by L. P. Dover
Tyla studies me and tilts her head to the side. “Are you seeing someone? I don’t know what it is, but there’s something different about you.”
She’s always been very observant, even when we were kids. Brooke stirs in my arms, and I lower my voice. “No, I’m not seeing anyone. There was a teacher at my school who asked me out.”
Tyla’s face brightens. “And?”
I roll my eyes. “And nothing. He’s human.”
She shrugs. “So? I was in love with one a long time ago. There’s nothing wrong with finding comfort in a human man. It takes away the loneliness.”
Am I lonely? Sometimes, yes, but I know I have a mate. All I want is to meet him naturally and have the mating signs appear on their own. I don’t want to cheat. However, if weeks start to turn into months and then years, I’ll have to get Kami to tell me who he is. She was given the gift for a reason. It just feels like I’m cheating the natural order of things if I take advantage.
I stare straight at Tyla. “Don’t worry about me. What you should be worried about is me never letting Brooke leave my arms. I don’t think I can give her back to you.”
Tyla shakes her head and lets out a small laugh. “Fine. Have it your way. I’ll get her diaper bag out of the car. After that, Sebastian and I will go out to dinner.” She stands and stretches her arms over her head. “We might have to go out for a run as well. It’s been a while since we’ve done that.”
“Go,” I encourage her. “Take all the time you want. Brooke will be fine here.”
She walks over and kisses Brooke on the head, staring at her with such love and adoration. I’ve always wondered what it’d be like to be a mother. When Faith and Laila lived with me, they always considered me the mother hen of the group. Guess you can say I was the responsible one out of us all and tried to look out for them.
Tyla lets out a sigh and smiles at me. “Thank you, Amelie. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”
“Same,” I say back. Tyla goes outside to her car and brings in Brooke’s diaper bag, filled with bottles of milk, diapers, and wipes to last for months. That’s Tyla for you, always prepared.
“All right, you should have everything here. If you need anything—”
“I’ll be sure to call you,” I cut in, knowing that’s what she was going to say.
Tyla grins. “See ya later.”
She walks over to the door and glances back at Brooke and me once more before heading out. I slowly stand with Brooke in my arms and bounce her gently as I stop at the window to peer out. Tyla gets into her car and waves when she sees us. Tyla and I are more like sisters than cousins. We’ve been through so much together.
If it weren’t for Tyla and her mate, Sebastian, I wouldn’t be alive. They were the ones who helped save me from Jaret and the Sierra pack. In the end, it was me who delivered the killing blow to Jaret, my mate. I haven’t spoken much about it to anyone. It’s not common for someone to kill their mate, but Jaret was evil and a master manipulator. He had seduced me and made me believe we were true mates. The magic of true mates hadn’t been seen for a long time at that point, so I had no clue what to look for. I just believed him when he said it was so.
When I came to live here in Wyoming, word had spread about me killing my mate. I’ve had several people ask what it feels like when you break the bond. I never really know how to answer. It was a relief to be free of Jaret, but there was still a bond between us. The magic of the moon had joined us together, and when I killed him, it severed it. In doing so, it made a wound inside my soul, but luckily, it healed quickly. I had faith that the goddess of the moon wouldn’t make me suffer after what I went through.
Looking out the window, I smile as thick, gray clouds start to roll in. I can smell the approaching snow. “I can’t wait for you to get older and start to walk,” I whisper to Brooke. “We’re going to have so much fun in the snow.”
For the first time in a very long while, I have high hopes for the future. I can’t wait to see what happens.
3
Zayne
I stayed in the woods by Amelie’s house until right before sunrise. The mating signs haven’t even appeared, and I’m already obsessed with her. Deep below the surface, I can feel the burning sense of rage steadily creeping its way up, but I can’t let it get the best of me. I’ve seen what the rage does to wolves like me, especially with my mate so close but yet still so far away. It’s been way too fucking long since I’ve had this need inside of me. Of course, it doesn’t help I’m addicted to the stone I always keep on me; obsessed with seeing Amelie’s face every chance I get. It only makes my longing for her worse.
“Sir, would you like a glass of water while you wait for your guest?” the waiter asks.
Gripping the stone in my hand, I slide it into my pocket and look up at the young man. He smiles, but I can sense his nervousness. He’s intimidated by me, which isn’t uncommon when wolves are around human males. That’s why most of them naturally stay away from us and avoid all conflict. However, that’s not the case if the situation is reversed. If a human tries to move in on someone’s mate, it doesn’t end well. Amelie and I aren’t even bonded, and the thought of another male being close to her infuriates me.
I glance around at the private dining room and then back up to the waiter. “A water would be great. Thanks.”
The waiter nods and hurries off. About a minute later, he comes back with a glass of water and sets it down on the table. The room is slightly dim and secluded from the rest of the restaurant. To rent out this kind of space at a high-end establishment in downtown Chicago had to cost a lot of money. For the most part, Colin usually handles our wealthy clientele unless they request me specifically. I don’t have the patience for certain kinds of people. When you live over two hundred years and see the steady decline of humankind because of money and greed, it’s hard not to show my disdain when I have a client who only wants the biggest and best just to show off to the world. That’s not what life means for me. Still, I find solace in my designs, and I give it my all, even if I loathe the reason for its creation. On the other hand, Colin loves the notoriety of dealing with the upper crust of the human world. I never expected our company to take off the way it has, and I’m happy for its success, but I don’t give two fucks about meeting anyone famous.
