*Noah*
I settled into Zara’s house fairly quickly. It was a relief to be away from Drogomor after everything that had happened recently. Things were much quieter here, though it wasn’t a vacation.
I helped around the house often.
One day, while I was helping move so furniture, I noticed Jax coming to help direct . He actually gave a smile.
“Thank you,” he said with respect in his tone and eyes.
If he thought I was above helping out like this, he was wrong, not that I could bla him.
This was emphasized when the next morning, I was outside, doing so yard work and sweating in the sun.
Exercise and chores were a perfect combination for . Jax ca out to help with mowing the lawn, once more shooting a look of approval.
I felt my confidence surge. Now, it wasn’t just Ria was helping his cold shoulder thaw.
One day, I was sitting in the lounge area with Zara as she typed away on her laptop. She looked up as I cleared my throat, raising a brow. “Matchmaking people again?” I asked.
“Not quite,” Zara said, giving a light smile. “But I’m doing sothing relevant. I’m trying to find a way to cultivate the lilies.”
I blinked, thinking that over. “I see. Given they were found in the Dark Realm, that would require a huge degree of work, right?” I wondered if she was taking her baby into account or being stubborn again.
She hadn’t broken the news to her parents yet, either.
“Yes,” Zara said. “First, I need to find the proper cave environnt for the lilies, then I can get sowhere. It will be a ton of work, but I can handle it.”
“You’re not going to be stubborn on this again, are you?” I asked.
“Are you offering to help? Technically you’re here to see how other packs work and gain experience, not help with this stuff,” she said, rolling her eyes.
“Technically nothing, Zara,” I said. “I can do multiple things at once.”
I sighed, feeling annoyed with myself at my forr behavior. Guilt billowed in my gut at the knowledge of how her career was practically ruined.
“I know that, but it isn’t your responsibility to help with my career, of all things,” she said.
“Yes, it is,” I said. “Your attempt to matchmake was a failure because of . It was your first job. You refused my parents’ paynt, after all. The least I can do is help with this.”
“Well, my reputation has taken a dive, and my career didn’t kickstart the way I wanted it to,” she muttered. “But I do have these rare lilies, so in the long run, it will work out.”
“Right, so you should accept my help. This is a good way to make it up to you,” I said. “And beyond that, really, as a friend, I want to help.”
She studied for a mont with her beautiful green eyes, then gave a smile. “Fine. You can help . Right now, I’m trying to find so caves to excavate that may be good for the lilies.”
“You’re doing that yourself?!” I asked in surprise.
She shrugged. “Who else would do it? I don’t have the resources to hire anyone.”
“I do,” I said proudly, letting a smile settle and widen on my face.
She raised a brow at , pausing as she typed and crossing her arms.
“So, you’re going to, what... hire a bunch of archeologists to do that job for us?” she asked skeptically.
“Yes,” I said. “That’s exactly what I plan to do.”
Zara scoffed, then went silent. I could tell she was thinking it over so more. When she opened her mouth to speak again, I held up my hand, practically predicting what she was going to say.
“You will owe nothing. This is to make up for my mistake and as a friendly gesture, Zara. Really. You did, truly, help . I almost made a huge mistake. You showed the light,” I said.
“Like a star, right?” Zara said in an amused tone.
I snickered and nodded.
After another pause, she sighed and said, “Alright. But I have the final say in all the decisions relating to the lily. Deal?”
“Deal,” I said, seeing no problem with that.
Monts later, I took a seat next to her, bringing out my own laptop and starting the hiring process. I needed top-notch experts in the field for this purpose, as I knew this flower was rare.
Zara said, “I’ve made a list of conditions, and I took pictures on my phone before we left the cave. I’d marked on the map where we were and did further research on it, too.”
“The people I hire will also know more than a thing or two about that area,” I said confidently.
“That will be expensive, but alright,” she said, her tone quiet.
Money had clearly always been a problem for her, but not this ti.
I noticed she subconsciously leaned against as she researched. Her scent enveloped , a beautiful floral aroma that I realized was just her natural scent.
I’d thought she was putting on perfu to seduce when we first t. Now I realized it was just Zara being pleasant.
Being near her was comforting, and I let myself relax as I worked.
A few hours of back and forth later, I said, “I think I have the team. I want you to look over this docunt before I contact them, boss.”
“Boss.” Zara chuckled, shaking her head.
I’d said it in a teasing way, but I ant it. I passed over the laptop to her, and she went silent as she looked it over.
“Great job with the docuntation,” she said, surprised.
“A future Alpha’s got to know how to do things well,” I said proudly. “I think I covered all the issues you highlighted, but I want you to verify that.”
“Hmm... you did, great job, Noah. I really do appreciate the help.”
