Chapter 15 - Zane
The hammer hits the beam harder than it needs to, forcing it to crack into place with a sharp snap, and I welcome the sting that travels up my arm.
It gives me something simple to focus on. Something that doesn’t involve bonds I didn’t plan for, wolves I’m trying to protect from each other, or the fact that I’ve brought a Voss straight into the middle of everything I’ve built.
I drive another nail in, then another, and even if I’m completely lost in thought, at least I’ve made something in the process.
The frame surrounding me is almost finished, which means with the proper finishing work, we’ll have another house reclaimed from ruin, and another piece of Delmont put back together.
It should feel like progress, because it is. Every foundation reworked and refurbished into a newer, better home means strengthening the community that has been growing around me ever since a handful of people saw something in me worth following.
Instead, my mind keeps circling the same thing.
To Naia, along with the bond.
Regardless of how hard I try to push it aside for the time being, I keep returning to the same point, wondering what the hell I’m supposed to do with either of them.
I never really saw having a mate in the cards for myself, and yet I have one who can’t decide whether she hates me or wants me. To make matters worse, nobody around me trusts her.
She has a name and a family that leaves a bad taste in just about everyone’s mouth, given what they’ve done in the past, and none of them know her like I once did. They don’t know the other parts of her that I’ve seen.
But even from here, not far from my place, I can feel her. It’s like she’s at one end of the tether, and I can feel every change of emotion. I can feel her frustration and determination, even if she’s being obedient enough to stay at the house without needing me to hover.
She’s a constant in my mind even when I’m not thinking about her directly, and it’s a strange thing to contend with now.
Footsteps crunch against gravel behind me just as I climb back down to the main level, and before I even turn around, I realize there’s more than one set.
I already know who it is.
“So is this why you’ve been dodging our calls?”
Caleb.
Putting my hammer aside, I straighten slowly and roll my shoulders before finally turning.
The guys are all here…even Sera has tagged along with little Fern in her arms, and they’re all looking at me like I’m in serious trouble.
Caleb’s arms are crossed while his expression is already tight with vague irritation. Luke stands next to his mate and watches while Dominic and Hunter linger nearby, not quite as stern, but still obviously wanting answers.
Then, Dominic’s lips pull faintly as he leans against one of the beams. “Are you going to start talking, or do we need to drag it out of you the old-fashioned way?”
Wiping my hands on my jeans, I force my expression to stay neutral. “Whatever you have in mind, I don’t think it’ll be necessary.”
“Then you should probably get to the point where you explain why you brought a Voss here of all places, outside of Wraith Peak,” Caleb presses, obviously unimpressed by the radio silence I’ve been giving off the last little while.
I glance between them, knowing I’m caught, but silently deciding how I want to face this. “Is this an interrogation now?”
“Call it what you want, but we need answers, Zane,” Luke says, firm but not unkind.
There’s no point in dodging it now.
“I stumbled upon a situation, and I handled it. I’ve been gathering intel; that’s all.”
“You created a situation, is more like it,” Hunter murmurs.
“Sometimes, a plan doesn’t unfold like you think it will, and you have to improvise. So I did,” I counter, waiting for them to challenge that.
Caleb’s disbelief is subtle, but it’s there. “And bringing Naia Voss into enemy territory is supposed to help?” When I don’t say anything, he forces out a breath. “Start from the beginning. We’ll talk all night if we have to.”
I know full well he means to stand by that promise, so I brace myself.
“There’s a group of wolves operating between the Willow island and Ashford. They’re from all different packs, but they’re working together, and they’re hosting auctions in the city,” I tell them, straight to the point.
“You mentioned that part already,” Hunter says, lifting a brow.
“They aren’t just going after wolves,” I continue, taking in their reactions. “I believe they’re targeting magic-users, specifically. They’re using them to suppress and capture others before selling them off, but I don’t know what their endgame is.”
That gets their attention immediately.
“To get rich quick, I’d assume,” Dominic suggests with a shrug.
Concern etches into Sera’s features. “Like a black market for magic?”
I nod. “That’s what it seems like. That’s how they captured Naia.”
The mere mention of her name makes them all go still, as if I’m summoning a bad omen or something.
“So, what, you found her there and that’s why she’s here?” Caleb asks pointedly.
“They were selling her off like livestock, so yes, I got her out of there.”
“Why her?” Luke asks, not exactly with accusation in his tone, but more curious. “I assume others were being auctioned off, so why Naia specifically?”
