Chapter 6

Zane’s POV

I didn’t trust this female!

Not only did she NOT back away from me when I growled at her, but she seemed completely immune to my wolf. Any ordinary human would be cowering in fear or running away when the beast made his presence known.

But she didn’t even flinch!

Was she a witch or something? The cramped cabin sort of fit the bill, but the very alive – although slightly odd – chameleon on the shelf told me otherwise. But if she wasn’t a witch, then what the hell was she? And how the hell did she seem to be able to calm my wolf?

I didn’t like it!

But I had to admit – even if only to myself – that it felt like a burden had been lifted off my shoulders. Even if it was only for a little while, I felt as if my body could finally relax, because I wasn’t fighting my wolf all the goddess damned time. My tense muscles lost some of their tension and I felt a little sore, but in a good way. My wolf wasn’t taking control and I felt that I could breathe a little easier.

Which was fucking strange after a year of not a moment’s rest.

But my wolf wasn’t interested in taking control and doing goddess knows what. No, he just sat there and intently watched the little human as she moved around in the kitchen area. The scent of food filled the small space and yeah, I’ll admit that her ass was nice to look at.

And I was still looking…

Hey! In my defense, when she was jiggling it around like that, it was asking a man to look!

My wolf let out a huff that sounded surprisingly a lot like approval.

Well, fuck me!

I guess we were looking then!

Because honestly, I was so fucking tired of fighting my fucking wolf all the FUCKING time! If the beast wanted to look at a female shaking her tush while making dinner, I was fucking looking…

Suddenly, I felt a light pressure at the back of my head, and I realized that it was Noah trying to reach us through the mind link. Something that was an “on again – off again” thing between me and my wolf, since only the wolf could let the link through. And with him half-crazed all the time, my end of the line was often “busy”…

Although today, he was apparently distracted enough to not realize it was there. But at first, he seemed to be determined to ignore it, annoying the living shit out of me. I needed to let Noah know where I was and--- No, on second thought I needed to take this encounter with me to the grave! There was no way I was ever telling anyone about what had happened.

But I DID need to let him know I was still alive.

Noah’s insistent pressure became too much in the end and, with a growl, my wolf let the link through, allowing me to talk to my brother. Not that my wolf seemed particularly interested in anything my brother had to say. All of his attention was on the female, following her every move. And no, it wasn’t in a predatory way either where he was ready to pounce at any second. It felt more stalkerish than anything, where he just glared at her without making any move to let her be any time soon.

It was beginning to unsettle me…

“What?” I gripped through my mind, instantly feeling Noah’s angst and sheer relief at hearing my voice.

“Zane!” he breathed, and I felt the shudder of relief that washed over him. “Thank fuck! I---”

He was probably about to say something stupid like he’d been worried about me. But in the past year, my wolf’s anger spiked at all and any hit of concern or care, which made him lash out in a big way. So, having learned from his previous mistakes, Noah cleared his throat and instead asked:

“Are you OK? Where are you?”

“I’m fine,” I gritted between clenched teeth, even in my mind. “I’ve---”

Met a human female who sort of saved my leg from being amputated, so I can’t just run off, because she thinks I’m human and I sort of have to play the part…

Oh, and she drugged and kidnapped me!

Of course, I couldn’t say any of that. And as I watched said female move around in her kitchen, I realized I couldn’t tell anyone about her. Not with this new threat hanging over my pack. Not with “them” back in the picture. Hell, with “them” back, I shouldn’t even BE here. I should be back on my territory, filing through every piece of evidence and lead we had to track these bastards down and KILL them.

But my wolf seemed completely oblivious to anything other than the female in front of us.

So I was on my own – again!

“I’ve been held up a bit,” I said instead, refusing to divulge anything else – despite my beta’s obvious surprise. “Deal with shit until I get back!”

“Yes, Your Highness,” he replied instantly, but didn’t cut off the mental link.

Even I hesitated…

I wanted to ask about Cain and Eva. Before, I’d planned to miss her play – or at least let her think I’d missed it. In secret, I wanted to hide somewhere and watch from afar. Just like I was proud of my son, I was also happy to see her do well. I just had to keep that from them, because I now knew it was a weakness!

And I couldn’t let my children become weak!

I’d already failed them once, by losing their mother…

I couldn’t fail them again…!

My heart ached thinking about them. About what I would miss as they grew up and old and I wouldn’t be there. But I shoved it aside. My wolf growled, swiping his claws at me and I had to mask my features not to wince in pain. It hurt. Every time my wolf fought me. Every time he was lost in a blinding rage, it felt like just a little bit more of my walls were cracking.

