Chapter 155: Am I Your Mate, Alpha Kane?
Zara
"Is Kate involved in this?" I asked, watching Ethan’s expression carefully.
Irritation washed over me as a blinding grin spread across his face. A deep, throaty laugh erupted from his chest, and his eyes sparkled with amusement.
"You’re desperate for that answer, I can see it in your eyes." He chuckled. "Maybe so, maybe not."
"Enough, stop talking nonsense," I snapped, pinching the bridge of my nose and exhaling slowly. When I opened my eyes, his smile only widened.
"How interesting," he chuckled. "If I told you she was actually working for the Marcus, your Alpha would kill her, but I could lie. Would you cope, Zara? Could you live with yourself knowing your precious Alpha tortured and killed an innocent girl?"
I realized this conversation was pointless when he burst into manic laughter. His time in Kane’s dungeons had clouded his judgment, or maybe it had always been like this.
There was another option, one I’d refused to consider until we were left with nothing. I could use my one-way connection with Marcus to find out the truth. If Kate were working for him, he would know. This time, Nova reluctantly accepted my alternative plan.
Alpha Kane and I remained silent, retreating to the bedroom. As soon as the door closed softly, he turned to me. I saw the weariness etched across his handsome face; the corners of his full lips drooped. His gaze was clouded, filled with emotion that made my heart clench.
If anyone had looked closely, they would have seen the truth behind Alpha Kane. Rumor had it he was ruthless, but he loved his pack and his people beyond measure. There was nothing he wouldn’t do for his pack, nothing he wouldn’t sacrifice.
"Did she say anything?" I asked, restraining myself from throwing myself into his arms.
"She cried a lot," Alpha sighed, running a hand through his already tousled hair. "I had to resort to some... questionable methods to make sure she wasn’t lying."
"And was she lying?" I leaned in, my heart pounding wildly for some unknown reason.
"She claims she has no idea they changed their plans," Alpha murmured thoughtfully, a hint of suspicion still lingering within him.
"You won’t like this, but I need to do this." I winced at the weakness of my own voice. "I’ll use the bond between Marcus and me to visit him. I’ll do everything in my power to expose the traitors in this pack."
Alpha’s honeyed eyes darkened in seconds, flaring with anger as he approached me. I knew what he was about to say before he even opened his lips. There was no way he’d let me do this, but I didn’t care. I continued speaking before he could utter a word.
"This is my pack too, Kane. Ryan could have died tonight. My dad, they both could have died tonight." I frowned, remembering the fear I’d felt when Dad ran away from home. "If she’s innocent, I won’t let Kate suffer."
"I have one condition," Kane muttered darkly, the pent-up anger still blazing in his obsidian eyes. "If he touches you, comes close, or breathes too close, you’ll come back immediately."
"I promise, I will." I nodded, and it was sincere. It was now much easier to control the part of me that craved Marcus, and I knew he wouldn’t catch me off guard again.
I was overcome with surprise when Kane wrapped his arms around my waist, holding me tightly to his chest. The quickening rhythm of his heart matched my own, and... it calmed the storm raging inside me.
His dark eyes consumed me, warming my skin as he slowly moved across my face. His hot breath fanned my lips, and my body leaned toward him of its own accord. Every nerve ending ignited in tiny bursts in such a short distance between us.
The heat emanating from his being warmed me and drove away the chill that had settled in my bones when I called out to the shadows.
As his lips hovered over mine, a wave of fear washed over me, so powerful that I fell to my knees.
All this time with Alpha, I hadn’t asked the obvious question, afraid of the answer. Unconsciously, I had given this man my whole heart and wasn’t sure if I belonged to him in return. The fear paralyzing me pushed me to a decision.
A flicker of confusion flickered in the depths of his dark eyes as I turned away from him.
"Kane, how do you feel about me?" I found myself asking, searching the depths of his eyes as if they held the answer.
I held back, knowing I would be devastated if the answer wasn’t what I expected. I pushed those burning questions aside, content to live in bliss with Alpha.
"How do I feel about you?" he murmured, his intoxicating gaze burning into mine. "Why did you wait so long to ask me that?"
"I... I was afraid." I winced, clearing my throat in a futile attempt to steel my voice. Even a fool could see how fragile my words were, how everything depended on Alpha’s answer. "I’m still afraid."
"You find me intriguing, intoxicating, and utterly irresistible," Alpha purred, lazily running his hand down my back. "I think of you so often that I brought you into my home and bedroom. And how do you feel about me, Zara?"
"I..." Those three words hung on my tongue, sweet as honey, awakening my taste buds. I couldn’t bring myself to say them, not knowing for sure. "Am I your mate?"
Those four words hung in the air between us, and with each passing second, my heart sank painfully.
Alpha’s eyes were expressionless as he weighed my words. Even as my heart threatened to break in two, I couldn’t bring myself to regret asking that question. My patience had finally snapped, and I couldn’t wait two days until my birthday.
Alpha’s words were slow and measured, as if he’d been carefully considering his answer. He’d replayed this conversation in his head hundreds of times, waiting for me to muster the courage to ask.