I unbutton my suit jacket and reach into my pocket to grab my phone. My client wanted to meet at twelve sharp, and it’s ten minutes till. I don’t even know who I’m meeting. Their assistant said their boss preferred to keep their identity hidden until the time came so as not to draw attention. I wanted to pass this over to Colin, but they insisted their boss wanted to work with me. My flight landed in Chicago on time, and I came straight here to the restaurant. As soon as we’re done, I’m headed right back to the airport to South Dakota for another client meeting first thing tomorrow morning. My flight leaves at three o’clock.
Only a minute has passed since I looked at the time, so I slide my hand into my pocket and grasp the green stone. A sense of warmth flows up through my fingers, and it travels throughout my entire body. Closing my eyes, I can see Amelie’s warm smile and bright gray eyes as if she’s staring right at me. The stone makes me feel like she’s close. Even the smell of her skin fills my senses; it’s a mixture of apples and strawberries. The more I touch it, the more I want to be near her. It was a struggle on Thanksgiving to walk away when I knew she was right inside of Colin and Kami’s house. I was a fucking coward.
Visions of Amelie flash through my mind, all of them different. It’s like a slideshow of events centered around her, only instead of pictures, it’s like small movies in slow motion. In each one, she’s laughing and smiling, each clip more hypnotic than the last. It just reiterates how addicted I am to her and the stone.
Getting to my feet, I focus on the dining room entrance. It takes all the strength I have to let go of the stone and open my eyes. The second I do, my wolf goes on alert. I’m not the only shifter close by. Whoever it is w
ants their power detected. It turns out they’re a royal arctic. There aren’t many royal arctics globally, and most of them are in Wyoming, except for the few my brother, Micah, is on the search for. However, there are others who are enemies to my pack. No one knows about them except me. They’ve been MIA for over two hundred years. Even my brothers don’t know them; they weren’t born during that time.
The closer the wolf gets, the angrier I become. I know who it is, and it’s not just any royal arctic. The second she appears in the doorway, it’s as if no time has passed. It’s been two hundred years since I’ve seen her. Her blonde hair isn’t as long as it used to be, and instead of wearing an 1800’s style gown, she’s traded that in for a short, skintight black dress. Her blue eyes are fixed right on mine, her smile sinister and malicious.
“Kara,” I growl.
She saunters over to the table, swaying her hips seductively. There was a time when she was mine, but that was before her family started the first civil war within the Royal pack. Not many know of that war. After it happened, we all promised never to speak of it again.
Kara stops in front of me. “Zayne. It’s been a long time.” She motions toward my seat. “Why don’t you sit down? We have a lot to talk about.”
“Fuck that,” I hiss. “What the hell are you doing? Why am I here?”
Her eyes twinkle with mischief and she pouts her lips. “Now, now, Zayne. There’s no need to be hostile. I’m just here to talk.” She moves over to her side of the table and sits down, crossing her leg so her dress slides further up her thighs. I can smell the lust pouring off of her, but it’s not going to work on me. Her gaze averts to the door, and her grin widens. “Ah, Steven. Thank you for taking care of my guest.”
The waiter walks in, and he can sense the tension. He walks over slowly and stares up at me before focusing on her. “Is there anything I can get for you, Ms. Channon?”
She winks at him. “A bottle of my favorite wine would be nice.”
Steven nods. “Will do.” Then he turns to me. “Is there anything I can get for you?”
I shake my head. “I don’t plan on staying.”
He backs up and nervously smiles at Kara before quickly walking out. Kara chuckles under her breath. “You’re no fun anymore. What happened to the wild and crazy Zayne I knew all those years ago?”
I glare at her. “He’s gone.”
She snorts. “Yeah, I see that.” Then, with a heavy sigh, she flourishes a hand toward my seat. “Please sit down, Zayne. I just want to talk.”
“Tell that lie to someone who’ll believe you.” Grabbing the back of my seat, I move it from the table and sit down. “You have five minutes, and then I’m out of here.” Teeth clenched, I stare her down. “How did you find me?”
She shrugs and bites her lip teasingly. “It took a while, but now that the new Royal pack is gaining popularity, I knew you wouldn’t be far from them. Then, with a little digging, I found L&S Architectural Design. Lyall and Storm. I see you kept true to the pack.”
“Always,” I snap.
Steven comes back with a bottle of wine and pours her a glass. Once he’s gone, she takes a sip, keeping her eyes on mine. “Colin Storm, huh? He resembles his great-grandfather. Kind of sexy if you ask me.”
A low growl rumbles in my chest. I don’t want Kara anywhere near my family. Besides, Kami would kill her if she tried to make a move on Colin. “His mate would snap your neck like a twig,” I say.
She waves me off. “I have no interest in Colin. He’s too young for me anyway.”
“Then what are you interested in, Kara?” I ask, my patience growing thinner by the second.
