Chapter 5 Five

The entire afternoon felt too long, too loud, and too heavy for me to breathe properly. Everywhere I walked inside the packhouse someone seemed to stop speaking the moment I passed by. Whispers filled the air with sharp little pricks that scraped against my nerves. I had always felt like part of this pack, safe and unquestioned, but now every look felt like a judgment. Every glance felt like an accusation. I was Zara King, the girl who kissed the wrong alpha, and no one knew what to do with me anymore.

Lola stayed close to me, hovering like a shield. Normally I would tease her for it, but today I sank into her presence with quiet gratitude. I needed something solid. I needed something that was not Ezra Johnson’s penetrating stare or Orion’s tightening fury. Lola remained unbothered by the whispers, glaring down anyone who stared too long. That was one of the reasons she was my best friend. She never let anyone intimidate her, not even alphas.

By late afternoon the tension inside the packhouse was almost unbearable. people walked faster than usual and spoke in hushed tones as if something dangerous loomed just outside the walls. Maybe something did. Ezra had shown up once. That alone meant that the balance between packs had been disturbed. It would not take much more to tip things into disaster.

I finally slipped out the back door and leaned against the railing overlooking the forest. The view normally calmed me. The thick trees, the scent of pine, the warm breeze, the sound of birds calling from the branches. Today none of it reached me. My mind replayed every moment with Ezra. The kiss. His stare. His voice. The way he appeared out of nowhere with that unsettling calm. And worse, the way he spoke as if he already knew I would not be able to forget him.

I hated it. I hated the thrill beneath my fear. I hated the way the memory made my stomach twist in a way that was not entirely unwelcome. I hated myself for even thinking about him for more than a second. I should have been focused on Orion. I should have been thinking about the consequences for my pack. Instead I could not shake Ezra’s voice from my head.

A soft knock startled me. I turned and saw Orion standing on the steps, his expression serious and unreadable. My breath caught. The last time I saw him he had been furious and close to losing control. Now he looked calmer, but his eyes still held the frustration of a man trying to stop something he could not fully understand.

“Zara,” he said quietly. “We need to talk.”

I nodded and stepped aside to let him join me. The moment he stood near me I felt the familiar warmth of his presence. Orion’s aura was strong, steady, and grounded. It wrapped around me like a shield even when he said nothing. I had grown up feeling safe in it, trusting it without question. And yet right now it felt strained, like a rope pulled too tight.

“I want to understand,” Orion said gently. “Tell me everything. All of it. Not the version you tell Lola. Not the version you tell yourself. The truth.”

I breathed in slowly. “I told you. It was a mistake. A dare. I did not even see who I was walking toward until it was too late. When I realized it was Ezra my heart stopped. I wish it had never happened.”

Orion searched my face, trying to see if there was more. That was the problem with mates. They could feel the shifts in your heartbeat, the tremors under your words, the hesitation behind your eyes. Orion did not accuse me, but the question was there, silent and heavy.

“Did you like it?” he asked.

I swallowed hard, stunned he had spoken it aloud. “No. Of course not. I was terrified.”

“That is not the entire question,” Orion said softly.

My cheeks warmed in anger and embarrassment. “I do not like him. I do not want him. He is Ezra Johnson. Our rival. The last person I would ever want.”

Orion stepped closer, his eyes sharp. “Then why did he come back today. Why did he seek you out. Why did he talk to you like he already knows you. That does not happen for no reason.”

My chest tightened. “I do not know.”

“You feel something,” Orion said. His voice was calm but strained. “I can sense it. Something in you changes when he is near. Something shifts.”

I stepped away trembling. “Stop. You cannot act like I chose this. I did not choose that kiss and I did not choose for Ezra to appear again.”

Orion looked away, jaw clenched, fighting for control. “I know. I am trying to understand. I am trying not to lose you to something I cannot even see.”

That last part struck something deep inside me. Orion was not only angry. He was scared. And somehow that scared me even more.

He continued. “I cannot pretend this is normal. Ezra is interested in you. The way he looked at you makes it clear. He does not come for people. He does not waste time. He does not get distracted. Something about you has caught his attention.”