Bristling on the inside, I keep it down. “Because I knew her before, back in Wraith Peak.”
“You have a history, then,” Dominic says, looking faintly amused at the idea.
I sigh. “Not that kind of history, but yes. We were familiar.”
“Of course you were,” Hunter says with a deep exhale as he rubs his temple.
“Familiar or not, do you have any idea what’s going to happen when Hayes finds out?” Caleb questions, expression tighter now.
“Yes, I do.”
“And you did it anyway.”
“It wasn’t optional,” I return, feeling as my inner wolf starts to pace, aggravated by their questioning, especially when it concerns her. “I wasn’t leaving her there for just anyone to buy her like an antique.”
“She’s a Voss, not some random wolf,” Luke murmurs.
“And she was still being sold anyway.”
“You could’ve let Hayes deal with it,” Caleb says.
“No,” I snap before I can stop myself, just barely holding back. The bond is too fresh, and it’s putting me in a volatile place. “I couldn’t.”
The others pause, looking a bit taken aback by my tone as they glance at each other in silent questioning.
“And now she’s in your territory…our territory. She belongs in Wraith Peak,” Caleb continues, not letting himself be intimidated.
“She’s not a threat,” I grind out, earning myself skeptical looks from all of them.
“You don’t know that,” Luke says.
“I do.”
“How?” Caleb asks.
“Because I’ve been with her,” I tell them, struggling to know how much I should tell them, and what parts I should keep to myself. “Because I know her.”
“You knew her,” Sera cuts in as her expression hardens in an unforgiving way. “That’s not the same thing.”
Before I can respond, I catch the sound of a door opening and closing nearby, and I freeze as every instinct in me sharpens immediately. I turn and watch as Naia steps out onto the porch, then moves down the steps.
She must’ve heard us, which shouldn’t come as a surprise.
The moment she appears, the entire dynamic shifts. The tension spikes and almost becomes thick enough to be tangible. The guys all straighten up like they do when assessing a threat, gazes focusing solely on her. Sera’s expression goes completely frigid.
Naia takes it all in without flinching, and she lifts her chin slightly, defiance already settling into place.
“This feels welcoming,” she murmurs sardonically, well aware that she’s not exactly on the top of everyone’s good list.
No one responds at first, and nobody relaxes like they’re anticipating she’ll make a move against them, as if she has the gall to take on everyone at once.
I step forward to position myself, leaving just enough space between her and the others. It isn’t subtle or accidental, and I don’t care that they notice.
“You weren’t supposed to hear that,” I mutter to her.
Naia hums, unrepentant. “It’s a little late for that.”
Her gaze sweeps over them, taking each of them in. She’s assessing them, not at all bothered by the fact that she’s technically in hostile territory and sorely outnumbered. It’s oddly admirable.
“Let me guess,” she continues. “I’m the problem.”
“You’re a problem,” Hunter says bluntly.
Naia doesn’t let this ruffle her as she crosses her arms over her chest. “Fair enough.”
That throws them off just long enough to have to regain their bearings, and Dominic snorts to himself.
After a beat, Naia says more genuinely, “I’m not here to cause issues.”
“That’s up for debate,” Caleb mutters.
“I didn’t exactly plan on being sold at an auction, and it wasn’t my decision to come here,” she shoots back, throwing me a pointed look that says it all.
The others catch this, and their focus narrows on me as they piece it together. They know I was the one who brought her here…she never would’ve come willingly on her own.
“You could’ve left,” Hunter points out.
I cut in before that thought goes further, jaw tight. “She’s not leaving.”
Naia glances at me briefly again, and something flickers in her expression, surprise, maybe, but it’s gone just as fast.
“Look,” she says, exhaling slowly, as if she has already decided on something, and it puts me on edge. “You’re all going to find out eventually, so we might as well avoid the part where you pretend you don’t already suspect it.”
Caleb’s gaze sharpens. “Suspect what?”
Naia doesn’t hesitate. “I have magic.”
The space goes completely silent, and if the tension wasn’t already bad enough, it’s worse now as they digest what that means. They don’t dare to move a muscle, as if that makes a difference.
Then, Sera steps forward slightly with her eyes locked on Naia, and something quiet yet furious burns beneath the surface. “You didn’t have it before.”
Naia meets her gaze head-on. “I didn’t, but that changed, apparently.”