My husk was crumbling…

I was turning feral!

And soon, they would have to put me down…

Not yet, I urged my wolf, fighting to keep him back. Not until Cain is old enough. Not until Eva has a worthy protector!

Not yet!

But I was so tired of fighting him already. A part of me wished that the years would just pass me by already. That Cain would finally be old enough to take the throne. That Eva had her mate and was being protected.

I wished my kids were safe…

“You’re thinking really hard there, Bobby,” Arella’s voice drifted towards me, and I looked up, only to find that she was studying me curiously. “Anything particular on your mind?”

Quickly, I cut off the link to Noah before he could sense what was going on. I pulled on my last reserves of anger and frustration, using them to wrestle down my wolf and rebuild my walls.

“None of---” I began snarling, but found myself being cut off.

“Are you a robot?” she asked, her face completely deadpanned.

I blinked.

And blinked again, because not only had she cut me off – a novelty if there ever was one! – but she asked the most ridiculous questions just out of the blue!

I didn’t trust it!

“What?” I snapped, wondering what the hell this female was up to this time.

“It’s just because every time I ask you something you seem to only have one generic answer for me,” she pointed out, gesturing towards me with a spatula, her brows knitted together in an adorable frown. “Are you some sort of unintelligent AI?”

She actually came over and waved a hand in front of me. Like I was some petulant kid! Renewed anger coiled in my gut, and I grabbed her hand and pulled her closer. She stumbled forward but by making some twisting motions, she ended up sitting across my lab, instead of flat on her face.

“Did you just call me stupid?” I growled, feeling pissed--- while my wolf suddenly had stopped all his fighting and once again concentrated all of his attention on the female. It wasn’t good or bad. It was just his whole entire being focused on her, coiling around her and wanting to keep her right where she was…

And it annoyed the fuck out of me…

“Why? Did I offend you?” she asked, totally unbothered by our compromising positions, and tapped her chin with her index finger, still watching me intently. “Guess you can’t be an AI then, ha?”

OH. MY. MOTHER. FUCKING---!!!

“Are you always this annoying?” I growled, wondering if strangling a human in utter frustration still counted as murder – or self-defense of one’s sanity. Because not only did she just snort and laugh at my outburst, she looked downright amused!

“I’m not annoying, I’m charming,” she announced, beaming at me. “You’re just grumpy and don’t appreciate it.”

Grumpy?!

I’m GRUMPY now?!

With a huff, I let go of her hand, knowing it was useless to talk to her. She wouldn’t understand anyway. She didn’t understand the pain of losing a part of your soul. Of the loneliness that came with having your still beating heart ripped out of your chest---

“Annoying,” I muttered and folded my arms over my chest, refusing to look at her.

“Well, you know what they say,” she snickered and--- and fucking patted my head. Like I was some kind of fucking domesticated animal. Growling, I tried to swat her hand away, only for her to throw her head back and laugh.

A sound I realized I liked…

“Act like an asshole, get treated like an asshole,” she chided and folded her own hands over her chest, making me very, very aware of her huge breasts. And how perfectly they’d fit in my hand. Which then had me wondering how it would feel like putting my mouth on them. How amazing it would be suckling on her tits and---

Fuck it, Zane! Get a fucking grip!

“If that’s your idea of humor, you might want to consider taking some classes,” I scoffed and refolded my arms over my chest, glaring at her. And absolutely refusing to acknowledge the growing boner that was threatening to make this situation extremely awkward!

“If you can read, that is!”

If she was acting like a preschooler--- I would be so stooping to her level!

“Oh, he’s being sassy now,” she said with a wide mocking grin. “I knew you were human – somewhere deep down underneath all that frowning.”

And then she actually had the audacity to HIT me!

It was a light smack to the arm, but that wasn’t the main problem. The main problem was that, instead of wanting to rip her throat out, my wolf found it amusing. Hell, he wanted her to do it again, just to feel her hands on us again.

And I didn’t fight it…

And that just pissed me the hell off!

“I warn you, female,” I hissed between clenched teeth, glaring at the woman who’d dared to put her hand on me. “Touch me again, and I’ll---!”

But did she back off?

No!

She just rolled her eyes at me and then, before I knew what she was doing, she leaned forward--- and her lips locked over mine.

I blinked.

Blinked again just in case I was seeing things. But the scene didn’t change.

Because---

The female was kissing me!