She gave a warm smile, which made my heart flutter. I dipped my head, and from there, sent out the emails.
Zara explained, “Phase one will be a temporary cave until we find a more permanent ho for the lilies. They won’t be able to flourish in less-than-ideal conditions, but if we don’t find a temporary place now, so of the flowers I preserved will expire.”
“Understood,” I said. “Hopefully a cave for that will be found as soon as possible, then.”
It was a good thing we were hiring so of the top experts in the field.
***
*Zara*
A few days later, Noah and I were visiting the temporary cave the archeologists found. I wanted to oversee the project and make sure I didn’t overwork myself.
And naturally, he ca along to view the progress of these things... not that I minded.
I was starting to realize that being with Noah was actually quite pleasant. He was still his stubborn self, but now it was coming from an angle of care. He was a confident Alpha Heir, intelligent right along with strong.
I couldn’t help but feel honored that he was genuinely helping with this. My father was even warming up to him, given that Noah helped around the house a lot.
I walked up to the head of the team and gave a smile. “How are things going?” I asked.
Noah stayed at my side, dipping his head in greeting to the archeologist.
The archeologist said, “This cave will have proper conditions throughout this season, which should give us ti to find a more permanent solution.”
I nodded, letting out a sigh of relief. “Good, we can start growing the more fragile lilies, then. I’ll consult the botanist on site as well.”
With that, I moved onto discussing matters with the botanist. That conversation didn’t last long either, as the setup was already comncing.
“Thank you for your work here,” Noah said to them. He’d been treating those he hired with respect, sothing that made feel wonderful.
We looked around the cave, which didn’t have any unusual features.
“I hope we can find the permanent cave soon,” I said. “I don’t want all of this work to go to waste.”
Noah replied, “Worst cos to worse, another journey will be necessary. Not for you, this ti, though.” He shot a serious look, and I chuckled, rubbing the back of my neck.
“Yes, this ti I will be more careful.”
Noah was about to add sothing when suddenly his guards charged into the cave, making a beeline for the Alpha Heir. Imdiately, Noah was on guard, completely tense.
“Sir!” one of the Drogomor guards said. “Rogues are closing into the territory.”
“What?!” Noah growled, then turned to . “Guard Zara while I take care of them.”
I said, “Wait!” but he was already gone, charging out of the cave.
I heard clothing tear as he shifted, but he was out of view. I couldn’t see him.
My heart clenched. Rogues? The idea of Noah getting hurt was terrible. My wolf pulled at to go see, to go join him, but I ignored her.
I had a baby to think about, and I was no fighter. Noah could handle it. He was a strong wolf.
But that didn’t an I wasn’t terrified for him.
I looked at the guards and asked, “Do we have any idea why we’re being attacked?! Are we in soone’s territory?”
The entire team was on guard now, staring toward the cave entrance with fear. A flurry of growls and snarls hit my ear, causing my eyes to widen.
The lead archeologist walked up to . “We ensured we would not be encroaching on any territory, whether rogue or other pack. This is a completely unexpected developnt.”
A whimper cascaded through the air, causing to wince.
I looked at so of the Drogomor guards who had stayed back with —a few were out there fighting with Noah, but not all—and said, “You should go help him! I will be fine!”
“No,” one of them replied. “Noah wants us to remain here to protect you. He can handle it.”
The Drogomor guard walked up to the entrance of the cave as the fighting raged on outside. “There are five rogues remaining.”
I knew Noah and his guards could handle that amount, but it didn’t calm any of my worries. I began to pace, doing so until the fighting outside died down.
Noah walked in, blood dripping down the curve of his muscles. My heart skipped a beat and concern. He was already healing the wounds, thankfully.
One of his guards walked up to him, handing him his bag. He cleaned himself off and got into his extra change of clothes, letting out a huff.
I ran up to him, my eyes wide. “What happened?! Was this just a random attack, do we know?” I asked. “I wish I could have helped,” I added with a grumble.
“I took care of it,” Noah said, shaking his head. “No, you helped by staying here, Zara.” He reached over and placed a gentle hand on my shoulder, giving it a squeeze.
I couldn’t help but blush as that electricity rushed through again. My wolf’s interest piqued once more, and I cursed that, knowing that my focus should remain on finding my true mate along with the work with the lilies.
But at that mont, his touch felt nice, and I was still beyond worried about him.
At my other questions, though, he shrugged. His eyes flashed darkly. “We managed to snatch up one of the rogues before they fled.”
He nodded toward the entrance, where the guards were bringing in a scraggly-looking man covered in blood. The rogue had a glint of hatred in his eye as he stared Noah down.
“It was a tough battle, and all of them escaped,” Noah added, “except that one. Maybe we can get so information out of him.”
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