Zara’s POV
“Oh my goddess, Zara, we were so worried,” Levi muttered when he took me into his arms. “Are you alright?”
I was at a loss for words, so I just nodded.
I was slowly processing everything that Alpha Jack and Luke had told me, and I was hoping and praying that nothing was true.
“Come,” Levi said. “Your father is in the car, waiting for you.”
Levi thanked Alpha Jack, steered me back toward the car, and opened the passenger door.
My dad remained silent and would not even look at me.
“I’m-”
“Save it!” He snarled and glanced back in the rearview mirror. “Alpha Nicholas informed me of the incident over the phone earlier.”
“Your father is not upset with you,” Levi mindlinked. “He is just mad that Nic will not have your father sign the treaty; he only wants your signature on the paperwork.”
“That doesn’t make things much easier,” I sobbed.
“Nic called and asked to see you,” Levi said.
As soon as I did not respond, Levi turned to face me, and I could feel his intense gaze.
“What happened?” He asked. “Has Nic done anything to hurt you?”
“I would rather not discuss it,” I said, shutting my eyes.
I was lying in my bed when I opened my eyes.
“Morning sleepy head,” Levi’s voice came from down the hall.
“What time is it?” I asked.
“Just after 6 a. m,” Levi said, poking his head into the room. He was dressed in the training outfit.
“Did I sleep…?” I gasped, surprised.
“Yes, just like a baby all the way through,” he answered. “I briefly questioned whether I should have called the doctor. Although your breathing seemed normal and there was nothing amiss, I was still concerned. How do you feel now? Yesterday, you looked like shit.”
“I feel fine,” I replied. “Just starving.”
“We will be having breakfast soon,” he said. “I am just going to quickly grab a shower. My father is in one of his moods again.”
“Has anything occurred while I was away?” Levi paused as I asked.
“Your father freaked out when he heard you went missing,” Levi said. “He sent every warrior out to find you.”
“What was your father’s response?” I asked.
“Like he always does,” Levi replied. “Furious. He appeared to be even more enraged than normal.”
I nodded, and he left.
A few moments afterward, I heard the door to his bathroom close and someone opening the shower. Levi would spend quite some time there attempting to look his best for the day.
I swung my legs off the edge of the bed and got up, noticing the change of clothes.
Levi was not responsible for this. He would rather put me in bed in whatever I was wearing than dare to give me a change of clothes.
I raised my arm and sniffed the fabric; it smelled like my mom.
Did Levi ask Mom to lend a hand?
Was he willing to take that risk?
“Do you think your mother suspects something?” Kaya moved closer and asked.
“I am not-”
I abruptly stopped in my tracks, seeing my cell phone resting on my dresser and blinking a little blue light to let me know I had gotten a message. Usually, my phone was tucked away in my handbag, so I had no idea how it got there.
Although we did not need a phone inside the pack boundaries, I usually made it a point to bring it with me when I left the protection of the pack.
Levi must have found my handbag at the hotel and brought it back when he returned.
My eyes widened as I picked up my phone, unlocked it with the PIN code, and saw hundreds of messages that were waiting to be read.
I could not possibly read them all.
I noticed most of the messages came from an unknown number, and I moved on to read the most significant ones first, ignoring the unidentified number.
I clicked on Levi’s message. It was sent the day before, and at around the same time I ran off toward the forest.
As I read his message-“On our way back,” a smile appeared on my lips. He was so hungry that he was eager to place his order.
I clicked on Levi’s subsequent message, “Zara bear, where are you? Give me a call!”
The next one said he wished I would pick up my phone because he was now worried.
Did he call?
My heart skipped a beat as I tapped the small green dial button.
My father rang fifty times, Levi’s number eighty-seven times, an unknown number forty-two times, and my mother a few times.
Levi eventually had to have realized that I was missing my phone and discovered it in my handbag.
“To whom does the unknown number belong?” Kaya asked.
“I can just guess,” I muttered.
“Will you not be reading them?” She asked.
“Will doing so make a difference?” I asked, inhaling deeply. Knowing that Nicholas considers me to be nothing more than a child still stings. “It will not alter his opinion of me.”
“I guess so,” Kaya uttered regretfully.
