Chapter five

I tried not to think throughout the journey back to Darkmoon. Zara watched me apprehensively with her huge green eyes, eyes that looked just like her father’s.

Darkmoon was a lot different from when I had run away, and if I wasn’t so sad and afraid, I might have enjoyed the scenery.

Because we were exchange “prisoners,” they had tied my hands together, and I had to cradle Zara to myself with bound hands.

At last, I was sitting in what I was told was a private office. Zara had thankfully fallen asleep, lying on my lap with tear streaks on her cheeks, as we waited for Alpha Zac.

When the door finally opened and his large frame filled the doorway, I tried hard to swallow my tears.

He was even more handsome—more enigmatic—than when I had last seen him.

His inky black hair was longer now, falling in waves down to his shoulders—shoulders that were even broader than I remembered.

An official white shirt, open at the throat, covered all of his tattoos, but it did nothing to dull the dangerous edge of his appearance. If anything, it made him look even more mysterious.

His face was an expressionless mask.

“Freya,” he said softly. Then, “You’re crying!”

I couldn’t help bursting into tears at hearing my name for the first time in five years.

Ashamed of myself, I raised a hand to wipe my tears but had forgotten my hands were tied. The whole movement was awkward, waking Zara. She stared at me, then at Zac, and started crying again.

Zac’s expression darkened when he saw my bound hands. Without another word, he crossed over to me and took Zara in his arms. She struggled at first, but surprisingly, she quickly rested her head on his shoulder and went back to sleep.

His full attention was now on me.

Kneeling, he used his free hand to snap off the rope tying my hands. Then he gently massaged my wrists to restore blood flow. When he spoke next, his voice sounded harsh, cold.

“Freya, are you okay?”

I nodded, trying to stop crying. Memories of Madame Tessa beating me for daring to cry flashed through my mind. When Zac raised his hand to touch my cheek, I flinched, closing my eyes and waiting for the blow to come.

“Fuck!” he whispered. “You think I’m going to hit you?”

I shook my head. When I opened my eyes, the unreadable emotion in his gaze scared me even more.

“I just want to sleep, please,” I whispered.

I didn’t want to sleep, but I wanted to be alone with my daughter. I no longer knew how to feel safe around anyone else.

Alpha Zac nodded. His face was expressionless once more. “Alright. You’ve just had a long journey. Of course, you’ll want to rest a bit first. I’ll tell Beth you’ll speak with her later.”

Beth!

Fresh tears filled my eyes as I wondered what my friend would think of my sorry state. Stretching out my hands for my daughter, I tried to smile my thanks for Alpha Zac’s consideration.

He made a face as though he were swallowing hot concrete, then nodded and handed Zara back to me.

“Freya…” he began, then paused. His face became expressionless again. In a more controlled voice, he continued, “One of my Betas will take you to my private guest house. A maid has been instructed to do anything you ask of her, so you can ask her to leave if you want to be alone. Please rest. We’ll talk later tonight.”

He raised a hand as if to touch me again, then swore and withdrew it. Without another word, he turned and left.

ALPHA ZAC’S POV

The light had gone out of her eyes.

Someone had broken my Angel, and for the first time in my life, I was afraid – afraid that if I look in the mirror, I would find that someone is me.

“Fuck!” I muttered to myself again. My collar was open, but I still felt suffocated.

Tugging at my shirt, I loosened it a bit then I grabbed my boxing gloves and headed for my private gym.

I didn’t shift. Before now, I knew shifting would easily mask the pain I was feeling, hide my more human emotions under my wolf’s, but there was something about this that was different – even though she wasn’t my mate, I knew my wolf suffered from the mere thought of all she had been through.

I grabbed the daffodils on my desk - that had easily become my favorite flowers - as I headed out.

I thought of her smile, as I hit the punching back, so hard that it swung to the ceiling.

Her eyes. I hit again, delivering a landing kick that tore the bag.

The way she had looked shyly up at me when I she gave me those daffodils, the innocently erotic way she had moaned my name – and then the shattered look in her eyes afterwards.

