ZEDKIEL.
I’m about to run after her, but Kash blocks my path. The crushing pain in my chest is unbearable. Her words ring in my mind, and the repercussions that they carried sting.
I’m losing my mind. I need her. I can’t imagine life without her.I know I once promised her that she could leave, but now, even if she wants to leave, I will not let her.How easily she was ready to throw me away.“Move aside,” I snarl. My heart is thundering, and the urge to kill everyone nearby is overcoming me. Friend or foe, it was all becoming a blur.
All Zerachiel and I want is destruction if we don’t get to go to her.
Kash tries to reason with me. “I know you want to go after her, but you need to calm down. I’ve sent some guards to watch over her at a distance. Zed, give her an hour or two to calm down, and then you can go. If you go in anger, it’s only going to make matters worse.”
“She misunderstood,” I snarl. My claws are out, and I’m trying to control myself from ripping him in two.
“Which is my fault,” Isa says quietly from behind us. “I’m going after her. I’m going to fix this. No one’s relationship is going to be ruined over me. Not on my watch. Zed, fill Kash in. On everything.” She adds quietly.
Kill her!She hurt mate, and so did you!I glance at her, and although there’s a part of me that is trying to read why she has suddenly agreed to tell Kash, I can’t focus on it. All I can think of is Evangeline. I need her by my side.
“Move aside, Kash!” I snarl warningly, grabbing him by the neck.
“Ten minutes, Zed. Give her a moment to breathe.” He stands by his words, and if he weren’t fucking dying already, I’d kill him myself.
Isa breaks into a run, and she’s out the door in a matter of seconds.
“What the hell is even going on, Zed? At least fill me in before going after her,” Kash says.
Yeah, I know he wants to know, but at the same time, he is trying to stall me.“If you can keep up. I’m not staying here and letting her be out there alone. I need to explain to her,” I say, breaking into a run.
“Fine,” he sighs in defeat as he catches up, and we both exit the castle.
We speed up and soon we are off the castle grounds. I’m following her scent, although I know she’s gotten far pretty fast. I also know that her getting her wolf was something that would spread across the kingdom.
She shifted. I saw the glimmer of white as she ran from the castle, but it’s a shame that the first time I got to see her shift was because she wanted to get away from me.
“What happened?” Kash asks again.
I frown. Isa should have told him, but he had only come back recently.
“When you were away for the mission to gather intel on the vampires on my command, Isa returned from her trip with a newborn pup. Her pup,” I say quietly.
He turns to me sharply, his face one of utter confusion. Of course, he would be. He was gone for a few months, and looking back, she kept extending her stay as if not wanting to face him. Initially, she had gone for a six-week trip, but then that became two months, then three.
Her excuse? She was enjoying the time away.
“She returned shortly after I left, and it had annoyed me since I had wanted to see her before I went, but she didn’t return until a few weeks after I left,” Kash murmurs as he tries to make sense of it. “I don’t get it. Why would she hide something like that from me, yet tell you?”
His eyes flash, and I know he’s upset and hurt, and I don’t blame him. They are each other’s only family and have a good relationship. I can guess why she didn’t.
“Because-”
“Who’s the father?” Kash snarls. “And why would you pretend to take that on yourself?”
I can feel his irritation, but it’s justified, just as Evangeline’s is.
I took it on myself because if the truth ever came out … I know and so does Isa, that you would not have let things slide. We both know he could kill you in the blink of a fucking eye,He stops dead in his tracks, facing me, his eyes blazing as he looks me square in the eye.
I want a name Zed. You and Isa kept this from me and Evangeline; we both had a right to fucking know. I want his fucking name, now!Do you?I feel restless, needing to be by Evangeline’s side immediately. Zerachiel is trying to come forth, and I’m struggling to keep him back. He has not been so out of control for a while. I almost forgot how much of a constant struggle it is.
He’s her mate, but his name and reputation might just be enough to get you to understand why she did what she did, why she fucking hid the truth! Do you want to know? Then hear it! It’s Godric Astorath. Does the name ring a damn bell?Kash’s face pales, and I see worry and regret settle in. His eyes return to green, and his heart is thudding as the weight of my revelation sinks in.
This isn’t a joking matter.I don’t wait for a reply, breaking into a run. I’ve wasted enough time.
He catches up soon enough, despite the turmoil he is still clearly in.
“Zed!”
“What?” I growl as we enter the forest. I slow down a little to catch her scent when Kash falls into step by my side.
“Wait up, let’s find her together. I’m sure when you explain this to her, she’ll understand.”
I hope so because I can’t cope with her being angry with me.“I messed up, I know that,” I mutter, scanning the trees. A sharp wind is blowing, and it’s fucking up the direction of her scent.
“Yeah, but I don’t get why she would think there’s anything between you and Isa. What exactly went down?” Kash asks.
I frown, not bothering to answer him.
I don’t know how she sensed something was there. What had happened ages ago at Isa’s birthday had never crossed my mind. When I’m with Evangeline, that is something that never ever came to mind at all.
When I’m with her, I’m consumed with her; but because of my carelessness, she’s hurting.
She’s more than hurting!Talk to me, Evangeline,Zerachiel is raging, and he wants to shift and find her himself.
If anything happens to mate, I will kill you myself,Of course, how can I forget that he doesn’t actually like me? He tolerated me as of late, but in the end, without her, I’m nothing. Not someone that this kingdom needs, not liked by my Lycan and, above all, even my mate doesn’t seem to be as infatuated with me as I am with her.We pass the men Kash had ordered to follow her; they are quick to tell us that she’s near the river ahead with Isa. Kash thanks them, commanding them to stay back as I speed up, needing to have her by my side.
Her scent is stronger, and I motion Kash to slow down as the sound of the rushing river reaches my ears, accompanied by the sound of them talking.
Go to her!I want to, but I also don’t want to chase her away. Isa wouldn’t sense us, but with Evangeline being the Goddess, I’m sure she’ll sense me quickly enough.
Taking a deep breath, I squash the pain in my chest as I begin making my way down to the riverbank, ready to do anything to ask for forgiveness from my mate.