Chapter 21 Unspoken doubt
Alyssa's POV
It's been two whole weeks since Zayne told me he loved me. Two weeks of stolen glances, lingering touches, and a warmth in my chest that refused to fade. I hadn't said it back, not yet, but he never pushed. He just smiled whenever he caught me staring, like he knew exactly what was going through my mind
"Focus, Red," Zayne's voice cut through my thoughts. We were in the training grounds, the afternoon sun beating down on us. "You're overthinking it."
I groaned, dropping my hands to my knees. We'd been at this for hours, he was teaching me how mindlink works. Every other wolf could do it naturally, but apparently, my late-blooming wolf status came with complications.
"Maybe I'm broken," I muttered.
"You're not broken." His hands found my shoulders, steadying me. "Your wolf is there. I can feel her. She's just... stubborn." His voice was light and I felt my wolf roll her eyes.
"Like someone else I know," my wolf shot back, and I bit back a smile.
"What did she say this time?" Zayne asked, noticing my expression. He was getting used to her blurting thin
"Nothing important." But the way his eyes crinkled told me he had a pretty good guess.
"Try again," he encouraged. "Picture the connection between us. Like a thread"
"A thread that's apparently invisible and impossible to grab," I interrupted, frustration bleeding through.
He chuckled, pulling me against his chest. "We'll get there. I promise."
I wanted to believe him. These past two weeks had been the happiest I'd felt in years, despite my inability to shift or mindlink. Zayne was patient beyond reason, and even Tristan had forgiven himself for what happened at the mall.
"I need water," I said, pulling away. "And possibly a miracle." He chuckled softly.
"We can call it a day, I need to check on the patrol schedule anyway." He pressed a kiss to my forehead. He didn't leave, until I was a good distance away from him.
The kitchen was empty when I arrived. I grabbed a glass, filling it with cold water, and nearly jumped out of my skin when someone cleared their throat behind me.
Lori.
My stomach dropped. I'd successfully avoided her for two weeks, but apparently my luck had run out. She stood in the doorway, her green eyes cold as winter, blonde hair pulled back in a severe ponytail.
"Finally decided to show your face without your bodyguards?" she said, voice dripping with venom.
I turned fully to face her, keeping my expression neutral, "I just want to get some water, Lori." I told her, “and we can just stay out of each others faces."
She scoffed, "don't tell me what to do,” she snapped. “Just because you're Zayne's mate doesn't mean you're going to be here for long. So better watch it.”
I paused, waiting for her to continue what she meant. I already accepted the fact that we were never going to be friends. But that didn't explain what she meant about me not being here for long.
“She doesn't know what she's talking about, let's leave." My wolf said, and I didn't argue,
Ignoring her, I turned to leave but her next words stopped me in my tracks. "You're never going to compare to her no matter how hard you try…everyone can see that, how long do you think it'll take before Zayne sees it as well?”
“Her?" I thought, swallowing hard and I felt dread crawl up my spine.
She smirked when she saw my reaction. “I guess you didn't know. Maybe he doesn't think you're that important after all…you're not Nyra afterall.”
Nyra? That name again. I've heard some Omegas talking about her once but I didn't think much about but now that she was mentioning it, I felt my chest tighten.
I heard my wolf say something, but I pushed her aside as Lori let out a wicked laugh and strolled out of the kitchen while I stood like a statue, my thoughts spiralling. I suddenly didn't feel thirsty anymore, so I slowly made my way out of the kitchen.
“Luna," Aria's familiar voice called behind me.
I wore a smile that didn't reach my eyes and turned to face her. "Hey,”
She frowned, "are you okay?” She asked, "I saw Lori coming from this side, you guys didn't run into each other, did you?”
I shook my head, "of course not, she avoids me like a plague.”
Aria nodded, "I think she's just scared. She doesn't want to be taught a lesson like her brother…she's smart, I'll give her that.” She said jokingly. “How did your training go?"
I shrugged, “the same as always, I might as well give up." I said with a groan. Aria just nodded and began to complain about how much Tristan and Aileen were going to be the death of her. She continued filling me in on how she thinks they should just kiss and make up.
Aria continued talking, but her words became background noise. Nyra. The name echoed in my mind like a broken record. I hated how I couldn't bring myself to take my mind off it
"Luna? Are you listening?" Aria's concerned voice broke through my thoughts.
"Sorry, I'm just tired," I managed, forcing another smile. "I think I'll go rest."
Aria nodded sympathetically. "Of course. Training can be exhausting, especially when you're still adjusting." She squeezed my shoulder gently before heading off.
Once in our room, I closed the door and leaned against it, my heart racing. Nyra. The name felt heavy on my tongue. Even my wolf was suspiciously quiet, which only made my anxiety worse.
And before I knew what I was doing, I moved to Zayne's side of the room, where he had a table with some important things I've never really bothered about. His desk was neat, organized, just like everything else about him. My fingers trembled as I opened the first drawer. Pack documents, patrol schedules, nothing personal.
The second drawer held pens, a few USB drives, and... a small key. I picked it up, turning it over in my palm. It looked like it belonged to a box or a small drawer. My eyes scanned the room until they landed on his closet.
"This is wrong," my wolf finally spoke up. "You should just ask him."
"Ask him about the woman he's never mentioned? The one Lori seems to think I'll never measure up to?" I shot back.
“He's our mate, maybe he's doing it for our sake.".
I sighed deeply, knowing she was right. He'd never given me a reason to not trust him and going behind him doesn't seem right, so I paused, moving towards the bed and laying down, losing the will power to do anything.
“He's not Ryder," my wolf reminded me and I nodded.
Just as I felt myself drifting off to sleep, I heard the door open and Zayne's familiar scent filled the room and not long after, the space beside me deepened and
his arms wrapped around me.
“I love you.” He murmured, just as I felt sleep take over.