Estelle’s POV
I took a deep breath, gathering my courage. “Did anyone call my phone while I was staying at your place?”
Zayne’s expression didn’t change, but sothing flickered in his electric blue eyes. “You an the man who called that night?”
My eyes widened. So I had guessed correctly. Zayne really was the one who picked up Asher’s call. He was the mystery man Asher kept ranting about, the one Asher thought I was “cheating” with.
I couldn’t help but laugh coldly inside my heart. The irony was almost too much to bear. Asher, who had been betraying for years with his true mate, was accusing of infidelity.
On the outside, I simply nodded.
“He’s...” I started, then hesitated.
How could I explain the ss that was my relationship with Asher? I didn’t even know where to start between the unactivated mark and everything I had contributed for him and his true mate.
Slowly, I reached up and touched the mark. I wasn’t even sure if Zayne would mind the fact that I was already marked by soone else.
Zayne watched struggle with my words. His face remained calm and patient.
“Well...” I tried again, but the words wouldn’t co.
“You don’t need to explain to right now if you don’t want to,” Zayne said quietly. “But I hope you’ll tell in the future.”
Relief washed over at his understanding tone.
“Since we’re engaged, I do hope that any relationships from before can be broken off cleanly,” he continued.
I noticed sothing troubled flash across his features, gone so quickly I almost missed it. Despite his calm exterior, this clearly bothered him more than he was letting on.
I silently appreciated that he wasn’t prying into the matter or demanding imdiate answers. Most n in his position would have insisted on knowing everything right away.
“There is no other person,” I assured him firmly. “The man who called is just a delusional ex who won’t leave alone.”
Hearing my words, Zayne’s lips curved into a genuine smile. “Good.”
He gestured toward my barely touched plate. “Eat. If you’re still hungry, there’s more.”
I nodded and took another bite. This ti, the food tasted significantly better than my previous anxious nibbles. The creamy pasta was perfectly seasoned, and I found myself actually enjoying it.
Zayne noticed my improved appetite and scooped more food onto my plate without being asked. The simple gesture made sothing warm and fuzzy bloom in my chest. When was the last ti soone had cared enough to make sure I was eating properly?
He straightened up suddenly, his gaze becoming distant. I recognized the look imdiately—he was receiving a mind link communication.
After a mont, he refocused on . “Oliver has decided to stay the night. It might be too late for him to travel back to Blackmoon safely. Are you alright with that?”
“Of course,” I agreed readily. Oliver had done so much for already. The least I could do was ensure he had a comfortable place to rest.
“A servant has already prepared his room,” Zayne said.
I couldn’t resist teasing him a little. “I thought all the servants were busy.”
To my surprise, Zayne actually laughed. It was a rich, genuine sound that made my heart flutter unexpectedly. The serious, controlled mask he usually wore slipped for just a mont, revealing sothing warr underneath.
I quickly looked down at my plate, trying to hide the effect his laughter had on .
***
The next morning, Oliver and I headed back to Blackmoon bright and early. The drive was peaceful, with Oliver sharing stories about my father’s younger days that made smile. It was unfortunate that I could hardly rember this man.
Halfway there, my phone buzzed with a ssage from Caleb.
[There is a council eting today. They’ve evaluated project progress. You need to attend ASAP.]
I showed Oliver the ssage. He frowned but didn’t comnt.
The mont we arrived at Blackmoon territory, I dropped Oliver off at the pack house and headed straight to the council chambers. Caleb ca out to et as I approached the heavy wooden doors.
Before I could announce my arrival, voices drifted through the partially open door. I paused, listening.
“...can’t be trusted to lead without a wolf,” soone was saying. “It puts the entire pack at a disadvantage.”
Caleb turned to look at , but I held a hand, signaling for him to remain quiet.
“She’s still Alpha Jas’s daughter,” another voice argued. “Bloodline matters.”
“Bloodline ans nothing if she can’t shift,” the first voice snapped back. “What happens when we face a real threat? How can she protect the pack?”
My jaw clenched. They were discussing my fitness to lead based on my supposed wolflessness. They didn’t care about the other benefits I had brought to the pack. Even soone inexperienced could see that they were simply just nitpicking now.
“The pack needs strong leadership,” the first voice said. “Not soone who’s essentially human.”
The conversation abruptly stopped when I pushed through the doors with Caleb at my side. Every head in the room turned toward .
I quickly scanned the room, taking ntal attendance. Killian sat in a corner, his expression carefully neutral. Benedict lounged at the head of the table, looking smug. Helena was notably absent.
Of the five senior council mbers who should have been present, only two were actually here: Walter Frank, who remained fairly neutral in pack politics, and Ernest Jones, who had been Benedict and Helena’s most vocal supporter from day one.
Ernest was also the one who had been making the most noise about my wolflessness at every opportunity.
The absence of the other council mbers despite them calling this ergency eting was telling.
I couldn’t help the cold laugh that escaped .
“Gentlen,” I said in greeting, nodding.
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