by Simone Elise
"Like hell you are." The anger that consumed his face was unexplainable. "Not until you tell me what the hell you did. What did you do? Did you drink Ryder's poison?"
I looked up at him dumbfounded; now wide awake. "Are you insane? Seriously, Zane? What the hell has got into you?"
"Into me! What the hell did you expect, Allie? I wake up to you being…GONE!" He roared at me. "If you were going to block me out, you should have fucking told me! I was ripping this place apart thinking you had got killed!"
"What are you talking ABOUT?!" Blocking him out? Getting myself killed? Where did he come up with this rubbish?
"Did you take Ryder's potion shit?" Zane's face hardened, and the glare he was giving me could scorch the devil. "DID YOU?!"
"NO!" I yelled out of fright. "I didn't do anything!"
Never, not once, has Zane scared me, but right now he was.
"Don't fucking lie to me, Allie!" His rage going up another level.
"I'm not lying." I lowered my voice, in effect to speak calmer to him. "Zane, I really have no idea what you are talking about."
Seeing as his behavior was all over the place, I wasn't sure what to expect next. His eyes ran over my face, and I watched his furious expression slowly melt until it turned to one of confusion.
"You really don't, do you?"
I shook my head. "No, Zane, I have no idea what you are talking about."
I thought he was going to apologize, and perhaps explain why he was acting as if he’d just escaped from a mental institution, but, then, that again would be rational. Instead, he grabbed my arm and pulled me out of my bedroom.
"WHAT THE HELL, ZANE!" I hit his back with my free hand, but he continued to drag me down the hall.
"Something's wrong." He increased his pace, taking two stairs at a time.
"With you maybe." I slapped his back again. "Would you let go of me?!"
Zane treated me like I was mute and didn't even bother replying. Instead, he continued to drag me through the house until we reached the formal lounge room. Pushing the door open, he dragged me in behind him.
"I found her," Zane announced to the room, and let go of my arm.
"Who the hell are you talking to?" I rubbed my arm and stepped around him, only to be greeted by my mother and Alpha Harris.
"OH, DARLING!" Mom launched at me, engulfing me in a hug. "I thought something had happened."
My eyes zoned in on Zane. "Did you get them out of bed and tell them that?"
"I couldn't contact you."
"I was in my bedroom!"
"ENOUGH!" Alpha Harris was staring at me intensely. "Allie, are you ok?"
"Yes." Was that not obvious? "I don't know what Zane is on about, but I am fine."
My mom gripped my arms tighter, causing my eyes to snap back to her. "Allie, Zane told us." Her smile blossomed. "About you and him being mates."
"HE DID WHAT!" That son of a bitch. I was going to kill him. I went to rip my hands out of mom’s grip, but she just held them tighter.
"Allie, listen to me," mom begged for my attention, while Zane looked sheepish in the corner. "Allie, when Zane couldn't reach out for you he panicked and…" mom frowned and held up my left wrist.
"Well, he overreacted didn't he," I snapped.
"Where did you get this from?" Mom held my wrist up. "Allie, where did you get this bracelet from?"
Who cared about a bracelet right now? Especially that old thing. "You're dead, Zane, you hear me."
"ALLIE!" Mom roared.
My eyes widened, and I looked back at her. What was with people yelling at me! "WHAT?!"
"Where did you get this bracelet from?" She glanced at Alpha Harris. "It's a shield."
Alpha Harris took my wrist, rolling it over in his hand, and looked intently at the bracelet.
"It's just an old bracelet. It's not even mine," I snapped them an answer while trying hard to glare at Zane around them.
That boy was dead.
"What do you mean it isn't yours?" Mom pressed me for more answers to stupid questions.
Groaning I said, "Jace found it on the ground and thought it was mine, and before I could tell him it wasn't, he had already clipped it on. The clasp is broken, so I can't get it off," I huffed. "Now if you don't mine, Zane and I have some….
"Who the fuck is Jace?" Zane stepped into my view.
