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Chapter 262
~Zara’s POV~
My eyes widened. How the hell did she know? Before I could ask her, she beat to it.
"I can tell judging from their expressions and aura; it was obvious. Good. It is a nice start. Now you need to pinpoint your enemies and their alliance before it is too late."
Siona smiled as she turned to leave. As she left the room, my stomach growled, but my thoughts were scattered once more.
I couldn’t think of anything, my mind racing a mile a minute.
"Relax," Astrid said calmly. "You’ve had a long day, so try not to stress too much."
"I’m trying."
"Good."
After a mont, I decided to take a hot shower, hoping it would help soothe the ache in my muscles.
"You should have sothing to eat," Astrid advised. "You skipped your al."
"True."
"So, go to Snow. He’s in the kitchen."I halted my thought before I asked how she knew when I recalled we were mates now and even more so, our wolves were connected. "Sure, let’s go."
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~Aira’s POV~
The weight of worry had been gnawing at all day. When Mum ntioned Zara’s ordeal, it hit hard. The thought of her being hurt and not knowing had left feeling helpless. But what nagged at more was the quiet agitation from my wolf, Sumr.
"Way to go, Aira," Sumr muttered with a growl in the back of my mind. "You forgot about our mate."
"I didn’t forget!" I snapped back internally, though the guilt simring under my frustration was undeniable.
"Sure you didn’t," Sumr quipped, her sarcasm cutting through my resolve.
I sighed, grabbing my phone and scrolling to Zade’s contact. I had been so caught up in worrying about Zara that I hadn’t even thought to check on him. My thumb hesitated over the call button for a mont before I tapped it.
The line rang twice before his familiar voice answered. "Aira?"
Relief washed over at the sound of his voice, though it was tinged with exhaustion. "Zade," I said softly, the tension in my chest easing. "I just wanted to check on you. Are you okay?"
"I’m fine," he replied, and I could hear the faint smile in his tone. "Better now that you’ve called."
His words sent a small flutter through my chest, but I pushed it aside. "Good. I was worried."
A faint clink of ceramic sounded through the line, followed by a muffled "Hush, Snow," before Zade’s voice ca back.
"What was that?" I asked, my curiosity piqued.
"Nothing," Zade said, a touch too quickly.
"Nothing?" I repeated, raising an eyebrow even though he couldn’t see . "It sounded like soone was banging plates around."
There was a beat of silence before Zade chuckled sheepishly. "Fine, you caught . Snow and I were kinda raiding the kitchen."
I laughed softly as the ntal image of the two of them rummaging through cabinets was amusing. "At this ti of night?"
"We were hungry," Zade added quickly.
"Uh-huh," I teased. "So, what gourt dish are the mighty Alphas whipping up?"
"Don’t laugh," he warned. "It’s just sandwiches and tea. We’re not exactly culinary experts."
"I can imagine," I said, grinning. "But Snow is."
"Only for my sister. Sadly, I am not her even though we have the sa blood running through her veins."
Zade’s voice softened slightly, the teasing edge giving way to sothing more sincere. "What about you? How are you doing?"
"I’m okay," I replied, though my tone faltered slightly. "Just... worried about Zara. And you."
When Zade spoke, his voice was reassuring. "You don’t have to worry about , Aira. I’m fine. Zara’s doing better, too. She’s strong."
"I know she is," I said quietly. "But still, it’s hard not to worry."
There was silence between us for a mont.
"You’ve been on my mind," Zade said suddenly, his words catching off guard.
"I have?"
"Yes," he admitted. "After everything that’s happened, I just... I needed to hear your voice."
The flutter in my chest returned, stronger this ti. "I’m glad I called, then."
"So am I," he said softly.
"But why didn’t you call?"
"I would have. There’s just been a much going on here, dear."
There was a warmth in his tone that I wasn’t used to, and it made my pulse quicken. Zade had been a rock I could lean on—but this felt different.
"Hmm."
"Aira," he began, his voice hesitating slightly. "I know we haven’t really talked about... us much. But I want you to know that I care about you. More than I probably let on."
His words triggered a surge of emotions within , leaving montarily speechless.
"I care about you too, Zade," I said finally.
There was a pause, and I could hear him exhale on the other end. "I know I’m not the easiest person to deal with..."
"Neither am I," I cut in, a small smile tugging at my lips.
He chuckled lightly as the sound eased so of the tension between us. "Fair point."
Well lapsed into silence once more.
"I miss you, you know. Do you think we’ll push forward? You and I?"
I swallowed hard at his question. "I think we already have," I said honestly.
His breath hitched slightly, and I could almost picture the way his eyes softened. "Yeah," he said after a mont. "Maybe we have. So, will you go on a date with when I return?"
The sound of Snow’s voice in the background broke the mont. "Zade, stop hogging the phone. It’s not a date."
I laughed, shaking my head. "Tell Snow I said hi."
Zade groaned. "He’s impossible. But I’ll tell him."
"Goodnight, Zade," I said softly, a small smile lingering on my lips.
"Goodnight, Aira," he replied, his voice warm. "Wait..."
It was already too late. I had ended the call. "Oopsie." I smiled at myself. "I’ll ssage him later," I told myself before placing down the phone and staring at where it was on my desk.
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