Zara’s POV
“Bloody hell, Zara!” Upon seeing me seated on the couch in the living room, Levi let out a sigh of relief. He swooped down on me like a hawk, drew me to my feet, and embraced me tightly in his renowned bear hug.
“Hi to you too,” I gently said, as I stroked his back.
I got back home just a few minutes ago.
Beta John had secretly granted me access to the network of tunnels located beneath our pack house. This caught me off guard, so I asked him about his knowledge of them, only to receive an unexpected response.
“You would know every secret if you had been a pack member as long as me.”
Beta John said nothing further as he silently pulled a lever, opening a door that led straight into the library.
“Go now,” he ordered. “I need to address your father.”
I internally sighed, nodded, and retired to my chambers.
“Where did you disappear to? Are you okay? Were you hurt? Did Alpha Nicholas find you?” Levi continued to speak while he searched for injuries.
“I am totally fine, Levi,” I said, giving him a soft but sincere smile as he held me at arm’s length.
“Your father is going to be so happy that you are back!” Levi went on. “He was so worried. He dispatched the warriors to find you. He believed that Alpha Noah had abducted you.”
“Why?” I asked, interrupting him. “My absence has been brief. I’ve only been away for a few hours, possibly even a day! My disappearance should have gone unnoticed! Why did you alert my father of my absence?”
With a look of bewilderment on his face, Levi released his grip on me.
“You have no idea, do you?” With a troubled expression on his face, he asked while turning his head to one side.
“About what?” I asked.
“Zara, you’ve been gone for almost-”
I let out an exasperated groan as Levi’s eyes gazed over.
I despised it when that happened; it could be so inconvenient and annoying sometimes.
I sat back in the chair, crossed my arms around my chest, and patiently waited for him to finish the conversation.
“That was incredibly fast,” I remarked, my tone tinged with sarcasm. “You don’t see that happening every day!”
Ignoring my remark, he came and sat next to me, taking my hands in his.
“Your father is eager to see us,” he said with concern. “Like… like now!”
“Why doesn’t he just call me himself?” I rolled my eyes and sighed as I posed this question.
He pointed out, “It’s because your mind-link hasn’t been functioning since your disappearance.”
It wasn’t working? This was news to me-not that I needed it in the cave… I had better things to do than talk to other people.
“Come on,” Levi urged, getting to his feet. “We really should leave. Over the past few days, he has been exceptionally irritable.”
Days? Did I hear correctly? Could it be?
I shrugged, pushing the thought to the side, not really caring. Surely Levi is mistaken.
Standing up, I quietly trailed after Levi as he went to the door and then down the hall to my father’s office.
Despite Levi’s constant staring, I continued on my way. This wasn’t the right time to discuss what had happened. He will learn soon enough.
With a heavy heart, I let out a heavy sigh. Already, I longed to have Nicholas at my side.
I could see my father’s receptionist wasn’t at her desk when we walked into the room, but her scent lingered in the air.
“She must have gone out for lunch or something,” Kaya pointed out.
“I suppose so,” I replied.
“We are in the middle of a war!” I looked quickly toward the door as my father’s voice resounded from his office.
“Or not,” I chimed in. “He must have sent her out for a reason…”
Normally, nothing would be audible through the soundproof walls, but my dad proved us wrong today.
“Wow, Alpha seems really irate,” Levi said with concern.
I just shrugged and said, “I suppose so.” I had seen him throw tantrums before.
Levi looked up at me and arched an eyebrow.
“You seem different,” he said. “What’s…?”
I turned to face him and asked, “Different in what way?”
“You seem to have undergone a transformation,” he remarked, his expression betraying no emotion as he narrowed his gaze. “I struggle to pinpoint the specific aspect…”
“I don’t know what you are talking about,” I said, cutting him off.
“I will find out sooner, rather…”
We both looked over at my dad’s office door as it swung open with a snap.
Is the person that came to see my dad still alive?
A massive figure-my father-emerged with a crimson, enraged face, a commanding posture, stained jaw muscles, and black eyes.
“Get in here, now!” He gestured towards me and released a loud bark.
I could hear Kaya’s snarl in my head. She didn’t like the way my father spoke to me.
“Relax!” The authority in my voice seized her, and her gaze snapped at me as I spoke to her gently.
“It will be alright,” I added. “I can handle my father. He has no intention of causing me harm. He doesn’t have the power to do so.”
With a nod, Kaya backed down. She was aware of the transformation I had experienced. My dad couldn’t frighten me, no matter how hard he tried.
Quietly, I got to my feet, reached out, and grabbed Levi’s hand as we made our way to my father’s office.
“Beta, you are not required in this meeting,” my father told him.
Levi came to a sudden stop, looking confusedly back and forth between my dad and myself.
“Beta Levi needs to stay by my side,” I calmly told him. “Besides, this concerns him too.”
A strange emotion flashed in my father’s eyes as he startled at the authority of my voice. Putting him to the test was not something he enjoyed.
My father growled under his breath as he stepped away, giving Levi and me room to enter his office.
Inwardly, I let out a frustrated groan.
It was clear that being here made Levi uneasy.
As I looked around the office, I noticed Beta John sprawled against the rear wall. With his arms folded over his chest, he gazed out the window.
“I am surprised that you are still alive, Beta,” I said to him, and a smile appeared on his lips.
“It’s impossible to get rid of something that you so dearly rely on,” he replied, his attention slowly drifting to me. “Are you going to inform your father of your little secret?”
“We will have to see how this meeting goes,” I answered, taking my seat, and then I motioned for Levi to join me.
As he stared intently at my dad, he whispered, “I’d rather stand, please.”
“Suit yourself, Beta,” I replied casually.
Levi looked at me with a struggle in his eyes.
I sat back in my chair, disregarded him, and observed my father as he went around his table.
Out of nowhere, he halted and started puffing away at his spot.
“It seemed like he and his wolf are having a disagreement,” Kaya remarked.
“And I suppose you might know what it is about?” I asked, lifting an eyebrow.
“Oh yeah,” she said, her eyes beaming out of excitement. “His wolf just informed him that your scent is different.”
“Oh, is that all?” I asked.
“No,” she responded. “He can smell another wolf on you…”
This was clearly going to be an interesting meeting…
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