Nicolas POV
The moment I saw Zara, the anxiety from just a few minutes before vanished.
“Mate!” The single word escaped my lips, and it felt great to do so.
Zara stared at me in confusion, not knowing how to respond.
Was she scared of Ray being in control?
There was nothing else for me to do. Her scent was so powerful that it led me right to her.
Slowly, Zara rose from the bed and approached. She did not know what to do.
“Ray,” she uttered in a tremulous voice. “Return control to Alpha Nicolas, please.”
“Are you sure?” he asked. “Neither of us thinks that is a good idea.”
She recoiled in surprise.
“Why?” Her voice cracked as she asked.
“Because he would not have self-control around you,” Ray answered.
Zara’s brows furrowed in perplexity. Has she not figured it out yet?
“How come?” She looked into Ray’s eyes and asked.
I sighed.
When our mates went into heat, it was usually our wolves who went crazy. Only the Goddess knows why, but it felt like Ray and my rolls were switched around when it came to Zara.
It wasn’t like that with Isabella at all.
I knew something had changed the moment I smelled Zara’s rich, warm wildflower scent inside the tunnel. Her scent was sweeter, warmer, and more enticing than ever. My need for her became intense, it was like a drug to my senses.
I knew it was the mate bond calling for me to find her; it was telling me to mate and claim her.
I was being strongly pressured by the mate bond to take what was rightfully mine and claim Zara as my mate!
Right then, it was all that mattered to me, and as long as Zara bore my mark, I did not care how I went about getting it.
After stealing control from Ray, I chased Zara’s scent as quickly as I could.
Ray attempted to calm me down after noticing the shift in me.
“It would be wrong to mate with Zara without her consent,” he cautioned. “If she is in too much pain, she will not be able to grant consent.”
I did not pay attention. I did not give a damn. Zara belonged to me!
I was able to fend off Ray’s attempts to stop me.
At that point, he got enraged, fought me off, and took charge.
“You can’t do this to me!” In rage, I roared. “Zara is MINE!”
I was furious with him.
How could he possibly do this to me?
I was losing my mind.
Ignoring me, Ray mentally blocked me off. He dashed off in the other direction, seeking a location free from Zara’s delightfully sweet, intoxicated scent.
It took me several minutes to regain my composure and come to my senses.
“Are you in control?” Ray asked. He appeared worried that Zara’s scent was driving me insane.
Worry filled my insides. What would happen if Zara was around me? Or if she ought to touch me?
My behavior shamed me. Never in my life have I lost control like that.
“For now I am,” I replied. “I appreciate you for stopping me.”
“If I handed you back control now, would you be able to control yourself?” Ray asked, closely observing me.
“I do not know,” I said, my stomach knotted with anxiety. “I fear that I will lose control once more. What if I cause our mate harm? I will never be able to forgive myself.”
“Then let me handle this until we are confident you are fully in control,” and he headed back down the tunnel to follow Zara’s scent.
The fact that I ended up in the temple astonished me. Zara’s scent was considerably more intense from that direction.
“I assume she is inside,” Ray answered my thoughts.
At first, the temple appeared to be deserted, but then I noticed Beta John stepping outside.
Did he know I was coming?
After reverting to human form, Ray dressed and hurried over to Beta John. He seemed unsurprised to see me.
“Alpha Nicolas,” he lowered his head and spoke in a respectful manner. But as he folded his arms across his chest, I could not help but feel uneasy. He appeared anxious.
“Beta,” Ray nodded back. “Where is she? Where is Zara?”
“She is inside, asleep,” he said, with a weary tone. “I gave her something to help her feel better, but it did not last long.”
Beta John caught my eye; he seemed somewhat enraged by something.
“Zara does not seem to realize what is going on,” he remarked.
“Why was she not informed?” I asked. My blood started boiling in anger. Any single male wolf could have followed, mated and claimed her.
“I do not think anyone really noticed,” he said. “I noticed the shift in her scent during the brief moment I spent with her this morning. She appeared well until Levi mentioned that she was a little ill.”
I pushed the memory aside and focused on Ray.
“Tell her,” I said. “She doesn’t understand what you are talking about. Tell her she is in heat.”
“Do you think it is such a good idea?” He asked. “I do not want to put any pressure on her to mate…”
“We will have to help her if she goes into heat again,” I worriedly remarked. “The herbs Beta John gave her will not make her heat disappear. It’s only helping her for a few minutes. We do not want her to suffer when her next heat wave occurs.”
Ray cleared his throat and nodded; but paused. He was having trouble forming the words.
“Give me control,” I said.
“But…” he protested.
“I am OK, Ray,” I interrupted him. “If I do something, you can regain control. I am not going to resist it.”
Ray shook his head and let out a sigh. “As you wish,” he replied, returning control.
Zara saw my eyes going back to their original hue and grinned.
“Oh, Nic,” she exclaimed, taking a step toward me, “I was so worried.”
In a hurry, I held out my hand to signal her to stop.
“Zara, I have something to say,” I stammered, trying to keep my voice level, as my heart raced.
“What is it?” Zara narrowed her eyes at me suspiciously and questioned. The fact that I did not want to touch her made her look upset.
“I am not sure how to explain this to you,” I stated, pulling my hand through my hair. “But…”
“You found someone else?” She spat in my face, her eyes shifting black. “You are rejecting me?”
“What? Wait, no!” I was shocked that she thought that, and I nearly snarled. “You are in heat, and there is no simple way to tell you that! That is why you are in so much pain. That is why Ray…”
Zara froze, staring at me as though I had grown two heads on my forehead.
She slowly took a step back and sat on the bed, turning her gaze toward the fire.
Was she taking in what I had just said?
Was it clear to her?
How is she going to respond?
****