Zane’s POV
A little more careful this time, I forced myself back up, keeping the weight off my foot. Damn it! Either my wolf wasn’t healing it at all, or I’d been more seriously injured than I’d originally thought. Which meant I was stuck here – for now…
A problem for another day!
For now, the scent of dinner was calling my name. Carefully, I hopped/wabbled over to a chair and leaned on it for support. However, when my dick made contact with the cold wood, I was once again made aware of my nakedness. Personally, I didn’t care, but I had a feeling that if Arella came back and saw my junk out in the open, she’d beat me with that infuriating spatula of hers.
Sighing, I reached for the blanket she’d put around me before and, with a few ties and knots, I had it wrapped around me like a freaking loincloth.
“Great,” I huffed--- and silently thanked the goddess tha
One year later…Arella’s POVLooking at myself in the mirror, I liked the figure-hugging dress I was wearing for tonight's events. It showed off all my curves in a way I was growing to like – as long as it was only once every Blue Moon! Queen for a year and I still preferred jeans and a tank top!I let my hands slide down my sides and to my stomach, pausing on the barely noticeable bump. Soon, I wouldn’t be able to wear a dress like this. Unless I wanted to make it very obvious, which I wasn’t quite ready for just yet.Yes, I was pregnant!And I couldn’t be more happy about it. I’d always wanted a family of my own, but never really seemed able to find the man for it. And it wasn’t like I loved Cain and Eva any less for it. I loved those two pups to pieces and very much considered them my own flesh and blood. But I wanted the experience of being pregnant and
A few weeks later...Arella's POVNoah was laughing his ass off!“It’s not funny!” Zane grumbled, crossing his arms over his enormous chest indignantly. And yes, when Noah told the story that way, it was sort of – a little bit! – funny!“No, you’re right,” he continued, laughing, despite the warning. “It’s hilarious! Seriously, how could you mistake a mate bond for Runt magic?!”“Don’t tempt me to take you into the office again,” the King mumbled, glaring at his beta and brother. “I can still beat the living shit out of you!”Noah didn’t heed the warning and still laughed his ass off.“Noah!” His mother chastised him, gently slapping his shoulder--- while also holding back a laugh. She then stood and went around the table to get to her oldest son.“I
Arella’s POV“You smell like Papa,” Eva noticed instantly and looked up at me with her big, blue eyes so much like her father’s. I blushed, looking at Zane to take over this whole conversation, who grinned and winked, like the wolf who just got the crème. I rolled my eyes at him, deciding that the Alpha King was just way too arrogant for his own good...We were mated!And I couldn’t be happier. Zane had been worried that I would need more time since I’d been born human. Human relationships always take time and things are done a certain way within a certain timeframe. While werewolves have a very intense, powerful bond that demands their full surrender from the very beginning.Well, perhaps I’d always been meant to be a werewolf...Not only had I’d taken the whole “oh, you’re a werewolf now, FYI” in strides, but claiming Zane felt completely n
Arella’s POVOnce Zane had left, the silence in the room felt suffocating. I walked to the window, staring out into the moonlight garden, but couldn’t appreciate the beauty. Biting back tears, my fingers twisted around the towel that was wrapped around my body. My body feeling cold despite the warm shower…Werewolves have predestined mates!Zane’s words kept echoing in my mind, over and over again. I felt like Alice as she fell into the rabbit hole, as everything was spinning and I couldn’t keep up...And I’d already met mine?!Why didn’t you tell me? I asked my wolf, my voice trembling with pain as my thoughts swirled, each one heavier than the last. Why didn’t you tell me that I had a mate before I fell in love with Za
Zane’s POVI sat beside the woman I loved, feeling an unfamiliar weight on my chest. I wetted my lips for the umpteenth time and swallowed thickly, trying to find the right words. Although they still eluded me, I couldn’t let my mate worry about me for no reason...“Arella,” I said hoarsely, feeling unfamiliar nerves clawing at my stomach. “We need to talk.”“Started no good conversation ever,” she replied, and a worried frown marred her beautiful face. Arella sat on the edge of her bed, her usual curly and unruly hair cascading over her shoulders, still damp from the shower. She looked at me with expectant eyes, her expression a mix of curiosity and wariness.I huffed a nervous laugh, running a hand through my hair. She had a point, but it was too late to turn back now…“There’s--- there’s something I haven’t told you,” I began, my words faltering
Zane’s POVThe road back was mostly done in silence. My bodyguards were pissy that I’d left them behind and rushed into danger, but they didn’t argue when I explained the situation.I picked up Eva, while Cain rode on Noah’s wolf, his slightly darker fur blending into the night. The children still didn’t understand why their Aunt Selena and Uncle Bali did what they did. And telling them in a way they understood was hard. But with some help from Arella, we got the message of jealousy and bitterness across, letting them know they hadn’t done anything wrong.That it wasn’t their fault…Silence fell then--- well, at least until Cain decided to strike up a conversation with Noah and Marcus, telling them all about how he’d saved his Mom from Bali and Selena. Which Eva most definitely didn’t like, claiming some of the victory for herself.Despite the situation, I couldn’t