Mabel’s POV
"I want that wolf," I said, pointing at the hanging toys.
Zane followed my finger, eyes narrowing. "I see five wolves. Be specific. Or do you want me to win them all?"
"Not all," I said quickly. "Just the black one."
His brows lifted. The one that looked almost like… him.
For a second, I saw his expression shift. He’d never shown me his wolf form, except once, when he thought I was asleep in the forest. Was this just coincidence? I couldn’t tell. His face gave nothing away.
He turned to the vendor. "The black wolf. If I land all five rings on the back posts, it’s ours, right?"
The vendor nodded eagerly.
Zane lined up, cool and calm, and with each flick of his wrist, a ring landed cleanly on the farthest post. One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Perfect.
I gasped, my mouth open.
His grin turned smug. "You saw that?"
I nodded, still in awe.
He looked
Mabel’s POV"Are you seriously holding my hand all the way home?" I asked, half teasing, half nervous.Zane didn’t look at me. His fingers stayed locked around mine as he steered the car toward the packhouse.He always acted like letting go was unthinkable, like it was his hand that kept me grounded. Maybe it was.I tried not to imagine the faces of people who might have seen us earlier in the town square. Him pulling me close in public felt reckless. But Zane didn’t care. He never did.The packhouse roof came into view, and my chest tightened. The night had been too good. Festivals and food and laughter. Plush toys stuffed under my arm like I was a kid again. Now the sight of those walls told me it was about to end.I touched the garland still hanging around my neck. Zina’s words echoed in my head, about giving it to the man you liked. Bold girls might do it. I wasn’t bold. Not like that. Bette
Mabel’s POV"We need to move," Dawn whispered, tugging on my arm.I blinked at her, still caught in the rhythm of the drums, my feet moving with the other dancers. Only when I saw Zina’s worried face beside her did I realize something was wrong."Where are we going?" I asked, refusing to budge until I got an answer."Alpha mind-linked us," Zina said in a low voice. "Everyone who can’t fight has to go to the safe houses. He told us to bring you.""What? Why?""We don’t know," Dawn said. Her hand tightened on my sleeve. "Orders are orders. We’re Omegas, we can’t fight. If things turn bad, we’ll just get in the way."The dancers around us thinned. The music still played, but the crowd no longer swayed as one. My eyes searched for Zane. The spot where he had been was empty. Only his bag remained."Come on." Zina tugged harder. "Don’t run. We don’t want to alarm
Mabel’s POV“I don’t know if this is a good idea,” I muttered.Zina squeezed my wrist, her grin wide in the firelight. “Stop thinking so much. Just move with us. Picture your perfect guy and let the Moon Goddess take it from there.”Perfect guy? Zane’s face slammed into my mind before I could shove it away.I bit down on my lip. He wasn’t perfect. He was bossy, moody, liked to tease me until I wanted to scream. But he was also the one who pulled me out of that attic. The one who held me when I broke down. The one who stood up to the nutritionist for me. The one who laughed with me at the amusement park. And he never, not once, used his power to force me into anything.He even smelled good.I shook my head hard. Off-limits. Zane was Alpha, and whatever we had, it was complicated. If not him, then who? Ronan? Finch? Iver? I barely knew them. My options were thin unless I counted
Mabel’s POV"I want that wolf," I said, pointing at the hanging toys.Zane followed my finger, eyes narrowing. "I see five wolves. Be specific. Or do you want me to win them all?""Not all," I said quickly. "Just the black one."His brows lifted. The one that looked almost like… him.For a second, I saw his expression shift. He’d never shown me his wolf form, except once, when he thought I was asleep in the forest. Was this just coincidence? I couldn’t tell. His face gave nothing away.He turned to the vendor. "The black wolf. If I land all five rings on the back posts, it’s ours, right?"The vendor nodded eagerly.Zane lined up, cool and calm, and with each flick of his wrist, a ring landed cleanly on the farthest post. One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Perfect.I gasped, my mouth open.His grin turned smug. "You saw that?"I nodded, still in awe.He looked
Mabel’s POV"Do we really have to hold hands the whole way in?" I whispered, tugging against Zane’s grip.His fingers tightened, steady and warm. "You nervous already, kitten?"The outskirts of Brimvale blurred past, the street lamps too weak to chase the shadows. No one noticed us. Couples held hands everywhere, moving in and out of the crowd. By the time we reached the festival square, the place glowed like a lantern, packed so tight that our hands didn’t stand out at all.I spotted several men wearing the same gray patrol shirt Zane had on. They blended in easy, and so did he. With his Alpha aura tucked away, he looked like just another warrior passing through."Tell me if something catches your eye," Zane said.I nodded, though my stomach tightened.He added, quieter, "Don’t let go of my hand. If we get separated, meet me at the clock tower."We wove through stall after stall. I trie
Zane’s POV “Are you willing to come with me?” Zane asked, eyes locked on mine.I didn’t mean to answer so fast, but the word slipped out anyway. “Okay.”His smile deepened, and I felt my chest tighten.I slid off his lap, and he winced.“What’s wrong?” I asked quickly.“My legs are numb.”“Oh.” My face warmed. I had been sitting there too long. “Sorry.”He smirked. “If you’re really sorry, help me.”I reached out my hand, but he just stared at it.“What’s that for?” he asked.“To help you up.”“I can’t feel my legs. Unless you can carry me, there’s no point.”I frowned. “So… how do I help?”“Massage.” His tone was casual, but his eyes gleamed. “It’ll