05. Too Close For Comfort

ARIELLA…..

I came back to Green Jade Pack. I shifted into Zach's apartment because I didn't want to stay in the same building as Vaughn. I didn't want to run into him before I gave him the biggest surprise of his life. He still has no idea that I have married his biggest enemy. Vaughn Collins, you just wait and watch how I ruin you.

I was sitting at my study table with my laptop, but around dinner time, Zach appeared in the doorway of my room.

“What do you want to eat for dinner? Tell me, I will cook anything for you,” he said, leaning against the frame like he had all the time in the world.

I blinked. “You cook?”

His mouth curved. “You’ll find I’m full of surprises, Mrs. Winchester.”

“Anything is fine. I'm not picky. You can cook whatever you like.” I flashed a smile at him and he nodded.

“Fine. Just wait, I will surprise you with my talent. You will feel proud of yourself after finding such a multi-talented husband.” He said proudly and winked at me. I held back the smirk.

“You are so proud of yourself, Mr. Winchester. Now go. I have work to do.” I dismissed him and concentrated on my work. I sensed him walking away closing the door.

I told myself I wasn’t curious. But twenty minutes later, I found myself in the kitchen, leaning against the counter while he moved easily between the stove and the cutting board. He cooked like someone who knew exactly what they were doing—efficient, confident, entirely in control.

“You could’ve just ordered takeout,” I said, watching the way the warm light caught in his hair.

“I could’ve,” he agreed, glancing at me over his shoulder. “But I like the idea of cooking for you.”

Something in my chest tightened. “You make it sound like this is… a date.”

He smiled faintly, eyes on the pan. “Maybe it is.”

I didn’t answer. I couldn’t.

Dinner was simple, steak, roasted vegetables, wine, but it tasted better than it had any right to. We lingered at the table long after the plates were empty, talking about nothing and everything. Somewhere between his story about getting lost in Rome and my sarcastic retelling of my disastrous high school prom, I realized I was… enjoying myself.

When I finally stood to put my glass in the sink, he caught my wrist lightly. Not enough to pull me back, but enough to stop me.

“Ariella,” Zach said quietly, “you don’t have to keep pretending this isn’t real.”

My heart skipped. “It’s not,”

“It is,” he said, his voice low but certain. “And you know it.”

The space between us felt impossibly small. I could smell the faint spice of his cologne, see the way his eyes darkened as they searched mine.

I told myself I stepped back because it was the smart thing to do. But the truth was… I stepped back because if I didn’t, I wasn’t sure I’d be able to.

“Good night, Zach.” I walked towards the bedroom, my heart pounding traitorously against my ribs.

I closed the door behind me and leaned against it. “Why does this stupid heart of mine behave strangely in front of him?" I tapped over my heart to calm it down.

‘There is no use doing this, Babe. You are attracted to him. Who can resist such a delicious thing? He's so handsome. It's hard to not fall for him. I don't blame you.’ Lyra, my wolf teased me.

‘Stop it, Lyra. He’s not our mate. We just married him to get revenge from Vaughn. That's it. Mr. Collins’ blood flow in his veins too. We can't trust him. What if he does the same thing as his stepbrother? It's better to stay away from him.’ I pointed out.

‘I don't think he's like that. Zach is nothing like Vaughn.’ I just shrugged at her words.

I walked to the closet to change into my pajamas. Then I went to bed. I had never thought I'd have trouble falling asleep in my life, but Zach’s apartment proved me wrong.

The room was silent, but my mind wasn't. The unfamiliar smell of his cologne lingering on the sheets, the awareness that this was his place and now somehow Ours, kept me tossing and turning on the bed.

Finally, with a frustrated sigh, I pushed the blanket off and padded barefoot into the living room only to find Zach in the living room. Still sitting on the couch, leaning back with one arm draped lazily over the backrest, his eyes half-lidded but far from asleep. The dim lamp behind him cast his face in soft shadows, making him look almost unreal.

“You are still up." I murmured while walking towards him.

He gave me a faint smile. “So are you."

I sat beside him on the other corner of the couch, tucking my legs under me. We didn't talk much at first, just shared that quiet space. “I know nothing about you. Since we are married now, I think you should tell me about yourself." I initiated the conversation and he tilted his head towards me, raising his brow at me.

"You seemed quite interested in knowing me?” Teasing was laced with his words. I cleared my throat.

“For basic knowledge. What if someone asked me and I couldn't tell them about you? It would be awkward.” I pointed out. And he nodded his head.

"What do you want to know about me?” He asked.

"Everything about you.” A mischievous glint flashed in his eyes and his lips curved up in a smirk. I rolled my eyes at his teasing.

"Fine. My name is Zach Killian Winchester. I'm the eldest son of Philip Collins. I didn't take after my father's last name because after impregnating my mother, my father brought his mistress. My mother left him and went back to her father. My grandfather is Leonardo Winchester. Maybe you know him.” I nodded my head.

"My uncle is a Civil engineer. He's my idol so he inspired me to be one.”

"And you are the best in your field.” He turned his head with a smile on his lips.

It felt strange, how easy it was to forget that we weren't supposed to be this comfortable with each other yet.

Then without warning, Zach shifted closer. Every inch he closed between us made my heartbeat thunder in my ears. His eyes held mine like they could pull the truth straight out of me.

He leaned in, his breath brushing against my cheek. The tip of his nose almost touched mine and for a moment, the world held its breath. My lips parted, unthinking, drawn towards him by something I couldn't name.

But he didn't kiss me.

Instead, his mouth tilted upward, brushing the gentlest kiss against my forehead. Soft, lingering, a whisper of warmth that sank far deeper than I expected.

“Good night, Ariella," Zach murmured, his voice deep enough to make my stomach tightened.

