Zara

We returned to Pack House’s, and I knew Alpha Kane wasn’t here yet. The thought of him interrogating this man made my stomach clench, and it wasn’t very pleasant.

Alpha Kane could be intimidating, but the lengths he’d go to get answers were beyond my comprehension.

Asbela was waiting for me, worried and concerned. Her gaze fell on my hands, and she let out a worried sigh.

"Zara! I’m so sorry. How are you? Beta said you had an accident."

I smiled reassuringly at the girl as she led me into the house and up the stairs. Caysir brought my things.

"Everything’s fine now. Nothing to worry about, just some bruises on my arms and neck. They’ll heal." I tried to ease her worries.

Asbela helped me get settled into my room and changed out of my silly hospital gown into a comfortable nightgown.

She filled the vases with water and put away the roses Alpha Kane had brought me, adding fresh flowers.

I told her to keep the blue roses Alpha Kane had brought me and not to throw them away.

"I can create paintings and art from pressed flowers. I’ll make something beautiful for you. Don’t worry."

Relief washed over me as I leaned back against the soft pillows, my hands resting on the dolphin pillow now resting on my lap.

When Asbela finished and I was comfortable, she said to me with a kind smile,

"I’ll bring you some lamb stew with turmeric. It will help you heal."

"I’ll be grateful." I continued to fake a smile.

As soon as the door closed, I sank into the soft bed and closed my eyes.

I missed my family; thoughts of Dad, Ryan, overwhelmed me, and I longed to talk to them.

If only I could hear their voices, it would calm my troubled heart. But Alpha Kane had my phone, and he even knew my password.

Nothing, absolutely nothing, escaped this Alpha.

The crunch of tires on gravel made me open my eyes and turn my attention to the window of my room. It offered a direct view of the breathtaking gardens and the main entrance.

Alpha Kane’s other car stopped, and he stepped out with a completely serious expression. Something was wrong, and my heart started pounding, racing.

Soon I heard him knock quickly on the door, followed by his deep voice. There was a certain urgency in it. Alpha Kane opened it and entered the room, his face stone-faced.

’My heart sank when I saw our Alpha so gloomy, cold, and sullen.’ Nova was dramatic.

"Hey! How are you feeling?" Alpha Kane asked, staggering toward me. The confidence in his steps had vanished, replaced by something dark and almost feral.

Alpha Kane sat quietly on the edge of the bed, at my feet. And then I noticed stains on his shirt, a few on his neck, and even on his face. Blood, there was blood on him.

My first instinct was: he was hurt. So, without thinking, I threw aside the dolphin pillow, jumped up, and grabbed his face with my wounded hands.

"Are you hurt, Alpha?" I asked, my heart leaping into my throat as I desperately searched his face for injuries, eagerly awaiting an answer.

***

Alpha Kane

To her utter surprise, she was the first to think I was wounded, not someone else’s blood on my shirt. Worry clouded her sapphire eyes.

I should have changed and washed before going to her, but in desperation, I arrived with bloody hands, and blood like red pearls spattered across my shirt.

I quietly grabbed her waist and pulled her toward me, so that she was straddling me. Her bandaged hands remained on my face, dispelling the chaos within me.

My hands stroked her soft back, our gazes met, and I whispered, "This isn’t my blood."

I saw her pupils dilate as she realized the shock of my words.

"You tortured him, Alpha?" she asked hoarsely, but there was no disgust in her voice, as I expected. Her thumbs rubbed against my firm cheeks. I knew she could feel them.

"Yes, I needed information, and he wouldn’t give it to me," I told her stony-faced, my hands aching to explore her curves, to kiss her lips, to share her breath.

"Really?" she asked, searching the depths of my eyes for the truth.

"Not much. He was just a puppet; the real culprit is still out there somewhere." I sighed in disappointment; my face must have felt like it was chiseled from iron, judging by the way I clenched my teeth.

I had hoped for answers, to feel some semblance of peace after disfiguring the man who tried to kidnap her. But all I felt was a persistent stab of irritation and disappointment.

Her thumbs continued to explore the hollows and folds of my face, as if her hands were trying to understand their sensations, and I didn’t want her to stop.

She entered me willingly, until our chests touched, her parted lips hovering just above mine. Her gaze slid to my lips, so close, so irritatingly close.

If she kissed me, I didn’t know if I could stop.

And then there was a knock on the door, and Asbela’s sweet voice rang out, which I found most irritating.

"Zara, I brought the stew."

Damn it, Asbela. What a timely moment.

The spell broke, and Zara quickly slid off my lap, leaving an awkward silence.

"Come in, Asbela." She gave her permission.

Asbela opened the door and entered with a tray containing a bowl of stew and medicine.

"Put it on the table," I ordered her, and she quietly did so and turned to face us, her hands folded respectfully in front of her.

"I need to treat her wounds with some medicine. Ceysir gave me the doctor’s prescription."

Before Zara could speak, I had already begun.

"I’ll do it. You may go, Asbela," she bowed slightly and said.

"Yes, Alpha. If you need anything else, let me know."

"Thank you, Asbela," Zara smiled charmingly. Asbela nodded politely and left the room.