Chapter 73

Zach’s POV

“She’s gone?” I asked, pushing Anila aside to stare into the hole in the tree. “She was sleeping soundly when she left, how could she just be gone??”

I knew I sounded pathetically panicked but I couldn’t help myself. Did we just let a dragon loose on our territory? How did I think that was going to work out? Why did I think it was a good idea? I was smarter than that.

Or maybe I wasn’t.

My carelessness was the reason my father didn’t want me to be the Alpha of our pack. One look at Anila’s face, and I could see the pure worry she had for that little creature. I didn’t understand why. Dragons were dangerous; they weren’t meant to be alive, and I didn’t get why they still were. We had enough resources to get rid of them; we just needed a few brave warriors to do the dead.

Of course, nobody was brave enough to go against a dragon. Nobody except for the Dragon King, but for whatever reason, he’s protecting him and his dragon masters. Even after everything that the dragons had done to destroy our world; it took years for Stardust Valley to be rebuilt because of those wretched creatures.

Yes, they still existed, but repopulation was supposed to be outlawed. Apparently, the new Dragon King is finding some way around that.

“We should get back to campus,” I said, putting a protective arm around Anila’s shoulders. Ever since Anila got her wolf, my wolf had been even more protective over her.

He wasn’t happy that Xaden was the one who claimed her, and I’ve had to stay clear of them these last few days because of it. It’s not that I’m jealous; I’m not really the jealous type. But I also don’t want Xaden to have her all to himself. The thought left an unsettled feeling in the pit of my stomach.

Xaden got everything he ever wanted, and I was always left in the dust. It wasn’t fair and I’ve resented him for it ever since we were children. He hated me because my mother was my father’s true mate. It wasn’t my fault, but he seemed to think it was.

Sure, his mother suffered because of this. She was heartbroken when my father left her and once he broke the bond between them so he could bond with my mother, Xaden’s mother’s wolf couldn’t handle the rejection, and that suffering was enough to kill her. Xaden was only 2 at that time and my mother was already pregnant with me.

I was the product of true mates, and I should have been the one to be Alpha of the Bloodmoon pack, but because Xaden got everything he ever wanted, they gave it to him instead.

It wasn’t fair, none of it was fair.

“We can’t just leave with her on the loose,” Anila said, bringing me back to the present moment.

I blinked a few times, my vision focused on her. She looked so small and worried at that moment that I fought the urge to wrap her in my arms and hold her close to me to keep her safe and protected.

I opened my mouth to say something in response, but a familiar voice sounded behind me, and I had to fight back a growl from the unwanted interruption.

“What are you doing out here?” Xaden asked, rushing towards us. “Don’t you know a dragon is loose on campus? They are making sure all students are accounted for. It’s dangerous out here.”

When I turned and looked at my brother, recognition flashed through his eyes and then pure annoyance.

“I should have known,” he muttered. “Leave it to you to put her life at risk. Do you have no shame?”

“We’ve been out here for quite a while, Brother, and you are now just realizing your little mate has been missing. That says more about you than it does me,” I shot back, my voice cold and I knew my words were affecting Anila too, but I couldn’t seem to stop myself.

“Why can’t you two get along for 5 minutes,” Anila murmured, folding her arms across her chest. “I was just getting some space and Zach saw me wandering off. He was trying to get me to come back.”

I was impressed with the lie even if it was a bit of the truth. She truly wanted to protect this little creature even if it meant lying to my brother about it. I oddly enough for a bit superior knowing her secret. It was like she shared this unspoken connection; a secret that only the two of us knew about.

I had to bite back a grin at the very thought.

Xaden’s eyes were still on me when he asked, “Did he hurt you, or do anything?”

Fury rose in me; I couldn’t believe that was his first thought. What made him think that I would ever hurt her?

“What? No, of course not,” Anila was quick to answer. “Zach has been great.”

Xaden blew hair out of his nose like an angry bull, and I couldn’t help myself, I smirked at Anila’s praise. I had been great, and Xaden was making himself look like an asshole.

There was a time in my life when all I wanted was to have a good relationship with my brother. He was my older brother and I looked up to him growing him. Even if Xaden treated me cruelly, beating me any chance he got, calling me names, making me the laughingstock of our pack. He even locked me in a basement during a sleepover once. It was a two-day sleepover, and I was locked in there the entire time. I was left to eat frozen foods from the freezer they kept in there and the light didn’t work so I sat in darkness. I had been afraid of the dark for years after that. Even now, I still have some fear left when it is too dark.

