Chapter 38

Zander

Piper winced when I slid her dress over her body and tossed it to the floor.

Seeing Piper being tossed onto the ground with debris and limbs being flung at her sent my wolf into a frenzy. The worst part was not being able to go outside.

Standing in the doorjamb, staring out at the scene unfolding in front of me seared my heart. Knowing William was the only reason she'd been saved pissed me off.

I wouldn't go so far as to say I wanted to be the hero. Because heroes sacrificed everything they loved for the good of mankind. And there was nothing in the world I wouldn"t sacrifice for Piper Sloane.

I just wanted to be her hero.

"I'm sorry," I whispered, in a thick voice, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "I'm sorry I couldn't save you."

"I'm fine, Zander—,"

"You could have been badly hurt, and I couldn't save you."

Piper fiddled with the button on my shirt. "I thought, for a second, that you were going to step outside."

"I wanted to. I thought about it, and then William pulled me back, and ran into the storm."

I lifted her chin, staring into the depths of her eyes. "I wanted to be the one that saved you."

Piper smiled. "You've saved enough of me, Z."

I gave her a sheepish look and helped her off the bathroom counter. "On the contrary, Little One. You're slowly saving me."

Piper reached forward and helped me out of my shirt. She traced patterns on my skin with her fingertips. "Does all magic cost something?" she asked.

I slipped out of my pants and went over to start the shower. Piper was dirty and needed a good cleaning. I'd rid her of all the dirt, and grime from being in the midst of a storm. "Yes, why do you ask?"

She unhooked her bra and slid out of her underwear. "I don't know. I mean, is the cost something big?"

I stuck my hand under the water, waiting on it to turn warm. Bringing my hand out for her, she took it and slipped into the water, while I finished undressing.

"It depends on what you're asking, I guess."

Sinking my fingers into her hair, she moaned and rested her forehead against my chest.

"What do you think Priscilla gave up to turn you into the beast? That seems like asking a lot to me."

I hadn't thought about it. Thinking about her was a double-edged sword. On one hand, I wanted to think of a way to kill her, and on the other, it brought too much torment from my past.

"I would think so."

She glanced up at me, water raining down her face. "Is she dead? She shows up wherever. Is that magic? Or was she always like that?"

I stopped massaging her hair. "I always assumed it was magic—but, she never did it before. You think she's dead, Little One?"

Piper's eyes rounded. "I do. I think that she gave her life to ruin yours. Think about it. No one can find her. William has been searching. Her son died, so she felt it was worth it to be with him forever, while you lived out the rest of your life in pain. She couldn't kill you, so she is haunting you to try and make sure the curse isn't broken."

My hands slid down to her shoulders. "I think you could be right. Priscilla is dead."

"Is that a good thing or a bad thing?" she whispered.

"I'm not sure. It means she has these powers from the grave, which I don't like, and I can't kill her if she"s already dead."

Piper slid her hands up my deltoids and stopped around my neck. "Everything has to die. Maybe it would take someone else to send her. Or," she said, glancing up at me. "Maybe when the curse is broken, she'll move on?"

Smiling, I slid my thumb across her bottom lip. "You're smart, Little One."

"How long before she comes back?" she asked.

"You're the one with the answers," I whispered, skimming my lips against her jawline. "You tell me."

She giggled when I shifted her toward the shower wall and pinned her there. "Maybe now. She seems to like to walk in on us while we're having intimate moments."

"Perhaps she's lonely on the other side," I said, glancing over Piper's shoulder at the empty bathroom.

"I would be. Without you."

My gaze fluttered down to her reddened cheeks. "You're embarrassed to tell me you'd be lonely without me?"

She shrugged.

"I wouldn't know what to do without you, Little One. Besides being turned into the beast forever, even if my fate wasn't deemed to become a monster, I would always want you. Always."

She swallowed. "Me too."

Something danced on her tongue, that she wanted to say but didn't. I couldn't pinpoint Piper Sloane's mind, or her thoughts, so I let it go.

I knew she wasn't the kind to fall in love easily.

After what Henry did to her after years of commitment on her end, why would she?

I didn't care if it took what was left of my entire human life, and if we didn't break the curse, I would prove to Piper that she was worth it.

With or without her true love.

Because I'd known for a long time that I loved Piper Sloane.

Everything about her.

Her smart mouth.

Her gorgeous hazel eyes—always curious, and often stormy.

The way she stormed away angrily in one of those big dresses.

Her mouth.

And her kiss. Dear God, her kiss.

It had all blended together to form the woman I was meant to spend my life with.

Lowering my mouth to hers, I angled over her, and pressed a soft kiss against her lips. "I won't break your heart like him," I whispered.

Piper stared at me for a long time. Something stirred in her irises.

"I know."

We spent the rest of the day with William and Vivian, catching up on pack life, and the things I missed not being an alpha.

Piper insisted that Vivian show her how to make the no-bake cookies that she made for dinner. Which Vivian agreed to as long as Piper didn't try to make them without Vivian's consent.

I pulled William into his office and shut the door behind me. "Piper said something to me today that I never thought about."

William sat down at his computer. "What's that?"

"She thinks Priscilla gave up her life to make me the beast. Magic that big always comes with a price. Piper thinks she moves freely because she isn't in our realm, but another."

William glanced up at me. "It ... makes sense. That way she could be with Xavier, as well."

I nodded and leaned against the wall opposite of him.

"What can we do with that? We can't find her and kill her because she's already dead."

William gnawed on his bottom lip. "I know mother taught against it, but we could try to find someone that performs dark magic—,"

"No," I said, shaking my head. "I swore to mother that I would never dive into that. There has to be another way, right?"

William scratched his head. "Maybe. I'll dig around and see if I can find out anything. I'll ask the pack, too. Some of the elders may know of something."

"Thank you. And about today ... thank you for saving her."

"She's your mate, Zander. I would never let harm come onto her if I can stop it."

I walked over to William and bent down to hug him. He seemed surprised at first but then stood to hug me back.

"I love her, William."

William nodded. "And she'd be a fool not to love you, Brother."

William's office door swung open and slammed against the wall. I turned around to see an empty doorway.

"She's pissed," William whispered. "I'll keep an ear out tonight while you're sleeping. We're playing with fire and she holds the matches."