Chapter 17 - Zander

Though Layla appeared a little subdued on her return from the door that evening, Zander was relieved that she invited him to her bed that night with "It only seems right after, well…"

He hadn't pushed her to finish. He had struggled to get his head around what had happened, too. But when he woke the next morning with her still wrapped in his arms, sleeping on his chest, he realized there was no need to push anything. They had fallen into this naturally, finally. It had taken long enough, but it was certainly worth the wait.

He'd have stayed there all morning if he could, but his eyes had barely opened before his phone dinged on the bedside table. With a muffled groan, he reached for it and looked at the screen.

"What is it?" Layla asked groggily, raising her head just enough to look at him. Her under eyes were a little puffy with sleep, her hair messed up and a little drool dried on her chin, and yet she was still glowing with beauty.

Zander couldn't help but lean down and kiss her before he slipped out from beneath her. "Don't worry. Go back to sleep. Jack wants me at the manor for something."

Layla stretched languidly as if she were more cat shifter than werewolf and said, "I'll come with you."

"You don't need to," Zander protested. "You need your rest."

"I want to," Layla insisted. She laid her hand on her stomach and said, "Some fresh air will do all of us some good."

Zander couldn't help himself. He leaned down and kissed her again. Damn, it felt so good to kiss her and for her to kiss him back. He had spent so long fantasizing about the moment when she might finally accept him, but it hadn't felt even half as good as this in his dreams.

"We better freshen up first," he said, growling low in his throat. "You smell like sex."

"Speak for yourself!" Layla said, tapping him playfully on the shoulder before she hopped off the bed. The small swell of her stomach, her ample breasts, the peachiness of her butt, it was all too much, and after the night before, it took all he had in him to keep from ravishing her again.

When he licked his lips, he could still imagine how sweet she had tasted.

It took all his restraint to wash, dress and make a light breakfast while he waited for Layla to be ready, too.

And finally, they were on their way, hand in hand. Zander wasn't sure the day could get any better than it already was. But as they drew close to the manor, he realized it was about to get worse.

"Something is going on," he said, realizing there were strange scents in the air. Layla stiffened beside him. "Stay close to me."

He pulled her closer as they left the tree line and headed for the front door of the manor.

"Where have you been?" Kane demanded, stepping out from the shadows around the corner of the house, the porch creaking under his feet. "Jack texted you over an hour ago."

"Layla can't exactly rush," Zander pointed out, placing his hand on the swell of her stomach.

Kane looked down at her and then back at Zander, the look in his charcoal eyes suggesting something Zander didn't like one bit. The tatted wolf growled, "You shouldn't have brought her with you."

"Why? What's going on?" Layla demanded, her back clearly up.

Kane didn't respond to her. Instead, he turned to Zander and said, "You should go in alone. Jack's waiting for you in his office with our guests."

Layla looked about to protest, but before she could, Zander turned to her and said, "Why don't you sit out here on the porch and get a little more air while I go and see what's going on?"

Layla glowered at him. Before she could say a word, he reached up and stroked her hair back behind her ear, caressing her cheek with the ball of his thumb. "I promise I'll tell you everything afterwards."

Kane growled as if to remind him that wasn't exactly a promise he could make, but Zander offered his own in return. Kane didn't yet know what it was to have a mate. Zander wasn't sure he could ever truly keep anything from Layla again.

He kissed her forehead and headed inside, relieved that she didn't attempt to follow him.

And the second he entered, the scent of enemies grew stronger. His hackles raised as he realized he recognized not one, but two of the scents that lingered in the foyer.

Whoever was here, they were part of the pack that had attacked Layla that night in Pine Valley.

He hurried down the hall in the direction of Jack's study, only to stop dead when Hanson stepped in his way.

"Get out of my way, Hanson," Zander growled low. The man had proven a valued member of their new pack, but he wasn't yet fully in the clear, and if he tried to get in Zander's way, he was sure as hell going to put the big guy on his ass.

"Before you go in there, Zand, there's something you need to know," Hanson said, crossing his arms over his chest. He raised his chin and looked Zander dead in the eye.

