Chapter 3 Zera
Zera
Zera’s heart raced as she drove, her mind still swirling with thoughts of the man who’d swept her off her feet and into his…
Wait, scratch that. He wasn’t the kind of man she should be thinking twice about.
He was a werewolf. A Lunar Brotherhood werewolf, no less, and a spy.
A double-crossing, lying werewolf. Even if he swore he was different.
She knew she should be grateful for making it out of there alive, but the emotional turmoil swirling inside her left her feeling raw and vulnerable.
Her body hummed with the memory of his touch, his lips on hers, his strong arms holding her close. She shivered at the thought. That kiss had ignited a fire within her she was sure only Maverick could quench. The taste of him still lingered on her lips, his touch imprinted on her fair skin.
Why had their kiss affected her so much? Why did she let herself get lost in the intensity of his touch? Zera’s grip tightened on the steering wheel as she navigated the dark, winding roads leading back to Havenwood.
The night air carried a chill that mirrored the cold emptiness inside her. Maverick had awakened something inside her, wild energy far too careless for her to handle. She had to regain control over her emotions. Not only for her sake but for her son’s.
She’d promised herself the next time she let herself feel this way would be to a worthy partner. Not some reckless faeboy werewolf spy who’d deceived her.
Sure, he was attractive and mysterious and piqued her curiosity. Arrogant but charismatic, a liar who made her feel things she never thought possible. But he was still a werewolf, and for that, he couldn’t be trusted.
She swore she would never fall for another wolf and cursed herself for letting things go so far. Even if he claimed he wasn’t like any other, she couldn’t ignore his true nature.
But that kiss… It had felt so sincere, yet his intentions were anything but. Why did she have to go and kiss him in the first place?
As Zera drove deeper into the night, trying to push away the memories of their encounter, the way he’d held her close clawed at her mind, demanding attention. She had to remind herself that it was all a dangerous ruse, a way for him to gain her trust and manipulate her.
Her faestone buzzed, and she quickly answered, welcoming the distraction.
“Hello?”
“Hey, Zera, it’s Quinn,” the owner of the Haven Wolf Tavern’s cousin said in a panicked tone. “Listen, we’ve got a bit of a problem. The night-shift bartender just called in sick, and now, my cousin’s behind the bar, scaring off what few customers we have.”
Zera smirked as she imagined the alpha of the Haven Wolf pack behind the bar. It wasn’t a pretty picture. “Who let Ryker behind the bar? That man has no idea how to mix a decent drink.”
“You’re telling me.” She laughed. “I was wondering if you could cover the rest of the shift?”
She rubbed her forehead. The tavern had been struggling ever since the great split of the Haven Wolf Pack after it was discovered that both the alpha and his cousin, Quinn—an honorary pack member—were only half-werewolf.
Like her, Quinn was a pixie, which was one of the only reasons why Zera could stand living in this small town. That and she couldn’t move back to Pixie Hollow. Not after the mess she’d left behind her.
Quinn had been an integral part of the tavern and the pack, and Zera respected the alpha for standing by her. Too bad her ex wasn’t part of the half of the pack who was as open-minded as the rest of the Haven Moon Pack. They’d deserted the pack and the town to form their own alliance.
So, long story short, the tavern needed all the help it could get. Guess it was going to be another long night.
“Sure. I’m on my way. Tell your cousin to stay away from the bottles.”
Zera hung up the phone with a sigh. Dealing with the usual tavern drama would be a welcome distraction from her tangled emotions.
She sent a quick message to her half sister to check on how Cole was doing, letting her know she’d be a little later than expected. Jade usually didn’t go to bed until late, so Zera expected a quick response asking her how the date went.
Zera didn’t want to get into it, though. Not now and definitely not about Maverick. He wasn’t worth the headspace.
But his scent lingered on her, making it hard to concentrate on anything else. She inhaled deeply, a mix of citrus and his unique werewolf musk filling her senses. It was driving her crazy. But he was all wrong for her. A werewolf? Seriously?
As she finally pulled into the staff parking lot in the back of Haven Wolf Tavern, Zera shook her head to clear her thoughts. She couldn’t afford to let herself be consumed by the memory of Maverick’s touch or the warmth of his lips on hers. No, she had a job to do, and her son was counting on her.
“Focus, Zera,” she ordered herself, climbing out of her car and buttoning up her jacket to look presentable for her shift. She took a deep breath and prepared herself for the normalcy of the tavern walls.
