Crystal POV
It’s been four days since Zanian and I mated and I have never felt better. Everything with him just sort of fell into place, he is no longer angry all the time, Blaze hasn’t been moody or short tempered. Raven is also much more relaxed and easy going.
The morning after, we mated everything and every part of my body hurt. Zanian felt bad, so he ran bath water for me with lavender bath oil and rose pedals. He found one vanilla scented candle and one cinnamon. I was too afraid to walk because my legs might give out, so he came and carried me to the bath, he bathed me and dried me and dressed me, he made us all breakfast and didn’t allow me to leave. He did everything, and anything I wanted was brought to me by him. I couldn’t even walk to the bathroom, he would carry me and wait outside the door until I was done. That day I wished we could go back to not speaking or when we fight or something. That is how uncomfortable I’ve felt.
I got so much attention from him that I didn’t know what to do with it, but I wouldn’t change time for even a second.
In some twisted way, being kidnapped and losing my father somehow brought Zanian and me closer together.
Zara and Tracy couldn’t wait to start teasing me and telling me just what they think about my love making with Zanian, and that they hated me for being happy and making them listen. I didn’t know I could blush that badly, but I did and they thought it was very funny. They kept on teasing me when, eventually, Zanian stood up for me and put them in their place.
The teasing stopped, but the looks never did.
We are finally going home today and I cannot wait. I miss my bed and my friends. I haven’t seen them in so long.
“are you ready?” Zanian asked from behind me. I yelped and stumbled forward due to the scare he gave me. I felt hands around my waist stopping me from stumbling forward.Many paragraphs are missing. Read the complete book on J o=b n-I b . c (o) m . “I’m sorry I didn’t mean to scare you.”
“ Well you did, and almost gave me a heart attack in the process.”
“I’m sorry.” He said and leaned down to kiss me. That really made me lose my balance and we both tumbled to the floor, landing with a hard ‘oomph.’
Just then, the door swung open and Zara stepped in. She looked at us on the floor and started reversing, but not before we noticed her blushing.
“ Please come and help me up. Zanian scared me and we fell, so please come and help me.” I asked and it was the only thing I could think of to not make this situation any more uncomfortable.
“ We are all packed and ready.” Tracy said as she just waltzed in.
“ Great, we are also done,” Zanian said and took the bags. I packed all the research Donovan has gathered on every experiment he has ever done and made sure to take all the important things.
Tracy has a map and she can get us out of here, but Zara has already done her magic and marked a path for us to take, since she cannot teleport or anything that is the least she could do.
I couldn’t help but think about how everything is going at home and if everyone is okay. I mean we were kidnapped two weeks ago and no one has heard anything from us and we didn’t even try and make contact, so what if something happened or if something is happening right now as we speak?
Zanian POV
I don’t know what came over me. I mean Crystal has so many secrets and yet I can’t seem to stay mad at her or even bring myself to hate her, even after what she did and how she tricked me into marking her.
Making love to her was by far the best sex I have ever had and I have never felt this satisfied or pleased. Her shyness is what made everything more interesting and I loved teasing her just to see her blush and hide her face. Everything about her is all of a sudden drawing me to her from the way she sways her hips as she walks to the way she bites her bottom lip when she is in deep thought or the way she sticks out her tongue when she is concentrating very hard on something.
And I feel like a foolish sick love puppy. I tried to concentrate on all the things I hate about her and it seemed like I cannot find one thing anymore. I don’t hate her for anything.
I rubbed my hands over my face and groaned. ‘what the hell is happening to me?’
*you, my dear human, are falling in love with our mate. The same one you didn’t want and now you are more crazy about her than I am*
“ You did this to me, Blaze, I don’t know how, but you did this and you better change it or take it back, because you know I never wanted a mate again and now I will do anything just to keep her safe and out of harm’s way.”
*and that is how it should be. There is nothing wrong with you loving our mate Zanian, and she is not leaving.*
“Zanian, you might want to stop thinking so hard and just concentrate on where you are walking.” When I looked up, I was very close to walking into a tree and the first thing I did was look over at Crystal, who was looking at me and smiling.
“why are you smiling?” I asked.
“ Well, Tracy and I made a bet and we were hoping you would realize that you were going to walk into a tree on your own, but then Zara just had to spoil it.”
“ You did what?” I asked, half shocked that she would do that to me.
“I did try and tell you, but you didn’t even hear me, so I kept quiet.”
“ You are something else, do you know that?” I said and Crystal just shrugged her shoulders and smirked at me.
The rest of the walk was silent and this time I watched where I was going.
