Zara’s POV

It was morning when I finally woke up. The lights in the room were dim, and it took me a while for my eyes to adjust.

When I woke up, I didn’t see Alpha Kane. Alpha was gone. To get some fresh air, I went to the park and sat on a bench. I was lost in my thoughts when a woman spoke to me.

"Hello." Her voice was shy and exuded hidden hostility. "Zara, right?"

When this unfamiliar woman said my name, I raised my head abruptly. I clenched my teeth to keep them from hanging.

"What the hell are you doing here, in New York?" I growled slowly.

"Mind link, Alpha Kane," Nova growled in my head.

"If you even think about mind linking your little Alpha, I’m long gone." The girl smirked, her eyes gleaming with smug satisfaction.

I knew she had practically cornered. My curiosity blossomed at the sight of her. I’d only seen this girl once in my life, but it was enough to make me hate her.

"What do you want, Kate?" I clenched my teeth, fighting the urge to pounce.

Kate, Marcus’s mate, was sitting next to me in the park. She looked the same as she had the first time I’d seen her. Long hair, dark eyes, and a heart-shaped face.

She was beautiful in so many ways. Slender but tall, she exuded an aura of superiority that clung to her like a sweet perfume. Her chocolate hair framed her heart-shaped face like a silk veil.

At first, I hated her, consumed by jealousy and grief over losing Marcus. Over the past year, I’d come to realize that my hatred for her was completely unfounded. She had done nothing wrong. It wasn’t her fault that she was Marcus’s mate.

Hearing how the two of them had run away from the pack and left everyone else to die had brought the hatred back with renewed vigor. She was born to be Luna, and that meant never leaving her pack.

"I just wanted to know what was so fixated on Marcus," Kate chuckled, an expression that seemed odd and out of place on her fragile face. "What’s so special about you, Zara?"

Irritation washed over me. Had she come here just for a social visit? That younger part of me remembered what it was like to be loved by Marcus, but now it knew better. We both knew better. I had no idea... Marcus was capable of real love.

How could someone turn their back on their mate? I never claimed to like Kate, but she and Marcus were destined to be together. It was more than just a friend or childhood crush.

"Hmm, does Marcus know you’re stalking me?" I raised an eyebrow at her, and saw the anger flicker in her eyes.

"Stalking is such a simple word, isn’t it?" Kate chuckled, twirling a strand of hair around her finger. "I’d say I’m sizing up the competition."

"Competition?" Nova chuckled. "You bet. She can take her cowardly mate for herself."

"Competition?" I smirked, almost like Nova. "In case it wasn’t obvious, you’re the one with Marcus. I’m bound to the pack, not Marcus. Has he ever told you about his plans?"

I tried to keep my voice casual, hoping she’d spill some information. Something that would make this conversation worth passing on to Alpha Kane. Right now, I have nothing. This conversation was a pointless attempt to quell her raging jealousy.

I wanted to ask her about the attacks on our pack, but was it worth giving sensitive information to an outsider? I did not doubt that anything I told her would get back to Marcus, especially if it had anything to do with his former pack.

"Oh, no," Kate smirked, shaking her head. "No way. My mouth is sealed."

"Tell me. What if I knock you out and drag you to my Alpha?" I allowed myself a cruel grin. "Then how are you going to keep Marcus’s plans a secret?"

Kate’s grin matched mine, and she leaned closer. I felt my grin slip at her words, and anger began to boil in my veins.

"See that guy?" Kate muttered, turning her head toward the corner of the park. "Blonde hair, green shirt. Killer body."

"What about him?" I asked sharply, glancing at the man she was talking about. The man’s gaze caught mine, and his lips twitched into a smirk.

"That’s my friend. He’s been following your friend for many days." Kate giggled. "What’s her name? Sophia, huh?"

"Stay the hell away from her," I growled under my breath.

Nova was seething. She didn’t care about Kate’s friend. She’d kill Kate first, and then she’d hunt her little friend. I couldn’t risk Sophia getting hurt. But I was too far away from the Sterling Empire where Sophia was.

"Oh, he will," Kate nodded, a smug smile on her face. "Unless you do something stupid."

Kate leaned closer, her voice a whisper. "Because trust me, I’ll be gone before your little Alpha even thinks to come for me. He’s awake and looking for you. And poor Sophia, well, I don’t need to tell you all that stuff."

"What do you want, Kate?" I snapped, the fire inside me dying. "You want to kidnap me? Kill me? Get this over with and leave my friends alone."

"I wouldn’t say that right now," Nova snorted.

"I’m tired of these games." I hissed. "I want to know why she’s here."

"Oh no, I’m afraid that honor has gone to someone else." Kate shrugged nonchalantly. "I just want to know what the hell Marcus sees in you."

"Nothing," I snapped. "Marcus and I dated a year ago. He was a piece of shit even then. You’re his fucking girlfriend, dammit."

"Mm, well, we agree on one thing," Kate nodded, looking lustfully at my rum. "Marcus is a piece of shit." 𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂

Confusion crossed my face. "Then why are you with him?"

"There’s more to it than that, Zara," Kate smirked, and I began to see intelligence in her dark eyes. "Commonality doesn’t make us allies. Trust me, I’m as much your enemy as Marcus is."

"Great, thanks for the cryptic answer." I answered through clenched teeth, "Well, if that’s all, you can leave me alone."

"It was fun, Zara. But I must say, meeting you was a bit of a letdown." Kate smirked, standing up from the bench.

I felt my whole body tense as Kate came up behind me, her lips close to my ear.

"You know, you and your little Alpha make a cute couple." Kate chuckled softly in my ear, "Be careful next time, you never know who’s watching you." Kate disappeared before I could turn around.

There was no point in my sitting here now, so I went into the apartment.

***