Chapter 23 - Zane
A few days pass without anything exploding, and that alone feels like a win.
The patrols have been strengthened, while Zeke and the others rotate shifts along the outer lines, tracking movement and reporting anything that even seems off.
The rogue activity hasn’t stopped, but it hasn’t breached further either. For now, at least.
Inside Delmont, things have settled into something that almost resembles normal, or as close as we get to it.
The guys are still around more than usual, coming and going as they need to, but the tension from that first confrontation has eased for the most part.
They don’t watch Naia like she’s about to turn on them anymore.
While they still keep an eye on her, it’s less accusatory, and that fact keeps my inner wolf from going insane.
They trust me enough to handle it, but I know they’re still bracing themselves for any kind of impact that might shake the island as a whole. I can only hope that doesn’t happen, but I know this stretch of good luck can only go so far until something has to give.
With no true action from Hayes yet and no dangerous run-ins with the rogue group, everything is far from settled.
Naia has been adjusting. It hasn’t been seamless or easy, of course, but she’s not pushing against everything the way she was before. The constant arguments have slowed, and the sharp barricades between us have worn down just enough to leave breathing room.
We still clash and snap at each other occasionally, but it doesn’t spiral out of control the same way.
When we actually talk instead of fighting, here’s something there. Something that feels right, rather than a connection randomly dropped into our laps.
Sometimes, it’s easy to forget our past because we’re so different now, but it’s moments like these when I remember how steady that foundation of trust had been. Even if things never went further than friendship before, we had each other in a place that didn’t nurture close ties.
She’s in my arms now while the house is quiet, and late afternoon light cuts through the windows in long, soft streaks. With nobody around, no interruptions, and no pressure, it’s just the two of us, enjoying a rare moment of peace.
Her back is pressed against my chest with my arms wrapped around her middle, and her fingers loosely tangle with mine where they rest against her stomach.
The bond hums low and steady, present and not making demands while we’re this close. Everything feels so much easier like this, and it almost makes me afraid of losing it.
“You’re thinking too much,” she murmurs, her voice soft but knowing.
I huff quietly to myself. “Always.”
She shifts slightly, leaning back into me just a little more as she glances up at me. “What is it this time?”
I hesitate, then I murmur, “The pack.”
She stiffens just enough for me to feel it immediately, and everything in me zeroes in on it.
“What about them?” she asks, tone neutral, but I catch something underneath it.
“The others are settling,” I tell her, keeping it light. “And the guys aren’t as on edge anymore. They’re…giving you space and time.”
“That’s generous of them,” she mutters.
“It’s more than that,” I counter. “They’re trusting me, and the same will apply to you soon enough.”
She doesn’t respond, but her fingers idly move against mine like she doesn’t know what to say in response.
I tighten my hold slightly. “You’ve noticed it.”
“Of course I’ve noticed it. It’s hard not to when people stop looking at you like you’re going to burn the place down.”
“That’s not what they were doing.”
“It’s exactly what they were doing, and I don’t blame them.”
I don’t argue that, since she’s not wrong, even if I want to claim she is.
“They’re trying,” I say, not wanting to dwell on the more negative side of things.
Moving slightly so I can see her face, even if it’s just in profile, I look down at her.
“It’s not like we need their permission to do anything, but it helps to have the guys on our side.
The pack here is still getting used to having someone else around, and I think it will help once they see you’re really in this. ”
Naia pauses at my words, considering them silently with more tension in her shoulders now. She pulls her hands free from mine, creating just enough space to turn around and face me fully. Her expression is more closed off than it was a second ago.
Her eyes narrow slightly. “You want me to integrate.”
Rather than a question, it sounds more like a subtle accusation, and one that surprises me.
“Yeah,” I return. “Eventually. It’s not like it needs to happen tomorrow.”
She goes quiet again, not at all reacting how I expected she would, especially given how much smoother things have been going for us lately.
My chest feels tighter as I take her in, and my brows pinch together. “Why does that bother you?”
“It doesn’t.”
“Naia.”
“It doesn’t,” she repeats, but there’s an edge to it now, and it’s obviously a lie.
“It clearly does.”
She shakes her head slightly. “You’re reading into it too much.”
“Clearly, I’m not,” I mutter, watching for every small change in her features, onto her now.
Naia looks at me squarely now with both frustration and resolve in her eyes. “I just got here, Zane. You expect me to just…fall into place and act like this is where I belong?”
If I were standing, that would’ve made me stagger, but from my place in bed, I recoil at the suddenness of her change in tune. “You do belong here.”
The words come out without hesitation because to me, it’s obvious. She’s my mate. Even if we didn’t start on the right foot, I have every intention of making this better for both of us.
