ZANE’S POV
I walked back to the palace in a daze, with my mind still spinning from everything that had happened at Mira’s house.
The way Aria looked at me, the way she trembled when I held her face, and the way her eyes had filled with tears when I told her I would fight for her, it was all I could think about.
I had meant every word I said to her.
I would fight for her.
I would do whatever it took to be with her.
But as I walked through the dark streets, a tight knot of worry formed in my stomach.
Someone had been watching the house.
Someone had seen me.
And I had no idea who it was or what they would do with that information.
When I reached the palace, Tristan was waiting for me in my chambers, with a tensed and worried expression on his face.
He looked at me and shook his head.
“You were gone for a long time.
I was starting to get worried.”
I closed the door behind me and leaned against it, then I let out a long breath and said, “I went to see her.
Aria.
She is staying at Mira’s house.”
Tristan opened his eyes wide with shock and blurted, “Zane, that is dangerous.
If anyone saw you—”
“Someone did,” I said, cutting him off.
“I was followed.
I do not know who it was, but someone was watching the house.”
Tristan’s face turned pale instantly as he asked nervously, “Do you know who it was?
Did you see them?”
I shook my head.
“No.
But I need you to find out.
I need to know who is watching me.”
Tristan nodded his head slowly and said with a serious look in his eyes.
“I will investigate discreetly.
But Zane, you need to be careful.
If Aurora finds out about this—”
“I know,” I said, my voice heavy.
“I know.”
Before I could say anything else, the door swung open and my father walked in, his expression sharp and commanding.
Alpha Alaric was not a man who tolerated excuses, and I could tell from the look on his face that he was not happy.
“Zane, where were you tonight?
You missed the pack meeting.
The elders were asking questions.” He barked angrily.
I straightened up and met his gaze.
“I had something important to attend to, Father.”
He raised an eyebrow, clearly not satisfied with my answer and hissed, “Important?
More important than your duties to the pack?”
I took a deep breath and decided to tell him the truth.
“I was actually about to come and speak with you, Father.
There is something I need to tell you.”
My father’s expression shifted from anger to curiosity, as he relaxed his shoulders and asked, “What is it, son?”
I hesitated for a moment, but I knew I could not keep this from him.
“I want to break the bond with Aurora.”
The silence that followed was heavy and suffocating.
My father stared at me like I had just grown a second head.
Then he took a step back and asked, “Break the bond?
Are you out of your mind?”
“I am serious, Father.
I cannot marry her.
I do not love her.
My heart belongs to someone else.”
My father’s face turned red with anger instantly.
“Someone else?
Who could possibly be more important than your mate, the woman the Moon Goddess chose for you?”
I shook my head and said calmly, “I cannot tell you who she is.
Not yet.
But I know what I feel, and I know I cannot marry Aurora.”
My father stepped closer, his voice sounding low and dangerous.
“Zane, let me make something very clear to you.
Breaking a mate bond is not a simple thing.
It is a grave disrespect to the Moon Goddess.
Any wolf can break their bond, but not the Alpha.
The Alpha must set an example for the pack.
If you break this bond, the pack will lose faith in you.
You could lose your title, your position, everything you have worked for.”
I met his gaze without flinching, and said steadily, “I do not care about the title or the position.
I care about her.”
My father clenched his jaw and barked angrily, “You are a fool, Zane.
Aurora is the perfect Luna.
She is beautiful, charming, and the pack already adores her.
You would throw all of that away for some woman you barely know?”
“I know her well enough,” I said quietly.
“And I will not change my mind.”
My father laughed bitterly, shaking his head.
“You think love is enough?
You think feelings will sustain a pack?
Being Alpha is not about what you want, Zane.
It is about duty.
It is about sacrifice.
And you are willing to throw it all away for a whim?”
“It is not a whim,” I said, my voice rising.
“I have never felt this way about anyone.
You cannot ask me to marry someone I do not love and pretend to be happy.
