Chapter 173 Only One

Third POV

Zayne could still remember the look on Jude’s face when Mason made that report. Alpha Jude had been visiting lycan territory for a vacation when that happened, and had spared a day to visit his old friend at the royal palace.

It was purely coincidental that Mason had arrived to make the report.

Jude’s face had blanched white when he heard, and he swore up and down that he didn’t know where this horrendous rumor came from, almost as though he was worried that Zayne would actually behead him for such a small thing.

Zayne practically scoffed in his face. It had been a rumor, nothing more. If anything, Zayne found it amusing that Alpha Asher had such a vivid imagination. Perhaps if he invested that sort of imagination and energy into maintaining his pack, Moonveil wouldn’t be in such a state right now.

Estelle hadn’t been able to completely cut herself off from her old pack because of this. Moonveil was in ruins, and they knew that Estelle was the only one who could save it. That was probably why Alpha Asher wouldn’t let his slimy hands go.

This time, the old Luna of the Moonveil Pack had come out of her years of seclusion to stay there temporarily. She must’ve summoned Estelle’s return. Considering the years the Moonveil Pack’s Alpha family spent taking care of her, Estelle probably felt indebted and obligated to go back and visit, at least for the old matriarch’s sake.

But what Zayne couldn’t figure out was whether Estelle still had feelings for Asher.

The thought made his jaw clench. Even after everything Asher had done to her, even after breaking her heart and manipulating her for years, was there still a part of Estelle that cared for him?

On the other hand, Zayne recalled the way Estelle had healed so quickly from the cut. She had also used an extraordinary amount of strength and broken the wine bottle effortlessly. It was almost as though she couldn’t control this newfound strength.

That could only mean that Estelle’s wolf was slowly surfacing. When her wolf fully emerged, did that mean that she would finally be able to recognize who her true fated mate was?

Hope bloomed in his chest at the thought, but it was immediately followed by a bitter taste in his mouth. The possibility that Estelle might still have lingering feelings for Asher made his hands curl into fists.

He forced himself to push those emotions down. Getting angry wouldn’t solve anything. He trusted Estelle and respected her decisions. It was clear that her rationality had chosen him.

However…

Zayne turned off the TV and carefully shifted his position. Estelle stirred slightly but didn’t wake as he slipped one arm under her knees and the other around her back. He lifted her easily, cradling her against his chest.

She was lighter than he expected, and the thought made him frown slightly. Had she been eating enough while she was dealing with all the stress of leaving Moonveil and adjusting to her new life?

He carried her down the hallway to her bedroom, pushing the door open with his shoulder. The room was dark, but enough light filtered in from the hallway for him to see the bed clearly.

Zayne gently lowered Estelle onto the mattress, intending to simply tuck her in and leave. But as he started to pull away, her arms suddenly wrapped around his neck.

Before he could react, she pulled him down with her onto the bed.

Zayne quickly adjusted his position to keep from crushing her, bracing his weight on his forearms. Estelle, still fast asleep, immediately cuddled closer to him. Her body pressed against his, and she nestled her face against his neck.

“Zayne,” she murmured softly, his name barely a whisper on her lips.

His heart did something strange in his chest. A warm, fuzzy feeling spread through him at hearing his name spoken so tenderly, even in sleep.

Unable to resist, Zayne leaned down and pressed a soft, careful kiss to her lips. It was gentle and brief, more of a whisper of contact than a real kiss.

As he pulled back slightly, looking down at Estelle’s peaceful sleeping face, a fierce possessiveness rose up in him.

No matter what, Estelle could only be his. He didn’t care how long it would take or what he would have to do. He would rip every trace of Asher out of her heart until he was the only one dominating that space.

Zayne would not allow his fated mate to have another man in her heart. She had to pick him, both out of duty and out of love.

***

Estelle’s POV

The next morning, the sun had risen for quite some time when I finally woke up.

I stretched, my hands landing on the mattress. When I felt the empty half of the bed, I froze, my eyes opening.

The other side of the bed was already cold. Even though I was half asleep, I was sure that Zayne had spent the night here with me. I could still smell his scent faintly lingering in the room.

I quickly got out of bed and stepped out of my bedroom. After a quick scan around the private wing, I came to a conclusion. Zayne was gone.