My stomach twisted painfully. “I do not want his attention.”

“Even if you do not,” Orion replied, “he does not look like a man who will let go.”

The silence between us grew heavier. Orion finally placed a hand on my arm. His touch was warm and familiar in a way that grounded me. “Zara. Tell me honestly. Do you feel anything for him.”

I shook my head quickly. “I feel afraid of him. And confused. And sometimes angry. But nothing else. I do not want him.”

Orion nodded slowly, accepting my words but still unsettled. “I will protect you whether he wants to play this game or not. You are mine. This pack is mine. I will not let him step into our territory again.”

The way he said it made my heart jump. Protective. Fierce. Grounded. Orion spoke like a leader ready to defend what mattered to him. For a moment the tension between us eased and the air felt lighter.

But the peace did not last.

A howl rose from the forest. Deep. Sharp. Resonant. The kind that did not belong to anyone in our pack. The sound echoed across the grounds and everything around us fell silent.

Orion’s expression hardened instantly. “He is here again.”

My breath caught. Ezra. He had returned. And he was too close. Orion did not hesitate. He grabbed my hand and pulled me behind him as he descended the steps.

I tried to pull free. “Wait. Let me talk to him.”

“No,” Orion said firmly. “Not alone. Not ever.”

We moved quickly toward the forest and the closer we got the more my pulse raced. The air felt heavier, like something powerful had settled over the land.

Ezra stood near the tree line, his posture relaxed but his eyes sharp. He looked like he belonged to the shadows, like he was part of the forest itself.

His gaze locked onto me instantly.

Orion stiffened and stepped between us, blocking Ezra’s view. “You do not belong here. Leave.”

Ezra did not flinch. “I did not come for you, Orion.”

Orion growled low. “You are trespassing.”

Ezra’s eyes narrowed slightly. “I only came to speak to her.”

“You will not speak to her again,” Orion replied.

Ezra smiled. It was slow, dangerous, and far too confident. “You cannot stop her from hearing me.”

Orion’s entire body tensed. “I can stop you.”

Ezra tilted his head, studying him with something that looked almost like amusement. “You can try.”

I stepped forward before either of them could react. “Both of you stop this.”

They turned toward me at the same time. Orion’s expression was tight with worry and anger. Ezra’s was unreadable but intense.

I forced a steady breath. “Ezra. Why are you here.”

Ezra looked directly at me. “Because something started between us the moment you kissed me. I want to understand it. And you do too.”

My heart pounded painfully.

Orion stepped closer to me protectively. “She does not want to understand anything with you.”

Ezra’s gaze did not shift. “Let her speak for herself.”

I froze. My throat tightened. I did not know what to say. I did not want to encourage him. But I could not lie either. Something about the kiss had lingered. Something about Ezra’s presence did strange things to my pulse. Something dangerous and confusing and unwanted. But it was there.

Ezra’s voice softened slightly. “Zara. I will not hurt you. I want answers. That is all.”

Orion grabbed my hand firmly. “You are not getting answers from her.”

Ezra finally looked at Orion. “You can stand in front of her all you want. But you cannot be inside her thoughts. And that is where she is confused. She is not confused because of you.”

Orion growled in warning.

Ezra stepped back a single step. “I will return when she is ready to speak.”

He turned and disappeared into the trees with silent ease. The moment he vanished the tension in my body collapsed and my knees weakened. Orion caught my arm quickly.

“Do not let him get in your head,” he said softly. “He knows how to twist things. He knows how to lure people. You are not safe with him.”

I nodded, but my heart was still racing. Not from fear. Not entirely.

Lola reached us breathlessly from the house. “He was here again. Zara this is getting out of hand.”

I stared into the forest, feeling the echo of Ezra’s presence like a shadow on my skin. I did not want him near me. I did not want him talking about connection or confusion or anything else. But something deep in my chest pulsed with a reaction I did not understand.

I whispered to myself. “What is happening to me.”

No one answered. Not Orion. Not Lola. Not the forest.

But deep inside me I knew the storm was only beginning.