Crystal POV
Sitting on the roof with Zanian and watching him sleep made me think of everything I ever wanted in someone and I realized that he is everything I ever wanted. Even with his cockiness and the pain he caused me. I overheard him and Deliah talking and my gut was right. I knew I should hate him but I didn’t. I just feel sorry for him. Me of all people know what type of damage your mate can do, but I never thought that I would have a second chance. I looked up at the stars and closed my eyes. When I opened them again, I saw through my wolf’s eyes and it was the most amazing picture anyone could ever see.
I heard Zanian groaning and sitting up.
“ You’re back?” I looked over at his face and I just smiled. He looks so cute.
“yahh, I just needed some time.” I said, looking at him and I saw his face drop. He had every emotion visible in his eyes. He looks so torn and broken. “I’m so sorry for what I did. I didn’t mean too. I was just angry at myself and then at you because you left and came back just to leave again.”
“Zanian, we need to talk because this going back and forth isn’t working for me.” I said and saw his whole body stiffen. “please don’t reject me, I will spend the rest of my life making it up to you.” He said and I saw a tear slip from his eye and felt bad instantly. I lifted my hand and caught the tear with my thumb and turned his face so he could look at me. “I’m not going to reject you, that wasn’t even on my mind and it isn’t now.” I said and he had me in his arms pressed up against him in a hug that I never even knew existed. It was so intimate and real. I laid my head on his chest and listened to his heartbeat.
“Zanian, we really do have to talk please.” He let go of me and I sat facing him.
“I left because I know rogues are looking for you and… me.” I said and saw the confusion on his face. “ They are looking for a girl named Crystalia.” He said, still confused. I fumbled with my hand and said “I know, my name is Crystalia stone. I lied and made a name up because I didn’t want to risk anyone else getting hurt, but when I learned who you are I had to find out who is tearing the packs apart and why.” He just looked at me and then he looked away, “so you lied about your name? what else did you lie about?” that sentence hit me right in the heart. “nothing and I didn’t lie Zanian I just didn’t tell you because you gave me no reason to trust you.” I said and his eyes flickered with anger. “why are you angry?” I asked and he just started laughing, but it sounded forced.” I got up to leave when Zanian pulled my arm forcefully and pulled me down. “you are not leaving.” He said and his grip on my arm became tighter and it started to hurt. “Zanian let go of me, you are hurting me.” I said half pleading. He just looked at me and squeezed harder. “I will do what I please with you.”
Zanian POV
“I will do what I please with you.” I said and watched as her face grew harder trying to hide her pain. I pulled her down lower and said, “so where did you go?” I asked, half accusing her. She straightened up as best she could and smirked at me before saying, “I hope you land on your feet.” And she gripped my arm with her other hand and threw me off the roof like I weighed nothing. I landed on the ground solid on my pack with a loud ‘oomph’. I looked at her and saw her smiling at me. I got up off the ground and shifted to my wolf, watching her surprised expression. I was snarling at her and she came down. “ Is this really what you want, Zanian?” she asked, and I nodded my big wolf’ head. She took a fighting stance and motioned for me to come at her, but instead I sat right down, she had to shift to make the fight even. She shook her head and just stared at me.
I saw her eyes go hazy, she must be talking to her wolf. I waited and then she smiled at me and started taking her clothes off. I was staring shamelessly at all she was displaying and, luckily for her, I was in wolf form.
She looked at me and smirked before she said, “are you sure you want to do this Zanian?” she asked and I nodded my head. I saw her eyes change before she closed them and shifted. To say I was amazed would be an understatement. I was shocked and speechless. Her wolf is snow white with a black raven on her right shoulder, “and that is when I knew she is Crystalia Stone.” She took a step forward and opened her eyes. One eye is a blue-green color and the other is a deep purple and her wolf is huge, even bigger than mine. Her one paw is the size of two of mine. “what the hell is she?”
* She is our mate, who you just challenged.*
“I know, but what is she?”
*find out.*
And then he cut me off and I was left alone in wolf form with a wolf more than half my size.
Deliah POV.
I heard growling and teeth snapping coming from outside and I thought we might be under attack. I jumped out of bed and woke up Jeff and we ran outside.
When we opened the door, the wind was knocked out of me when I saw two huge wolves fighting. And I mean fighting. I recognized the black wolf as Zanian only because I saw his eyes, but the white wolf I had never seen before.
The fighting stopped and both wolves looked at me. To say I was scared would be an understatement. I was damn near passing out when I saw two different eyes looking at me, and before I could say something, the fighting began again. The white wolf pinned Zanian down, biting into his shoulder. Zanian gave a howl of pain and kicked the white wolf off. He got up, limping a bit, but then charged the white wolf.
A roar of anger came from the white wolf and I looked down in submission involuntarily and so did Jeff. Zanian lowered his head as the white wolf stood over him growling deeper and lower, forcing him to his hunches head bowed low.
And the fight stopped. The white wolf lowered her head and licked at Zanian’s wound. He shifted back into human form and he looked drained and tired. I rushed over to him but stopped when the white wolf looked at me. I lowered my head and retreated back.
I saw Zanian lifting his hand and stroking the white wolf, then said, “ You are amazing and you have my respect.” The white wolf stepped back and howled at the sky. Keeping her head up a second longer than needed.
When she looked down she bowed and shifted.
I was standing there speechless and so dumbstrucked that I couldn’t move.