Something unspoken passes between them, loaded with history that I still don’t know the full story of. Whatever happened, it was enough to leave a lasting impression on Sera.
“And what exactly were you planning to do with it?” Sera asks.
Naia’s expression darkens a touch. “Whatever I need to.”
Despite being outside, it feels as if the air has been devoid of oxygen. Nobody likes that answer.
Sera doesn’t look away from her as she subconsciously tightens her hold on Fern. “You and your family tried to use me for my powers. You made my life hell.”
All eyes go to Naia at that, and I feel the shift in the group as suspicion turns into something more concrete. Something less forgiving.
Sera has been part of things longer, and after everyone supported her and Luke last time, the others are far more willing to protect her than Naia. They’ll take her side in a heartbeat, and while I understand why, it also irritates me.
Naia doesn’t deny it, since it’s not in her nature to. Her chin lifts slightly. “I did what I was told.”
“That’s your defense?” Sera asks. “Even after you fought us in Coldreach?”
I catch as something moves through Naia’s eyes, but more so, I feel how her side of the bond wavers slightly. It feels a bit like guilt, but she quickly buries it. “It’s the truth.”
“That doesn’t make it better.”
“No,” Naia agrees, voice flat. “It doesn’t.”
The silence now feels both awkward and unresolved as everyone takes a moment to gather their thoughts. Everything about this is precarious, and more than anything, I want them to stop looking at my mate like she’s a demon.
My mate…even thinking it still feels so out of place, but I’m not going to deny it to myself. It’s the truth, too.
“So you see the problem,” Caleb says finally, looking at me.
“I see your perspective,” I correct.
“And?” he presses.
“And I don’t agree.”
That earns me a few incredulous looks, as if I’ve finally lost my mind.
They expect me to be the cold, detached one all the time.
The one who doesn’t share much, but still comes through anyway.
This is the other side of that same coin: when I dedicate myself to something important, whether they see it or not.
“You don’t agree,” Caleb repeats. “Zane, she just admitted it.”
“I heard her.”
He blinks at me with complete disbelief. “And you’re still defending her.”
“Yes.”
“Why?” Luke demands, looking more agitated, knowing his mate also has skin in the game.
Because she’s not what they think, because she was following orders, and she didn’t have a choice. Because everything is different now. I stop myself before I can air out those words, regardless of how loud they are in my head.
“They’re targeting wolves with magic,” I say instead. “She’s part of that, whether you like it or not. That makes her a target for them, not the enemy.”
“That doesn’t erase what she is,” Caleb says. “She’s a Voss. Her family has done nothing but cause harm.”
“And?”
“And that means something.”
The longer this goes on, the less I can bring myself to stand for this. I’m well aware of their opinions of her, but if they say something remotely negative about her, I don’t know if I’ll be able to control myself.
“We initiated a bond,” I say without giving it more thought, needing something to shut them up. And it does.
At once, they fall into total, absolute silence. No one speaks as that shock and disbelief set in, and I don’t make any effort to cushion it or to defend myself.
Dominic’s brows go up as he lets out a low whistle, failing to break the stifling tension. “Well…that’s not what I was expecting.”
Naia’s still staring at me with an expression unreadable, and she mutters under her breath, “You didn’t have to announce that.”
“I did.”
Hunter drags a hand down his face. “Right when I didn’t think this could get any worse.”
“If anything, it’s clearer now,” I counter, unwilling to show them any shame. Even if I wasn’t always on board with mates and settling down, this is the last thing I should feel ashamed about.
“Clearer?” Caleb returns, still aggravated. “You just tied yourself to an Alpha’s sister…from Wraith Peak, no less.”
“I’m aware.”
“And you think that helps our situation?”
“I think it changes it,” I say, not pulling back.
“It complicates it,” Caleb utters, looking like he has far more to say to me.
Everything about the impromptu gathering feels volatile and riddled with issues that still need to be addressed. This isn’t about strategy or politics anymore. Now, this is personal, and they all know it.
I hold my ground anyway because there’s no other option. Not after I’ve had Naia and connected her to me, willingly or not.
Not leaving any room for debate on the matter, I mutter, “She’s not going anywhere.”
“And if Hayes comes for her?” Luke asks with a cocked brow.
“Then we deal with it.”
Even if they don’t agree with anything I’ve done, it’s very clear now that nothing about this is simple anymore.
And it’s only going to get worse from here.