Chapter 7 Chapter 7
ZANE
I had been fine all night after scratching that itch with Mariah. I had missed her.
After sending everyone off, I turned around just as the door opened and once again met Ella.
Is this girl everywhere? I thought to myself. She smelled so good.
I shook my head, not understanding why she still seemed to affect me. I followed her down the hill, trying to speak to her, to figure out why there was such a pull to her.
But she fought me the whole way. Her insolence almost verged on open defiance. She wasn’t the meek little omega I remembered.
When I grabbed her hand to stop her, I felt her warmth radiate through me. I never had that feeling when I touched Mariah. But it stopped the moment she flinched. She was afraid of me.
I stormed into my room after our encounter. Throwing myself on the bed, I looked up at the ceiling.
“Why am I being pulled to her?” I thought out loud. My wolf was pacing, still angry at me for rejecting my mate. Maybe he was the reason I still felt the pull.
I rolled over to try and sleep. I could look into it in the morning.
My father pushed open my bedroom curtain, letting in the sunlight. I gave a grumpy groan before turning over.
“Rise and shine, sleeping beauty!” my father called out before pushing me off the bed.
“Dad!” I moaned.
“What if I had been with a girl?”
My father laughed.
“Boy, if you had a mate, I’d leave you alone as much as you wanted. But we both knew you were in here alone.”
Two years ago, I didn’t have the heart to tell my father I’d found Ella and that I had rejected her. I just left, hoping the mess would sort itself out and everything would be right when I got back.
“Get up, Zane.” My father prodded me through the sheets.
“We’re due at the training grounds in an hour.”
“Yes, sir,” I groaned.
When I made it downstairs, I was overwhelmed by the smell of breakfast.
“Sophie, it smells amazing! You’ve outdone yourself!” I exclaimed as I turned the corner, only to be met by Ella.
“Oh, uh… Ella?” I rubbed my head.
“What are you doing here?”
“I’m a little omega. I cook your meals,” she said flatly.
“Where’s your mom?” I asked.
“She’s running a few errands this morning,” she answered, not even looking up. Her cold attitude was starting to irritate me.
“Good morning!” my father hollered as he entered.
“Good morning, Alpha!” the pack echoed.
“So you…made breakfast?” I continued.
“Yes. As lead cook, I am in charge when my mother is not here,” she responded.
“And Ella, it looks amazing as always,” my father cut in. He took a plate of food and walked to the table.
I was about to say something when Mariah walked in.
“Hi, baby,” she said sweetly, wrapping her arms around my neck and kissing me hard.
“Did you make my breakfast, Omega?” she spat as she turned to Ella.
I almost let out a growl, stopping myself before I did. I really needed to figure out what was going on in my head. I felt like I was going crazy.
“Yes, it’s here,” Ella responded, pulling a covered plate from the back. I glared down at her.
“Alpha Zane.” She lowered her head again. I walked off with my food and sat beside Mariah. For some strange reason, hearing her call me Alpha got on my nerves.
“Morning, Ells!” a pack member I didn’t know greeted her. I watched as the guy made his way around the counter and hugged her.
He began helping her clean up the kitchen, and then they both stood against the counter eating their own breakfast. My wolf suddenly felt jealous.
I had never felt like that before, and I didn’t like it one bit. But whoever this guy was, he was making her smile and laugh.
I shook my head and kissed Mariah on the lips, hoping it would make me feel better. It didn’t. After I turned back, I continued to watch them be friendly with each other. It was aggravating.
I got up and made my way into the library, hoping to find a book on mates. After finding one and getting ready to sit down and read, I heard Ella let out a laugh from the next room.
I growled, knowing it had been because of that guy. I grabbed my book and walked to the pack offices, hoping to find some peace.
I opened the book and flipped through it until I found something interesting…
…when one half of a mate pairing rejects his or her mate and their rejection is accepted the mate pairing is severed. The mate bond will fade over time until it has disappeared.
Sometimes the mate bond can stay intact if one of the mate’s wolves does not accept the rejection.
This can happen even if the human part of the mate speaks the rejection, but the wolf part of the mate does not…
I looked up and then furrowed my brow.
“This is your fault, isn’t it?” I spoke aloud to my wolf. I could hear him growling.
That’s a yes, then, I replied internally.
I continued reading, hoping there was a way to fix it. But of course, there wasn’t. My wolf didn’t accept the rejection I had given to Ella.
I was stuck until my wolf finally woke up and realized they weren’t going to be mates. Even though I was attracted to her now, I knew it was just the mate bond.
I got up and walked back out of the office when I heard Ella laugh again. I growled, my irritation almost unbearable.