The voice behind him was calm, but there was nothing gentle about the blade pressed against his throat.
Zayne kept his hands where she could see them.
“Who are you?”
“I mean you no harm.”
“That’s not what I asked.”
He could feel his wolf pacing restlessly inside him.
‘Mate.’
Zayne swallowed carefully.
“I’m Zayne.”
The moment the name left his mouth, the pressure of the knife shifted slightly.
Behind him, Nyra went completely still.
‘Mate.’
The word echoed inside her mind.
Nyra’s grip tightened around the knife.
“Eira.”
“Mate.”
“I know what you said,” Nyra thought back sharply.
‘Then why are you still questioning it?’
“Because this makes no sense.”
Eira was almost embarrassingly excited.
‘It makes perfect sense.’
Nyra stared at the stranger in front of her.
Zayne.
The name meant something.
She had heard it before.
Everyone had.
Alpha Zayne of Blackthorn Pack.
One of the most powerful Alphas alive but that couldn’t be the reason her wolf was calling him her mate…
Could it?
Her thoughts immediately returned to the other impossible discovery she’d made only days ago.
Riven.
Her first mate.
The memory alone made her head spin.
“Eira, we already have a mate.”
‘Yes?’
“Riven.”
‘Yes.’
“Then why are you calling him our mate too?”
Eira’s excitement didn’t disappear.
‘Because he is.’
Nyra closed her eyes for half a second.
This was ridiculous.
Absolutely ridiculous.
She had left everything behind to uncover the truth about her parents.
She had barely begun to understand the blood running through her veins, and now she had somehow found herself standing in the middle of a forest with another mate.
And she still had a knife against his throat.
Zayne remained completely still.
He could sense the confusion radiating from her.
His own wolf wasn’t helping.
‘She’s our mate.’
“I know,” Zayne thought.
‘Then why are you standing there?’
“Because she has a knife against my throat.”
His wolf seemed completely unconcerned.
‘She is beautiful.’
Zayne almost sighed.
That was certainly not the observation he needed right now.
The woman behind him finally lowered the knife.
Just enough to give him room to breathe.
Zayne slowly turned around and for the first time, he saw her properly.
She was even more striking up close: Dark hair framed her face, slightly messy from training, and her eyes were sharp and watchful.
There was nothing timid about her expression.
She looked like someone who trusted her instincts more than she trusted people, somehow, that made him even more certain.
This was her.
The woman he’d waited twenty years to find.
His mate!
She forced herself to meet his gaze, but the moment she stood directly before him, her mind went completely blank.
Her breath hitched.
He loomed over her like a dark king, his crisp black shirt emphasizing the massive span of his shoulders.
But it was his face that stole the air from her lungs; high, aristocratic cheekbones, perfectly sculpted lips set in a serious line, and a windswept crown of dark hair that gave him a dangerous, rugged edge.
A sudden, dizzying heat rushed through her veins, a visceral reaction to a level of masculine beauty she wasn’t remotely prepared to handle and he carried the unmistakable presence of an Alpha.
Nyra immediately pushed the thought aside.
Focus Nyra.
“You’re Alpha Zayne.”
It wasn’t a question.
Zayne nodded.
“Yes.”
“Blackthorn Pack.”
“Yes.”
Nyra lowered the knife completely.
“Zayne,” she repeated, almost to herself.
He nodded.
“And you’re my mate.”
Her brows pulled together.
“That’s what my wolf is saying.”
Zayne’s expression softened.
“Mine too.”
Nyra looked away, running a hand through her hair.
“I don’t get something.”
“Is there a problem?”
She looked back at him.
“I already have a mate.”
Zayne went still.
“You already have one?”
Nyra nodded slowly.
“His name is Riven.”
Zayne’s face changed immediately.
“Riven?”
“You know him?”
“Unfortunately.”
Despite herself, Nyra almost laughed.
“You don’t like him?”
“No, it’s not like that.”
“Then what is it like?”
“He doesn’t respect the law.”
Nyra almost smiled.
“That sounds like a very Alpha Zayne answer.”
His eyebrows drew together.
“You know what kind of person he is?”
“I’ve met him.”
“When?”
“A few days ago.”
Zayne stared at her.
She had met Riven only days ago and now she had found him.