I pointed at him with my free hand. "Oh, don't you dare be jealous!"
"Jace…" mom whispered the name, color draining from her face. "How did he…did you…" mom looked at Alpha Harris.
I looked between the two. "Ok, what the hell is going on here, and why is this bracelet a blocker?"
"Allie." Alpha Harris placed a hand on my shoulder, looking down at me. "The bracelet you are wearing is made of a special metal which blocks anyone entering your mind. It blocks your ability to connect to the pack and also," he glanced over at Zane, "Your mate."
Frowning, I looked closer at the old golden bracelet. "But it's so old looking."
"That is because they are old, and there aren't many still in existence." Alpha Harris frowned at the bracelet. "But why a boy would clip it to your wrist is beyond me. Who did you say this person was again? A friend?"
"Not a friend," mom spoke up, her eyes not leaving the bracelet. "And that bracelet was your grandmother’s."
My face wiped of expression. "What?"
Mom wouldn't look me in the eye; instead, she looked back at Alpha Harris. "I think I need to sit down."
"MOTHER!" I jerked on her arm forcing her to look back at me. "Tell me now."
Call it a hunch, but I knew she was keeping something from me, and right now I needed to know what that something was.
"It's nothing, Allie. Just a fluke." She smiled weakly. "Go back to bed, darling. You must be tired."
Frowning, my eyes floated down to the bracelet. What were the chances?
Very slim is what they were.
"Mom, you aren't lying to me, are you?"
She shook her head weakly. "No, darling."
Was she lying to me? I couldn't tell and that normally never happened.
"I'll walk you back to bed," Zane offered, stepping around mom.
I crossed my arms. "Don't you mean drag me?"
"Come on, Allie." He nodded his head in the direction of the door.
"Zane, Allie." Alpha Harris's voice stopped us in our tracks. His hard eyes glanced between us. "We will be speaking about this tomorrow." His eyes landed on Zane. "And I expect a good reason, son, why you lied to us."
I swallowed sharply. Shit just hit the fan.
Chapter Thirty-one
Never in my life had I felt this much hatred towards someone. I couldn't say I hated him because, well, that would be a flat-out lie, but I did hate what he did.
"Can't believe this." I muttered to myself, "Really can't believe you could be so stupid."
Zane huffed beside me and once again ran his fingers through his hair. "I told you I'm sorry, ok."
"Sorry!" I scoffed. "Do you think that cuts it?"
"Fuck me."
"Cursing isn't going to help you."
"I told you I was sorry."
"And I told you I wished you were born without a tongue!" I turned on the chair to look at him. "Do you have any idea how much shit we are going to be in once we walk through those doors?"
His facial expression hardened. "I think I have more of an idea than you."
"Well, maybe you should have thought of that before you started spilling your guts to our parents last night!"
All night I had tossed and turned wondering why the hell he couldn't have just checked my bedroom! Wouldn't that be the first point of call if he was worried about me? Not his father and worse my mother!
Zane leaned closer to me. "I thought you were dead. I thought you had got yourself killed!" His fists clenched at his side.
"Well, clearly you overreacted," I clipped my words and ke
pt what I really wanted to say to him silent. "How did you notice you couldn't find me anyway?"
That was the other question I had been chewing on all night. How had he noticed my link to the pack was missing? Why did he pick it up?
His eyes snapped away from me. "Just did."
"I wouldn't have noticed if your link to the pack disappeared." Perhaps it was mean to voice it, but it was the truth. Actually, when I thought about it, my link to the pack had been quieter than usual.
Zane remained quiet.
"For someone who loves to run their mouth, you have gone extremely quiet." I drummed my fingers on the armchair waiting for him to give me an answer.
Zane looked as if he wanted his father to step out of the office now and be ready for us which only told me one thing; he would rather face his father than answer my question.
"Hey." I grabbed his arm. "Answer the question."
Zane's eyes shot to my hand then slowly drifted up to meet my eyes. "I already did. Can't help it if you don't want to believe me."
