Chapter 9: Tensions Build

The following afternoon, Azia sat in an oversized chair in her mother's quarters, groaning.

Vivian stared at her daughter from a few feet away, her expression a mixture of amusement and exasperation. "I just told you that Zeke was here. Not the Big Bad Wolf," she remarked.

Azia rolled her eyes at her mother's joke. "Haha," she said. "You tease, but it feels much the same to me."

Vivian laughed. "So dramatic," she said, shaking her head. "Just like your father was." She smiled fondly to herself.

Azia sighed as she looked at the Alpha. "I'm sure it probably seems that way to you," she answered quietly. "But you also got to marry the person of your choosing. You married for love. I am marrying for duty."

Vivian watched her daughter for a moment, assessing her with her amber colored eyes. She slowly made her way over, and sat beside Azia. "This may have begun as duty," she said softly. "But the mate pull has been triggered, and there is no denying that among our kind. Men and women alike walk our halls day in, and day out, hoping that THAT day will be the day they finally lock eyes with someone from across the room, and find their eyes begin to glow. They want to find their soulmate. They want that question finally answered..."

Vivian offered her daughter a faint smile as she continued. "I loved your father. I would have turned the whole world over for him, had he asked me to. There isn't a day that goes by where I don't miss him. But the mate pull never happened for us. It was never confirmed that we were right for each other, that we had found our other half. And I for one wished that had happened prior to his death. It may not be love yet. But it will be, in time --and that you know for a fact. Take comfort in that knowledge."

Vivian moved to get up, then stopped to pat her daughter's hand. "And try to remember that the only other person who understands what you're going through is Zeke," she said pointedly. "So try to go a little easy on him."

Her mother's commentary ran on repeat in Azia's mind as she made her way to meet Zeke. Be nice, be nice, be nice, she chanted to herself. If only turning it into a song could magically make it true.

She turned into the main hall of the western wing of the compound, and saw Zeke waiting for her outside a conference room. His hands were shoved in the pockets of his black jeans. Even from several feet away, Azia could see his eyes flicking back and forth as Bronson wolves passed by him. His black, spiky hair looked disheveled again. Azia once again found herself wishing that made him appear less handsome. Admitting to herself that she was attracted to Zeke was just a bit too much for her pride.

Nevertheless, her heart palpitated as she made her way towards him. "Good morning," she said politely. "Are you here to discuss our party or our spy today?"

Zeke's mouth twitched into the ghost of a smile. "Whichever sounds least objectionable," he replied.

Azia laughed as she turned the handle to the conference room and opened the door. "Smart answer."

A massive wood table took up a majority of the room, accompanied by matching wooden chairs, and maps that hung from the walls. Two matching sofas, the color of eggplant, took up the remaining space. Azia walked to the farthest one and sat down, hoping she appeared far more comfortable than she was.

Zeke bit his cheek to keep from laughing. Azia was uncomfortable, and it was obvious. It was also painfully endearing. On impulse, he walked over and sank into the vacant seat beside her, rather than the opposite sofa like she clearly expected. Zeke watched her beautiful ochre eyes suddenly widen before she checked herself.

He leaned back against the armrest to watch her while he spoke. "Have you given any thought to who you want on the investigation panel from your pack?"

Azia nodded, tucking a strand of long, black hair behind her ear. "I think the only fair approach is to have a representative from each faction, for both packs," she said. "Security, administration, finance...If the investigation panel is also going to be the jury, it must represent everyone."

"I completely agree," Zeke said, leaning onto his elbow. "And questioning everyone is not only going to take a significant amount of coordination, it's also going to take a lot of time. I think we'll have to set up some kind of paid leave for individuals on the panel, in lieu of the wages they would have earned working shifts."

"Yes, that's fair," Azia said, leaning slightly forward. "And the questioning itself should alternate between compounds each week, so everyone has to travel an equal amount."

"It's only fair," Zeke nodded, smiling at her slightly.

Azia shook her head in awe. "I love how we agree on everything," she said. "Usually, when I bring up ideas to my Beta, and my Gamma, I get nothing back but crickets."

Zeke laughed. "We're a different generation," he remarked. "Full of energy and ideals." He slowly moved his ankle until the tip of his sneaker touched the tip of her black combat boot.

It was the smallest of touches, a playful gesture, yet Azia could feel tiny bolts of electricity begin to trickle up her body. She sucked in a deep breath, but all she inhaled was Zeke's scent--a mixture of cologne, eucalyptus soap, and the lightest layer of sweat. She cursed internally. Of course he smelled as good as he looked.

Her cheeks flushed at the thought. Her eyes snapped to his face, and she was alarmed to find Zeke's gaze undeniably fixed on her mouth. Her flush deepened twofold. Things felt dangerously on the brink of...something. Azia couldn't quite place what, but it felt dangerous. Surprising, and dangerous.

She cleared her throat, hoping to cut the inexplicable tension. "I suppose we should talk about the party as well. To get it over with."

Zeke's expression turned serious. "Do you really dread it that much?" he asked quietly.

Azia groaned. "So much," she admitted. "Thinking about all the people, the flashy dress I'll have to wear, the speeches...It's every introvert's worst nightmare." She forced a small laugh at her own joke.

Her laugh petered out as she looked at Zeke's face. "Well, aren't you dreading it?" she asked feebly.

Zeke shrugged as he turned his gaze towards the ground. "I wasn't thinking about any of that," he said quietly. "I was primarily thinking about what that day signifies for us, and the promise of happier days to come, for us. Eventually."

Azia rolled her eyes as she groaned again. "How do you do that? How do you always somehow make me out to be the jerk?"

Zeke turned to glare at her. "I do nothing of the sort," he protested. His eyes flickered to her mouth again, but he forced them back upwards.

"You do so!" she argued, slapping her hand against her thigh. "Because I express that I'm just a LITTLE nervous about marrying myself off to a complete stranger, I automatically feel bad after what you said. Thanks."

Zeke leaned into her. Azia's eyes grew as wide as saucers as his face grew close to hers. Tiny bolts of electricity began to jolt their way up from her toes again. She let herself breathe in his scent once more, despite herself.

"You don't feel bad because you're nervous," Zeke told her quietly. "You feel bad because you know I'm right. You're about to marry the one person whom destiny has declared will love you and make you happy for the rest of your days. And, for some reason, that scares the hell out of you."

In one fluid movement, he was off the couch. Zeke made his way to the conference room door, and walked out of the room without another glance.

Azia sat alone and dumbfounded after he left. It seemed to take forever for her heart to stop racing. But even so, she couldn’t calm her racing thoughts. It was absurd to think he was going to kiss her–and she hadn’t wanted him to. Her body’s reactions were nerves, nothing more.

She eventually made her way out of the conference room in a daze, feeling as though she had just spent the day at an amusement park, and her stomach was somewhere up in her ribcage. No, it was definitely absurd to think he was going to kiss her…and even more absurd to think any part of her had wanted him to.