The way things had worked out with Alpha Nicholas had not pleased Kaya.
She understood why I was upset, even though her heart yearned to see him.
After clicking to block the unknown number, I returned to my message and erased the contents without opening them.
“There,” I said, putting the phone down. “The problem has been resolved.”
Kaya gave a huff.
“Are you trying to play hard to get?” She asked.
“Well, not really,” I replied.
Kaya arched an eyebrow. She didn’t believe a word I just said.
“Are you going to force him to beg?” She asked.
“Nope,” I replied, snatching up my towel and making my way to the restroom.
“Are you just going to ignore him?” she asked, knitting her eyebrows together.
“Something like that,” I replied.
“What are you planning to do?” She asked.
“I am going to show him that I am more than just a little kid,” I replied as I turned on the shower.
“And how do you intend to accomplish that?” She sat down and asked.
“As of now, I am not sure,” I said, stepping into the shower. “However, I will figure something out.”
“So you are not planning to reject him?” She asked hopefully.
That thought did cross my mind, but I was already in too deep. Nicolas Dalton had already captured my heart.
“No,” I replied. “At least not just yet.”
“Good to know,” a hopeful Kaya uttered. “Maybe you two could talk it out. I still think everything is a misunderstanding.”
“What he stated about me is not true,” I countered. “But the bond will not allow me to stay angry at him too long.”
My thoughts faded away as I let the hot water dance over my skin, the sound of the water falling like a lullaby soothing my heart.
Luke’s face flickered before my eyes, and my heart thumped in my chest.
Before Levi and my father showed up, we were alone for a short while.
The words Luke said broke my heart and made me question if I was right to ask Levi to take on the role of my stand-in Alpha.
“You should have asked me,” Luke said, his green-blue eyes red and tired from the lack of sleep.
“Ask you what exactly?” I muttered, exhausted.
“To be your chosen mate?” He said, capturing my gaze.
“Remember how you found your mate the night you shifted for the first time?” I replied, feeling my heart pinch in my chest.
Seeing the person I had fallen in love with find his fated mate was difficult.
My heart was racing in my chest as the memory of that night flashed before my eyes.
Just before he was meant to shift, Luke’s eyes went black.
“Mate!” He yelled as he turned to face the woods. “Mate is in the forest.”
I heard gasps everywhere, and my heart skipped a beat. His words had become clear to me. And then, in an instant, Levi was beside me, encircling me with his strong arms.
“Shhhh,” he whispered as he removed me. “All will work out in the end.”
But I couldn’t just leave; I needed to see who she was.
A wolf howling in agony could be heard all around us, as the silent night was filled with cracks and breaking bones.
Luke was on all fours in no time. His wolf was a light gray, magnificent, powerful, and masculine creature with a white belly, tummy, and tail.
Luke’s beast turned to face me, looked at me once, threw back his head, and let out a howl.
My insides trembled as I watched him chase after his fated mate’s scent…
“I was not going to break our agreement and start a fight between the two of you. We had an agreement.”
“Zara,” Luke murmured, grasping my hand. “You could never start a fight between me and my fated mate; I never got the chance to have her. If you had returned my calls or read my letter, you would have known.”
“What?” I asked, confused. “I do not get it.”
I never received any messages or letters.
Was Luke playing the fool with me?
Why was he just now telling me all of this?
“My fated mate was deceased when I found her,” he explained.
“What the heck happened? H-how?” I muttered in shock like a crazy person.
“I don’t know what had happened,” he answered, as if he didn’t really care. “She was already cold and covered in blood when I found her.”
“Zara!” It was Levi’s voice that pulled me out of my dark thoughts. “Time for breakfast.”
“Levi-bear,” I called to him in return. “I’ll be out in a minute!”
I wiped the shampoo from my hair, shut off the faucet, took a fluffy white towel, and wrapped it around my body before exiting the shower.
“There is no way I am letting Levi have all the food this morning,” I muttered to myself as I hastily toweled my hair.
I opened the bathroom door and debated whether it would be better to just take a chance and have breakfast before getting dressed.
My stomach growled, driving me to act swiftly. If only I had known that a seemingly insignificant decision could have such a profound impact.
****