Her expression hardens. “That’s exactly the problem.”
I blink. “What?”
“You keep saying things like that,” she continues, voice rising slightly. “Like this is decided, and everything is just supposed to fall into place because of the bond.”
“It’s not just the bond,” I argue, feeling every second of her pulling away from me.
“Then what is it?”
“You’re here, and you’re part of this now.”
“I didn’t choose this.”
The claim settles in my skin like ice, and I feel my end of the bond react in response, more tense and on edge now. “What does that mean?”
Naia’s jaw tightens. “It means I’m not done. I’m not just going to forget everything that happened and play house here while you figure things out.”
There it is…the part I’ve been trying not to focus on. Even if I knew it would come up eventually, I was hoping it wouldn’t.
“You’re still thinking about going back,” I murmur, staring at her with subtle disbelief.
When she doesn’t deny it, frustration builds in my chest. “Naia—”
“I’m not done with Wraith Peak,” she says, cutting me off before I can plead my case. “I’m not done with what they did, or how Hayes changed things once he became Alpha.”
“And the rogues?” I press, feeling as restless energy courses through me. “You think running back there alone is going to fix that?”
“I don’t plan on doing it alone.”
“That’s exactly what it looked like the last time you tried to leave.”
The anger in her eyes takes over now, erasing any trace of softness. “That was before I realized how much you were planning to keep me out of it.”
I stop, missing a piece of the equation. “What are you talking about?”
“You’re handling this,” Naia says, mimicking my tone from earlier. “You’re dealing with the rogues, working with your pack and friends, but where do I fit into that, Zane?”
“You’re here and safe, just like I said.”
“No, I’m sitting around and waiting,” she snaps. “That plan only works for you.”
Before I can stop it, my anger responds to hers. “That’s not fair.”
“Isn’t it?” she challenges, refusing to back down, reminiscent of how she was in Ashford. “You don’t want me involved, and you don’t want me making decisions. You just want me to sit here and cooperate while you handle everything.”
“I want you alive,” I counter, not knowing what else she wants from me.
“And I want to do something,” she fires back. “I’m not going to reduce myself to just your mate and wait around for you to decide what happens next.”
“That’s not what I’m asking.”
“That’s exactly what you’re asking, but this is my fight too.”
“You’re being reckless,” I say finally.
“And you’re being controlling.”
“I’m trying to protect you.”
Naia looks at me like I’m saying all the wrong things. “That’s the problem, Zane. You don’t think I should have a say in this.”
“I think you’re too close to it.”
“I am it, and so is my family. I can’t just ignore this,” she mutters, frame tight with that same instinctive need to protect herself.
And I don’t have an immediate answer for it, leaving me questioning if I’ve pushed too far or if I have every right to want to keep her as far away from danger as possible.
“I can help,” she continues, voice steadier now. “I know Wraith Peak, and I know how Hayes thinks. I can be an asset.”
“You’re too emotionally tied to it,” I counter. “I can’t have you making mistakes because of it.”
Her brows furrow. “And you won’t?”
“I’m not trying to prove something.”
Immediately, her expression Darkens, and she bristles. “I need to prove that I’m more than what they made me. More than what you think I am.”
Hesitating, she catches me on that claim, and I soften a bit at the honesty. “I don’t think that.”
“You do,” Naia insists. “You just don’t realize it.”
Trying to get her to see that I’m not working against her, I move a bit closer. “That’s not true.”
“Then stop treating me like I can’t handle this.”
“I’m treating you like you matter,” I return, searching her eyes for any sort of compromise. “I want to keep you safe.”
“And I’m asking you to treat me like I have a choice.”
The air between us feels charged from this proximity, both tense and familiar, but this time, there’s no release in it. It doesn’t soften as the frustration mounts, like we’re just opposing sides that won’t bend.
“I’m not letting you walk into something that could get you killed,” I say, voice low and determined.
“And I’m not staying here pretending everything is fine.”
Before I can get anywhere with her, she gets up from the bed and steps away.
I scoff, disbelieving as I watch her move. “That’s it?”
“For now.”
“Naia—”
“I need space,” she mutters, already heading for the bedroom door.
“We’re not done talking about this,” I tell her, feeling myself fray at the edges despite trying to maintain the image that everything is fine.
“I am.”
Naia doesn’t look at me again, and she doesn’t hesitate. She just walks out the door, and for a split second, every instinct in me screams to go after her. To stop her and drag her back into this conversation until we actually fix something.
But I don’t. Instead, I sit here with my hands clenched in my lap, forcing myself to stay put.
This time, I know chasing her won’t help.
She needs space, even if every part of me hates letting her have it.