Chapter 119

Harley’s POV

“Zach, hold on a second!” I said as I rushed after my best friend’s brother. He had been out of control ever since Anila left with Jaxon a few days ago and keeping him in control had been difficult. But I knew it was what Xaden would have wanted; it’s what Anila would have wanted as well. It was up to me to make sure Zach didn’t fly off the edge and I felt like I was starting to lose that control. He was even angrier since seeing with his own eyes how Jaxon and Anila were together. Their chemistry and connection were obvious and even I was feeling a little off-put by it, but I knew Anila cared about us and didn’t want to hurt us.

Maybe it would be different if she had marked me. Maybe I wouldn’t feel a certain way if our bond was completed. I’m sure the fact that her bond with Zach was only half completed made things even more difficult for him. I couldn’t imagine what he must be feeling and what he must be going through.

I thought he was going into the forest for a run or something, so I was surprised when we reached the packhouse. Things have been quiet around the pack since the last battle, so there wasn’t a lot of occupancy in the packhouse, but I knew that’s where Zach’s bedroom was.

“Come on, Zach,” I said again, following him down the stairs and towards his room.

He finally paused when he reached the door and he turned to face me, his eyes stormy.

“You saw them together,” Zach said, pointing to the stairway as if Anila and Jaxon were right there. “You saw how close they were. She loves him and it’s undeniable.”

“So, what if she does?” I asked. “Anila cares about all of us. She’s here to save Xaden, just like she said she would be.”

“She could have been here long ago if she really wanted to be,” Zach muttered as he turned away from me. He pulled the door open and stepped into his room. He must have known that I would follow him because he left it open as he walked towards his bed.

I shut the door behind me after stepping into the room after him.

“Why do you think that?” I asked him, trying my best to keep my voice low and calm. He was a wild beast right now and the best way to deal with a wild beast is to speak calmly to it.

“Because the second I told her that Xaden’s condition had worsened, she returned with the Dragon’s Scale. Why couldn’t she come back earlier?” Zach asked.

“I’m sure there’s a reason behind it,” I told him. “Look, she’s back now and that’s all that matters. Xaden is going to be okay.”

“We don’t know that,” Zach muttered. “And even so, what then? She’s just going to return to Dragon Valley with the Dragon King and leave us behind again.”

“You don’t know that,” I told him, folding my arms across his chest. “You are throwing these wild accusations…”

“You didn’t feel what she felt!” Zach snapped. “You didn’t feel her falling for him and fading away from us. She barely thought about us while she was there…”

“She’s only been gone for a few days,” I reminded him.

“Yeah, and in those few days she’s felt more for him than she ever felt for any of us,” Zach said, shaking his head.

“No, she doesn’t I’m sure she was just confused. Being around a mate can do that. I mean, you did mark her without consent, so you out of any of us know that mates make you do some crazy things,” I told him.

He shook his head and ran his fingers through his hair as he fixed his eyes on the ground in front of him.

“She’s going to leave us for him, Harley. I just know it. I can feel it. She doesn’t care about us. She only cares about the Dragon King!”

Before I could say anything more, I heard a soft gasp at the doorway and quickly turned to see Anila standing there.

“Anila…” I breathed.

Zach lifted his gaze and spotted Anila as well, his eyes darkening. Her eyes remained on his and I could see that they were wet with tears. Had she heard the whole conversation? Or just part of it? Regardless, she heard the last part of the conversation, no doubt. Which was enough for her to get the gist of the rest.

“Is that really what you think?” Anila asked as she stepped further into the room and shut the door behind her. “That I don’t care about you?”

“Isn’t that the case?” Zach asked, narrowing his eyes at her. “I see the way you are with him, Anila. I could feel it when you were down there and—”

“You felt what I wanted you to feel, Zach,” she said, her voice rising as hurt filled her tone. “I didn’t want you to know how scared I was. I was terrified of being away from you guys. I hated that I had to stay away. I was engaged to be married to a man that I didn’t know. I didn’t want to hurt you any further than you were already hurt. Yes, it was confusing because Jaxon’s also my mate and these feelings swirling inside of me are intense. But I never stopped thinking about you, Zach. I didn’t stop thinking about any of you!”

He was quiet as he studied Anila’s face. I knew this was an issue that they needed to sort through, so I remained quiet. However, I didn’t feel like I should leave because of how chaotic and unpredictable Zach had been lately.

“Did you marry him?” Zach finally asked.

“No,” she said firmly. “I didn’t marry him. I’m not really sure if that means I’m not going to marry him, or if the wedding is just postponed. But right now, I’m not married.”

Zach glanced at her hand and when I followed his gaze, I saw what he was looking at. She was wearing a large diamond engagement ring. As if she could sense our eyes on it, Anila removed it from her finger and shoved it into her pocket.

“He’s my mate too, Zach,” Anila told him gently. “But that doesn’t mean I care about you less. Honestly, this whole multiple mate thing is weird for me just like it’s weird for you. I don’t want to hurt anybody. I feel like there’s so much more to this than we all realize, and I could use your support. I could use all your support.”

“You have mine,” I said without thinking, drawing her attention to me. Her gaze met mine and I could see the worried crease between her brows. “I’m in your corner, Anila.”

“Everything is so messy,” she said softly. “I can’t shake this feeling like something bad is coming. I don’t think it’s over… the whole Xaden thing… I think it’s only the beginning.”

“You think there will be another war?” I asked.

“I think the war is still ongoing,” she said, glancing at Zach and then back at me. “I can’t explain why I feel this way.”

“The warriors here are training for anything that may happen,” Zach said, lifting his gaze to look between the two of us. “If there’s another attack, we’ll be prepared.”

I put my hand on Anila’s lower back; she was small in comparison to my large form. She peeked up at me and leaned against me. I could almost feel her anxiety and it was causing my bear to become restless.

“Whatever happens, we need to stick together,” Anila said, her eyes finding Zach’s eyes again. “All of us.”

Zach was quiet again, processing her words. I could see the cloudy expression in his eyes. He didn’t like the idea of her being with the Dragon King and I couldn’t blame him. From what I hear, Jaxon Develson is not good news. Keeping Anila away from him is in Zach’s nature… it’s in my nature.

Zach finally stood, his expression stoic as he stared down at Anila.

“I’ll stand by you, Anila. But I can’t stand by him. I don’t trust him,” Zach murmured. “I’m not sure how, but I just know that Jaxon is the reason Xaden is in this state in the first place.”

“That’s not fair to put on him…”

“It’s not fair that he wouldn’t help Xaden unless you did what he asked,” Zach said, narrowing his eyes. “Does that sound like someone who can be trusted?”

Anila opened her mouth to protest, but I could see the inner battle surfacing in her eyes as well. She was also uncertain, and it tugged at my heart to see her conflicted like this. I hated that Zach was putting her in this position.

“Zach…” I started to say, my voice a low and threatening warning for him to stand down and to stop upsetting our mate. But then his eyes glazed over, and his body froze. I knew he was speaking to someone in a mindlink; both wolves and bears had the same expression on their faces when they mindlinked others and Zach was no different.

I paused and watched him for a moment, and then his eyes returned to normal.

“We have to go,” he said, glancing between Anila and me. “Xaden is awake.”