Chapter 4: Finding My Sin

⋅ ⋅ ♔ Alpha Zayn Kai ♔ ⋅ ⋅

I had to leave the hotel in the early hours of dawn. My phone had been buzzing incessantly with the news that Nolan had gotten into yet another drunken brawl.

In the years since I separated from his mother, I have tried my best to be a guiding force for him—he is my only son and the future of the Trifang Pack. But his mother’s toxic, manipulative nature has tainted his spirit. He grew up watching her games, and now he plays them himself.

I was the one who told him to find a good girl to be his wife. I hoped that a woman with a strong heart and a steady hand could change his reckless ways. I can't lead this pack forever, and I can't always be there to clean up his messes. I need a woman who can be a true Luna—a partner, not a parasite. I refused to let him make the same fucking mistake I made when I chose his mother.

But as I stood by the bed, looking down at the woman sleeping there, my heart did something it hadn't done in decades.

She was stunning. Even in the messy aftermath of our night, she looked like a work of art. I had to admit, I’d just had the best sex of my life. She was feral, sweet, and entirely intoxicating.

But what stayed with me wasn’t just her body—it was the way she had looked at me afterwards, unafraid, almost challenging, as if she knew exactly what kind of man I was and chose me anyway.

I didn’t want to leave without seeing those doe-eyes open, but I couldn't bring myself to wake her from such a peaceful sleep.

For the first time in a long time, I actually wanted to know someone. I wanted to know her story, her secrets, and why a girl like her was wandering into bars looking for danger.

I told myself I would be quick. I would handle Nolan and come straight back to find her.

But when I finally returned from bailing my useless son out of the station, the suite was cold. She was gone.

I didn't even know her name. I immediately summoned my Beta, Ronan.

“Find her,” I commanded.

It didn't take long. Ronan is the best for a reason. Blair Rose. What a beautiful, delicate name—it suited her perfectly. But the trail went cold quickly. She had checked out of the hotel and vanished, leaving no forwarding address and no digital pawprint. It was as if she were a ghost I had dreamed up, except for her scent lingering in my room, a haunting trace that proved she had been real and not some illusion of desire.

“I want you to find everything about her, from her childhood to her family tree. Every damn secret she’s ever kept,” I snapped at Ronan. “I want to know where she breathes.”

“Consider it done,” Ronan said, bowing his head before walking away.

I was left alone on the hotel balcony with Nolan. The city lights stretched out below us, but my mind was still in that bedroom, tangled in black lace and soft skin.

“When are you finally introducing me to your fiancée?” I asked, my voice tight. “I think it’s time I met her.”

I needed to see if this girl was truly the Luna the pack deserved. I needed to be sure he wasn't throwing his life away on a whim.

“Whenever you’re ready, Father,” Nolan replied, leaning against the railing. “We can do it tomorrow when we head back. You’re coming home for good, aren't you?”

“My business here is finished. It’s time I returned to the pack house. Besides, you’re getting married next month. I wouldn't miss that for the world.”

Nolan nodded, sipping his wine as he looked out at the stars. The sky was clear, but a storm was brewing in my chest. He set his glass down next to the whiskey bottle on the table and let out a long yawn.

“I… I’m feeling a bit exhausted, Dad. I think I’ll call it a night.”

“Go ahead,” I said, not looking at him. “Get some rest. We have a long journey back tomorrow… and for fuck’s sake, behave yourself.”

He walked away, leaving me alone.

As his footsteps faded, I reached for the bottle and filled my glass again. I didn't need the alcohol, but I needed something to dull the edge of the hunger clawing at my gut.

She was back in my mind—her face, flushed and defiant; her body, soft and pliant beneath mine as I claimed her. I could still recall the heat of her skin against mine, the way she arched into me as if she were born to be held by me.

Ever since that night, she had been a fever in my blood. I couldn't shake the memory of our bodies tangled together, or the way she had surrendered her innocence with such fierce determination.

I was done waiting—I would have her traced, cornered, and brought back to me.

I’d never needed a drink to help me perform, but that night, the whiskey had sharpened the edge of my desire. She had walked up to me—a literal angel looking for a devil—and offered me the one thing no one else had ever touched.

“Whoever you are, Blair Rose,” I whispered into the night air, my voice like a vow of war, “I am going to find you. And once I have you, I will never let you out of my sight again. In my world, running only delays the inevitable.”

I gulped down the remaining whiskey, the burn in my throat matching the fire in my veins.

I never expected to see her again so soon. I certainly didn't expect to see her flailing in the pool, gasping for air while my son stood at the edge, smirking—too drunk or too careless to realise she was actually struggling. The moment I saw her face, something inside me snapped—a primal, protective instinct I hadn't felt in years. I didn't even think; I was in the water before I could draw my next breath.

The anger that boiled in my chest wasn't just at Nolan for being a coward—it was at the universe for this twisted joke. Because the most shocking part of it all, the part that made me want to tear the world apart, was the realisation hitting me as I pulled her shivering body against mine.

She isn't just a stranger. She isn't just a girl from a bar.

She is Nolan’s fiancée. My own son’s property. My future daughter-in-law.

I looked down at her, my marks still hidden beneath her wet clothes, a dark, twisted smile curling in my soul. Nolan didn't deserve her. He didn't even know what he had.

But I knew. I knew the taste of her, the sound of her breath, and the way she felt when she was completely mine.

Nolan might have the ring on her finger, but he didn’t understand what she was worth.

I did.

And now that I’d found her again… there was no force in this world strong enough to take her from me.