"What?" Zander said through gritted teeth.

"It's Layla's ex."

The words struck Zander clean in the chest. "Excuse me?"

"Christian. Claims he's started his own pack and has come to make an ally," Hanson explained. The look on his face suggested he didn't believe such bullshit.

"Anything I need to know about him?" Zander asked, wishing he'd had more time to prepare.

"He's a real piece of shit, just like the others who left," Hanson explained with a shrug.

"Noted," Zander said. "Now get out of my way."

Hanson did more than that. He stepped aside and opened up the study door for him.

The scents hit Zander like a ton of bricks the second he stepped into the room.

Jack and Eddie, the third senior member in the pack, were seated on one couch while three men sat on the one across from them. Two more stood further back, reclining against the wall on opposite sides of the window, glowering at Jack and Eddie as if ready to jump to the defense of their alpha if need be.

And it was those two that Zander recognized, not by appearance but by scent. He'd have recognized it anywhere.

"You two!" he snarled, unable to control himself. He was about to fly across the room at them when Jack was up like a shot and barred his way with one strong arm.

"We do this peacefully, Zander," Jack whispered in his ear, though the entire room could likely hear him.

"Is this the Zander that you spoke of?" The guy sitting in the middle of the other couch asked. He leaned forward, looking Zander up and down in a most judgmental manner.

"Yes," Jack said, waiting until Zander had relaxed a little before he lowered his arm and gestured Zander to take a seat beside him.

"What's going on in here, Jack? You can't possibly be considering an alliance with these dogs! Don't you know who they are? They're the ones who tried to tear Layla to shreds!" Zander spat the words, refusing to sit. And this time it was Eddie who stepped before him, barring his way.

"My apologies have been made for that," said the man who was clearly the alpha of the other pack, the man Zander could only guess was Christian.

He was a mean-looking son of a bitch with black hair, pale skin and a scar down one cheek. Zander would have liked to have given him another to match. Instead, he glowered at him over Eddie's shoulder. "It's not Jack you owe the apology to. It's Layla. And besides, I should shred them both for laying a single claw on her!"

"You can rest assured, my men have been punished," Christian said, standing. "Perhaps you might take some time to consider my offer, Mr. Blackwell?"

Christian looked to Jack, whose expression remained unreadable. "I imagine you'd like some time to discuss it with your beta, seeing as he made no rush to join us. Though, if he has been busy with Layla, I can see why."

Zander growled low in his throat.

"I shall consider it," Jack said. "And as you have come a long way, I shall agree to your request for the hospitality of Nightstar, but it shall last only until sunset this evening. Then you and your men must be gone from our territory or I will not be held responsible for the actions of my pack. I know many of them have a great many reasons to be…angry with yours."

Christian scoffed, his expression filled with grim amusement. "Indeed."

"We will walk you out," Jack said, gesturing for Zander to take the lead.

Reluctantly, Zander moved, and once outside the room, Jack grabbed him.

"Get a grip, Zander. I know you can be a bit of a hothead, but not now, not with this," Jack said, ever the diplomat that his father had often tried to stomp out of him. Zander gritted his teeth and nodded.

"Please, this way," Jack said, gesturing Christian and his men through the manor to the front door.

Zander hurried quickly after them, knowing all too well who awaited them on the other side.

He half-hoped she might have gone off somewhere to stretch her legs when Zander didn't hear Christian comment as he stepped out onto the porch.

The new alpha of the enemy pack hopped confidently down the porch steps and onto the lawn with his men behind him.

It was only then that he turned, and Zander's blood ran cold as he watched the man's dark eyes pinpoint the area where the porch swing seat was located.

"Well, hello beautiful, I almost missed you there," Christian said in a charming, yet almost deadly tone. "Have you missed me? I thought maybe we could have a word in private?"

Nobody could stop Zander then. He saw red. He wanted to rip the man's eyes from his skull just for looking at his mate. And before anyone could block him, he charged along the porch and pounced right over the railing.

Not a single person had the chance to react before he landed on Christian and all hell broke loose.