Ezra’s P.O.V
As I drove Zoya back to her cabin, I couldn't help but feel a sense of relief at having distanced myself from Zoya's cheating ex-fiancé and scumbag of a cousin. My mood had turned sour just thinking of the way they bullied her, without any regard for her well-being, and I did not want my already thin patience to basically be non-existent at this point.
Even if I wasn’t a wolf, I would’ve sniffed out a home wrecker from a mile away and Zoya’s cousin was bordering the line.
Of course, her bastard of a fiancé was no different. Having an affair with one while being engaged to another? These kind of people were the worst, because they blamed others for their own insecurities and this one was clearly had because I could see the way he had been smirking at Zoya while his new ‘chick’ defended him. That alone had made me want to punch the shit out of the bastard.
It was a good thing that Zoya’s hand had been in mine, reminding me that it was not a very human thing to do, randomly going around hurting people because they looked like assholes.
But as I pulled up to her house, I couldn't help but wonder if Zoya was okay. I realized belatedly that I was thinking more of the way the situation affected me than I was of the way it affected her. That was my mistake. I glanced at where she sat on the passenger seat and saw that she was looking down at her intertwined hands, fiddling awkwardly with her fingers. Her eyes seemed distant, spaced out, like she was deep in thought, likely about the events that had just transpired at the hospital.
I had comforted her somewhat at the café, but now I wondered if that had been enough, and I had the sinking feeling that it likely wasn't. I didn't want to acknowledge it, but I knew exactly why I felt strangely, fiercely protective over her when we were basically just glorified strangers. It was because she was my second-chance mate.
At first, I had hated it, considered it a joke that the Moon Goddess had played upon me and my cruel fate. But now that I was getting to slowly know more about Zoya…I didn’t know what to think anymore.
"Are you sure you're okay?" I asked, turning to her fully instead of paying attention to the road. It’s not like I was going to get into an accident anyway, since I knew these roads like the back of my hands and I could drive with my eyes closed. And my senses would alert me in case there was a car on the road.
I had decided that it was up to her if she wanted to tell me what was bothering her further or not, but I figured I could at least present an opportunity, just in case she was waiting for an opening.
Zoya nodded, but I could see the worry and exhaustion etched on her face. "Yeah, I'm fine,” she told me in a voice that suggested otherwise, barely managing a smile. “Thank you for everything, Ezra.”
"Of course," I said, giving her a small smile. "If you need anything, anything at all, don't hesitate to call."
"Why are you being so nice to me?” she asked all of a sudden. “We barely know each other, and yet, here you are… trying your best to look out for me.”
“Barely know each other? Zoya, we had lunch together two days in a row! I thought we were practically besties!” The little giggle I heard in return was all I needed to bring a smile to my own face.
But I did struggle to find the right words to use when it came to the fact that even I didn’t have a proper answer to her question. “Maybe it’s because I’m the town Sheriff?” It was more of a question than an actual answer. “I’m responsible for the safety and well being of everyone in town. Since you’re now part of my town, you too are now my responsibility.”
Zoya gave a small smile that didn't quite reach her eyes, and I knew that the ‘I care for you the same as everyone else’ approach made me sound more like a douche, but it was the best I could come up with in that moment.
“I guess.” She shrugged, just as I parked in front of her cabin. “Thank you for today, Ezra. I really appreciate you being here for me.”
She got out of the car and walked to her door, and I was left in the buzz of the sudden silence after she shut the door behind her. Even when she was no longer in sight, I couldn't help but sit there for a few more minutes, lost in my thoughts.
As I drove back to my apartment, my thoughts drifted to another direction again, and I couldn't help but think about the contrast between Lily and Zoya. She was so different from Lily in every way possible, not just in looks, but in personality, and yet I found myself drawn to her.
Lily was blonde, much like a ray of sunshine that attracted everyone to her, not unlike the magnitude of the sun's gravity. She was filled with joy and life and love. Zoya, on the other hand, is filled with insecurities even though she was beautiful and flawless. Like a warm cup of coffee to energize a person throughout the day. She was intelligent, and despite her insecurities, she was strong, even if she herself did not know that. But she was also human. She had no idea about the supernatural world, and even though she was my second chance mate, I didn’t think it was possible to further our relationship.
However, when I went back to my own house, the one that I had shared with Lily for the past year…I couldn't get the image of Lily’s lifeless body out of my mind. It had been haunting me ever since I found her on the living room floor — the blood, so much blood, pooling around her body. I could still smell the metallic scent of it, the stench of death that permeated throughout the entire apartment. It was a horrific scene, one that still gives me nightmares.
I remember the way she looked, her beautiful smile snatched away from me in an instant, her blonde hair matted with blood, her body forever cold and stiff in the arms of death. I could barely recognize her. And the worst part was that I was powerless to do anything — I couldn’t save her, couldn’t stop whoever had done this to her. Silas fleeing the scene only made it worse. Because it meant that my beloved younger brother had taken away the love of my life.
I've tried to forget, to move on from that night, but it's impossible. Everywhere I turned, there was a reminder of her — the apartment where we used to live, the streets we used to walk together, and the memories we shared. I used to smile whenever I saw those things, happy and content with life, but now, they were all tainted by the memory of her death.
Taking my phone out of my pocket, I called my Beta, Gustav. He answered on the second ring. “Alpha?”
“That cabin by the lake…is it still available?” I asked him, my mind swirling with different emotions.
Gustav seemed a little taken aback by my question. “Of course, Alpha, but…”
“I’ll be moving in right now. Have the men prepare that cabin, now.” I cut off the call, my jaw clenched and my entire body trembling.
It was a spur of the moment decision. But I couldn't bear to stay in that apartment anymore. I felt suffocated by the memories. Moving out seemed like the only way to escape this nightmare, to preserve my sanity. It was time for a new beginning.
But even as I left, I knew that Lily’s memory would stay with me forever. Her sunshine forever captured in the depths of my heart.
What I was a little concerned about, was the fact that I was slowing getting the hand of Zoya being around me…and that somehow still felt like a betrayal to Lily.