Chapter 14

Aila Coraline

I'm back at the homestead. Zayn saved me, but it came at the cost of everyone’s lives in that small pack. He was ruthless, leading with the force of a tyrant, taking down those who had wronged me. Though they were at fault, I couldn’t shake the feeling that going so far, beyond just confronting them, wasn't the right thing to do.

I sighed, my gaze fixed on the ceiling. I'm lying in the pack hospital, recovering from all the wounds I received. Then, fragments of memories began flashing in my mind.

It was strange — I’d seen snippets of visions before, like fragments of past memories, and every time, Zayn was there. I used to see him in my dreams too, dreams that felt incredibly real, though I had no memory of those moments ever happening in my life. Am I making sense?

The door creaked open, and two nurses entered, pushing a cart with some medical supplies. They approached my bedside, checking my pulse, bandaging fresh scrapes, and assessing the healing progress of my deeper wounds.

"Your recovery is coming along well," one of them said with a soft smile. "Just make sure you don’t move around too much."

A few minutes later, just as the nurses were finishing up, the door opened again. Zayn stepped in, his gaze immediately settling on me. He looked weary but focused, his usual guarded expression softened slightly as he approached my bed.

When did he become this concerned? I wondered silently.

We rarely saw each other before, and when we did, it was usually during training. He never acted like this; he didn’t even seem to care. Back then, when Cynthia used to bully me, he barely noticed, let alone intervened. So why is he acting like this now?

"How are you?" he asked, his voice softer than I remembered.

"Uh, doing better," I replied briefly.

Was I overthinking this, or was he genuinely being strange? I couldn’t find a reason for this sudden change in him. Part of me wanted to believe he was simply showing kindness, but another part knew there was something deeper in his gaze, something I wasn’t sure I was ready to understand.

I know Zayn doesn’t have a mate. For us werewolves, we usually meet our mate once we come of age. But that hasn’t happened for me, and my parents always said that having a mate isn’t everything. Yet, I know it does matter, more than they admit. It’s the same for Zayn; it’s the reason the Alpha hasn’t given him a higher position—he hasn’t met his mate either.

"I won’t be able to stay here long. But if you need anything, send me a mindlink," he said.

Mindlink?

I’d completely forgotten we could do that. Damn. I could have used it when I was a captive—though, considering I didn’t know where I was, it probably wouldn’t have made much difference.

"Yeah, I will. Thanks," I said.

He paused, his gaze holding mine for a moment longer than necessary, as if he wanted to say something more. Then, with a curt nod, he turned and left the room, leaving me with my swirling thoughts. As the door closed, I found myself wondering why he was so willing to help me now—and what it meant for both of us.

What if he’s just trying to make up for all the times he let me down before? Maybe this is his way of proving he can be a good leader, showing that he cares... about everyone.

Goodness. I shouldn’t be reading into this. Maybe he’s always been this way, and I just never noticed. Just because I’ve heard all these negative things about him, and I’ve got some bad experience of him, doesn’t mean he’s as terrible as I once thought.

I spent two days recovering in the hospital before I was finally released. My ribs have healed completely, and my wounds are now closed, leaving only faint scars that I know will fade with time.

“What’s on the agenda for today?” I asked, curious about what I missed while I was gone. Cynthia was nowhere to be seen; maybe she was still healing, or just running late.

"Zayn mentioned some of us might train the she-wolves, but he didn’t specify who. We’ll find out soon enough," someone replied.

A few minutes later, the homestead chief arrived with Zayn by his side. My heart unexpectedly skipped a beat. I’ve never felt this uneasy around anyone before—well, aside from Seven, once upon a time. That was different though, a fleeting curiosity. But this feeling... it’s different, and I shouldn’t be feeling it, not after what happened months ago.

Zayn’s gaze found mine immediately, and I noticed a flicker of concern in his eyes, as if silently asking why I was even here.

“Did the doctor confirm you’re fully healed?” he asked, disregarding everyone else watching us.

I nodded. “They wouldn’t have let me out if I wasn’t,” I replied. Not that I felt weak anymore—I could’ve healed on my own eventually, though it would’ve taken longer with how badly my ribs were fractured.

“Hm, just making sure,” he replied, his eyes shifting to the rest of the group.

The room fell silent as he walked to the front, clearing his throat. One by one, he started assigning tasks, each person nodding as they received their duties. The meeting wrapped up, but he hadn’t given me anything to do, which left me surprised.

When everyone dispersed to start their tasks, I approached him, unable to hide my confusion. “How about me? What am I supposed to do?”

"You’ll assist me.”

I blinked, caught off guard. Assist him? Out of all tasks, this wasn’t what I expected. “Assist you… with what, exactly?”

“Whatever I need. You’ll be close by, in case I need an extra hand. And besides, the doctor mentioned you should still take it easy for a few days.”

My brow furrowed. How did he know? He wasn't there when I checked out of the hospital yesterday. Don’t tell me he went there and asked the doctor.

"What exactly are you planning to do? And where’s Cynthia? I don’t see her around." I wondered aloud as we walked, now that it was just the two of us.

I didn’t know where we were heading. I was just following his steps since, apparently, my job for the day was to “assist” him. I figured I owed him that, at least, after he saved me.

“I sent her back to the packhouse. She’s no help here… other than giving me a headache,” he replied, his tone carrying a hint of irritation.

I narrowed my eyes at him. The way he said that last part sounded like he might be hinting at me, too. Maybe I am just overthinking. Still, why didn’t he send me back to the packhouse as well? I was the one who pulled Cynthia into that mess at the falls. The blame should fall on me, not her.

“It was my fault,” I said firmly. “I pulled her into the falls by accident. If you're considering punishment, it should be for both of us. That’s only fair.”

He stopped walking and turned to face me, clearly not expecting my response. “You’re actually defending her? After what she’s put you through?”

I crossed my arms.

“I may not like her but I’m not going to let her take the blame alone for something that was partly my fault. Fair is fair.”

Zayn scoffed, shaking his head slightly. “Fine. But I don’t need you getting involved over unnecessary guilt. I made the call, not you.”

"Then make the right call," I shot back. "You can't claim to be fair if you're just sending her off without a second thought."

He smirked, amusement sparking in his eyes. “Since when did you start caring for anyone like... Cynthia?”

I rolled my eyes, ignoring his comment. "If you’re going to hand out blame, make it even. Or don’t blame anyone. That’s fair, isn’t it?”

He was quiet for a moment, his eyes narrowing slightly, but then he gave a short nod, though not in agreement. The amusement in his face faded, replaced by a steely look that told me this conversation was over.

“You’re right,” he said flatly, though I could tell he didn’t mean it. “But today, you’re here to assist me. That’s your job, and I expect you to follow through.”

So that was it. He wasn’t listening—not really. I could argue all I wanted, but in the end, it wouldn’t change a thing. Zayn was the one in charge here, and he was making it clear that my opinions were secondary to his orders.

With a resigned sigh, I fell in step behind him. Whether I agreed with him or not, he was the boss, and for now, all I could do was obey.