I can’t wait to get home and see everyone again. Before I started this pack, I never knew what loneliness felt like until after I formed the pack, and each time I had to leave I couldn’t wait to get home. Only then did I realize how lonely I was.
Tracy POV
I don’t know what to think or what to feel. I lost my best friend and I am moving to a new home where I don’t even know if I will be accepted.
‘ What if no one likes me?’
‘ What if they try to attack me?’
Uggghhhh, why is this life so hard? Why can’t I just have a normal life? I don’t judge every wolf I see, because I know some of them are really good. I mean just look at Donovan. I was on my own for so long and then I found him and he basically took me in. taught me, kept me fed, kept me company.
He taught me everything I know, yes he was an ass sometimes, especially if I forgot something small or when he was under stress, like trying to find Crystal and Zanian. He was always planning to use them and start the war himself for his mate and child. He was so consumed that he sometimes went mad. I never blamed him and I never will, because he showed me compassion when my own family didn’t even show me mercy.
I watched him dying every day, and one day he just changed. He didn’t want war anymore, he just wanted someone to know the truth. He wants to go and be with his mate and finally be happy.
“ We are almost there,” Zara said, and I became anxious again.
“Zanian, what do you think will happen when I step onto the territory?” I asked.
He stopped walking and pulled my arm, signaling me to stand with him for a second.
“ You are a part of this pack now, and anyone who has a problem with that will have to deal with me.” Zanian said and right after him Zara and Crystal said, “and us.” I don’t know how to feel so I just nodded my head and looked down, it’s been more than 150 years since I have been on my own. Now I am not on my own anymore and I don’t think I ever will be. I believe Zanian and everyone else when they say I will never be alone again.
As we walked I couldn’t help but stare stunned at my surroundings. I mean I have never been to this part of the forest. I don’t even think anyone knows about this side of the forest. Everything smells so clean and its open and the scenery is just beautiful. Now I know why wolves prefer to live in the woods instead of the city. For us vampires, it is different. We like our privacy, but we don’t enjoy being cut off the way wolves do. Vampires that are born “pure blood” we can walk in daylight and we can sleep whereas bitten vampires, they cannot walk in the daylight and they don’t sleep. Usually during the day they hide inside the house or in dark corners. Some even like caves because it is away from humans and other preying creatures. Most of them just keep to themselves and then there are the ones that draw attention, you get the ones that love partying and then you get the royals. They didn’t make the rules. The Elders made the rules and all they ask is for the rules to be followed. The Elders used to exist outside of one of each species.
Vampire, wolf, witch, guardian, shape shifter, and last but not least, a fairy.
They represented the unity of our species, but after my father declared a war on wolves and shifters, the council fell apart and split up. Now vampires are on their own. The highest family we have now is the royals and even they are corrupted.
I could smell all the wolves as we came closer to the territory and I had to smell again, because they smelled nothing like the rogues I had come across. They almost smelled normal, “well as normal as they can.” they didn’t have that stench of rotten meat or burned flesh. They smelled like mud after a heavy rain. I have never in my life smelled anything like this.
As we got closer, I started feeling weird, almost like I couldn’t wait. I felt “happy.”
It feels like I have enough energy to run around the world and still not be tired.
“Tracy, are you okay?” Crystal asked and I didn’t even realize I was smiling until she looked at me funny.
“ Yes, I am more than okay. I am happy, and I’m excited. I don’t think I have ever felt like this.” I said, and looked at her.
“ Well, for as long as we live and breathe, you will always have a home. Because that is where we are.” I looked at Crystal and she was genuinely smiling at me. She moved away from me and said, “welcome home.”
I looked around her and my breath aught in my throat. I have never in my life seen so many wolves in one place.
There were so many little ones playing around and chasing each other that I felt envious. I always imagined having kids of my own, but vampires can’t get pregnant with anyone except their mate.
I looked around and that is when I had the biggest scare of my life. I heard a girl shouting and I could hear footsteps coming fast, and I mean fast. I barely turned my head when I saw Zanian and Crystal landing flat on their backs with a sobbing girl on top of them.
As they lay there, I looked around and found myself staring into the most mesmerizing golden brown eyes I have ever seen. He was looking at me like I was his next meal, so I broke eye contact and I could swear I heard a growl and when I looked again, he was walking closer, never taking his eyes off me.
When he came to stand in front of me, I almost passed out from his beauty and his smell. He inhaled deeply and said the one word I never thought I would ever hear again.
He looked at me and I saw his eyes change to a darker shade of brown, then he said…
“MATE.”