As she pushed open the heavy metal door, Zera was immediately greeted by the sound of laughter and clinking glasses.
Patrons dotted the dimly lit space, enjoying their drinks and conversations.
The familiar scent of alcohol and the comforting hum of chatter washed over Zera, grounding her in the moment.
“Thank the fae you’re here.” Quinn towered over her, almost as tall as Maverick, and hooked her arm through Zera’s. “Ryker’s completely lost it.”
Zera laughed. “He really needs to calm down. And hire a PR person.”
“That’s what I’ve been saying.” Quinn rolled her eyes, the gold flecks bringing out the pink in her short-cropped hair. “But you know Ryker. He’s stubborn.”
“It’s his werewolf side.”
She nodded in agreement. “Oh, I almost forgot.” Quinn reached into her pocket and pulled out a small leather pouch, and Zera’s eyes widened.
“Is that it?” Zera asked, hoping beyond hope that it was the seedlings from a rare flower she had yet to study. She’d read in one of her latest books borrowed from the local library that in ancient times, the native mountainous fae used it to speak to their gods.
Of course, this was all deemed legend and folklore, and the flower was so rare, with it only growing once every five hundred years on the highest peak of the Spire Alps, that no one in the modern day had ever had a chance to study it, let alone regulate it.
But Zera couldn’t help but be intrigued by the possibility of such a rare flower, and to her luck, this was the year it was said to bloom again.
She’d searched tirelessly for any information she could find about the everfrost blossom, hoping to catch a glimpse of it in its natural habitat.
But all her efforts had been fruitless—until now.
Perhaps the pouch contained the missing precursor ingredients she needed to get the same reaction she’d studied from a single cell of her pixie dust. From the shape, size, glow, and energy she’d analyzed under her portable microscope, she had yet to find the right combination to replicate it.
But now she was hopeful the everfrost blossom was that missing component.
Her eyes remained fixed on the small leather pouch sitting before her, containing what she hoped were the elusive seedlings of the blue flower. Zera couldn’t believe her luck. Could this be the breakthrough she had been waiting for?
Quinn handed her the pouch with a smile. “It sure is. Ryker was able to snag some when they were out on their monthly hunt.”
With trembling hands, Zera carefully opened the pouch, and inside were three small seeds, each no larger than her pinky fingernail. They shone in the dim light, a deep-blue color that almost seemed to glow.
“Thank you so much,” Zera said, tears pricking at the corners of her eyes. She had been searching for these seeds for years, and now, here they were, right in front of her. Perhaps there was hope after all.
“You’re welcome,” Quinn replied with a grin. “Now, about the bar. We really need to get Ryker to stop making drinks.”
“Agreed.” She laughed, following Quinn’s lead to the bar where the alpha of the Haven Moon Pack stood, staring down a customer with a glare that could freeze hell over.
“What more do you want, man?” the customer asked Ryker, who gripped the edge of the polished pine bar so tightly it seemed he might snap it in two. “I gave you my card. Just run it so I can get out of this dump.”
Ryker’s eyes flickered between wolf gold and demon red, his patience growing thin, and Zera was certain he was seconds away from eviscerating the poor guy.
“Okay, I’m here!” Zera wrapped a black apron with pens, a notepad, and the faecoin card receiver around her waist. “I got this.”
“Finally,” he muttered, pushing off the counter.
He cracked all his knuckles and shot one last deathly stare at the customer before he stormed off toward the door labeled Pack Members Only. The sigil above it shimmered as he passed under it, his matching rune tattooed on his neck pulsing in response as it granted him entrance.
“See what I mean?” Quinn folded her toned arms across her chest. “He’s totally lost it.”
Zera had to agree. The alpha might’ve been the leader of the first pack to accept those outside of their own kind, but he sure didn’t have the patience for customer service. Zera took a deep breath, steadying herself for what was sure to be a chaotic evening.
“Um, hello? Can I get my card?” The customer’s eyebrows raised impatiently, snapping Zera out of her thoughts.
She forced an apologetic smile and retrieved the card from the register. “Of course. Sorry about the wait.”
“Let me know if anyone gives you any trouble,” Quinn said before heading off through the hallway after her cousin to deal with other pack matters, ideally strategizing on how to keep this place from going out of business. Zera needed this job to pay her bills.