Zoe and Ryder returned to their table, where Chase and Sonia were beaming at them. They had noticed the change in some of the pack members when Zoe jumped up to help little Jessi."Good job," Sonia said as Zoe sat down."Thanks; I'm just glad I was able to help her." She answered before taking a bite of her cold food. "Yeah, you did more than you know. When the pack saw what you did, some of those on the fence about supporting Ryder are now moving to favor him. All because of you. Look around. There's a definite shift in the atmosphere." Chase said as they all looked around at the pack members. There were more people smiling. However, those who didn't want Ryder as alpha looked furious. Zoe met their glares head-on, refusing to be the first to turn away. She may be new to this world, but like hell was she going to let them hurt her man. "You were incredible. Nathan is my head warrior, and I had a feeling he was on the verge of going against me. Saving his daught

(Warning this chapter contains sensitive topics that may be hard for some readers to read.)"No, stop. Please don't mommy. Please don't hurt me. I promise I'll be good." Zoe shot up when she heard Ryder's screams. Kissing his damp forehead and stroking his head, she whispered softly. She could make out his face in the soft morning light."Wake up, Ryder, you're having a nightmare." She kept kissing and rubbing him until he calmed down and opened his eyes. When he focused on Zoe, he wrapped her in his arms and held her tight. "I'm sorry. I know I don't seem like much of a man when I'm crying in my sleep." Ryder was humiliated that Zoe was witnessing his nightmares once again. Why couldn't he get over them?"Don't apologize. I'm sorry that I haven't been here to help you through them before now. Maybe if you talk about them, it will help." She said, hoping he would open up to her. "You don't want that stuff in your head. I'll sort it out." The last thing he wante

Ryder decided it was best to keep the king's visit quiet until the next day. He didn't want anyone to try anything before his arrival. He and Zoe spent the day talking to pack members while secretly preparing for the dinner where he would mark her. Chase and Sonia never left their sides as they acted as silent guards. Pamela and Jessi came to see Zoe and thanked her again for acting so quickly the day before. Ryder noticed more pack members greeted them with smiles than the previous day. He also noticed that the lines had clearly been drawn, and the pack was picking sides. It's not the way he wanted things. He wanted the pack to be strong, but that wasn't possible as long as there was friction. He hoped the king and queen's visit would help change the opinions of everyone. They returned to their bedroom about an hour before dinner to get dressed. Ryder wore black pants with a black button-up shirt. Zoe borrowed a dress from Sonia because she had only

The search for Zoe continued for hours without a trace of her anywhere. Ryder was worried that they had killed her. Axel reassured him that now that they had marked her, they would feel it if she was dead. Most of the pack seemed worried and were helping, but he still didn't know who to trust. "Alpha, we've checked every house on the pack lands with no sign of her anywhere," Oliver said as he approached Axel. Oliver was the son of the former alpha's best friend. He didn't have a rank or anything and typically stayed under the radar. "Thanks; please keep searching," Axel answered through mindlink as he continued sniffing the area around the pack house. Something was telling him that she was still close, but he didn't want to say anything to anyone else. He was afraid whoever had her hidden would move her if they knew what he was thinking. So he continued sniffing like he was trying to find her scent. After Oscar ran off, Chase and Sonia walked over in human form. "W

"I'm just going to take a little blood from each of you. I should have the results later today." Julius, the lab tech from the palace, said as he got his supplies ready. He came while Zoe was showering. Ryder had him go to his office so the rest of the pack wouldn't know what was happening. Zoe noticed Nick and Darina kept staring at her almost nervously. She wondered what was wrong. As soon as Julius finished taking their blood and Chase took him to a room where he could process the results, Zoe turned to the king and queen."Are you okay?" She asked softly. Nick and Darina exchanged a look."Can we stay here and have a talk? Maybe have lunch brought to us because this may take a while." Nick answered. Ryder wondered what was going on, but he didn't ask. He mindlinked the kitchen staff and asked them to bring lunch to his office for the four of them."Okay, lunch will be brought up soon." Ryder led everyone over to the couches. He pulled Zoe next to him and put hi