Suddenly, I wanted to feel raw pain. Anything to take my mind off the thoughts that filled my head.

I flung off my gloves and went over to another bag, but when punching it brought little satisfaction, I turned to the wall.

After ten minutes, my knuckles were raw, bleeding, but I still wanted more.

I pulled out my phone and group-dialed my friends, three Alphas that were visiting for the tournament.

“Whoever is free, get down to the gym with me. Let’s make a bet, if three of you can be able to knock me out, I’ll let you pick the theme for this year’s all-pack tournament.”

Before they could say anything, I hung up, and waited desperately for them to come.

Alpha Brad showed up first. He paused a bit by the doorway. “Damn! Word around is seeing your baby mama again after five years has brought your demons up to the surface.”

“Less talking,” I said, walking up to him. I shook his hand, then used my other hand to deliver an upper cut. “And more fighting.”

The smile that curved Brad’s lips was lethal, exactly what I had been looking for.

He swung a blow, I bent to dodge, then hit him on the stomach, swinging in a kick for good measure.

We were already fighting for about thirty minutes, before Kendrick and Leywin joined, and then I blissfully lost the ability to think of any other thing aside deflecting, and answering the physical punches I was receiving from all around.

In the past, I easily knocked out a single opponent. When they were two, it was harder, but this was the first time I was fighting three of my Alpha friends.

I blacked out, unaware of what I was doing, my body was simply acting on auto pilot, hitting, deflecting, till I stood still and let them hit me.

“Zac!”

“For fuck’s sake Zac!”

I heard their voices calling out frantically to me as my consciousness slowly returned.

My eyes hurt like the devil, my ribs felt worse, and my lips were so broken, there was a sea of blood in my mouth.

I smiled. “Please tell me you three were able to knock me out, or else, your packs better start looking for new Alphas.”

They all stared at themselves, but it was Kendrick that spoke next.

“How are you doing Zac?”

“Silly question.” I scoffed, taking off my bloody shirt. “I’d say I’m doing incredibly bad, since I thought I could knock you three out.”

“What he means,” Brad interrupted, “is how is Freya?”

I swung around, feeling the sudden urge to keep hitting him till he black out.

Kendrick stepped between us. “For fuck’s sake Zac, we care about you –”

“Then stay the fuck out of my way!”

“Guys! Guys! You’re all acting like emotional sissies,” Leywin said, with an easy laugh. “If Zac here wants to kill himself before his baby mama finds out that he’s sorry for all he’s done, then by all means, let him!”

I was about to thank him for being reasonable, when he turned and asked. “You’re going to speak with Freya today right? Better do so quickly before Darkmoon’s Alpha runs mad.”

I nodded wordlessly and walked out.

Something – my instincts led me to my guest house. It looked so peaceful, and beautiful, it had a always reminded me of her.

I had even planted daffodils all over the front lawn, but then, a blizzard had torn them all out.

I was grateful now that they were no more there, instinctively, I felt Freya would not like to see them.

She was sleeping when I walked into the room, the child clutched tightly in her arms as though she was afraid someone would separate them, even while she slept.

Her soft black hair fanned out over the pillows. Long lashes dusted her cheeks, hiding the puffiness in them

I wondered how long she had been crying.

What horrors had she seen? Who had broken her spirit, even before her body was broken?

The easy guess would be Gregory, and her parents ‘death’, but I knew one person who had set it all in motion –

Me.

My fingers itched to touch her, to hold her, but I kept my hands to myself. I could only imagine how frightened she would be if she woke up to me in her room, reaching out again to touch her.

I dragged in another harsh breath. Trying to think straight, but my thoughts were muddled. My mate was hurt, and all I wanted to do was make her feel better –

Damn! Did I just say mate?

“Of course, she’s our mate bozo,” my wolf whispered reproachfully. “And you’re her second chance mate.”

I ran a hand over my face, wincing as it brushed over my bruises. Things had just gotten a whole lot more complicated.