Chapter 10

Zander

I twirled my fork between my fingers, watching the vein in Piper"s neck pulse from across the table. She looked somewhat excited at the Mexican food that William went to get.

Turns out she loved queso, and Mexican rice.

Much more than I figured she would have, but William seemed to understand a woman"s love for food better than I did.

She took a bite of her steak fajitas, and a moan left her throat.

My body tensed at the sound, my eyes greedy to take in the way her throat moved as she swallowed. "I didn"t realize Mexican food would make you so ... passionate."

Piper stopped her next bite half-way to her mouth, her eyes narrowed in annoyance. "Well, you learn something new every day, Zander. Mexican food is my favorite."

William eyed me, giving me a small smirk that made me want to stab my fork into his leg. "Hmm," I said, taking a bite of my food.

"When do I get to text my mother?" she asked. "I took William to show him where I saw the boy, and ..." she trailed off, knowing I hadn"t tried to kiss her yet.

I smiled. "Don"t worry, Little One. I won"t forget my part of this deal. William can get the phone whenever he finishes eating."

William stood up slowly. "I"ll go get it now. Ms. Sloane looks ready, and I"m sure it"ll give her some peace of mind."

I watched him disappear around the corner, and watched Piper glance back over at me. "We can have Mexican food whenever you want," I said, taking a lazy bite. "If it will pull those types of sounds out of you, then the answer is always yes."

A blush curled up her cheeks. "You would be so lucky," she said.

The front door opened, and Vivian walked inside, holding two duffle bags and a wearing a smile. "How was your visit?" I asked, watching the excitement on her face.

She dropped her bags by the door and stopped next to me. "It was wonderful, thank you for letting me go."

I gestured toward her plate. "We picked you up some chicken fajitas, as well. Have a seat."

Her gaze moved toward Piper"s and she looked excited that she was still here. I knew why. She wanted the curse to break, wanted the pack to be reunited. But she didn"t realize everything that had to happen, or the struggle it would be to force someone to love me.

"My mother said to tell you hello, that the pack is doing well."

Piper"s gaze moved from Vivian"s to my own, but I avoided the curiosity she had there. I didn"t want her knowing any more than she needed. If she knew everything that happened ... I wouldn"t think about it.

"I"m glad to hear that. How is your brother?"

She beamed. "Good. He finally transitioned for the first time."

"He got his wolf? Amazing."

Piper choked on her food. "Wait," she said, waving her fork around. "You turn into one of those wolves, too?"

Vivian nodded. "Yes. My entire family does."

Piper blinked slowly several times. "Fascinating."

She continued to eat, and I realized that nothing would shock her after the last few nights at the castle. Good, she"d need that once she became Luna.

William came back with the burner phone, and handed it to her. "Do you know your mother"s number by heart?"

She grabbed it hurriedly, forgetting her food, and opened a text. William hovered over her, making sure she didn"t send anything but what she promised. I felt her heart racing from across the room, her fingers speeding across the keys.

She closed her eyes, and handed William the phone. Swallowing, she turned to look at me with tears in her eyes. "Thank you."

I nodded, unable to look at the sadness resting there. Moments later, the phone buzzed, and William frowned at the reply.

"Can I see?"

He nodded, and scooted it across the table. My fingers itched to grab the phone, see what the mother of my mate said, but I didn"t. William would tell me later, and I wanted to give her the privacy.

She pressed her mouth together, and sent one more text. William approved it, and she pressed send. "Can I be excused?" she asked, standing up quickly.

"Yes," I said, my voice suddenly dry.

The silence she left behind was deafening. I took another bite, looking at her half-eaten plate. "I"ll wrap this up for her," Vivian said, but I stopped her. "I"ll do it. You sit down and finish your meal."

I gathered Piper"s food, and put it into the refrigerator so she could eat it later. She seemed to enjoy it too much to waste it. The kitchen door swung closed, and Zander braced his palms against the counter.

"What did the texts say?" I asked.

He perched against the counter opposite of me, and crossed his ankles and folded his arms over his chest. "She told her mother that she was safe, and not to worry about her. That she loved her and would hopefully see her soon."

I screwed my eyes tightly shut. "Her mother"s reply?"

"What do you think it was? A plea for her daughter to call her. To let her know where she was."

I turned around and leaned against the counter. "What did Piper say back?"

William frowned. "She told her she couldn"t call right now, but she was safe. And to tell Amanda she was okay, too."

