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Chapter 211
~Zara’s POV~
Standing near the boutique window, mutterings and sounds from other shoppers buzzed around , but I pretended to admire the display.
However, my thoughts were distant. The past days’ events lingered in my mind, leaving only confusion and unease.
Then I felt it.
The unmistakable sensation of being watched, a tingling awareness that prickled at the back of my neck. I turned slightly, my gaze scanning the bustling crowd.
And then I saw him.
Kaid.
His striking erald eyes locked onto mine, cutting through the chaos of the mall like a blade. His presence was magnetic—an irresistible pull that made the mate bond hum faintly, defying all logic.
My heart thudded, my instincts urging to look away, but my body betrayed . I couldn’t move, couldn’t breathe, as he began walking toward , his stride purposeful and commanding.
"Zia," he greeted smoothly in an intimate way as if we were the only two people in the world.
I swallowed hard as my pulse raced. "Kaid," I replied and tried to keep my voice more composed than I felt.
He tilted his head, a faint smile playing on his lips. "Fancy seeing you here. Fate has a way of amusing us, doesn’t it?"
My hands clenched at my sides as I tried to suppress the storm of emotions his presence stirred. "Fate has nothing to do with this," I said, keeping my tone neutral.
His smile widened slightly, his erald eyes gleaming with sothing else. "Perhaps. Or perhaps it has everything to do with it."
There was sothing unnervingly casual about the way he spoke as if we were old friends instead of two people with an unresolved and complicated past.
"Why are you here, Kaid?" I asked, my voice sharper now that my resolve had hardened. "I thought we agreed that you would stay away."
His expression shifted, his smile fading as his gaze intensified. "I never agreed to that. I only let you walk away because I thought it would make you happy and not everyone, though. I couldn’t care less what the other werewolves thought. Only you matter, honey."
His words jolted , but I quickly shook my head, trying to clear the haze that threatened to cloud my judgnt. "I am happy, Kaid. With Snow."
His jaw tightened at the ntion of Snow’s na, but he masked it quickly with an effortless deanour. "And yet, here we are. Do you feel it, Zara? The pull between us? It’s still there, lingering."
The pull. What pull? There was no bond between us. I was sure of that.
Even though at 23 I never t my mate, I knew it wasn’t what I felt with Kaid.
For Kaid, just being close left breathless. His presence was hard for anyone to ignore. Nevertheless, what I felt with Snow, even before he marked , was entirely different and more connecting.
And if I do not have a mate in this life, it does not matter to . Snow and Glacier were more than I could ever have asked for.
"Zia, let ..." I hated how he used my real na, as if we were so close, but we weren’t.
Even Zade, my brother, managed to blend with the na. So why couldn’t he?
"Let love you. Let help rebuild your pack..."
"Zade has his pack under control. Now that has nothing to do with and my brother wouldn’t let my life be about politics."
"How sure are you, honey?"
I parted my lips to retort, but he closed the space between us, his hand holding my waist. I swallowed and made a mistake when I looked up into those eyes of his.
I shook my head, stepping back slightly. "Whatever you think is there between us from the past, it doesn’t matter. I’m with Snow. I’ve chosen him, and I don’t regret it."
Kaid’s gaze didn’t waver. "I’m not here to challenge that, but you can’t deny that a part of you feels it too."
Anger flared within , pushing past the confusing mix of emotions. "You don’t get to speak to like this, Kaid. You had your chance, and you lost it unfortunately but I love Snow, and he is my mate, my husband. And I won’t let you undermine that."
He exhaled, his shoulders relaxing slightly as he raised his hands in a gesture of surrender. "I’m not here to cause trouble, Zia."
"Zara," I corrected, leaving no room for an argunt, but Kaid never listens.
That proud Lycan always did what he wanted. "Zia, I just... couldn’t walk away without seeing you."
His words aggravated but I pushed it aside, unwilling to let him worm his way into my thoughts.
But as hard as I tried, it felt almost impossible.
"Astrid, what’s happening to ?"
"I can feel it too. He is..." My wolf gasped and I knew it couldn’t be good. "Is he trying to use the allure on you?"
"Al..."
"Allure, baby girl. Allure. You must fight it. You are stronger than you know it."
I shook my head internally while blocking off Kaid’s voice. "Explain, Astrid."
Before Astrid could, Kaid closed in even further, more than I thought possible. "This isn’t right," I said quietly, more to myself than to him. "I shouldn’t even be looking at you like this, Kaid. I shouldn’t—"
"Then don’t," he interrupted gently, taking a small step closer. His voice was like velvet, low and soothing, but I could hear the weight behind his words. "You don’t have to look at , Zara. Just listen."
Astrid growled deeply in my mind, breaking past the boundary there.
"Zara, please listen to . Gosh, where is Snow and Gla... He can feel the bond. Good. I’ll just have to put her in heat and trigger the bond, pulling Snow here."
anwhile, all the words Astrid said barely registered in my mind as I gazed into Kaid’s eyes.
And before I knew what was going on, I felt sothing tingle in my body. My nerves were on end and every touch, even from the air against my skin, sent shivers all over my body.
Kaid’s lips curled upward in an amusing smile. "Hmm, heat? Let help with that."
His hand on my waist drifted higher and I released a soft moan.
I knitted my brows when Astrid’s voice rang out once more. "Oh fuck, Zara. What have I done? You gotta leave, now."
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