Before I could respond, he straightened and walked towards his bedroom, leaving me sitting there with a racing heart and the faint ghost of his kiss still burning on my skin.

I barely slept. Every time I closed my eyes, I felt the ghost of his touch on my wrist and heard his voice in my head: You don’t have to keep pretending this isn’t real.

Then the kiss. It stole my sleep away, making me have a sleepless night.

By morning, I’d decided avoidance was the safest strategy. If I stayed in my room, worked through breakfast, and pretended he didn’t exist, the tension would fade.

Eventually.

Except I woke up to the smell of coffee and the faint sizzle of something on the stove.

I padded downstairs in pajama pants and a hoodie, hair still a mess, fully intending to grab my mug and escape before he noticed. But the second I stepped into the kitchen, I froze.

He was there. Barefoot. T-shirt and sweatpants. Hair tousled like he’d just rolled out of bed. And somehow, that was worse than the suit. Much worse.

“Morning,” he said, glancing up from the skillet. “You’re up earlier than I expected.”

“I was hungry,” I lied, moving toward the coffee pot.

“Good,” he said easily. “Sit. Breakfast is almost ready.”

I hovered by the counter. “You really don’t have to…”

“I want to,” he cut in, like it was the simplest truth in the world.

Before I could argue, there was a sharp crack, followed by a splash of hot oil that made him flinch.

“You’re hurt,” I said automatically, moving toward him.

“It’s nothing.”

“Let me see.”

He hesitated, then held out his hand. The burn was small, just on the side of his thumb, but angry red. Without thinking, I turned to the sink, running cool water over it while he stood far too close behind me.

His voice was low when he spoke. “You always do that.”

“Do what?” I asked, focusing on the water instead of the warmth of his body at my back.

“Take care of people without realizing you’re doing it.”

I swallowed hard. “It’s just a burn.”

“It’s not just anything,” he murmured, leaning closer. “Not to me.”

The kitchen felt smaller, the air thicker. I could feel the steady weight of his gaze on my profile, the subtle brush of his breath against my temple.

I told myself I should step away.

But my hands stayed exactly where they were, holding him in place like I wasn’t ready to let go.

“I know I'm handsome, and I don't mind if you keep holding my hand for the whole day but I need to take care of the toast or they will burn.” I immediately let go of him. The heat rushed to my face, making me flustered. I rushed to the table and sat on a chair.

Zach returned to the table with toasts and scrambled eggs. He placed them on the table and sat on his chair.

I was halfway through my second cup of coffee when Zach dropped the bomb.

“My father wants to have lunch with us,” he said casually, like he was asking if I wanted more toast.

I froze mid-sip. “Us?”

“Yes, Mrs. Winchester.” He buttered his toast like this conversation wasn’t about to ruin my day. “I may have mentioned to him that I’m married now.”

I set my mug down slowly. “You what?”

“He’s been asking for months when I’d settle down. I thought I’d spare myself another lecture.” His mouth curved faintly. “And since I’m actually married, it wasn’t a lie.”

I stared at him. “This isn’t funny, Zach. Your father, he’s Vaughn’s father.”

“Yes. Which means Vaughn will be there too. It's a great opportunity for us to let him know that we are married now. He is still unaware of our marriage. Before dropping the final bomb on him, we need to disclose our marriage to him. Then he will know what he lost and it's too late to atone for.”

This idea wasn't bad either. It's time to disclose our marriage to Vaughn now. But I wasn't ready to face him after I stripped his face in front of the media.

Two hours later, I was walking into a sleek glass-walled restaurant on Zach’s arm, doing my best impression of a woman completely at ease. His father didn't invite us to the packhouse instead to a restaurant. It was better. I'm going to make my grand entry after becoming the Luna.

His father, tall, silver-haired, radiating the same sharp authority as my own, stood to greet us. His brows wrinkled together in confusion when his eyes landed on me. He knew me as Vaughn’s employee but he didn't know I was Vaughn's Mate.

Vaughn planned to tell him about me when he achieved his success but I didn't know he never planned to tell his father about me because he kept me as a side character in his life while he planned to make Chloe as his Luna who he assumed to be Princess of Davenport family.

“Aurelia!” Alpha Philip looked at Zach.

“Aurelia is your wife? I thought there was something going on between her and Vaughn. I didn't think you and Aurelia had chemistry between you two. I must say, you have a great choice. She's a fabulous girl. Beauty with brains.” Alpha Philip flashed me a smile and I smiled back at him.

“Please, have a seat.” Alpha Philip motioned us to settle down.

We’d barely exchanged pleasantries when a familiar voice cut through the polite chatter.

“Ariella?”

I turned and there he was. Vaughn. My ex. His expression shifted from shock to fury in a matter of seconds.

“You married him?” He pointed his finger at Zach and asked me. His voice was low but sharp enough to cut glass. “My stepbrother?”

The entire table went quiet. Zach’s hand slid to the small of my back, steady and deliberate.

“Yes,” he said before I could speak, his tone cool and possessive. “She married me.”

Vaughn’s jaw clenched, his glare flicking between us. “You’ve got to be kidding me. Out of everyone…him? My father’s golden boy?”

I lifted my chin, refusing to shrink under his stare. “It’s none of your business, Vaughn.”

“The hell it isn’t,” he muttered, leaning closer. “You’re doing this to get back at me.”

Zach’s voice cut in, calm but edged with steel. “Careful, brother.”

Vaughn’s eyes narrowed, and for a moment, I thought he might actually start a scene. But then he settled on his chair and leaned back, lips curling into a humorless smile.

“This is going to be fun,” he said.

I kept my face neutral, but inside, my pulse was a drumbeat. Because I had a feeling this lunch was only the beginning.