Her expression grows solemn as she rests her elbows on the table. “I wanted to talk to you. You owe me this.”
I snarl. “I don’t owe you shit. Your family turned on us. They wanted something that didn’t belong to them.”
The blue in her eyes glow with rage. “And you think that was my fault? I was innocent, and you turned your back on me.”
Memories of that night play through my mind as if it just happened days ago. I remember everything about it. Her grandfather challenged Emmett Storm for dominance, and he lost. After that, the rest of Kara’s family went on the attack, including her brother, Knox. He was my best friend. Seeing him turn on us was a betrayal I wasn’t prepared for.
“I seem to recall you joining in on the fight,” I hiss through clenched teeth.
Kara scoffs. “I was angry. I just watched my entire family, including my parents, get slaughtered by yours. I didn’t want to hurt anyone. I just wanted to save my mother.”
“She didn’t want to be saved. She was just as power-hungry and greedy as the rest of the Channons.”
The tension in the room spikes, and Kara jerks her head to the side as if I slapped her. Her wolf is incredibly close to the surface, but she takes a deep breath and blows it out slowly. Kara always had a short temper, just like her brother. On the night of the war, Knox and I faced each other. I had no choice but to fight to the death, even if he was my best friend. He’d betrayed us. I knew deep down he wanted to be the alpha of the pack one day; he was waiting for his time to strike. Before we could fight, the Storms had us surrounded. The Channons had all been killed except for Knox and Kara. My family knew I loved Kara and that Knox was my best friend. They pleaded with the Storms to banish them instead of killing them. That night, Knox and Kara left the pack, and no one had heard of them since. I’ve never spoken their names to anyone.
Kara turns her stormy gaze my way. “That may be true about my mother, Zayne, but I was never like that. Your betrayal hurt worse than anything I could ever imagine. I thought you loved me.”
“That was a long time ago, Kara.”
Grabbing her glass, she lets out a laugh and downs the rest of her wine. “You’re exactly right. It was a long time ago. As you can see, I didn’t need the Royal pack to thrive in this world. So I made my own way.” She taps a red fingernail against the wine bottle, right by the label. It’s an award-winning Chardonnay, but that’s not the only thing that catches my attention. The logo on the bottle says Channon Vineyards.
“I can see that,” I reply. “Where’s Knox?”
Her eyes never waver from mine. “In Virginia. I’m in Chicago for some business meetings, so I thought it’d be a good time to see you without him around. I figured you’d be less likely to kill me than him.”
Standing, I look down at my phone. “Your time’s almost up, and you still haven’t told me why I’m here.”
She slowly moves her chair back and stands. “Okay, I’m not going to lie. Knox and I are still bitter about what happened two hundred years ago. We lost everyone we loved that night.” She walks around the table and stands closer to me. “I also know you lost your family to the Yukons twenty years ago.”
The mention of it makes the burn in my chest come back with a vengeance. “Don’t even pretend to be sorry over that. You and I both know you probably went out and celebrated that night.”
Her eyes blaze. “I’m not even going to comment on that. All I’m saying is that royals should stick with royals. We’re stronger together. In Virginia, it’s just Knox and me. We need to be part of a pack.”
I stare at her as if she’s completely lost her fucking mind. “You can’t be serious. So you want to join the Royal pack?”
She nods. “I know how strong you all are, and I want the protection. It’s not easy being an unmated royal arctic without a pack. Knox is a great protector, but even he’s not strong enough to defend me against a pack if they were to come after me.”
Royal females are the one thing unmated males are on the hunt for right now. That’s why Micah is on the search for the missing royals from our old pack. Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to get in touch with them for a while now. As much as I want to keep all royal females safe, I don’t think the pack will let them in with Kara and Knox’s past.
“It’s not going to happen, Kara. My pack won’t let you
in. They won’t be able to trust you with your past.”
Kara throws her hands up in the air. “That was two hundred years ago. People change.”
I shake my head. “Not usually.” I glance down at my phone and slide it into my pocket. “Time’s up.”
A slow smile spreads across her face. “You’d be surprised how small the world is, Zayne. I’ll be seeing you soon.” By the vengeful look in her eyes, I believe her. I don’t trust for one second that she and Knox simply want to be a part of my pack. The Channons are cunning and good at catching their enemies off guard. If they show up in Wyoming and find out about my daughter or Amelie, I fear they’ll hurt them to get to me. If they show up in my town, I’ll kill them without any hesitation.
Stepping closer to her, I unleash my power, and she trembles. “Don’t threaten me, Kara. You better think twice before seeking me out again.” With those final words, I turn on my heel and storm out of the restaurant. My rental car is in a parking garage a couple of blocks away, and as soon as I get inside, I head to the airport and call Sebastian.
“Hey, brother,” Sebastian answers.
The stoplight up ahead turns yellow, but I stomp on the gas and fly through the intersection. “We have a problem.”
“What’s wrong?” he asks in all seriousness.
“There’s something you don’t know, and I don’t have time to explain everything in detail right now, but the pack could be in trouble.”
“Tell me what’s going on. I’ll do whatever you need me to do.”