Nicolas POV
“Looks like someone got it all this morning,” Ronan said, peering in through the door of my office.
I turned to face him and waved him in.
“Maybe I did,” I said, smiling, and I leaned back in my seat. Just thinking about Zara brought a bigger smile to my face. “I feel like a-”
“A million dollars?” he asked, raising an ironic eyebrow in response.
“Something like that,” I uttered as I glanced down at the document in Ronan’s hand.
“What’s that?” I asked.
“The information you requested,” he said, handing it to me. I set it aside. “Did you manage to talk to Zara?”
I nodded in response, and my thoughts quickly trailed off to last night.
While Zara slept and the storm raged and poured outside, I was staring at her until the early hours of the morning. I couldn’t get enough of her. She looked so beautiful under the fire’s dim light and looked even more amazing in my arms.
I sighed.
Zara fitted perfectly in my arms, and I wanted nothing more than to hold her soft, delicate body against mine.
“She looks so relaxed,” Ray commented. “I didn’t think she would accept us that fast.”
“I think it’s because the majority of our storm has passed,” I said.
“Or just getting started,” Ray remarked.
“Maybe you are right. This is only the start of the upcoming storm,” I replied. “Things are about to get difficult, but she is worth the trouble.”
“I am happy that you feel that way,” Ray purred joyfully.
My attention shifted back to Zara, and a tender smile followed on my lips.
Zara managed to sneak into my heart and awaken feelings that had become lost to me. She was the complete opposite of Isabella and the most opinionated and stubborn mate I have ever had.
“I like that about her,” Ray said, listening in on my thoughts. “She speaks her mind. She will make a strong and excellent Luna for the pack one day.”
“I agree,” I replied. “She is more than I had expected she would be.”
“Are you going to mark her soon?” Ray hinted.
“I intend to do so before the next full moon,” I answered.
“That doesn’t give you much time,” Ray said.
“I know,” I replied. “But I am hoping that marking Zara would force Alpha Noah to back off and stop the war.”
I truly believed that the only reason why Alpha Noah was still interested in Zara was because she wasn’t marked yet.
“Why not do it right now?” He asked.
“Ray,” I growled in disbelief. “She is sound asleep.”
“Wake her up!” He suggested.
I looked down at Zara in my arms. She looked so peaceful and comfortable, I could not bring myself to do so.
“I can’t,” I muttered. “Let her sleep. She requires the rest.”
My heart skipped a beat when I heard Zara mutter my name.
“She is dreaming of me,” I whispered in shock.
I drew her in closer, my nose nestled in her hair. She had such a wonderful and powerful flower scent that I couldn’t get enough of it.
Zara pushed herself against my chest, and sparks erupted everywhere our bare-skinned touched.
I sighed. I have missed that wonderful feeling.
“Nic?” My eyes snapped back to Ronan as his voice startled me, forcing the memory to fade.
“What?” I asked, merely perplexed.
Ronan arched up both eyebrows as he reclined in his chair.
“Where did your thoughts go?” He asked, amused. “I have spent the last two minutes trying to get your attention.”
“Not far,” I mumbled, embarrassed. “What did you ask?”
Ronan grinned.
“The bond is doing things that you are not accustomed to anymore,” he jokingly said.
“I guess so,” I replied.
Ronan looked down, and I could see the sadness in his eyes. His mate rejected him the night they met. It was not that he was not worthy of her; rather, it was because of the pack he was a member of. Ronan declined to join her pack because he valued his friendship with me more than anything else.
I did attempt to step in and tell him that he was wasting the best part of himself, but he refused to listen.
“You had my undivided loyalty,” he declared. “She has no place at my side if she cannot accept you as her Alpha.”
Although his words startled me, they meant a lot to me.
Ronan’s rejection had altered him in the days that were to come.
“When did you get back home?” He asked. “I assumed the storm delayed you?”
“The storm had somewhat delayed me,” I said, turning my head to meet his gaze. “But does it matter what time I have returned?”
I did not want to challenge Ronan, but I was no child with a curfew. I was free to come and go as I pleased. Nothing kept me here, and I was still the pack’s Alpha.
“No, it doesn’t,” he said, raising an eyebrow. “However, your father wants to know where you have spent the entire day.”
“Tell him that I went hunting,” I responded.
There was some truth to it. I stalked Zara through the forest, keeping a close eye on her. Considering how unhappy she had been to hear of my father’s plans, I wanted to make sure she was safe.
I told Levi I would reschedule soon and gave him the order to cancel my appointment with Alpha Rick that morning.
“You know he would not believe me,” Ronan said as he stood up and headed to the coffee maker. “You should not have revealed to him that you were mated with Zara.”
Ronan raised a cup and asked if I would like some coffee.
I shook my head. I need something stronger than just coffee.
“To be honest,” I replied. “I had no intention of telling my father that Zara was my mate. It slipped out. All I felt was rage and-”
I felt silent.
“And what?” Ronan asked, peering over his shoulder.
“My father was ranting about some prophecy,” I replied. “He thinks Zara is cursed.”
“And how do you feel about that?” Ronan asked, putting down the teaspoon.
“I sense that something is amiss,” I said, furrowing my brows. “There is a constant feeling in the back of my mind that my father is withholding information or did something he should not have done.”
“What do you mean by that?” Ronan questioned while settling back into his chair.
“To begin with,” I stated, picking up the pencil from my desk. “Why did he seem so scared when I told him Zara was my second chance mate, and secondly, why were none of us informed about this so-called prophecy?”
“Perhaps to prevent chaos, the council decided it would be best to keep the prophecy a secret,” Ronan remarked.
“That is too simple,” I answered. “There must be a purpose behind the intentional concealment of the information. Did you know that Alpha Rick and my father were friends?”
Ronan furrowed his brows.
“No,” he answered. “I do not remember the two ever exchanging words.”
“Exactly,” I responded as I stood up and moved toward the window. “He says that up until my mother passed away, they were close friends.”
“That is interesting,” Ronan remarked as he sipped his coffee. “I do not think there is anything in the archives explaining why they stopped talking with each other.”
Something had to have scared my father for him to start believing that the prophecy was real.
“I thought so,” I said, rubbing my chin. “Look into what caused this sudden change between the two Alphas.”
“I will try my hardest,” Ronan answered.
Ronan was always looking into stuff like that. I was glad he was on my side and not against me. He was worse than a bloodhound on a trail when it came down to dirty laundry.
“By the way,” I said, leaning my back against the wall and turning to face him. “Have you found the connection between the Nightingale Pack and the Red Howl Pack?”
Excitement darkened Ronan’s eyes and curved his lips into a smile.
“I thought you would never ask,” he said, glancing at the file on the table. “You will find the details fascinating.”
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