“Zayn,” Vance approaches with a heavy sigh, though his concern is etched into his features, “the pack… they’re nervous.”
I can feel their eyes on us as we enter the huge living room. Whispers slither through the room, coating my skin like frost as I take in all the people. There are about a dozen who must be Zayn’s community council; each pack has one, so it isn’t something I’m unfamiliar with. I am just shocked seeing them all here. My father never allowed pack members to freely come and go from the house. Which defeats the purpose of a pack house; it’s supposed to be communal, a safe place for pack members. It’s good to see Zayn’s pack has held onto older traditions that aren’t used much in today’s society where we have technology.
“Alpha Samuel has declared war,” one voice rises above the rest, laced with fear.
“Joseph, too,” another confirms, casting a wary glance my way.
“Are we to be strengthened by this union or torn apart?” a female pack member questions, her eyes piercing into mine.
“Why hasn’t she marked him back?” another member mutters, not quite under his breath. The question hangs heavy in the air, and I feel the sting of judgment. Zayn sighs heavily, like this wasn’t how he planned his morning.
“Settle, you’re panicking for no reason! So enough. It’s too early in the morning for this kind of headache.” Zayn’s command slices through the murmurs, and silence falls like a guillotine. “Cleo’s choice to mark me, Stanley, is hers alone, and it will not be questioned.”
He turns to me, his gray eyes softening. However, with every conflicted gaze that meets mine, I understand the gravity of our situation, the precariousness of a balance tipped by him marking me and the war that seems to be brewing.
Zayn stands watching them debate and argue in his living room like this is a normal thing. He is calm in the storm. He addresses his pack, his voice resonant and firm. “Alpha Greyson has offered his support. We’re not alone in this.”
“Support is one thing,” Stanley interjects, his brow furrowed. “What about our businesses? If we’re cut off from trade with other packs, we’ll suffer.”
I bite my lip, watching Zayn handle each worry with the grace of a true Alpha, yet still managing to dominate the room, too. I feel like an unwanted bystander listening to the mess I’ve made.
Needing to escape, I slip away, grabbing the keys to Zayn’s car, which he told me last night I could use. Needing to get my clothes and books, I head to campus, leaving Zayn to handle his pack. The college campus is quieter than usual, a contrast to the turmoil back home. As I insert my key into the dorm door, it refuses to turn. A cold knot forms in my gut. I try again before huffing, knowing I will need to check with the administration. Wandering down to the front of campus, I pass a few classes, andI’m thankful most are in class. I don’t think I could handle their glares today. Entering the front office, I close the door gently.
“Miss Carter?” The administrator at the desk looks up, pity etched into her features. “Hey, Samantha, my key isn’t working,” I tell her, holding it up. She bites her lip nervously. Glancing down at her computer, she pushes her glasses up her nose and slides one of her fiery red locks behind her ear as she types my name into the system.
Her brows furrow before she glances up at me, where I stand. “I’m sorry, but your tuition has been canceled. Your enrollment… you’re no longer a student here.”
“By who?” My voice comes out sharper than intended.
“Your father,” she replies, her gaze dropping. He cut my tuition. I knew he would, I just wasn’t expecting it to be done by the next day. What if I had nowhere to go? What would I have done? Does he truly hate me that much?
Tears sting my eyes, but I refuse to let them fall. I storm out, heading to the car then slamming the car door behind me as I slump into the driver’s seat. How could he? My entire future is gone with a single decision; I stare at the campus office, trying to figure out what to do.
That’s when I notice my own car is missing from the parking lot. Panic flares up inside me like a wildfire. Everything is spiraling out of control. He’s even taken my car. I can’t even retrieve my belongings from my room.
“Hey.” Zayn’s sudden appearance beside the car startles me, concern etched across his handsome face as he opens my door, scaring the living daylights out of me. I clutch my chest in fright, wondering when he got here. Glancing at the clock on the dash, I realize I have been lost in my thoughts in the car for over an hour. “What’s wrong?”
“Everything,” I choke out, the walls I’ve built to contain my emotions crumbling down.
“Zayn, I have nothing left, he’s taken everything now and completely cut me off.” The weight of my world is heavy on my shoulders. “No school, no car… My own father…” I’m humiliated knowing I will have to ask for his help further now, because I don’t even have a place to go if Zayn gets bored with me or wants me gone.
“Shh,” he soothes, pulling me out of the car into his chest. His heartbeat is steady against my ear, a grounding rhythm in the chaos. “You have me.”
“Is that supposed to fix everything?” I retort, even as I cling to him, desperate for his soothing scent.
“Maybe not,” he admits. “But we’ll figure it out. Now get in,” he tells me, and I sigh. I slip into the passenger seat when I notice Vance’s car next to Zayn’s. Vance waves.
I nod back before Vance leans across the seat, Zane speaking to him a moment.
“Head back to the club,” I hear him tell Vance.
Vance gives us a curt nod and disappears, leaving us alone. As Zayn takes the driver’s seat, I stare out the window, feeling adrift in a life that’s suddenly unrecognizable. “I have nothing left,” I admit, the weight of my new reality pressing down on me. “No money, nowhere to live… I feel like such a burden to you.”
Zayn’s hand finds mine, his grip reassuring. “You’re not a burden, Cleo,” he says firmly. “If you want, you can come work for me or just stay at home until you figure out what you want to do. You have options.”
His words are meant to comfort, however all they do is remind me how completely my world has tipped on its axis. We drive in silence, the hum of the engine a soothing background sound to the chaos of my thoughts. Once back on pack territory, Zayn drives past the packhouse and pulls up at a massive oval field, dotted with figures moving in synchronized patterns—his pack training.
“I’ll be back,” he says, stepping out. “Just need to drop off this patrol roster for Andrea to give out.”
