138 Zavir...
When the third day of the wedding ended and the Reyrems left, I immediately went after Tanya. She was standing on the Alpha’s veranda, watching her sister and new brother-in-law disappear in the distance. Approaching her, I began a difficult conversation.
“You do understand that I won’t let you go now, don’t you?” I stated firmly, my gaze following the cars that vanished from sight.
“Zavir, I’m not ready yet for an adult relationship,” her gentle voice sounded sad, almost pleading. “You know that very well.”
“I won’t let you go!” I turned the brunette toward me, holding her hand, staring into those beloved, sorrowful eyes.
“I know,” Tanya whispered quietly, reaching up for a kiss.
Kissing my little mate, I tasted the salty bitterness of her tears. Her soul was tearing apart—just like mine.
“Sorry…” – that was the only thing I heard before SHE KNOCKED ME OUT!
Only later did I find out that the two sisters had certain little tricks for dealing with werewolves—and apparently, they were quite popular!
When I finally came to, Tanya was gone. Not a single trace of her remained. It drove me mad. The despair was so sharp, so hopeless, that I howled like a wounded beast.
And then one day, the finance department passed me a stack of bills to forward for Wayland’s signature. Imagine my shock when I came across tuition fees for some student at the capital university. The name meant nothing to me—I was certain I didn’t know anyone like that, and I highly doubted my friend had picked up some underage mistress.
Putting two and two together wasn’t hard. Within minutes, I was already riding Lakisha straight toward the city I needed. My sister insisted on coming too. She wanted a break from her monotonous life—though if you could call raising a two-year-old monotonous, I had no idea. But yes, she needed it badly.
Baby Liam had been the biggest surprise for our family, and at the same time my comfort during these last two endless years of waiting. To my own astonishment, I had a strong, unrealized paternal instinct that demanded an outlet.
When we arrived at the university, I used my rights as a beta to request information about this mysterious student. The dean’s office clearly didn’t want to clash with an alpha’s second-in-command, so they didn’t argue—they simply handed me the girl’s personal file.
A grin spread across my face as soon as I saw the photo clipped inside. My runaway. It really was her.
The folder contained everything I needed: her information, phone number, address, academic records—and more.
The route from the university to her apartment went straight through the park, so that’s where I headed. But after barely two hundred meters into the park, I froze.
My lungs burned, torn apart by a scent so intoxicating it nearly overwhelmed me. From a distance, it carried the sweetness of lavender.
It didn’t take me long to trace the source—and when I found her, I stopped dead in my tracks. I drank in the sight of the young nymph before me, provocatively licking her fingers and the tip of her ice cream cone.
And it wasn’t just the hair on my body that stood on end.
She had always smelled unique to me, but now… now it was like some potent drug, coursing through me, burning through every nerve.
Every instinct inside me was screaming for the same thing—catch my female, claim her, and secure the continuation of our line. And of all things, she thought it was a good idea to start running!
It took everything I had not to mark her right there, not to take her and make her mine on the spot.
Now, more than ever, I finally understood Wayland.
Or… no. No, I didn’t. I didn’t understand how he ever tried to resist this. It was impossible!
In her intoxicating scent of a true mate, new notes appeared—sharp, undeniable hints of arousal. My vision nearly blacked out as the primal urge threatened to swallow me whole.
But I managed to snap out of it just in time, forcing myself to get a grip.
During all the time Tanya was gone, people kept telling me I needed to do the right thing by her. And that’s exactly what I plan to do.
My little runaway isn’t going anywhere now. Soon, all my torment will be repaid in full.
I’ve been preparing for this meeting for a long time, and I won’t waste my chance.