Captured

{6} New Normal

Zach's POV:

When I enter the kitchen and see the girls chatting it up and having a great time, my face almost curled into a smile. That is, until I see her. What the f**k is she doing here? Having a great time like she's one of us. I knew Leah, my Beta's mate, had invited her the day they met in the grocery store, but I didn't think she would actually show up. I glare at her until she locks eyes with me. This is gonna be a long f*****g night. I hold my tongue and simply walk out of the room. I head to my father's office to calm down.

After a few minutes, I hear Leah explain to her how to get to the bathroom. I decide to give her a clear warning. I hear her washing her hands and open the door as I stand like a statue with my arms crossed.

"I'm sorry. Excuse me." she says, before looking into my eyes. I stand motionless without a word. She tries to side step me, but I refuse to move. I can feel her frustration and anxiety begin to rise as my aura pulses out onto her small frame. "Excuse me, Zach. I need to get by." Oh, so she does know my name. Interesting. Without a word, I begin to circle her like Hunter does when he kills a deer. I lean down so my lips are just outside of her ear. I take a deep breath of her wildflower scent before letting my bone-crushing insults fly.

"How bold of you to address me so informally?" I normally don't care that people use my first name, but her, no, not her. "You may have Leah and the girls fooled, but I see right through you. You know we already have a pack slut and don't really need another one, so I suggest you keep your skanky legs closed around my friends. Don't even think about entertaining the idea of dating anyone in this town. Got it?" I watch as her whole body tenses at my words. I might have been harsher than intended, but she needs to steer clear of my pack and me. She glances upward slowly to face me and I see the tears welling up in her eyes. Hunter whimpers inside my head, but I shut him out. If her looks could kill, I would be in trouble. She looks like she's ready to slap me. I keep a smug look on my face to cover my real feelings. I'm an ass. I know that, but she has no idea of what this town is or the danger that comes with it. It may seem harsh, but the further she stays away from me and my pack, the better off she will be.

"Wow." is all she manages to say before racing down the hallway and out the front door. I drop my facade as I see Scott at the end of the hall. He knows I said something and I know I will hear an ear full later. As my Beta and best friend, he knows how to keep me straight. I'm the hot head, he's the thinker and planner. I see his head drop as he shakes his head in disappointment before walking out to find her.

I walk back into my father's office and find the first thing I can throw against the wall. A whiskey glass. Why does she get under my skin so much? I don't even know her nor do I want to, but I didn't have to do that to her either. I'm such a d**k.

After a few minutes, there's a light knock on the door, which brings me out of my head. I tell Scott to come in as I already know it's him. He enters and sees the glass shards littering the ground. He places his hands in his pockets with his head bowed. He's thinking before he speaks, as he always does.

"You want to explain to me why I had to console a crying guest in our pack house, Alpha. A girl who's done nothing wrong. A girl whose father is helping us strengthen our borders and preventing rogue attacks to keep us safe. A girl I suspect could be your mate, but you're too pigheaded to consider it because she's human." He lifts his eyes to meet mine. How the f**k did he know? I thought I hid it well.

"How did you—"

"I've been your best friend since we came out of the womb. We've grown up together, gone to school together, gone to trainings together, gone to conferences, banquets, ceremonies, you name it. I know you inside and out, as you know me. You were there for me through thick and thin, but I can't for the life of me figure out why you would treat someone so poorly....unless..."

"Unless what, Scott? Spit it out."

"You're trying to push her away." My eyes widen as he knows exactly what I'm doing.

"It's complicated."

"It's complicated?" He chuckles and mocks my words. "What's complicated about finding your mate? It's basically the easiest thing on the planet because it's done for you by the Moon Goddess."

"Scott, you know I have enemies. She's human and has no clue about us. She's got dreams, aspirations that do not include me. And frankly, we don't know if she's my mate until my birthday next month." I explain, exasperated. I run my hands through my hair.

"But you and I see the signs. Hunter whining and stalking to her house. Your need to keep tabs on her. And I saw how invested you were in Trevor's stories about Sara Beth, so don't even try to lie to me." Sara Beth. Her name only makes my heart beat faster. I'm shocked at how observant my best friend is and how he picked up all the signs, too.

"How did you know about Hunter?"

