Chapter 6 The Gravity of Choice

ZANE'S POV

My dad's office felt smaller than usual. I stood by the window, my back to him, watching the rain trickle down the glass, and I tried to recall the last time I felt this uneasy but honestly, I couldn’t remember.

She's alone, Fenris my wolf chimed in from somewhere deep within me. Surrounded by wolves who want her gone. We need to go back and be with her.

Caspian has her, I replied, keeping my gaze fixed on the rain. She’s fine.

I don't think she is. Fenris continued, trying to persuade me to go to her.

I didn’t respond, partly because he was right, and partly because admitting it would mean admitting how clearly I could still smell her from here… rain mixed with old books, and something else beneath that I hadn’t been able to put into words after three long months of trying.

"You’re shaking."

My dad’s voice came from behind me, pulling my attention away from my trembling hand.

He was right, I hadn’t even noticed the faint shaking until he pointed it out. I pressed my palm flat against my thigh and turned to face him.

"Long night," I said.

He looked at me the same way he had since I was little, like he could see right through my words to what I wasn’t saying. He set his glass down on the desk and crossed his arms, a familiar gesture that always seemed to signal he was preparing for a serious conversation.

Then he leaned against his desk, his amber eyes locking onto mine, making it hard to look away. “Tell me Zane, how could you bring a human here? Into wolf territory, into a place no one would accept her, risking your claim to the throne. What makes her worth taking such risk?

I couldn’t help but think back to that moment in the lodge.

There she was, soaked to the bone, completely worn out, and surrounded by a crowd that could easily overpower her. But instead of backing down, she stood her ground, staring right at the Alpha and demanding that her name be said, instead of addressing her like an inanimate object.

“Because I couldn't just walk away from her," I admitted, feeling a sense of relief wash over me as the truth finally came out. "Plus she's brave, father. It might be tough for her to adapt here, but not as tough as an average human. The pack might not accept her or want her here, but she's my mate and there's nothing that can be done about that."

"Bravery alone isn't enough. A human woman who doesn't understand how dangerous this world can be is going to get herself killed inside it.” He paused. “A human mate is madness for a leader, Zane. The pack needs a Luna who can lead the hunt, not someone who needs a bodyguard to use the bathroom. Honestly, she’s just a distraction!”

She’s not a distraction, Fenris growled, his voice rumbling deep in my chest.

And he was right. Even now, with her a half mile away in the east cabin, just the thought of her kept me calm.

When she was close, it felt like the world paused for a moment. But when she was gone? That’s when I really felt the hunger, like I was starving for her presence, so how can something that kept me calm be called a distraction?

“She stays,” I said, my voice dropping to a low growl. “ She is my mate! I’ll train her, I’ll protect her and if anyone… Jax, Logan, or even you lays a finger on her, they’ll have to answer to me.”

Father strode over, his heavy boots thudding against the timber floor, the sound echoing in the quiet room.

He stopped just inches away from me.

“Don’t confuse this bond with a choice, Zane,” he said, his voice low and intense. “You’re pulling her into a world that devours her kind for breakfast. Are you really saving her, or just making her the center of your own downfall?”

I didn’t have an answer to his question, I couldn’t even find the words.

I turned and made my way out, my boots thumping against the floorboards as I headed toward the east wing.

By the time I made it to the east cabin, the rain had turned into a soft mist. I told myself I was just doing a perimeter check.

Caspian was standing guard about ten feet from the porch, his posture was relaxed but his eyes kept scanning the treeline.

He gave me a knowing nod and disappeared back into the shadows.

I kept going until I found myself standing outside her door, lingering longer than I intended. I could feel her presence on the other side, her heartbeat a little too quick, her breathing a bit uneven.

Fenris, went completely still inside me, just like he always was when she was close.

There, he said quietly. That.

I knocked. There was a brief pause before she replied, “If you’re here to tell me I’m being moved to a different cage, I’d rather not know tonight.”

I pushed the door open. She was perched on the edge of the bed, wrapped in a blanket, her arms hugging her knees. When she looked up at me with those storm-grey eyes and the scowl she’d been wearing since the shop, I started to think it was less about anger and more like a protective shield.

“You again,” she said flatly.

“Me again.” I leaned against the doorframe, studying her. Just like that, the shaking in my hand settled down completely. It was as if her presence was a switch, and everything else faded into the background, but I didn’t dwell on it too much. “How are you?”

“How am I?” She echoed the question as if it were an insult. “I’m sitting in a cabin in a wolf compound in the mountains at two in the morning, wearing clothes that aren’t mine. How do you think I am?”

“Alive,” I replied. “Which is definitely better than the alternative.”

She opened her mouth, then closed it again.

Instead, she pulled the blanket tighter around herself and stared at the fire.

“Your pack hates me,” she said.

“My pack doesn’t know you.”

“Same thing.” She shot me a sideways glance. “That man, Jax he wanted to hand me over.”

“He won’t touch you.”

“You sound pretty sure about that.”

“I am.” I said it simply, and I meant it.

She stood up, the blanket slipping off her shoulder, and walked over to the small window. With her back to me, she gazed out at the dark compound, and I stayed quite.

Fenris had gone still in that way he did when he was focused on something he didn’t want to interrupt.

“Why did you tell that man, Silver that I'm under your protection?” she asked, turning to face me with her eyes locking onto mine demanding for an answer. “What does that actually mean here?”

I left the doorframe and stepped into the room, stopping a few feet away from her. Up close, her scent was even more intoxicating, and I had to work harder than I should have to keep my expression steady.

“It means that no one in my territory or outside it can touch you without going through me first,” I replied.

She held my gaze for a long moment, her jaw clenched, and her eyes were saying a lot more than her words. “Is that something you can just decide?”

“I just did.”

“That’s…” She paused, letting out a slow breath through her nose. “You are the most infuriating person I’ve ever met, and trust me, I’ve met some truly infuriating people.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment.”

“It wasn’t a compliment.”

“I know.” I held her gaze, feeling a tightness in my chest. “Get some sleep, Davina. Tomorrow’s going to be tougher than today.”

“Impossible,” she muttered, already turning back toward the bed.

I was just about to step out the door when her voice stopped me in my tracks.

“Zane.”

I turned around to see her standing by the bed, still wrapped in the blanket. She looked tired, angry, and there was something else simmering beneath the surface.

“Thank you,” she said, her voice softening a bit. “For saving me from those men.” She paused, lifting her chin slightly. “Despite the fact that you took away my choice by bringing me here, I'm still grateful that you saved me from them.”

I met her gaze for a moment. “It is my duty to protect you, you don't have to thank me for that.”

She nodded, as if that settled everything, then climbed into bed and pulled the blanket up around her. After that, she didn’t look at me again.

I closed the door quietly, standing outside in the dark, listening to her breathing slow down. It felt like Fenris was settling in my chest.

She thanked us, he said.

Let’s not make a big deal out of it.

It’s already a big deal, he replied with joy.

I lingered outside her door until her breathing evened out completely. Then I turned to face the tree line, letting the night wrap around me, and thought about my first time of seeing her 3 months ago.

How I caught her scent from across the town and immediately recognised her as my mate.

How I fought so hard to stay away, the struggle between choosing what was right for the pack and my own desires.

Finding out my mate was a human, I had questioned how the moon goddess could be so cruel by doing that to me.

I had chosen to stay away, fight the bond maybe but it wasn't easy.

I had watched her for three months, every night guarding her and making sure she was fine, even without her knowing.

If I hadn't been there last night, I wonder

what they would have done to her.

Grayson will definitely pay for trying to touch what was mine, I won't let him off the hook.