Dad doesn’t even look at Samuel as he pushes me toward the car. “Get in,” he orders.
“Dad—”
“Get in!” His voice is a roar, his eyes still flashing from the argument with Zayn. He then turns back to Samuel and Lydia. You’d think those two would hate each other since Linda left Samuel for my father when they met at an Council meeting a few years back. Samuel seemed to accept it almost immediately. My mother, however, wasn’t so inviting to Linda. Eventually, she came to terms with it; it is not like she had a choice. Linda and my father are fated mates. Yes, indeed, you can also reject your mates and choose your own. Some people choose mates and then abandon them for their true mates when they appear. True mates are always stronger than chosen ones, and they can override a chosen mate bond if the true mate marks them, as happened with my mother. When my mother caught my father cheating, it was because Linda marked him; it severed her bond to him instantly.
I glance back at the building and see Zayn emerge from the wreckage, immediately taking charge. He’s barking orders at various members of his pack, directing them to tend to thosewho are injured. The man is fully in Alpha mode, but something in his eyes tells me the confrontation with my father isn’t over.
My stepmother, Linda, shows up, rushing past me to embrace Lydia.
“Oh, my poor baby! Are you okay?” she gushes, and I roll my eyes.
The words turn my stomach. “Poor baby?” I mutter under my breath. Linda always worried about her daughter and never anybody else.
What about the people who are actually hurt?
Ignoring the scene, I walk over to Dad’s car, pulling on the door handle, only to find it locked. Dad and Samuel are in a heated discussion a few yards away. And I try to listen.
“Wait, what happened?” Linda demands, looking at Samuel. But my father is the one who answers her.
“Samuel isn’t providing the pack protection we pay for each month; Alpha Zayn provides it!”
Samuel shrugs, trying to explain himself to his ex-wife and his friend. “My hands are tied. I am short of men for my own border patrols with all the recent attacks, and I wasn’t going to leave my daughter unprotected, Joseph!”
“But him! No, I won’t allow it… I don’t want him anywhere near my pack.”I turn my attention away, rubbing my arms, trying to warm them.
The cold is starting to seep back into my bones, making me regret the loss of Zayn’s warmth. Before I can dwell on the thought, someone drapes a blanket over my shoulders.
I turn around to find Zayn standing there, now wearing a pair of shorts.
“You looked cold,” he says gruffly.
“Thank you,” I whisper, pulling the blanket tighter around me.
“Doesn’t your father ever get sick of yelling at people?” he mutters, and I chuckle.
“Apparently not,” I sigh, knowing I will have to listen to him rant all the way home.
“Are you going to leave my pack defenseless?” I ask, chewing my lip, and he scratches his chin. “I will work out something with your father. Don’t you worry about it,” he says, and I am about to ask another question when I hear my name being called.
“Cleo!” Another voice calls out, and I look over to see Deacon rushing toward me from the club next door. The relief on his face is evident as he wraps me in a hug, nearly squeezing the life out of me.
“Thank God, you’re okay! I’ve been trying to reach you. Why weren’t you answering your phone?”
I glance back at Zayn, remembering he took my phone only to catch him glaring at Deacon. I clear my throat, wondering what has gotten into him. He looks at me and then seems to come to his senses but then snaps at me.
“Oh, I’m sorry. I left your phone in my pants, which were destroyed while I was saving you!”
I blink at him, not expecting such a harsh reply.
Honestly, I wasn’t going to ask him at all because I knew there was no way he had my phone now. Not after the constant shifting and fighting.
“You must be Alpha Zayn. I’ve heard about you. I’m Deacon, Cleo’s mate,” Deacon says, holding out his hand to Zayn. Zayn, however, growls at his gesture.
“I highly doubt that, she isn’t even old enough to recognize her mate yet,” Zayn rumbles, but Deacon is oblivious to his anger.
“Well, not yet, obviously. We plan to mate and mark each other once she is of age,” Deacon adds, and Zayn’s gaze flicks tome. His eyes flicker, and I take a step back from him, bumping into Deacon at the feral look he gives me.
“Is that so?” he asks, his eyes narrowing.