"Who"s Amanda?"

William shrugged. "You know as much as I do."

I cursed under my breath and began to pace in the kitchen.

"You knew this would happen, Zander. Kidnapping your mate would come with a lot of problems, emotions and obstacles. This is one of them, and I can"t say I"m sad to see it."

I stopped. "You"re not sad to see my mate hurting because I have to keep her here?"

He chuckled, and walked toward the door. "No. I"m not sad that you"re experiencing guilt. It reminds me there is still a human down deep inside."

The bastard left, the kitchen door swinging behind him. I glanced at the kitchen counter where a flower sat in the middle of the table. I figured he left it there since it wasn"t there before, but I wasn"t sure how some flower would help.

Plus, it was a rose. I hated the sight of a rose. I pulled down the sleeve of my shirt, hiding the rose tattoo I tried not to look at.

William wasn"t at the table when I walked back inside, but Vivian was cleaning up. "Hey Vivian. I have a question."

She looked over at me, and then at the flower with a smile.

"Do you like flowers?"

She shrugged. "Sure. But it"s not the flower that makes it special. It could be anything, it"s the being thought of that matters."

I thought of nothing else.

"Thank you."

I walked up the staircase, the haunting feeling of the night pressing close by, like a vampire waiting on the sun to set. Her room seemed quiet, until I grew closer, and heard her sob.

I closed my eyes and lifted my hand to knock, but stopped myself. This was stupid. A rose was stupid. I hated the feelings swirling around inside of me. I"d hidden behind the beast, and before that the need to be a strong alpha, for so long that all of this felt foreign.

Clearing my throat, I pushed aside all of my feelings and knocked.

The door squeaked opened several moments later. Her yellow dress hugged her waist, and dipped down low in the front, showcasing her figure. "Do you like those dresses?" I asked.

She gave me a deadpanned look. "No. I feel like I"m going to a ball, Zander. I want something to lounge in—,"

"Tell William. He will order it for you. I want you comfortable."

She snorted. "Right, because my comfort is the most important thing here. What do you want? To rub my nose in my heartache?"

"No," I said quickly, shaking my head. "I wanted to check on you. Here," I said, shoving the rose toward her chest.

She stared at it as if it was a snake. "I think of you," I said bluntly, making her even more confused.

I didn"t know how to be this nice. Women tossed themselves at me before. When I was alpha. It was a privilege to mate with one, and I didn"t have to win them over. The title alone did it.

Piper didn"t give two cents about my title, or me, to be frank.

Her hazel gaze lifted toward mine. "Is this your twisted way of asking for your kiss now, Zander? I don"t want your flower. I want to go home."

The alpha—the beast—inside of me twisted and turned, lurching me forward. I twisted my fingers into her hair, and angled her mouth close to mine. "You have mistaken me for someone else, Ms. Sloane. I told you I would take the kiss when I was ready, not ask for a kiss. I don"t ask my mate for a kiss, and when I want to kiss you, you"ll know it. And once I do kiss you, you won"t think of anything else but me. Like I think of nothing but you." Leaning forward, I brushed the corner of her mouth with my parted one.

My breath hitched in my throat, her scent drowning me in desire. "I gave you that rose because William said women like flowers. I wasn"t sure about that. I think you"d like to be screwed into that mattress behind you, because you"ve been dying for it. The way your pulse is soaring right now. The way you"re squeezing your thighs together. That"s what speaks to me. Your physical desire for me. My brother is a flower himself. If you don"t want my flowers, Ms. Sloane. I won"t give them to you. There is no need to be nasty."

She snarled at me, giving me all the hate I saw swirling in her eyes. "I don"t want your flowers, your kiss or to be your mate. I"m going to get out of here, and if I don"t, you"ll die mateless you pompous asshole—,"

She went to shove me, but I caught her wrist, feeling her heartbeat against my palm. "Well then, we"ll both die mateless in this castle, because I"m not letting you go until you realize what fate has given us. A promised happily-ever-after. I can"t let you go. My pack needs me, and you"re the key."

She narrowed her eyes, and lifted onto her tip-toes, coming ever so close to my mouth again. "Good luck with that," she said, snatching her wrist from me quickly.

I saw the moment the beast began to show physically, because she stilled, and stared into my eyes.

I imagined they turned that ghoulish yellow, and my edges began to harden. I swallowed, and watched her watch me. "I don"t need luck, Little One. I need you."