"I was on patrol when I spotted your wolf in the treeline. Just sitting and watching like a lost puppy. I even saw Sara Beth come outside with her camera like she was trying to get a picture of him."

"Sneaky bastard. You don't miss anything, do you?"

"I wouldn't be much of a Beta if I did, now would I? Look, I'm happy to wait another month for you to find out, but if you keep on, there won't be much to salvage. So cool it, okay? Christian will have a field day if he finds out you've disrespected the Luna and it's his job as Gamma to protect her, even from you."

"Christian doesn't need to know and I'd like to keep it that way!" I respect my inner circle and they respect me. We have always had the type of relationship to keep each other in check. We call it checks and balances, so none of us lost control. It is a good system. His mate, Ally, is a great match for him. A slight pang of guilt crosses my chest. What if she is my mate? What if she doesn't accept me because I've been such an ass to her? I'm not sure how to accept a human mate with all of my bad history with them.

"Look, let's just try to have a good rest of the evening. You think you can just ignore her and keep your mouth shut?" I nod, but honestly, I'm not sure. I just have so much pent up aggression towards humans and she's easy to lash out at whether I want to or not.

Scott and I rejoin the group having comfortable conversation around the fire. I feel myself immediately begin to glare at her like she's an enemy. She tries to ignore me and avoids my gaze at all costs. I try to do the same and I try to hold my tongue, but as the alcohol begins to show some affects, I'm fighting a losing battle with my inner demons.

Christian and Penny's mate, William sit next to me. We are entertaining ourselves with jokes and snide comments about others when I drop one about our little guest. Both guys seem put off by my comment, but don't say anything. I see her begin to squirm in her seat uncomfortably as I know she hears my words. Scott is casting me a death glare, but my inhibitions are lost as I drink more. The awkward chuckles tell me I've crossed several lines.

I watch her reaction as she quickly whispers into Leah's ear. Leah's face contorts to show her concern as she glances between Scott and myself. She's leaving. She stands, quietly says goodbye to the girls and heads off to the forest trail. I gulp and realize the rest of the group is staring at me with downcast eyes, glares, and disgust. I f****d up.

You need to go after her and apologize. You also need to walk her home so she doesn't get hurt. Scott mindlinks me. He's right. I know he's right, but how can I explain all this? How can I apologize?

I stand up and take a long draft of my beer before walking after her. It doesn't take long to catch up to her.

"Hey, wait up!" I announce so she knows I'm here.

"Ugh! What do you want? You just can't leave well enough alone, can you?" her voice is laced with anger, annoyance, and sadness. Sadness? What's that about?

"Look, I know what I said was out of line. So, I'm sorry." She turns to look at me with an angry glare.

"What are we five?! You think you can just apologize and everything becomes hunky dory again? Were you dropped on your head as a child?"

"I was just trying to apologize for my rude comments."

"You know what? Keep your empty apologies. I'm not a fragile porcelain doll that breaks every time a harsh word is thrown her way. I have better things to do and better people to spend my time with. Just leave me alone, Zach. I'll stay out of your life and you stay out of mine." She turns to leave again.

"Hard to do in a small town!" I cup my hands around my mouth and shout after her. She flicks me the middle finger, but doesn't turn around. As she walks around the bend, I shift quickly in order to make sure she gets home alright. I may be a d**k and obviously have a lot to learn about women, but as the future Alpha of Mountain Springs pack, I won't let an attack happen on my members.

I stay far enough back so she doesn't know I'm there. She runs up her back porch and into her house. I see the light flick on in her bedroom. She's pacing back and forth in front of her bedroom window. I see the tears flowing down her cheeks as she runs her hands through her hair. The guilt hits me harder than I expect and I swallow hard. I did that. I made her feel like s**t. It is a sobering moment, but I also know I have to keep my distance. I have to keep her away from me. My enemies will use her to their advantage to hurt me and I won't let anything like that happen.

She finally sits on the bay window and stares up at the sky. She does this a lot. I wonder what's going on inside her head. I wish things were different. I guess this is my new normal.

They say the Moon Goddess doesn't make mistakes. I raise my snout and send up a silent prayer. Moon Goddess, are you sure about this? She will never be safe with me. She deserves more than I can give her. I'm no good for her. Please watch over her and help her understand.