He couldn't have…no, he wouldn't have…my mouth dropped open. "Have you been…have you been spying on me?"
I couldn't be outraged because I was in too much shock to believe it. Surely he wouldn't breach my privacy like that?
His lips tightened into a firm line, and he continued to remain silent.
"Zane, answer the question," I growled, my grip on his upper arm tightening. "Now."
Alpha Harris's office doors swung open. "I'm ready for both of you now." His voice was calm, empty of emotion.
Leaving the door open, he disappeared back into his office.
"Let's get this over with," Zane grumbled, getting up and walking in.
I, however, wasn't in such a hurry to follow. I knew we were going to get an ear bashing for lying, but that was nothing compared to what Zane was going to get once we were out of here.
Actually, when I come to think about it, Zane might get more of a bashing, then an ear bashing.
***
Alpha Harris’s lecture covered all the main points I had expected him to cover. The disappointment, the reaction the pack will have regarding our lies, and lastly, the subject that was covered in a lot of detail was, how we are going to proceed.
"Dad." Zane moved forward in his seat, speaking for the first time since we entered. "Isn't that enough for today?"
Alpha Harris's eyes narrowed, meeting Zane’s. "No, it isn't. Clearly, Zane, you don't understand the full seriousness of this situation."
"I've been listening," Zane fumed. "Haven't missed one of your points."
"Then you can sit back and listen to the rest."
"I think Allie and I got it all," Zane snapped. " We're to pretend like we are the fucking golden couple. Smile and be everyone's role model. Got it."
I suppressed my grin. Golden couple. As if.
"Do you know, son, how hard it is going to be to convince the pack that your mate is worthy of helping you lead them?" Alpha Harris’s eyes flickered to me, then back to Zane.
Well, that was a low blow. "Well, maybe I don't want to lead them!" I snapped back, feeling hurt by his words. Thank goodness for the bracelet, even if it was old. The last thing I needed was Zane in my head.
"See." Alpha Harris sighed and gestured a hand in my direction. "How do you expect the pack to take her in when she has had this attitude the whole time. She never steps up, she makes a habit of disconnecting from the pack, and if I might ask, when was the last time you sat through a whole pack meeting, Allie?"
The air in the study went from awkward to tight very quickly.
"I…um…" I chewed on my words. "I don't know." I finally spluttered, "But I never wanted this! I didn't ask for this!"
I didn't like the way he was implying I wanted this. I didn't want this. I didn't want them to even know!
"I'm not having this argument now." Alpha Harris rose from his armchair. "I'm done for the day. Until I decide on what to do next, Zane, you are in charge of keeping Allie safe. Do you understand? She doesn't leave your sight."
"WHAT!" I was outraged and jumped up. "Like hell I am having him following me around! Might I add, I'm not in trouble!"
"You have a blocker on your wrist, disconnecting you from the pack and your mate. You could be kidnapped, and not one of us would know, nor could you reach out to us. Whether you like to admit it or not, Allie, you are in trouble, and that is why Zane won't be leaving your side until it is removed."
And here I thought my day couldn't get any worse. I slowly dragged my eyes over to Zane.
"This is all your fault." I crossed my arms giving Zane daggers. "Happy now?"
Zane dragged himself up, brushing off the death look I was giving him. "Thrilled."
Well, that makes one of us.
Chapter Thirty-two
"I told you I'm not going! Are you that stupid that basic English is above your IQ?" I was going to kill him or explode from rage - one of the two.
"You're frustrating," Zane huffed. Pushing me aside, he made his way into my room. "Fine, if you won't come with me, I'll just stay in here. Assuming there is a sofa under all those clothes."
Zane following me around got old quick. All afternoon I had to put up with it. The only thing that really got me through was knowing I would be able to have some peace tonight, alone in MY bedroom.
But no, of course, that wouldn't happen.
Closing my eyes, I took a calming breath in. “I need to get changed.” Just don’t kill him, Allie, just don’t kill him.
