Chapter 5
1576 Words
Zack's POV
The sound of the gunshot stopped my heart. The scent of Chloe's blood drove my wolf insane. She'd taken a bullet meant for me. After everything I'd done, she still saved me.
I tore through the wolves around me, not caring that they were pack. They'd chosen to follow Ryan, to hurt my mate. They were already dead.
Marcus reached Chloe first, his wolf form shifting back to human as he pressed his hands against her shoulder. "It's silver. We need to get it out now."
"Don't touch her!" I snarled, but he ignored me.
"You want her to live or not?" He ripped his shirt, using it to slow the bleeding. "Silver will kill her in minutes if we don't act."
Ryan was backing toward the door, gun still raised. "This wasn't supposed to happen. She was supposed to die quietly."
My vision went red. I'd never felt rage like this. Pure, primal, Alpha rage. I shifted back to human form and crossed the distance between us in two strides. The gun went flying as I grabbed his throat.
"You shot my mate."
"Your ex-mate," he choked out. "Veronica said—"
I squeezed harder. "I don't care what Veronica said. You're going to die for this."
"Zack!" Marcus's voice cut through my rage. "She needs a hospital. Now. Deal with him later."
I looked back at Chloe. She was so pale, blood pooling beneath her. Betty was on the phone with 911, but human doctors wouldn't understand werewolf physiology. The silver would kill her before they could help.
"My pack doctor," I said, dropping Ryan like garbage. "He can extract silver. Twenty minutes away."
"She doesn't have twenty minutes," Marcus said. "I know someone closer. Five minutes. But you have to trust me."
Trust. The word burned. But Chloe was dying.
"Do it."
Marcus lifted her gently, her blood soaking his chest. "Follow me. And bring him." He nodded at Ryan. "He's not getting away."
I grabbed Ryan by the collar, dragging him as we ran. Marcus's car was outside, a black SUV. He laid Chloe in the back, and I climbed in with her, cradling her head in my lap.
"Stay with me," I whispered, my hand stroking her hair. "Please, Chloe. Stay with me."
Her eyes fluttered open for a moment. "Zack?"
"I'm here. I'm so sorry. For everything."
"Protect... the pack..." she whispered, then went limp.
"Drive faster!" I roared.
Marcus flew through the streets, ignoring every traffic law. Ryan whimpered in the front seat where Marcus had thrown him.
"This is your fault," I told him. "All of it."
"Veronica planned everything," Ryan said desperately. "She knew you'd react badly if Chloe betrayed you. She's been planning this for years, waiting for the perfect moment."
"Years?"
"She's been in love with you since before you met Chloe. She couldn't challenge a true mate bond, but if Chloe left on her own..."
My phone rang. James.
"Alpha, we have a problem. Veronica's trying to claim Luna position. She's telling everyone Chloe attacked you and fled."
"Arrest her. Now. And get the pack doctor to..." I looked at Marcus.
"1847 Oakwood Drive," Marcus supplied.
I relayed the address. "Chloe's been shot. Silver bullet."
"On our way."
Marcus pulled into a driveway. A small clinic, discreet. An older woman rushed out, her eyes glowing with wolf power.
"Alpha Blake, bring her in."
We carried Chloe inside. The woman, Dr. Sarah, immediately began working. "The bullet's deep. Close to her heart. This is going to be delicate."
"Save her," I commanded.
"I don't take orders from you, Alpha Thornton." She looked at Marcus. "But I'll save her because she doesn't deserve to die for your mistakes."
The next hour was the longest of my life. I paced the waiting room like a caged animal while Dr. Sarah operated. Marcus sat calmly, but I could smell his anxiety.
"You care about her," I said.
"She's a good person who deserved better than what you gave her."
"I know." The admission hurt. "I failed her in every way."
"Then why should she forgive you?"
I didn't have an answer. Why should she? I'd ignored her, neglected her, and then threw her away based on a lie. The miscarriage... God, she'd lost our child alone. How could I not have known?
Because you never paid attention, my wolf said. We failed our mate.
James arrived with half the pack. They'd arrested Veronica and discovered evidence of her conspiracy with Ryan. Text messages, money transfers, even a recording of them planning the whole thing.
