Zara’s POV
I didn’t even grab anything to eat. I simply bolted from our quarters, shifted as soon as I was outside the packhouse, and ran as fast as I possibly could.
I did not care that I had just destroyed my favorite training outfit or that I had an appointment with my father later that day.
All I wanted was to be by myself.
I simply needed to get my thoughts straight and see things from a different perspective.
I was aware that things were slowly eating me alive from the inside out, messing with my head and making me feel lost.
Maybe Nicholas was right after all since I am still a kid at heart.
“You are not a kid at all!” Kaya growled. “You are just a young adult, that all!”
“What separates the two from one another?” I lost my temper.
Kaya said nothing after that. She knew that nothing she said to me at this point would be helpful. I refused to hear it.
Though I had no idea where I was heading, I knew that Kaya would not allow me to go past the pack boundary. Given my current state, she would not allow me to become lost again.
Kaya calmly waited while I let out all of my resentment and fury.
When my legs grew tired and were unable to support my weight any longer, she took over and led me to the cave.
The first lightning flashed outside as she stepped into the cave, signaling the impending arrival of torrential rain.
Stepping inside the cave, Kaya sniffed the air. It appeared to be empty, and it seemed that Nicolas had not come to visit me via this route. I assumed that he must have asked my father’s permission before entering the pack rather than just creeping in.
Once Kaya granted me control, I shifted back into a human. I grabbed some old clothes from a chair-an old pair of ripped jeans and an old worn-out jersey-and got dressed.
I was cold, hungry, and tired.
With a sigh, I returned to the main living area and built a fire.
The cave still smells like Nic, with its strong notes of vanilla and honey. No matter how many days, weeks, or even months have passed, I will always be able to smell it. Even in situations where their scent was lost to other wolves, mates could still follow their mate’s scents.
Disregarding his inebriated aroma as best I could, I filled the small kettle and hung it over the fire.
I made an effort to concentrate on something else, but my thoughts kept going back to Nic.
Why did it seem so difficult?
Why was it so hard for me to focus on anything else besides him?
“Because you have feelings for him,” Kaya remarked. “Perhaps you ought to give up resisting the bond and extend forgiveness to Nicholas. Allow yourselves a reasonable opportunity. You two are worthy of love and happiness.”
Maybe Kaya was right. Perhaps all I was doing was clinging to my own fears.
With a sigh, I moved in the direction of the tiny kitchen. I pulled open the little cabinet, took out a packet of salty crackers, opened the bag, and shoved one into my mouth.
I groaned, relishing the flavor as my tummy growled with gratitude.
“I assume you are feeling better already,” I remarked aloud while massaging my stomach. “I have not been paying enough attention to you.”
Kaya rolled her eyes as she watched me talking to myself.
I grabbed a cup from the cupboard and scooped some hot chocolate into it.
Thunder cracked loudly close to the cave, making me jump out of fear and let out a high-pitched scream.
“It sounds like rain,” Nic said from behind me.
My heart pounded so hard in my chest that I froze, almost dropping the cup from my hands.
How on earth did he find me?
Did he know I would come here?
Was he following me?
Was he okay?
“Zara,” he said, his voice brimming with emotion. He was getting closer to me, and then he stopped a few feet away. His body heat radiated around him, enveloping me in a comfortable blanket of his scent.
“I am sorry,” he whispered, his voice trembling. “I apologize for hurting you. All I was feeling was uncertain and bewildered. My fears overrode my better judgment.”
Nic stopped for a moment before continuing. Was he trying to find the right words?
“It has been a very long time since I let anyone into my heart,” he remarked. “And love again…”
I let out a gasp. Tears burned behind my eyes from his honest and touching words.
A wanted shiver ran down my spine as Nic’s warm breath fanned the side of my neck.
My anger had reached its limit. My heart is no longer filled with anger; the bond has left only the melancholy memory lodged in my thoughts.
“I am sorry too,” I said, glancing over my shoulder.
Nic was standing bare behind me, soaked from head to toe. Water droplets were dripping and cascading down his sun-kissed body as his black hair lay in strings against his face.
“You are right,” I responded. “I am just a kid in this cruel, large world. Even though I still have a lot to learn, my heart is aching for you. You have my undying love, Alpha Dalton.”
With a sigh, I glanced down at my hands.
“I was just overcome with emotion when you told me you accepted me,” I said. “You would have known that I was about to accept you if you had just given me a few more seconds to control my emotions.”
With great care, Nic spun me around, lifted me onto the kitchen counter, slid between my legs, and brought my chin up with his index finger.
My breath hitched as sweet little sparks moved between us, and I was acutely conscious of his toned naked body between my legs.
“Look at me,” he said. His voice was quiet but sensitive and full of emotion as he spoke. “Never run away from me again. Not in that way. I truly have deep concerns about your safety. Instead, call me a jerk or tell me to f*ck off right then and there, but never treat me that way again. Emotionally, I cannot take it. Seeing you go from me in that way hurts me. Knowing that you are in pain on the inside and that I am to blame hurts. Zara, you still have my heart. I am in love with you.”
“What about the plans your father has?” With tears welling up in my eyes, I inquired.
Was the former Alpha doing this on purpose?
Was his intention to cause hardship in our lives?
“I will not let his plans come between us,” he said, lowering his head to meet mine. “I will fight for us to the very end.”
Nic locked eyes with me, and I got lost in his rich blue hues.
“That is if you still want me as your mate,” he whispered inches from my lips.
“I want you,” I muttered. “I want you to claim me as yours.”
“Do you want me to mate and make love to you…?”
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