Zara

"Asking for Alpha Kane and all that, like I belonged to him." I snorted, shaking my head.

"I thought you didn’t mind being Alpha Kane’s," Sophia smirked.

"I don’t want to belong to anyone." I shook my head. My stomach clenched, realizing the lie I’d just told. Truthfully, I wouldn’t mind being Alpha Kane’s. His possessiveness over me was tempting, heightening all these conflicting feelings.

"When you find your mate, you’ll want to belong to them." Sophia nodded confidently, and something flickered in the depths of her gaze.

I’d almost forgotten that Sophia had found her mate. I’d been so absorbed in my own life that I hadn’t seen the time to ask about hers.

"How are things going with your mate?" I chuckled, leaning forward anxiously.

"It was... hard." Sophia nodded, her eyes filled with pain. "He doesn’t accept us for who we are."

I felt terribly sorry for her.

"He can change." I reassured her. "You two are made for each other." I smiled softly at my best friend.

"I hope you’re right." Sophia’s voice was quiet, her gaze distant.

The three of us finished dinner, and Sophia took me to my dad.

The moment I walked into my father’s house, I realized going there had been a mistake.

"Zara." Dad growled from his chair, his face twisting into a grimace as our eyes met. I considered running out of the house, slamming the door, and running down the street. Dad wouldn’t catch me, but I’d be in much bigger trouble.

"I thought Alpha Kane would be watching over you," Dad growled. "Won’t let you get into more trouble. Alpha, right, Zara?"

"You leave your job," Dad grumbled, casting me an irritated glance.

"I can’t possibly back down." I rolled her eyes at Dad.

"How do you know?" Dad chuckled.

***

Although I wanted to visit my dad, I spent the rest of the day with Sophia. I returned to the pub around seven and immediately went to the dinning area to eat. Werewolves sometimes had rather large appetites, and we needed a lot of food to feed ourselves.

Alpha Zeke stood in the kitchen with a bowl of chicken and rice in his hands. His black hair was tousled, and he leaned against the counter. When I entered the kitchen, his eyes sparkled with pleasure.

"Here, I made dinner," Alpha Zeke grinned, looking far too young for his age. He pushed a bowl of steaming food towards me, anticipation evident in his eyes. With a slight smile, I grabbed the bowl and began to eat.

There was something inviting about Alpha Zeke. Despite his powerful Alpha aura, he was carefree and had a great sense of humor.

"Where’s Alpha Kane?" I tried to keep my voice even, with just a hint of curiosity. I suppressed my longing. As strange as it sounded, I missed him. I hadn’t seen him since training and noticed his absence.

"You’re naming your title partner?" Alpha Zeke snorted, his mouth full. "I don’t know what he’s doing. He said he’d be back soon."

"He told you we were mates?" I pursed my lips, trying to hide the hope in my voice. Alpha Kane was well over eighteen. He would have understood if we were mates.

"He didn’t tell me anything, but it’s obvious." Alpha Zeke shrugged, his lips curling into a smirk. "The way you look at him says it all."

I wanted to roll my eyes and let a disappointed sigh escape my lips. Alpha Kane never mentioned being my mate. Alpha Zeke gleaned the information from the way I looked at Alpha Kane.

This information didn’t tell me much and only left me more disappointed.

"I have no idea who my mate is," I remarked.

"I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s Alpha Kane." Alpha Zeke shrugged indifferently, but a smirk appeared on his face. "He rarely shows interest in women, but I understand why he was intrigued by you."

"He rarely shows interest?" I couldn’t hide the smug satisfaction that shone through my words. The thought of Alpha Kane ignoring other women was oddly satisfying. If Alpha Kane expected me to be his only, I wanted the same in return. Other men didn’t arouse my interest either.

"Except for that Demon Marcus," Nova muttered grumpily.

In the end, she was right. Marcus had captured my interest. His unearthly beauty was almost as striking as Alpha Kane’s. With his sun-blonde hair, he had caught my attention from the very first moment I saw him. The mark on my shoulder tingled at the thought, a feeling I had buried deep within myself. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

"Most she-wolves are docile and submissive creatures when it comes to their Alpha." Alpha Zeke almost winced, making me wonder if he felt the same way. "They will obey our every command without question. I don’t find that very attractive, though Alpha Kane would disagree. He prefers his women to be obedient little creatures."

I couldn’t help but snort at his comment. "I have a hard time obeying. I tend to speak without thinking."

"Oh, believe me, I noticed," Alpha winked, giving me a dazzling smile.

Alpha Kane quickly found me at the dining table, as if he’d known I’d been there the whole time. His honey-colored eyes met mine, but they betrayed no emotion. They were tense, as if he’d had a hard day. We quickly went upstairs together.

Alpha Zeke made a snide comment, wishing us both "have fun." After a hesitant growl from Alpha Kane, we headed to his bedroom. I’d long since stopped asking if Alpha Kane wanted me in his bed.

Sleeping next to him felt right, strengthening my hope that he would be my mate. I wanted to ask, but I couldn’t bring myself to formulate the words.

What if he wasn’t my mate? Would I be able to handle that? I knew my eyes would fill with disappointment if he said no, and then tears would well up, burning my eyelids. My birthday is in a week, so that I could wait another week.

"You seem more worried than usual," Alpha Kane remarked, his dark brow raising in a way that made butterflies flutter in my stomach.