“I’ll turn my back.”
Snapping my eyes open, the little control I had on my temper faded. “Like hell you will, get out!”
“Fine, I won’t close my eyes.” He smirked, that stupid cute look on his face taunting me. “Bound to see you naked anyway.”
“Stop that!” I pointed a finger at him. “Stop flirting. You and I don’t flirt. Flirting doesn’t happen, got it?”
I wanted to slap my forehead after my reaction because I noticed the glint in his eyes. I had just given him every reason not to stop.
“Whatever you say, sweetheart.” He shot me a wink before he turned his attention to the sofa, and with no care at all, he wiped it of all my belongings.
“Thanks for dumping them all on the floor.” I snapped, “You know I did have a system figured out and, like everything else, you ruin it.”
“Don’t kid yourself. It was a pile of clothes with no organization.”
With my fists clenched at my side, I attempted to count back from ten, trying my very best to calm down. While I was having this semi-mental breakdown, he kicked back and relaxed on the sofa.
Had his father set Zane on me to annoy the hell out of me? I see my life being in more danger with him around than with him not around.
***
The night slowly rolled on, and apart from a snide comment at Zane every few hours, it went smoothly. It wasn’t until the lights went out that I became overly aware of having someone else in the bedroom.
I wasn’t a social person, so I didn’t have sleepovers. Sometimes I would crash at Blake and Chase’s, but that was different.
They weren’t in my room, and I would usually be sharing a bed with one of them.
Having someone else in my room felt odd.
Much to my distaste, I had managed to tune into Zane’s every movement. It didn’t help either that he seemed to have no plans of actually going to sleep. Instead, he was on his phone, messaging who knows who.
Every so often he would sigh or grunt, and every glance I stole at him, he had a smile on his face.
So, who was he talking to?
And more importantly, why was it bugging me so much?
It was when the phone started ringing that I cracked. “You know, Zane, I’m actually trying to sleep here,” I snapped, sliding up the bed.
Zane looked over his phone at me. “Not my phone.”
Frowning for a momen
t, I then glanced at the bedside table. Shit. That was embarrassing. Scooping up my phone, I answered it before checking the caller ID.
“Hello?”
“Allie? It’s Jace, can we talk?”
Well, if it wasn’t the freaky stranger who clipped that bracelet on me.
“I don’t really want to talk to you.” It was true. Because of him, I had Zane following me around.
“I get that. I guess you know about the bracelet now.”
He knew? “How did you know about that?” He wasn’t one of us, was he? “Scratch that, did you know what it did before you clipped it on me?”
Had he wanted to kidnap me? My mind started spinning ideas and theories quite quickly.
He sighed. “It’s kind of a long story and not one I want to tell you over the phone. Can we meet?”
I snuck a glance at Zane, and I seemed to have his full attention. He wasn’t even looking away. Most likely he was listening to every word of this conversation.
“Can you hold a minute?” I asked.
“Sure.”
I threw the blankets back and glided across the room.
“Where are you going?” he asked as I headed for the bathroom.
“None of your business.” I gave him a tight smile and closed the door. I turned the shower on then the taps before returning the phone to my ear.
“Ok, you were saying?”
“I need to see you.”
“Not going to happen.”
“I know you don’t trust me but…
I didn’t let him finish, “Darn straight I don’t trust you! You clipped a bracelet to my wrist that blocks communication. Do you have any idea how much trouble you have caused me?”
The only good thing about him contacting me was he may be able to tell me how to take it off, and that was the only reason I hadn’t hung up yet.
“Allie, I need to tell you something. Please. Can we meet?”
“No, that’s never going to happen!”
“Fine. You leave me no choice. I hope you’re sitting down.” He paused for a moment. “I’m your brother, Allie.”
Everything seemed to stop for a moment. Jace’s voice faded out, the sound of running water disappeared, and all I could hear was my own heartbeat; and that was because it was beating so loud due to shock.
