I return to the kitchen, fuming. Drusila eyes me strangely when I drop the tray in the sink and it clatters against it. Zeke stops by before he leaves. He doesn't look at me. I don't look at him, either. I focus on my carrots, eating a little too loudly as they speak. Zeke says, "Aiden's tailing Bessie. He'll bring news about the witches during the pack gathering tonight." "Tonight?" Drusila asks. I hear the surprise in her voice. This is something she's not aware of or expecting. I'm not updated on this piece of information, either. A lot I do not know about has happened behind my back, but then, I'm not a Moon Grove wolf. I'm just here to deliver a child and nothing more. "Yes. Tonight, my new beta will be chosen during the gathering. We will also discuss Moon Wood now the Zeta has arrived." I can feel his gaze on me, but I don't break. I focus on the carrot, like I can't care less about his presence or their conversation. Hearing Moon Wood, my interest piques a bit, but so a

**********************ZEKEThe day's not over yet, but I'm stuck at a bar, drinking many glasses of hennessy and pondering on thoughts that are way past me. I'm seated at a private booth in the popular bar and the days ahead are looking bleak. I don't have the strength to stand. She's all I can think about. Chase Erickson almost got the best of me with that plan he made up. I vowed to get back at him for the humiliation and the pain. Red Valley earned a slot on my vengeance list. But Marelyn is someone I will never give up. I may have told her and everyone else seven months was all I needed, but I don't think that's possible. I don't even know why it's not. It's just not. I down another glass and start pouring the next. The bottle has almost run dry. My tie hangs loosely around my neck, and all I want to do is forget. Forget that the past two days happened, but I can remember every little detail. Her soft skin against mine felt like heaven and I was

I walk past the dungeons. There's an area still beneath Taz's lair. It's called the arena. A part of Moon Grove meant for occasions like this. In a few minutes, the victor of this duel will become my beta. Aiden Sinclair was my selection, but Kass Rodin's blood lineage puts him in line for the position of beta. Yet the final decision rests on this moment. The duel. A while ago, Drusila revealed Jai-Blynn's presence around Moon Grove. A wolf had seen him lurking around the premises yesterday. I must be on guard and keep my eyes open because the enemy will show himself soon. Crowds of wolves fill the arena, above and below. The ring of death sits at the centre of the space. I climb the medium-length stairs joined to the stone wall on one edge. It doesn't have a railing, and it follows a z-shaped pattern. At the top lies my throne in the arena. I settle in, waiting for the clock to strike ten. I didn't bother Aiden with questions about his finding when I returned. He has to fight to t

He's still laughing with her. I'm glaring at them from my table a few distances away. It's irritating to watch and I can't be more subtle. I wonder what she's telling him that's so funny. She looks like a maggot when she laughs and the sound is annoyingly loud. Seriously, what does he see in her? "Tonight is about Aiden. You should focus on making it about his win and not other trivial things." Drusila walks up to me. She's giving me a knowing look I hate, and I roll my eyes. This will be fun. "I have congratulated the new beta on his win and yes, tonight is about Aiden. No arguments about that." She settles on the table snacks for a moment before speaking again. "He looks so happy. I've not seen him this carefree in years." I'm confused, but then I look over my shoulder and realise she's talking about Zeke. He's still standing there with the woman in black and it's still pissing me off that he's not said a word to me since. "Whatever." I sulk, while staring off at the table.

I've thought about this moment many times than one. How it will be when I finally see him again. It's too soon, but I guess that doesn't matter to anyone. I can't even catch my breath. Jai-Blynn's enjoying watching me getting flustered because of his presence. Zeke stands before me, blocking me away from the enemy. He shifts, still human. Clawed hands grace his sides as he readies himself to defend me. Jai-Blynn will never come to a place as fortified as Moon Grove without backup. I have a hunch this fight won't be easy. "Long time no see, Zeke." "Actually, Jai. It's too short a time. You should have disappeared for ten—twenty years tops." "Sorry to disappoint." He glances at me and I can see what he's telling me. He wants me to remember our time together. A time when I trusted him with my being, but the past is the past. "What do you want? My patience is as thin as a thread now," Zeke says. Jai-Blynn walks from one end of the patio to the other end. There's a duffel bag slun