The situation was becoming more complicated by the second.
“Does he know you’re here?”
“Not exactly.”
“Does he know you’re my mate?”
“I don’t think so.”
Zayne looked away briefly.
He needed a moment.
He had spent years imagining what meeting his mate would be like.
He had imagined finding her and bringing her home, introducing her to his pack, standing beside her, building a life together.
He had never imagined meeting her in the middle of a forest and discovering that she already had another mate.
And that mate was Riven.
Of all people.
Nyra watched him quietly.
“If this is too much for you-”
“It isn’t.”
She stopped.
Zayne looked back at her.
“It is just unexpected.”
“That is one way to put it.”
“But I won’t pretend the bond isn’t real.”
“Neither will I.”
“Come back to Blackthorn with me.”
Nyra shook her head.
“I can’t.”
“Why?” This story is hosted at g.com.
She hesitated.
“There’s something I need to do first.”
“What is that?”
“I can’t tell you yet.”
Zayne frowned, but before he could respond, she continued.
“Give me some time.”
He stared at her.
“And then?”
Nyra met his eyes.
“Then when we meet again, I’ll tell you everything. I promise.”
He studied her face for a few seconds.
There was still confusion in his eyes, but there was something else there too: disappointment, perhaps.
He had spent twenty years waiting for his mate, and now that he had finally found her, she was telling him she couldn’t come home with him but he didn’t want to force her.
“I won’t pretend I’m happy about this,” he admitted.
“I’ve waited a long time to find my mate.”
Nyra’s expression softened slightly, “I know.”
“But…” He sighed and ran a hand through his hair, “I suppose I’ve waited this long. I can wait a little longer.”
A small smile tugged at Nyra’s lips.
“Thank you Zayne”
Zayne smiled back at her.
“Just don’t make me wait too long okay?”
Nyra blinked, then laughed softly.
“I’ll try.”
His mother had been pushing the idea of marriage for so long, constantly reminding him that Blackthorn needed a Luna and that he couldn’t keep putting it off forever.
Now that he had finally found his mate, perhaps things would change.
Maybe when he tells his mother, she would finally stop trying to arrange his life for him.
Maybe he could finally breathe, maybe, if Nyra finished whatever she was doing soon, he wouldn’t have to spend months wondering when he would see her again.
Across from him, Nyra was thinking something similar; She didn’t want to be away from her mates forever.
She wanted answers first.
She wanted to understand what had happened to her family but now that she had found her mates, she couldn’t deny that part of her was already looking forward to the day when all of this was over.
Maybe she could uncover the truth faster than she expected.
Maybe she could finally put the past to rest.
And maybe then she could return to her mates and have the kind of life she’d never imagined for herself.
Zayne cleared his throat.
“Alright. I’ll trust you.”
Nyra looked at him.
“But when we meet again,” he continued, “you owe me an explanation.”
She smiled.
“I know.”
“And if you ever need anything…”
He hesitated, as though he didn’t want to make it sound like he was trying to control her, “Send word to Blackthorn. You don’t have to come back with me to ask for help. If there’s something you need, let me know.”
Nyra nodded.
“I will, I mean it.”
“I believe you.”
The forest had grown quieter around them, the night settling deeper between the trees.
Nyra finally glanced toward her tent.
“I should probably get some sleep.”
Zayne nodded reluctantly.
“Yeah. You should.”
She looked back at him.
“Then I guess I’ll leave you to it.” He smiled faintly.
“Goodnight, Nyra.”
“Goodnight, Zayne.”
He took a few steps away before stopping.
He glanced back at her.
Part of him hated the idea of leaving his mate alone in the middle of the forest but he had seen what she could do.
He had watched her train.
She wasn’t helpless, and she clearly wasn’t interested in being treated like she was.
If she trusted herself to stay here, then he would have to trust her too.
Besides, he had already told her where to find him if she needed anything.
Zayne gave her one last look before turning away.
“Don’t disappear for too long,” he called over his shoulder.
Nyra smiled.
“I won’t.”
He walked into the darkness, leaving Nyra standing beside her tent.
She watched until Zayne disappeared between the trees then she turned back toward her tent.
There was still a mystery to solve and now, two mates were waiting for her at the end of it.