble.” Zara looks at me with a pout. She reaches out her hand and pulls on my fingers. I take her hand in mine and give it a gentle kiss, then hold it up to my cheek. The sparks of our mate bond feel so good. I never want to let her go.“It’s okay, Pocket. I know it wasn’t on purpose.” I give her hand back and lay down next to her, propping myself up by the elbow. She smiles and kisses my forehead, caressing the scruff on my chin with her good hand. “Estelle is going to stop by Tuesday evening. She wants to talk with you about some things.”“Mmm... okay? Keller, wow come you never said you had a dining room? And what is in those other rooms?” She brushes my hair out of my face, watching me with curious blue eyes. “I’m not mad or anything. I just always thought it was a storage
“Keller! Where the Hell have you been?! Sam and I have been trying to call you all day!” Jasper sounds exasperated when he picks up the phone. "We were worried about you, bro."“Where the Hell have I been? Now you're worried about me? You didn’t seem too bothered when you let my brother stick a fucking needle in my neck last night.” The growl in my voice is unmistakable, but I don’t care.“No, Keller, I swear I didn’t know. I asked Jensen if he could get his hands on any of the drugs you guys confiscate from the girls you help. I thought it would be fun. Why would I think he was going to go that hard? You're his brother!” Jasper scrambles for something to say. “I didn’t know he was going to shoot you up with who knows what. He and Skylar dipped right after, so I couldn't find out what he actually dosed you with. And then you seemed out of it, but still good enough to party.”Jensen doesn't mess with drugs. So, what would he have given me? I think back to the day Mom
In the living room, Zara is standing at the whiteboard, already in deep concentration. She has her laptop in one hand and a dry erase marker in the other. “Hey, Pocket.” I stand beside her and look over her shoulder as if I have any clue what she’s doing. “Hi,” she says in a distracted tone. Her brow is knit, and she is muttering something under her breath at the laptop screen. It’s obvious she barely recognizes that I’m standing here. “Want me to order dinner? Then we can go to the other side of the penthouse, so you can look around.” I resist the temptation to wrap my arms around her waist. She looks at another line on a spreadsheet and counts on her fingers. “Dinner? Uh, yeah. Can I get a cheeseburger?” “A cheeseburger? Of course. Whatever you want, Pocket.” I can’t take it anymore. I pull her hair away from her shoulder and kiss the crook of her neck, making her lean into my face and giggle. “Sorry. I got distracted.” She clo