"She wanted to be Luna," James said, showing me the evidence. "She knew you'd never choose her over Chloe, so she needed Chloe gone."
"And I played right into their hands."
"Alpha..." James hesitated. "The pack is divided. Many think Chloe deserves justice. That you should step down for falsely accusing your Luna."
"They're right."
James looked shocked. "You can't be serious."
"I publicly humiliated and divorced my innocent mate. I believed lies without investigation. What kind of Alpha does that make me?"
Dr. Sarah emerged, blood on her scrubs. "She's stable. The silver is out, but she's weak. Lost a lot of blood."
"Can I see her?"
"That's up to her." She looked at Marcus. "She's asking for you."
It felt like a knife to my heart, but I stepped aside. Marcus went in, and I heard their soft voices through the door.
"Thank you for protecting me," Chloe said weakly.
"Always," Marcus replied. "Rest now. You're safe."
When he came out, his expression was grim. "She doesn't want to see you."
"I need to—"
"No. You need to respect her wishes for once." Marcus stepped closer. "You had three years to love her properly. You wasted them. Now she needs time to heal, physically and emotionally."
"She's still my mate."
"No. You severed that bond when you signed those papers. When you chose to believe she would betray you." His eyes glowed. "I'm offering her sanctuary in my territory. If you try to force her back, we'll have a problem."
My wolf wanted to fight, to claim what was ours. But Chloe wasn't ours anymore. I'd thrown her away like she meant nothing.
"Zack." Her voice was barely a whisper from inside the room.
I rushed in. She looked so small in the hospital bed, bandages covering her shoulder. Her warm brown eyes met mine, and I saw something that hurt worse than rejection. Disappointment.
"Why?" she asked.
"Why what?"
"Why didn't you trust me? Even for a second?"
I sat carefully on the edge of her bed. "Because I'm a fool. Because I was so focused on control, on being the perfect Alpha, that I forgot to be a good mate. I took you for granted, assumed you'd always be there."
"And when I wasn't perfect? When I was accused of something terrible?"
"I failed you." The words burned. "I'm sorry about the baby. I'm sorry about every anniversary, every dinner, every moment I chose work over you."
She turned away. "Sorry doesn't fix three years of loneliness."
"I know. But maybe... maybe I could try to earn your forgiveness?"
"With Veronica in your bed?"
"She's never been in my bed. She's been staying in the guest room, trying to convince me to make her Luna. I never touched her."
Chloe looked back at me, searching my face. "It doesn't matter anymore."
"How can you say that? You took a bullet for me."
"Because despite everything, I'm not the kind of person who lets someone die. Even someone who hurt me." She winced, adjusting her position. "But that doesn't mean I forgive you. Or that I want you back."
Each word was a wound, but I deserved them all.
"The pack needs you," she continued. "Be a better Alpha than you were a husband. Learn from this."
"The pack needs their Luna."
"Then find one who you'll actually love and cherish. Someone you'll put first." Her eyes drifted shut. "I'm tired, Zack. Please go."
I stood to leave, but her hand caught mine. So small, so delicate, yet she'd been so strong.
"For what it's worth," she whispered, "I really did love you. With everything I had."
Past tense. Loved. Not love.
"I love you too," I said desperately. "Present tense. Future tense. Always."
She pulled her hand away. "Love without trust is just possession. And I won't be owned by anyone ever again."
I left the room, my heart shattered. Marcus stood in the hallway, and for once, I was grateful. At least someone would protect her when I'd failed so completely.
"Take care of her," I said.
"I intend to."
As I walked out of the clinic, my phone buzzed. Veronica, from the pack jail.
"You'll regret this. Chloe was never good enough for you. I would have made you great."
I deleted the message and kept walking. But her words echoed. Chloe hadn't made me great. She'd made me human. Made me want to be better.
And I'd thrown it all away.
Looking back at the clinic, I made a vow. I'd become the Alpha, the man, Chloe always deserved. Even if she never came back, even if she chose Marcus, I'd honor what she'd taught me through her absence.
The gunshot wound would heal. But the wound I'd put in her heart? That might never heal.
And that was my burden to bear.
- Writer
