LOGINZahra's POVThere are five women standing at the sinks, reapplying makeup and fixing their hair. One of them is shoving her cleavage so high her tits are practically bursting out of her skin-tight pink dress.I ignore them, despite every cell in my body telling me to defend my mate.I wash my hands and reapply my lipstick. Just as I'm finishing, I feel eyes on me in the mirror, followed by an unmistakable snort."Fucking Zahra Larkin."I raise my eyebrows and turn my head."Excuse me?" I ask, confused, because I have no idea who the fuck these girls are, but apparently, they know me."You heard me. Bitch."The one in the navy-blue dress sneers at me."Do I know you?" I ask, still not recognising any of them."You stole our birth right."She and another girl in yellow step forwards.I squint. The dim lighting isn't helping my memory, but for the life of me, I don't know who they are.They snarl."Chris, Bea, this dumb bitch has always been an interfering thief. I wouldn't worry about h
Zahra's POVA few minutes later, Marcus returns, accompanied by a woman I assume is our server.She's older than the hostess and wears her dark hair in a neat braid over one shoulder. More importantly, a clear mating mark is visible at her neck.The woman smiles warmly at both of us."Good evening. My name is Hannah, and I'll be looking after you tonight."Relief loosens something in my chest.Hannah doesn't spend a second staring at Tobias as she hands him a fresh menu. Instead, she addresses us both equally before asking if we'd like a few more minutes with the menus.My eyes drift to the mark on her neck.Tobias notices.A small smile tugs at the corner of his mouth.The sneaky bastard.He absolutely arranged this.Warmth spreads through me. He could have simply removed the hostess and left it at that, but instead he'd made sure the replacement was someone who wouldn't make me uncomfortable.The thought makes Zanthe preen.After the interesting start, our evening progresses well.We
Zahra's POVI hesitate at the top of the stairs.I can hear my mates in the great room chatting. Presumably Tobias has been ready for a while, because they're all laughing and talking now.I smile to myself, happy they all get on so well.At least that will make life a bit easier.'Here's hoping it lasts, but the wolves all like each other, so hopefully we'll be fine. You ready?''As I'll ever be,' I tell her as butterflies assault my stomach.The conversation downstairs pauses, and then footsteps approach the stairs.Crap."What are you anxious about, darling?" Xander asks as he approaches.His eyes glance up towards the top of the stairs, and he stills, his mouth falling open."What is it?" Lincoln asks. I hear his footsteps hurrying behind Xander.He stops in his tracks too."Oh my Goddess," he breathes, his eyes widening.Tobias appears last, his face a mask of worry as he steps into view.Then his expression slackens.His mouth opens.Closes.Then opens again.Wonder washes down t
Zahra'a POVI do, in fact, shave everything, though I'm not sure I like the feeling of the extra exposure. I only cut myself once, and thankfully it's on my leg and not somewhere more sensitive.I can barely stop my hands shaking as I blow-dry my hair before straightening it.'Why are you nervous? He's your mate.''I know, but I've never done this before.''Neither had I. Well, not in this life anyway. All you have to do is follow your instincts.'I roll my eyes at her because I'm not convinced it's that easy.Once my hair is straight, I add a few soft curls to give it a little bounce before clipping the sides back into a half-up, half-down style. I don't love wearing it completely down because it always makes me feel more vulnerable somehow, probably because it would be a hindrance in a fight.Not that I'm expecting a fight tonight. But still, I’m more comfortable with it like this.I apply some light makeup: a pale nude eyeshadow, eyeliner, brow pencil, highlighter, and a nude rose
Zahra's POVI wake slowly, warm and heavy, my cheek pressed against something solid. For a few blissful seconds, I have no idea where I am.Then the scent of caramel surrounds me, and I remember.Lincoln.A warm hand brushes my hair out of my face, tucking it behind my ear."Zahra, darling, you need to eat."The scent of lamb, mint, tomatoes, and rich spices fills the air, and I sit up as my stomach rumbles."You barely ate anything last night, and it's late," Xander says gently.I blink. The sun is bright as it reflects off the water, and I squint against the glare. Lincoln stirs beside me."What time is it?" I ask, trying to focus on Xander's face above me."Two p.m. We left you as long as we could, but you're going out later, and I didn't want you to spoil your dinner.""Two? In the afternoon?" I say, sitting up with a jerk.I look around. Lincoln is rubbing his eyes, yawning again."You two looked so peaceful, we didn't want to disturb you."I take in our surroundings. The chair o
Zahra's POVThree sets of arms hold me, stroking and soothing me while I cry.They murmur words of comfort and reassurance, soft sounds against my hair, my shoulder, my back, but I barely hear them. Their voices reach me like they're coming from somewhere far away, muffled beneath the roar of everything cracking open inside my chest.I try really hard to soak in the three amazing mates I have. The ones who are here. The ones holding me together when I feel like I might come apart completely. The ones who want me.But all I can think about is the one who doesn't.Guilt twists through the grief, sharp and ugly, because these three are giving me everything. Comfort. Patience. Love. And still, some broken part of me keeps reaching for the empty space Max left behind.I hate it. Hate that he can hurt me this much without even being here.So, I force myself to breathe. I focus on their scents, their three heartbeats, the gentle sound of their breathing in the still air, and the comforting h
Zahra's POVElodie and Renee are with me in my room, chatting while I pack — mainly, I think, to give Zach and Mara some privacy to say a proper goodbye. Barf.“So you really don’t know anything about this course?” Elodie asks, even though I’ve told them about a hundred times.“Nope.”“Then why wou
Zahra's POVHenry joins us a few minutes later.“Hi, ladies,” he says, his deep voice rumbling slightly as he drops down on the lounger beside me. When he stands to take off his shirt, I can’t help but look.I’ve seen Henry shirtless plenty of times around the pool at the academy. He’s strong, like
Zahra's POV“We’re running the ten-kilometre orange track today,” Thompson calls out. I have no idea what that is, but if it’s anything like the trails at Night Howlers, it’ll be clearly marked with orange paint at intervals.“Keep up,” he says, stepping into position.Then, without warning, he tak
Max's POV“Ok!” I say out loud, only realising after a second that I’ve spoken.“Ok, what?” comes a groggy voice from behind me.Shit. I’d forgotten Xander was still here. I turn to face him.“Sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you. Medus is just going on about something.”He smiles faintly. “It’s ok. I’







