Chapter Seven

“Where are we going to Caleb?” Aramina asked, she wasn’t really a fan of surprises because she had a bad experience from a prank her stepsisters had pulled on her when she was young.

“Zach said not to tell you” Kaleb answered looking sheepish.

Aramina glared at him and looked out the window.

They drove into the airport,

“My job here is done,” he said as he led her to the entrance of the private jet, do go in”. Aramina climbed up the stairs, a hostess smiled at her and said, “Mr. Zach is waiting for you ma”.

Aramina stepped into the cubicle and saw Zach; he was on a call apparently speaking to someone from another country since he was speaking a different language, as he felt her presence, he turned and suddenly stopped talking. He looked at her with a look Aramina could not decipher, it was so impossible to read the emotions in his eyes; he got off the call and purposely worked towards her.

As he came in front of her, he stood for a few seconds before he said “you look beautiful Mina”.

Aramina didn’t know she has been holding her breath till he said that, Zach’s compliment was worth the dressing and skepticism she had felt.

“Come and sit beautiful one”, Zach escorted her to the executive seat.

‘Where are we going to?’ Aramina asked,

“To an island” Zach responded. 

“An island? I have never been to one” Aramina said excitedly.

“I know” he answered and looked away from her.

Aramina didn’t understand why he suddenly looked away, he had this look of regret in his eyes; and she couldn’t help but wonder if he regretted having her as his mate since she was so inadequate. She brought out her phone and took selfies of herself, after toying with her phone for a while she got bored and gradually she dozed off.

*****************

Zach looked at the sleeping lady beside him she looked so beautiful and innocent. He could not help but feel sad at the hardness she has suffered in life, he was going to make everyone that had hurt her pay, from this moment, the world will know that she is his and anyone who touches her will feel his wrath.

He quietly removed his suit and gently placed it on her body.

The island was his personal heaven and hell, it was where he had trained as a teenager when he had the first manifestation of his powers. Few of the people in the island were people he could trust as they had trained with him. Most of them were from the underworld. Although he didn’t want to tell Mina about his life in the underworld, he wanted her to meet people that he call family.

He wanted her to know him, up to that level and nothing more.

Although she was fiery, he wasn’t sure she could handle the whole truth about him, Zach sighed as the island came into view.

Here, he had been brutally beaten, locked up, and starved for any training he failed the test. Although he had been bullied, his sensei made the bullying he got from his stepbrother and his friends a pleasant experience. But he had survived, he had gone back stronger and ready to face the world with its monsters, he had succeeded in putting everyone in their place, but he knew that along the way, he had incurred some enemies, added to the ones his father already had.

He kissed Mina’s forehead again, he relished the sparks that flew between them by the small contact, and her eyes immediately flew open.

“We are here beautiful, come” he took her hand

As she stood up but her leg gave way as she fell on him, Zach tensed, he was barely a step away from kissing this mate of his senseless, and all this contact was not helping.

“I’m sorry, I haven’t been on a plane before, I didn’t anticipate that my leg will go numb” she apologized looking guilty.

Zach frowned but he kept his thoughts to himself as he scooped her up into his arms and walked down the stairs of the jet.

***************

The flight to Zach’s private island took 5 hours and Aramina was exhausted both mentally and physically. All through the flight, she had wondered what the island might look like;

‘Just how rich was Zach to own an island? Are there other persons as well that are coming?’

 As they stepped out of the jet, she saw that a red G350 Lamborghini was already waiting for them. She looked at Zach but he wasn’t looking at her. Aramina was getting irritated by his warm and cold attitude, this weirdo treats her like a baby, then ignores her but she was still grateful to him, he had saved her from being homeless.

Zack walked towards the car, and dropped her at the passenger’s side, as she looked around, the pain in her ears reduced gradually, she knew that she was definitely going to like this place. The ambiance calmed her nerves, she tried controlling her excitement but Zack already saw the red glow on her cheek. With a smile on his face, he walked over to his side and drove off to the main building.

She kept looking out of the window so that she will have all the memories she could. She could smell the air, it was soothing to her as she could not hear as many voices as before.

“I have hyperacusis” she blurted out to Zach.

He looked at her for a few minutes,” I know”

 She was shocked “how did you know, even my stepmother did not know”.

“I got the information from your school counselor” he explained

Aramina was embarrassed, and although she didn’t want to feel bothered, she couldn’t help the defense that was building in her.

“You dug around about me?” she accused

A look of impatience crossed Zach’s face, he parked the car to a side and faced her squarely

“Look, I’m Zach Topple, one day, a strange girl suddenly turns out to be my mate and she had no clue that she was a werewolf, what did you expect me to do? Wait around until you tell me?’ I’m not going to apologize for researching you, because it was necessary to do it”

Aramina’s eyes suddenly filled with tears

“Fuck you, you should at least apologize for making me feel more vulnerable” and she opened the door and stepped out of the car.

Zach didn’t follow her immediately, he couldn’t understand what he did that was so wrong, he needed her profile to understand how to handle her, that was what he always did, people’s profiles always bear prints they might want to hide. He looked at the figure outside his car and something tugged at his heart as his little mate stood there, with her back to him.

He stepped out and unconsciously walked towards her

“Hey,” he called out “I’m sorry, I don’t really know what I did wrong but next time, I’m not profiling you again, ok,” he said, more out of necessity than the fact that he actually meant it.

**************

In a dark cave, dimly lit up by a few candles, the first of the seventeen bottles dangling from the roof broke. The witch screamed in pain. She had thought about this moment, wishing it will never come. They had met and she must bear the consequences of her sealed fate.

One act of mercy had brought her this misfortune and the foolish one she had hoped will postpone this curse had done a terrible job at it.