Chapter 8 CHAPTER EIGHT
ZANE
The camp had long settled into silence.
Small fires crackled across the clearing near the Nykaris pack boundary, their orange glow dancing over the faces of my warriors as they rested after the day's battle. A few sentinels remained on watch, patrolling the tree line with disciplined vigilance while the distant chorus of crickets drifted through the cool night air.
I sat alone on a fallen log, my elbows resting on my knees as I stared up at the moon hanging above the Forbidden Forest. For the first time in two years, I found myself unable to make sense of my own thoughts.
My mate had married another man.
I tried to convince myself it was to be expected since I was the one who rejected our mate bond. But that excuse wasn't working. Instead, it felt as though someone had reached into my chest and twisted my heart with their bare hands.
Juliet had moved on.
I let out a slow breath, dragging a rough hand through my short hair before lifting my gaze to the countless stars scattered across the night sky. They looked exactly the way they had the night I left Nykaris with nothing but blood on my body and vengeance in my heart.
Back then, I had promised myself that I would never look back. Yet fate dragged me back to this cursed pack. One look at Juliet this evening had been enough to shatter every wall I had spent two years building around myself.
The wedding ring on her finger refused to leave my mind. Neither did the way she had looked at me. I could not forget the way she whispered my name.
Zane.
Closing my eyes, I clenched my fists until my claws bit into my palms. I wanted to hate her. Moon Goddess knew I had every reason to hate every member of the Nykaris Pack after how they betrayed me.
But no matter how hard I tried... my damn wolf still wanted his mate.
A groan escaped me when I heard someone approaching. His scent wafted toward me before I even turned around, and the sound of his boots crunching on the rocky path confirmed his identity.
Nathaniel.
My Beta.
He slapped my shoulder lightly to announce his presence before sitting down beside me. The air was getting colder each minute, but none of us seemed to notice as we stared at the half-moon in silence.
After a long moment, he finally turned to me.
"So... how are you processing the fact that your mate is married?"
I scowled, irritation bubbling beneath the surface. "Jesus, Nathaniel."
"What?” he asked, feigning innocence. “Dude, I’m just making sure your head is still in the right place before our men start asking questions. You know we can't have any altercations in the Nykaris Pack. They outnumber us."
"Bullshit," I scoffed. "We could wipe them out with one hand tied behind our backs."
Nathaniel rolled his eyes, but didn't argue. Because it was true. When I heard that the Nykaris Pack was being attacked by the rogue wolves again, I assembled the most lethal men in my pack for this mission. I didn't want to risk any failures, not when my mate's life could be in danger.
It turned out she was no longer mine to worry about, I thought to myself as I looked down at my boots, feeling depressed.
A cool breeze stirred the treetops above us, carrying with it the earthy scent of damp soil and pine.
I frowned.
Only moments ago, the night had been calm. The stars had stretched endlessly across the sky, and the half moon had shone brightly over the Nykaris Pack. Now, thick gray clouds had drifted with surprising speed, swallowing the moon until only a faint silver glow remained.
A fine drizzle began to fall, soft enough to barely make a sound as tiny droplets rippled through the campfires scattered around our temporary encampment.
Nathaniel lifted a hand toward the sky and caught several drops in his palm.
"What the hell?" he muttered, looking upward. "How did the weather change this fast?"
I watched the rain quietly for a moment before leaning back against the fallen log.
"It is normal here."
He glanced sideways at me. "It is?"
I nodded.
"The weather around the Nykaris Pack has always been strange. Sometimes it rains harder inside the pack than outside its borders. You can stand a few hundred meters away and find dry ground while the center of the territory is getting flooded."
Nathaniel let out a low whistle. "That sounds ridiculous."
"It does."
Back when I had still been the Head Elder of the Nykaris Pack, I often worked late into the night inside my office. The weather forecasts would promise clear skies for days, yet the moment I finished reviewing reports and stepped outside, I would find rain pouring over the entire pack as though the Moon Goddess herself had ignored every prediction.
The elders used to joke that Nykaris had its own personality. Back then, I had laughed with them. But now, those memories only left a bitter taste in my mouth.
Nathaniel stretched his arms before glancing toward the hammock tied between two sturdy trees.
"Well, there goes my sleeping arrangement."
I followed his gaze. The drizzle was already soaking the canvas stretched above it.
"You can share my tent," I offered.
Nathaniel made an exaggerated face of disgust.
"No way."
I arched a brow. "And why not?"
"Because you sleep like a paranoid wolf." He pointed an accusing finger at me. "The second I roll over, you'll probably have a knife at my throat."
A reluctant smirk tugged at the corner of my mouth. "You should feel honored I'm even offering."
"Oh, honored?" he scoffed. "That is rich coming from the man who wakes up if a squirrel sneezes three trees away."
Nathaniel laughed. "Please. You'd be miserable without me."
"I keep you around because despite your snoring, you're useful."
"My snoring?"
"It sounds like a dying bear."
"My wife says it sounds nice."
"Your wife needs her hearing checked."
He barked out another laugh as we rose from the log and began walking toward the rows of tents. Around us, my warriors hurried to secure supplies beneath waterproof covers while others fed more wood into the fires to keep them alive against the growing rain.
The peaceful mood shattered when bright headlights suddenly sliced through the darkness.
The conversations around us slowly died as we turned to the direction of the light.
Several of my sentinels immediately reached for their weapons, instincts taking over as an unfamiliar vehicle emerged from the winding road leading toward our camp.
The engine slowed before coming to a stop just beyond the boundary markers.
Nathaniel's laughter vanished. "Who could that be?"
The driver's door opened. A lone figure stepped into the rain.
For one impossible second, I forgot how to breathe.
Even through the darkness and the curtain of falling rain, I recognized that silhouette.
Nathaniel stared between the woman and me before whispering, "Is that who I think it is?"
My voice came out rough, almost disbelieving.
"...Juliet?"
