Chapter 211

Fiona

Sophie, Claire, Laura, and I huddle in the back room of the shop, and I can’t catch my breath. If those people get in here, they’re going to get hurt because of me.

“I think we should try to sneak out the back,” Laura says.

“Are you crazy?!” Claire whisper shrieks.

“They might find us if we—”

A hand grabs the back of my neck, yanking me back, and I scream the loudest scream possible. His hand slaps over my mouth and I bite down as he tries to drag me back. NO way. I am not getting kidnapped again.

“Let her go!” One of the girls screams as they charge the man. I throw an elbow back, like Laxus taught me, and nail the man in the nose, but he doesn’t release me.

They hit, and I kick, and just as Laura’s claws come out, the man growls and moves me.

“Stop!” Sophie yells when the man pulls me in front of him like a shield. The girls freeze, not wanting to hit me. The man laughs, digs his hand in my hair, and drags me further back, making me cry out from the pain.

“You don’t have to do this,” Claire says, holding her hands out to placate the man.

“We can’t have a human Queen,” he growls. His hand tightens on my neck, and I gasp when my air supply is cut off. “Even if I have to kill her, we will not have a human as Queen!”

A loud roar shakes the room and something darts past me. The man is ripped off me, which has me falling to the floor.

“You made a mistake coming after my mate,” Ethan roars, throwing the man across the room. He slams into the wall and slumps to the ground, unconscious. The man doesn’t move, and for a moment, Ethan stares at him. It’s almost like he’s debating what to do, but soon, he turns and moves to my side.

Relief floods me as I breathe deeply, trying to calm myself. I try to talk, but all that comes out is a broken sob.

“I’ve got you,” Ethan murmurs, wrapping his arms around me and picking me up. I don’t know what to do, so I let him.

“Th-the girls.”

Ethan looks to my new friends, but they wave him off.

“She’s more important. Once she’s gone, they’ll leave,” Laura says, nodding to me. I don’t want to leave them alone, but Ethan clearly agrees because he darts across the room, to the back door, and runs.

Once he makes it out of the shop, he sets me on my feet and shifts. His wolfy head jerks toward his back, and just like he taught me, I climb on. I want to get out of here, and as soon as I’m holding on tightly, he takes off toward the forest.

As he runs, the weight of what just happened hits me. Tears spill out of my eyes, even though I try to stop them. The sobs that shake my body make it hard to hold on, but I don’t let go. I hold on for dear life because I don’t want to fall.

My tears soak into Ethan’s fur, creating a wet patch under my cheek. He’s focused on running, but I still feel the soothing purr that vibrates his body. Something in me responds to the sound, calming a bit as he slows and stops in a clearing.

I slide off his body and sit on the ground, crying quietly even while he licks at my tears. Bright golden eyes shine at me, and I throw my arms around his neck, understanding now that this isn’t Ethan.

“Zev,” I cry, burying my face in his soft fur.

One second, I’m hugging the wolf, and the next, human arms are wrapped around me. The warmth and the little purring rumble flowing from his body do a lot to calm me down, but for some reason, the tears don’t stop.

Zev rubs my back and pets my hair to comfort me, but growls in frustration when I still don’t stop crying. In another attempt, he adjusts us to sit on the ground with my back against his chest and his arms and legs around me.

When he leans in a moment later and looks at my face, his lips thin into a line. I blink past the tears, wondering what he’s doing, but something in me tells me he’s looking for signs of me calming down.

“I-I’ll be o-okay.”

“Hold on,” Zev mumbles, pulling me off his lap. I sniffle and wipe at my tears, watching in disbelief as he shifts and takes off into the tress.

“ZEV!”

My tears pour harder as he leaves me alone. I can’t believe he just did that, and I try to send the thought into his head, but I don’t know if it works. I’m met with silence, and my chest tightens, my stomach churns, and my bottom lip starts to wobble again.

“ZEV!” I scream angrily, needing him to come back.

A moment later, he lopes out of the trees with something white and fluffy hanging in his jaws. Surprise and disgust hit me at the same time, and I watch as he trots over to my side and drops what I now realize is a bunny in my lap.

The little animal doesn’t move until Zev growls. Then, it jolts and curls into my lap, clinging to me to get away from the wolf.

“What is happening?” I ask as he shifts back to his human form. I run my hand softly down the little animal’s shaking form, and Zev watches. I pick up the small, frightened creature and cuddle it to my chest, petting it to calm it down.

Zev moves closer, wrapping his body around mine and then begins petting my hair in a similar way.

“Is this how you like to be comforted? I caught it for you to cuddle with. I wanted to help. Does it work?” He asks, and I realize what he means as I look at our positions and the animal. He got me a bunny so he could figure out how to stop me from crying since I hadn’t fully responded to his comfort.

“No, but thank you,” I murmur, leaning into him. The purr begins again while I lean into him, and I sigh.

“I’ve got you. You are safe now,” he murmurs, rubbing his nose against my cheek in an affectionate manner as he continues talking, “No one will hurt you while I’m here. My mate and pup are safe with me.”

He keeps whispering sweet words, and eventually, my tears slow down and stop all together as I find comfort in my mate’s arms.