Nicolas POV
I was both endearing and saddened by Zara’s trust issues; her expressions of confusion were priceless.
“Take our mate’s hand,” Ray ordered. “And do it together. Keep your promise.”
“Fine,” I gave in.
The idea that Zara would feel awkward around me was unsettling. My purpose in being here was to fortify the connection and foster trust, not to fracture it.
“We will do it together,” I said, taking her hand in mine, and I curled my fingers around her and the door handle.
As she turned to face me again, Zara cocked her head back. The palpable tension in her body told me that she was anxious.
Goddess, I hope that whatever is behind that door is as beneficial as what Beta John had promised.
“Ready?” I asked.
I kissed the side of Zara’s cheek as she nodded. I pushed the door open after mentally counting to three with my eyes closed.
There was a brief hush as our hearts raced in our chests, the sole sound breaking the stillness.
“Wow!” After a gasp, Zara laughed. She moved away from me as I gripped the handle, and then she released my hand.
Ray whimpered inside my mind at the loss of contact. My eyes snapped open, searching for Zara. She had already stepped outside.
“Nic, do you see this?” Zara called out to me in excitement and went forward to stand under the intense sunlight. A lovely, cloudless day greeted us as a delightful breeze carried the delicate aroma of flowers.
I squinted my eyes.
What I found behind the closed door was completely unexpected.
How was anything about this possible? We are directly under the lake.
The lush, verdant, high-grass scenery captivated my attention. Zara stood smack dab in the middle of a clearing. Enormous, verdant trees grew all around Zara’s location.
As Zara joyfully danced in the flower-filled clearing, I gazed on in wonder. Nearly at her heels were the towering trees.
“Are you coming?” Returning her attention to me, she motioned for me to come after her.
I was paralyzed. I remained motionless, taken aback. I had to know what was going on.
“Magic controls it,” Ray said. “I suppose this is comparable to another dimension.”
My attention unwillingly moved to Ray.
“I believe this is how the Gemini coven stays hidden,” he added.
As soon as I heard water, my focus shifted to it. There must be some kind of water source close by.
“It’s amazing, isn’t it?” Zara yelled out once again. “I feel so alive…”
Now that Zara had come to the end of the clearing, she turned her focus to the trees.
With a subtle smile teasing her lips and eyes that darted between dark and silver, she looked up at them before gently returning her attention to me.
“Zara, what are you doing?” I beckoned to her as I went out into the sunshine.
But as if she had sensed something, her focus swiftly returned to the forest. Her garments fell to the floor as she suddenly undressed.
Without looking back, Zara shouted, “Catch me if you can,” before sprinting away.
I was astounded by her incredible transformation into her stunning black wolf as she jumped over a downed tree. She came to a halt, pivoted to meet my gaze, and waved her tail in my direction.
However, she disappeared into the woods before I could even yell after her.
“Damn, she is fast!” My mouth dropped open in astonishment.
“Close your mouth, lover boy!” Ray stated. “And go chase after her!”
“Yeah, of course!” I replied.
While Ray took charge, a flurry of shredded fabric whizzed past us as he shifted.
As soon as we got to the edge of the forest, Ray slowed down his pace.
Zara was out of sight, and her scent was faint.
Could the perfume of the wildflower be hiding her?
After a few rapid steps, Ray halted and raised his muzzle.
“She hit her scent,” Ray muttered under his breath, a subtle grin stretching across his face. “And she is getting good at it.”
I could feel the excitement bubbling through his veins. He was enjoying this game.
“Will you still be able to track her?” I asked.
“With an assurance that he could do it, Ray sprinted into the woods.
After a few minutes of trying, Ray finally figured out where Zara was heading. Zara demonstrated outstanding cunning by dispersing her scent throughout the forest and heading in multiple directions.
“She is doing this on purpose,” Ray said with a mischievous grin, taking delight in Kaya’s fascinating skill. “I love the thrill of a good hunt.”
As the boom of the water grew louder, I looked up and saw a stunning waterfall nearby.
“Zara’s headed that way,” Ray said, as the scent of blood wafted into my nose. “She must have decided to go wash off after her kill.”
A few steps away, Ray indicated a crimson tuft of gray fur on the ground.
Ray advanced and took a whiff.
“It’s still fresh,” he exclaimed, his desire to taste becoming stronger by the second.
“She must have killed the bunny a couple of minutes ago,” I replied, shifting my sight to find her.
“And left this for us,” Ray said, and he quickly gulped down the rest of the bunny.
Overly impatiently, I rolled my eyes. No new killing would ever go unnoticed by Ray. Ray was now impeding our efforts to locate her.
“Mate will be disappointed if she finds out we didn’t accept her gift,” Ray stated, licking the blood from his lips. “Now we don’t need to lie.”
A disgruntled sigh escaped me.
“Are you done?” Impatiently, I inquired. “We need to go find Zara before her heat returns.”
Ray immediately returned to searching for Zara and slowed his pace the second he spotted her. She was floating in the water with her eyes closed.
“Care to join, Alpha?” Zara raised her voice above the raging river. “The crystal clear water is…”
But Zara couldn’t complete her sentence before the most horrible scream ripped out of her, and a searing agony coursed through me.
“Oh Goddess,” I cried out in pain. “We are in deep trouble!”
****