Chapter 0162

Zachary

“Desire?” Her voice is a soft whisper, her gaze locked with mine.

“Yes.”

Her palms press against my chest, a small frown forming between her brows. “Desire for what?”

“To live.”

She glances down at her hand resting over my heart. It beats steadily beneath her touch. Yet her own pulse quickens. The wind catches her hair, scattering her scent around us.

“You were going to die?” A note of concern colors her voice.

“We all die eventually, Isabella. I mean I was tired of the same empty existence. Eat, sleep, hunt. Repeat. I craved something more.”

Her eyes lift back to mine. “And Brianna helped you?”

“She did. She offered me a home. Became a friend. Now she’s like a sister. She reminded me that becoming a beast didn’t mean I had to live like one. She still reminds me.”

“And you just changed?”

“No. It was a long process. Like a human breaking a drug addiction. It wasn’t easy.”

Her lips part slightly as she searches for words. “Oh.”

“Not what you expected?”

“I didn’t know what to expect,” she murmurs. “This whole year has been one surprise after another.”

“Are you afraid?” She hasn’t pushed away from me yet. Probably because her crutches lie in the grass several feet away.

She shakes her head and leans closer. “You need to stop assuming I am.”

I cup the back of her head, tilting her face up to mine. I breathe in her intoxicating scent. I could claim her right here. But something tells me she’d prefer privacy. Away from watching eyes. I settle for a kiss. My lips mold to hers. I savor her taste. Her subtle arousal fills the air.

I will make her mine permanently soon enough.

I slide a hand under her thighs and lift her. Ready to take her back to my place. But she lets out a sharp cry of pain. She nearly bites my lip. Her fingers dig into my sides as she squeezes her eyes shut.

“Sorry,” she mumbles when the pain subsides.

I frown. She shouldn’t apologize for something my brother did to her.

“Maybe I should just go lie down,” she mutters, scowling. Her frustration is palpable. “Spend some time with Athena.”

“Are you sure?”

She nods and waits for me to retrieve her crutches. I watch her hobble toward the packhouse.

Looking up, I see Brianna hovering nearby. Her arms are crossed. She stares at everything but me.

“Brianna? Do you need something?”

“That looked intense,” she mutters, catching up to me.

“Did it?” I reply, unamused.

“Come on, Zachary! You know it was. What’s it like having a mate?”

“Brianna, if you’re after gossip, I have nothing for you.” I know it won’t satisfy her. In the past, she admitted missing human gossip. Our way of life cost her that part of her humanity.

“Fine. What about Gabriel? How did it go with him?”

“Has Alexander not been to see you?”

“No. Why would he want to see me?”

I frown. He left the dungeons when I did. I thought he was heading to Brianna’s house to ask her to speak with him. Like we discussed.

“Maybe he got sidetracked.” I scan the grounds. No sign of him. But our pack is large. Any member could have distracted him.