My father never did anything about the way Xaden had treated me. He always told me I needed to man up if I ever expected to be somebody someday. He told me if ever wanted to be in charge of the Gammas, then I needed to learn to stand my own ground and be tough for once. I worked my ass off to be the best of the best when it came to combat in both human and wolf form.

If I couldn’t be the Alpha, then my next best option was taking charge of the warriors. But now even that fate is in Xaden’s hands, and I had about enough of his bullshit.

“Just get back to campus,” Xaden said through his teeth.

Harley appeared behind Xaden, and he was looking between the two of us, confused. Harley wasn’t a bad guy; in fact, I have come to like him in the couple of years that I’ve been at this school. The issue was, he was Xaden’s best friend, and he would always back Xaden up even if Xaden was dead wrong. That was bear in him; bears were said to be the most loyal creatures and Harley happened to be very loyal to Xaden.

But even then, he still at least tried to get Xaden to see reason whenever we argued. But at the end of the day, I always lost. Except for that one time, I left everlasting scars on Xaden’s wolf by using a silver sword to battle his wolf form.

I was drugged with wolf’s bane so I couldn’t shift; I always assumed it was Xaden who had done that, but I was never able to prove it.

“What’s going on?” Harley asked, looking between all of us.

“We were just heading back to campus,” Xaden said, still glaring at me.

Harley’s eyes found Anila’s and he stepped around Anila to approach her. She seemed to have relaxed when he neared her. He reached his hand out to her, and she took it without hesitation; their hands clasping as one as she stepped closer to him.

Xaden didn’t even give them a second glance.

Oh, this was rich. Harley was getting some Anila action too and Xaden was fine with it. It was obvious to me now that they were sharing her, but they couldn’t even bother to give me that same respect.

She was my mate too for fucks sake!

“I’ll take her back,” Harley said quickly. “Just figure out whatever the hell is going on between you two.”

Xaden nodded and I said nothing; I folded my arms across my chest as Harley pulled Anila away. She gave me one last worried look and I winked at her to tell her that I was fine. She relaxed and continued to disappear through the forest.

I turned my attention back to Xaden.

“Are you just going to stand there and glare at me? Or are you going to say something?”

“What are you even doing, Zach?” Xaden asked, his lips pressing together in a thin line.

“I don’t know what you are talking about,” I said defiantly.

“I think you do know what I’m talking about,” Xander said, his eyes narrowed. “You were never interested in a single woman before and now every time I turn around you are near Anila. Don’t you have women falling at your feet? Why do you need to set your gazes on my mate?”

“You aren’t complaining about Harley being all over her,” I said, my lip curling in disgust. “It was way too easy for him to come over and take her hand and you barely even batted an eye at that. Obviously, something is going on there too and either you’re too stupid to see it, or you’re fine with it.”

He opened his mouth to speak, but then he shut it. His jaw clenched and I knew I was right. Xaden had permitted Harley to pursue it, and my question was why? Xaden had just marked Anila, I thought he’d be more territorial toward her, but apparently, I was wrong.

“She’s my mate too,” I said, trying to keep the emotions out of my voice because I wasn’t going to give him that satisfaction. “It’s not fair to me for you to keep her away from me when I did nothing wrong—”

“Nothing wrong?! You’ve slept with half the girls at this school. Anila deserves better than that and if I have to die protecting her from a mongrel like you, then I will.”

“That was before I knew her,” I said coldly. “I hadn’t touched another woman in weeks and now that she has her wolf, mine is even more protective. I don’t think I could be with anyone else even if I wanted to…” That last sentence came out as almost a whisper and Xaden looked almost shocked by my confession.

He was about to say something, but then his phone rang. He growled in annoyance as he pulled the phone out of his pocket and glanced at the screen, then he frowned.

“Father?” He answered the phone. At that moment, everything around me froze. Father never calls unless there’s an emergency. Xaden paused while he listened to whatever father was saying, his eyes found mine. “Yes, sir. I’ll tell him.”

My brows furrowed together; why wouldn’t Father just call me? My phone hadn’t gone off once the whole time we’ve been talking.

Xaden hung up and shoved his phone into his pocket.

“We have to go,” Xaden said, turning away and walking back towards campus.

“What?” I asked, chasing after him. “Where? What’s going on?”

“We need to get back to the back,” he said over his shoulder. “There’s a war and we are expected to fight in it.”