Gaping openly at Christy standing naked. “what the hell is wrong with you two?” I shouted at them. And I’m angry now. “is this all you want to do? Is fighting to see who is more dominant?” I asked and walked away, leaving them where they are.
Crystal POV.
I walked over to my clothes and got dressed, Zanian went behind a tree and got dressed and I walked off to my room, closing my door and taking a shower.
He challenged me. I sat down in the shower with my back resting against the shower wall.
“ Why would he do that?”
*he was testing us.*
“for what Raven? What is it that he wants from us because I am tired of defending myself against him.”
*I don’t know. But it’s just his human that is this stubborn, his wolf has already accepted us.*
I don’t know what else to do. I am tired of getting hurt, but I don’t want to lose him.
My arm where he nipped me is already healed. I finished my shower and got out. As I was dressing, I heard a knock on the door.
“ Please open up.” Came Zanian’s voice sounding tired.
“go away Zanian. I do not have time for this. I told you who I am and you challenged me AGAIN.”
“I’m sorry, and I saw the tattoo. I know you were telling the truth. Please can we talk?”
I decided to scare him and I teleported myself out of my bedroom and into the hallway directly behind him.
“what is there to talk about?” I asked and saw him jumping. That scare was so worth it. Seeing his face go as white as a sheet and hearing his heart beat so fast, I can actually see it in his neck.
I tried keeping my sh*t together but couldn’t. I toppled over as I laughed and snorted as I inhaled. Holding my stomach, I looked up into his face and he did not look amused and that made me laugh even harder.
“ What the hell, Christy? This is not funny.” He stated and tried to look serious, but I could see the corners of his mouth lifting.
“ Oh come on, it is funny,” I said and only received a glare from him.
Straightening up, I asked “what do we have to talk about? It’s late and I’m tired.”
“a lot actually, like what the hell are you?” and the way he said it made me shut up completely. Looking at him, I closed my mouth and looked down.
“ Can we please do this in the morning? I will explain everything.”
I asked and he looked like he wanted to reject, so I gave him the saddest puppy eyes that I could manage. “don’t look at me like that.” He half asked half pleaded. And I just kept on staring. “ Fine, in the morning we will talk and you will explain.” He said and left. I watched him walk into the room opposite mine and then I went to bed.
The next morning, Zanian was waiting for me in his office. I groaned and got up from the breakfast table. Making my way to his office, I received weird stares from wolves and some she wolves, “probably the ones he had sex with.”
I knocked on his door and stepped in. I greeted Zane and Kyle and they were both staring at me like I’d grown three heads. “what the hell are you staring at?” I asked and they looked away.
“ We saw the fight last night and, by the way, your wolf is huge.”
“Thanks. Why are you here?” I asked and looked at Zanian. “ They are here because they are my second and third and they deserve to know the truth. So, start talking Crystalia.” When he said that, all eyes were on me and I got nervous. I took a deep breath and told my story as best as I could without getting personal.
“I took a blood sample of the wolf I fought to Paris to have it analyzed by a friend. And as I said, the wolves are being experimented on.”
“who is this friend of yours?” Zanian asked, half accusing me. “none of your business. But he couldn’t identify the serum so I went back to my old pack.”
“ Why would you go there?” Zane asked.
“to see if my former Luna and Alpha left something for me and they did. All I found were two letters, one from my father and one from the queen.”
That got them silent. Zane was staring at me openmouthed and Kyle was just gaping. “the queen? As in the Queen of wolves?” Zanian said and folded his arms, looking at me skeptically.
“ Yes, and they told me who is hunting us and why and they also told me who I am.” I said and smiled at the way their faces dropped.
I told them the story I was told, trying not to give away Zanian’s identity too much.
“Raven, see if you can talk to Blaze without Zanian’s knowledge and find out how much he knows.”
*I tried, but his human is blocking him off. I can’t get to him*
“ You are stronger than him. Try harder.”
“ So you are an experiment,” Kyle stated.
“ Yes, but that doesn’t make me any less a wolf than it does you or any other wolf. I was born half wolf and half fox. I’m just stronger and bigger and faster.”
I realized what I had said and saw them jumping up and taking a defensive stance in front of Zanian, growling at me.
“ What the hell is wrong with you?”
“I think you should leave while you still can. We don’t want foxes in this pack.” Kyle said and was spitting fire at me.
“ Well, that is not up to you, it’s up to my mate,” I said, and looked at Zanian, who was staring at me with narrowed eyes. Zane and Kyle looked damn near passing out.
“ Sit down you two and let’s get this thing done,” Zanian said, and I walked over to the door.
“ Where are you going?” Zanian asked.
“I have something to do and I will be back in a couple of days. Hopefully, then I will have more answers because it seems like you won’t be able to give me any.”
“Crystal, you are not leaving until this is sorted out and we know what we are dealing with, because if what you say is true and we are dealing with a mad scientist, then we need all the help we can get and I hate to admit this, but you are the strongest one here, born or made it doesn’t change the truth. So, have whoever you are going to come here and then we work as a team. I will talk to everyone and increase border patrol and you will help train the wolves with Tommy. Am I clear enough for you?”
I looked at Zanian and said “crystal clear Alpha, and walked out.”
Never in my life have I been spoken to as a child and I will not allow him to do so. If he wants to speak to me like a child, then I will treat him like an Alpha and not a mate.