Mabel’s POV
“Don’t leave me, Mabel.” Zane’s voice was low, almost fragile. “Don’t leave.”
My chest tightened. For a moment the noise of the amusement park blurred out. No rides, no music, no screaming kids. Just me and him, caught in this strange pocket where nothing else mattered.
I thought about the bench. His voice breaking when he told me about his parents, about losing friends, about the emptiness that chased him everywhere. He said he wasn’t lonely because of me. And I had left anyway.
I know what loneliness feels like. I lived it when Diamond left the pack. The way silence becomes heavy. The way joy drains out of everything. If holding his hand can make him feel less alone, maybe I can give him that, at least until he finds the woman meant to be his Luna.
I wrapped my arms around him. Rested my head on his chest.
“As long as you need me, I won’t leave.
Zane & Mabel’s POV"Where is Mabel?" I snapped, my voice sharper than I meant.Vivian looked up from her plate of quiche, fork halfway to her mouth. "Why should I know?"I gritted my teeth. "I asked you to take her to the festival."She gave me a shrug. "Are you expecting me to skip breakfast and neglect my duties because Mabel needs company?"Heat rushed up my neck. I could feel the growl rumbling in my chest. "Vivian, did your courage grow overnight because I let you slide after she got drunk last night?"Her face paled. She set the fork down quickly. "I apologize, Alpha. I did tell her I’d go with her, but we didn’t set a time. I planned to check once the guests were settled."Not good enough. I pushed back from the table and stalked toward the kitchen.Tina was by the window, sipping coffee, eyes unfocused."Where is Mabel?" I demanded.She blinked. "She left for
Mabel’s POV“Patient with what? You’re not making sense.”Zane’s arms stayed locked around me, his voice low against my ear. “There are things I need to explain. Not now. Just… don’t leave until I do. Promise me that.”I tilted my head, trying to read his face. His eyes gave nothing away, only a tension he didn’t bother to hide. “Fine. When you’re ready, you know where to find me.”His breath warmed my neck. “Thank you, Mabel.”I froze. His tone wasn’t casual. It was raw. The kind that settled into my chest and refused to leave. I wanted to ask what he was hiding, but if I pushed, he’d shut down. So I let him hold me, soaking in the heat of his body like it was the last time I’d get it.By the time I slipped out of the study, the house was buzzing. Laughter, footsteps, dishes clinking in the kitchen. Guests filled the
Mabel’s POV"Oho, I wasn’t sure you’d even make it!"Dawn’s voice hit me like a cymbal crash. My head throbbed. I winced and squinted at her from the doorway. The kitchen was alive with clatter and steam, every counter already claimed. Tina stirred a pan with the precision of a drill sergeant, Zina chopped vegetables like she wanted to punish them, and Dawn stood over pastry molds with flour dusting her cheek."I did," I muttered. My voice sounded rough, even to me."Looks like hangover," Zina said flatly. She slid a tiny packet across the counter toward me. "Take two. Fifteen minutes and your head will stop screaming."I didn’t argue. I tore the packet open. Before I could search for water, Dawn shoved a glass into my hand."Drink. Hydration matters," she said, her grin too cheerful for my aching skull.I swallowed the pills, then gave them both a faint smile. "Thanks."Tina barel
Mabel’s POV"Miss Mabel, may I have a word?"I froze on the last step. Sullivan stood in the hall, tall and steady, his voice smooth but serious.My legs still throbbed from yesterday’s workout. All I wanted was to hide in the kitchen, but here was the future Alpha of the Midnight Guardians pack calling me out like I mattered."You… want to talk to me?" I asked.He nodded once. "In private, please."Private? My chest tightened. My room was out of the question, and his even worse. I cleared my throat. "The garden, then.""Lead the way, Miss Mabel." He smiled faintly, like the words themselves carried weight.That “Miss” again. I didn’t know whether to blush or bolt.The morning air was cool as we stepped into the garden. My legs dragged. Sullivan noticed."Are you hurt?" he asked.I tried to stand straighter. "It’s nothing. Don’t worry."
Mabel’s POV“Ugh, why is it so bright in here?”I groaned into my pillow and yanked the blanket over my head. My skull throbbed, my stomach rolled, and my mouth tasted like old fruit. A hangover. The heavy kind.I pulled in a breath to steady myself, but the air carried forest pine and a thick trace of dark chocolate. My eyes shot open. Zane. His scent clung to the sheets, soaked into the pillow. He had been here, recently.My pulse spiked. I shoved myself up, blinking against the sunlight slicing through the curtains. The light stabbed behind my eyes, making me squint. My body felt like one big bruise, every muscle sore.I glanced down. Silver top. Black leather pants. Right. Vivian’s makeover. The club. Cocktails. Too many of them. I remembered Nia’s laugh, Ronan spilling beer, Iver’s grin, Dawn’s shout, Zina pulling me to the dance floor. My legs had gone wobbly. And… oh no. Was I
Zane’s POV“Wake up, Mabel,” I whispered, nudging her shoulder.Nothing. Not when I killed the engine. Not when I carried her in my arms up the stairs. She stayed limp against me, soft breaths brushing my collar.I should have been furious. She had drunk herself into this state. What if I hadn’t been here? Did she even realize how defenseless she looked?Yet on the third-floor landing, she stirred. She pressed her nose into my neck, gave a small moan, and sent a hot shiver racing through me. Her breath slipped under my shirt and the ache in my gut twisted lower.“Damn it,” I muttered. I was supposed to scold her, not fall apart.She had no idea how easily she ruled me.I paused in the hallway, staring at two doors. Her room. Mine. Which was safer?Taking her into my space would blur lines she wasn’t ready for. With a sigh, I turned left into her room. I set her on the b