CHAPTER 4

Zoe had done her best. She showed Eva the private quarters set aside for her at the northern wing of the pack house. It was a beautiful cozy room with pink walls, thick rugs, and a wide window that overlooked the pine woods. She talked the whole way, pointing out all the training fields, the warriors' barracks, the healer’s den, and the indoor spring bath that she claimed could cure any headache. “You’ll love it here,” Zoe said with a bright smile. “I mean, it might feel strange at first, being around all of us, but Zayne will make sure you’re safe. He’s… intimidating sometimes, but he’s good. Deep down, he’s good.” Eva nodded along, managing small smiles, but she barely absorbed a word. Her mind was spinning. Her body was exhausted. Once Zoe left her alone with a quick hug and a hopeful "Try to rest," the silence became deafening. Eva stared at the room for a moment. It was too clean, too unfamiliar. Her hands were still trembling. She walked to the window and pressed her forehead to the cold glass. Everything was happening too fast. First the forest. Then the bite. Then being dragged back and beaten. Then Zayne—biting her, then rejecting her, now marrying her for peace while another woman wore the title of Luna. Her knees gave out. Eva collapsed to the floor, pressing her fists into her chest as she cried. She couldn’t help the sobs that came out. She was just too… overwhelmed. She didn’t want this. She didn’t want any of this. She tried to hold it in at first, biting her lip, trembling. But it was useless. The tears came hard and fast. She cried for the childhood she never had. For the freedom she’d tasted for just a moment. For the confusion in Zayne’s eyes. For the way her soul ached every time she thought about him. "I don't know what to do," she whispered through her tears. “I don’t belong here.” — Down the hall, Zayne couldn’t stop pacing. He kept thinking about her. That scent. That voice. That look in her eyes when he’d touched her. He leaned against the wall, trying to push away the pounding in his head. He didn’t understand what was happening—but something inside him kept pulling him toward her. He didn’t care what the treaty demanded, what the elders expected. He only cared that she was here. That she was in pain. And he could feel it—somehow, he could feel her pain. Without thinking, he turned and walked toward her quarters. He had to see her. When he got there, he didn’t knock. He pushed the door open quietly and stopped. There she was, curled on the floor, shoulders shaking. She had her hands clutched to her chest like she was trying to hold herself together. Zayne stepped in slowly. His heart clenched at the sight of her. He hadn’t expected this. He hadn’t meant to see her like this. But he couldn’t turn away. “Eva,” he said softly. She gasped and scrambled back, trying to wipe at her face, hide the tears. “Wh–what are you doing here?” Zayne hesitated, then lowered himself onto one knee, keeping a bit of distance. “I didn’t come to hurt you,” he said gently. “I came because… I couldn’t stay away.” Eva blinked at him, her red eyes glassy with tears. “I came to apologize for my behaviour earlier,” he continued, voice low, “I don’t know what came over me but it felt like something woke up in me as soon as you came in” Eva’s lips trembled. There was something about the words he said and the tone in his voice that made her chest ache “You don’t even know me.” “I want to,” he said without hesitation. “I want to know you, Eva. I know you don’t want this marriage but I’ll do my best. I promise.” Her breath hitched. “I’m sorry for how I acted before,” he said quietly. “I was angry. Confused. And I took it out on you. That wasn’t fair.” Eva looked at him for a long moment, searching his face. “You attacked me.” “I did,” he admitted, “I regret it. I don’t know what came over me. Now… here I am, sitting on your floor, not giving a damn about anything but the fact that you’re hurting.” Eva didn’t respond. Zayne reached out, slowly, just to brush a strand of hair from her cheek. She flinched slightly—but didn’t pull away. His touch was gentle, his fingers barely grazing her skin. Their eyes locked. “I don’t want to scare you,” he said “I just… want to be close to you. Even if you don’t trust me yet.” For a moment, the air between them thickened. His hand lingered near her cheek. Her breathing slowed. Her eyes shimmered. They were so close now that he could feel her warmth. “I don’t trust you,” she whispered. “Not yet.” “I’ll earn it,” he said. A pause. “Why?” she asked. “Because,” he murmured “I…” They sat there, lost in the tension, the silence stretching between them like a thread waiting to snap. And for just a breath, it felt like the world had stilled around them. Then a voice shattered it. — Leah stood just outside the door. She had followed Zayne from the hall. She had suspicion crawling in her veins like fire. And now, seeing him kneeling before Eva, touching her, speaking to her with that soft edge in his voice—something snapped inside her. That tenderness was hers. Not Eva’s. A low growl rumbled in her throat. She turned and stormed down the hallway. In the dark of the corridor, she slammed her hand against the wall and clenched her jaw. And then she did the unthinkable. Leah gritted her teeth, raised her arm, and slammed it into the stone pillar at full force. The bone cracked loudly. Pain exploded up her arm. She cried out. “ZAYNE!” she screamed, stumbling to the floor, clutching her wrist. She waited. Waited for the bond to snap into place, for his instincts to drive him to her side. But… nothing came. Nothing. No pull. No panic. No answering howl. Her lip trembled. She was angry and scared at the same time. Did this mean it didn’t work? She fled into the woods, clutching her injured hand, until she reached the crooked little hut by the river—the one she’d sworn never to return to unless desperate. 【Flashback – One Week Ago】 The room smelled like burnt herbs. Leah stood in front of the witch’s altar, heart racing. “I need a mate mark. One that looks real. I don’t care how you do it. Just make him think I’m his.” The witch looked at her. “I can create an illusion. A mimic. It will look like his. It will even carry the same heat, the same scent.” Leah exhaled in relief. “But it will not last,” the witch said firmly. “The spell must be fed by deception. And it will grow weaker each day. Especially if his true mate is nearby.” “I’ll make him mark me for real before that happens.” The witch’s smile was thin and cruel. “Then you best move quickly, child. For once the truth is smelled… it cannot be unsmelled.” 【End of Flashback】 Now Leah was back, seething. Her wrist was wrapped in cloth. “You said I’d have time!” she spat at the witch. “You are running out of it,” the old woman replied coolly. “The true mate is near. Her presence diminishes your hold. If you do not get him to complete the bond, your mark will disappear altogether.” — Back at the pack house, the courtyard was filled with wolves and elders. Zayne stood before them in his formal black coat. Leo and Zoe were by his side. His eyes were locked forward. “Tonight, I announce my decision,” he declared. “For the sake of the treaty and to protect the peace between our peoples…” He paused. “…I will marry Eva DeRyile.” Leah, standing at the edge, forced a proud smile. But her knuckles were white. Zayne’s face remained unreadable. His words were calm. But his heart? His heart was at war.