“I don’t…” My resolve waivers, the pull toward him is undeniable. When I remember my father’s words about him betraying Zayn, it once again has me questioning Zayn’s actions and intentions.
“Stay with me tonight. Just tonight,” he murmurs, his lips hovering perilously close to mine.
“Zayn, I can’t.” The finality in my voice is a lie I wish I could believe.
The rough brick wall scrapes against my back as Zayn’s hands cage me on either side, his silver eyes blazing with an intensity that both frightens and thrills me. The city noises fade into the background, drowned out by the rapid beat of my heart.
“Damn it, Cleo! Do you have any idea what this is doing to me?” His fingers graze my cheek, and I lean into the touch despite myself. “Watching you prepare to marry another man? I am your mate!”
My heart clenches at his pain, mirrored by my own. “Do you think it’s easy for me? To turn away from what I want most in this world?”
“Then don’t!” There’s a desperate edge to his voice now, a plea hidden within the command.
His lips are mere inches from mine, and the air between us crackles with raw energy. The desire to close that distance is overwhelming, to lose myself in him and forget everything else.
“Tell me why, Cleo! Why Boyd?” The demand is a guttural growl, his silver eyes reflecting turmoil that mirrors the chaos churning inside me.
“I… I don’t know,” I whisper, my defenses crumbling. “His pack is strong, and our alliance… it would bring peace.” It sounds hollow even to my own ears.
“Because the packs, they’re on the brink of war,” I say, my words rushing out as I struggle to keep my resolve. “Marrying Boyd—it’s more than I can tell you. You lied to me; I can’t even trust you to help because I’m not even sure how much you know or if you even mean a single word you say to me!”
Tears sting my eyes, and I force them back. “I don’t give a damn about Boyd or your father’s politics. I care about you. Us.”
“Us,” I whisper, my heart splintering. His scent envelops me, a heady mix of vanilla, sandalwood and something identifiably male, intensifying the ache.
“Cleo, I can protect you. I will protect you. No one will ever harm you, not on my watch.” His voice is a low growl, leaving no room for doubt of his sincerity.
“This isn’t about me, Zayn!” Anger and frustration well up inside me, spilling out before I can rein them in. “It’s about the pack. About people who’ll get hurt if I don’t do this!”
Zayn steps back as if struck, raking a hand through his hair.
“Let me help you,” Zayn tells me.
“Like you helped me look for Deacon when you knew where he was all along?” I ask him. I know it’s a cheap blow, but at the moment, I don’t trust anything or anyone.
My fingers tremble against the heat of his skin, betraying the longing that seeps into my every pore.
His muscles tense beneath my touch, his breath hitching. For a moment, I see the man beneath the Alpha, vulnerable and torn. He steps back, the connection severed as if by a knife’s edge.
“Don’t expect me to stand by and do nothing while you walk down the aisle with another man.”
The air between us cools almost immediately, the tension now uncomfortable and heavy.
“Don’t say I didn’t warn you. I will let you play pretend for now, but you will see I am not lying, and when you do, don’t even dare ask me to spare your father because the answer will be no.” he growls, pushing off the wall and stalking away.
“Do you think you are better than him?” I ask, and he stops; the sound that leaves him draws the attention of the entire street.
“Excuse me?” he snarls, and I see Zarek press beneath his skin, his eyes changing slightly, and his entire body seems to vibrate as his aura comes out violently.
“My father, do you think you’re better than him?” He stares at me, calming slightly, and I realize he thought I was comparing him to Boyd.
Yet before he can say anything. “You’re not. My father lied to me, and you may think I am foolish for going back to him and my pack, but at least I know what to expect from him. You, I don’t; you lied from the beginning, proving I don’t know you at all. Then you dare to get angry that I leave. Isn’t the saying better the devil, you know? Because that’s just it, Zayn. I don’t know you, what I do know is you’re a liar.”
“Which will make it all the easier when I kill him because you’ll realize I am the only one who told the truth. I may have hidden the fact that I killed your boyfriend, but I never liedabout the reasoning for it. I just didn’t want to upset you. I hid that you were my mate because I knew you wouldn’t feel the bond and that you’d question it. The main reason I hid it? Because I wanted you to feel and realize we shared a bond. I didn’t want to ruin it for you.”
“Ruin it?” I scoff. He ruined it when he lied.
Zayn grips my face, his fingers wrapping tightly around my jawline, knuckles turning white as he forces my chin up to meet his intense gaze. The pressure of Zayn’s grip on my face is almost painful.