I would be lying to her, lying to the pack, and lying to myself.
Is that what you want for me?”
My father’s eyes flashed with anger and jabbed me on the chest with his finger.
“What I want is for you to act like the Alpha you were born to be.
You do not get to be selfish, Zane.
You do not get to follow your heart and ignore your responsibilities.
You are the future of this pack, and you will do what is best for it, whether you like it or not.”
Before I could respond, there was a soft knock on the door.
My heart sank as the door opened and Aurora walked in, with a sweet and innocent smile on her face.
She looked between me and my father, with curiosity in her eyes and bowed respectfully, “Alpha Alaric, I hope I am not interrupting anything.”
My father’s expression softened immediately, and he smiled warmly at her.
“Aurora, my dear, what a pleasant surprise.
What are you doing here at this time of the night?”
Aurora gave him a wide smile as she walked further into the room.
“I could not sleep, and I missed Zane.
I just wanted to see him.”
My father chuckled and winked at me, completely unaware of the conversation we had just been having.
“I see.
Well, you will have to be patient with him.
He is very stubborn, this one.”
Aurora laughed softly and nodded.
“I know.
But I am patient.
I can wait.”
My father patted her shoulder and walked toward the door.
“Then I will leave you two alone.
Do not stay up too late.”
And then he was gone, leaving me alone with Aurora.
The silence between us was thick and uncomfortable, and I could feel her eyes on me, watching me carefully. Get faster updates on g.com.
“What do you want, Aurora?” I asked, my voice cautious.
She walked toward me slowly, her movements graceful and her steps, deliberate.
“I know we do not know each other that well, Zane.
But I want us to make an effort.
I want us to be together.
We are mates, and I want to build something real with you.”
I studied her for a moment, trying to read her intentions.
Then I asked calmly, “Do you not think it would be more appropriate to have this discussion in the morning?
Someone might see you coming in and out of my room at this time of the night.
It could cause rumors.”
Aurora laughed softly, a sound that was light and carefree.
“We are fated mates, Zane.
I do not care what anyone thinks.”
“You might not care,” I said carefully, “but others might.
We are not just any wolves, Aurora.
We are the Alpha Prince and his mate.
Everything we do is watched and talked about.
I would rather not give anyone a reason to gossip.”
She tilted her head slightly and even though her smile still in place, something shifted behind her eyes.
“You are very concerned about appearances all of a sudden.
Is there something you are worried people might see?”
I held her gaze, refusing to give anything away and replied blankly.
“I am always aware of my position.
That is not strange.”
“No,” she said softly, and stepped closer.
“I suppose it is not.
But I wonder, Zane, why you seem so distant.
You barely look at me.
You avoid me whenever you can.
And yet, you are my mate.
I should feel connected to you.
But I feel like I am standing in front of a stranger.”
I felt a pang of guilt, but I pushed it down.
“This is new for both of us, Aurora.
Give it time.”
She laughed again, but this time it was quieter, and sounded more calculated.
“I have been patient, Zane.
I have smiled and played nice and pretended not to notice the way you look through me.
But I am not stupid.
I know something is going on.”
My blood ran cold, but I kept my voice steady.
“What do you mean?”
She smiled sweetly and turned toward the door, her hand resting on the handle.
She looked back at me with those innocent eyes, and whispered, “Nothing, Zane.
I mean nothing.
Good night, future hubby.”
And then her smile faded slightly, her voice dropping to something more serious.
“And remember, Zane, we should be careful who we associate with.
It is easy for rumors to spread, and we would not want anyone to get the wrong idea about us.”
She walked out without another word and closed the door softly behind her.
I stood frozen in the middle of the room, with her last words echoing in my mind like a warning.
“We should be careful who we associate with.” My blood ran cold.
She knew.
She knew I had been with Aria.
She was not warning me about rumors between us.
She was warning me about Aria.
Then I tilted my head slightly and whispered to myself, “What does she mean by that?”