The packhouse buzzed with its usual rhythm.Wolves coming and going, voices echoing down the long hallways, footsteps thudding across polished wood. Esther usually moved through it quietly, unnoticed,
another steady hand behind the scenes.But now... now she felt eyes on her everywhere she went.
Not the pack's eyes. His.
Zayne.
The Alpha had always carried an air of controlled distance, commanding presence sharpened like a blade. Never playful, never
indulgent. Until now.
"Morning, sweetheart," his deep voice
murmured as she rounded the corner.
Esther jumped, nearly spilling the pile of scrolls she carried. He was leaning casually against the wall, one arm braced over his
head, the picture of ease.
"Alpha," she said stiffly.
He grinned like a wolf with a secret. "That's
one way to say it. Another way might be, 'Good morning, Zayne, please stop waiting around corners like a predator.'''
She narrowed her eyes. "Why would I say
that?"
"Because I like the sound of it." His gaze
flicked deliberately to her lips, then back to her eyes, unbothered by her glare. "You sound better when you're annoyed."
Esther sidestepped him quickly, brushing past with
as much dignity as she could muster.
"You're impossible."
His laugh followed her down the corridor, low and satisfied, like he'd won something simply by rattling her.
By the time evening rolled around, Esther was already on edge. She slid into a quiet corner table with Lily, grateful for the
noise and chatter of the pack that kept her from thinking too hard about Zayne's morning ambush. Just the two of them, away from the larger crowd. Safe, contained, predictable.
She'd barely lifted her drink when a hand appeared out of nowhere, plucking the cup neatly from her grasp.
"Thanks, sweetheart," Zayne drawled,
dropping into the seat beside her with all the subtlety of a thunderclap. He tipped the cup back, draining half of it before she could react. "Mm. Sweet. Just like you."
Esther froze, heat crawling up her neck. "Give
that back."
"Already did." He swirled the cup lazily,
smirk tugging at his lips. "Well. Half of it."
Across the table, Lily choked on her stew. She
slapped her spoon down, eyes bright with glee. "Oh my gods, Ess, are you seriously complaining? If the Alpha stole my drink, I'd be asking him what else he wants to take."
"Lily!" Esther hissed, mortified.
"What?" Lily leaned forward, stage-whispering loud enough for half the table to hear. "Look at him. He's practically undressing you with his eyes.Do us all a favor and enjoy it."
Zayne laughed. Esther wanted to sink under the table. "I am not enjoying this."
"You will," Zayne said smoothly, lips
brushing close enough to her ear that she nearly jumped out of her skin. "Eventually."
Lily fanned herself dramatically. "I ship
it."
"Lily!"
Before Esther could combust entirely, Jake appeared like a merciful shadow at Zayne's other side, his expression carved from stone.
He slid into his seat, glanced once at Esther's red face, then leveled hisAlpha with a look that could cut steel.
"Alpha," Jake said evenly. "You're supposed to be leading. Not flirting."
Zayne leaned back, utterly unbothered, still sipping from Esther's cup. "I multitask."
Jake sighed and returned to his food, muttering something under his breath about "priorities."
Lily, of course, looked ready to explode with
suppressed laughter. Esther groaned and buried her face in her hands.
And through it all, Zayne's grin lingered. Wolfish, relentless, like he had all the time in the world to wear her down.
Later, she sought escape in the training yard. The night was cool, the stars sharp above, and the silence a balm against her frayed nerves. She went through her forms with practiced precision, jab, pivot, sweep, channeling her fury into every strike.
"You're faster than my beta."
Esther stiffened, turning to find Zayne lounging against the fence, arms crossed, his wolfish smirk firmly in place.
"Maybe smarter too," he added, strolling
toward her like he'd just been waiting for this moment.
"Do you ever appear somewhere without making me want to throw something?" Esther asked dryly.
"No," he said simply. Then,"Spar?"
She hesitated. Sparring with her Alpha was not exactly something she could refuse. But the glint in his eyes told her this wasn't about training.
Still, she nodded. "Fine."
They squared off. Zayne moved with the controlled power of a predator. Confident, precise, too damn sure of himself. Esther darted in, surprising him with her speed, and they traded blows, sharp and quick. When she finally managed to sweep his leg, he let himself fall, landing flat on his back.
Esther straddled his chest, pinning him before he could twist free.
And then she realized.
She was on top of her Alpha.
Zayne's grin was slow and wicked, his voice a purr.
"Careful, sweetheart. Stay on top of me too
long, and I might not want to get up."
Her cheeks burned so hot she thought her face might combust. "You wish," she snapped, shoving off him like she'd touched
fire.
Zayne sat up, dusting himself off lazily, his eyes gleaming. "Actually, yes. I do."
"Why are you doing this?" she demanded,
frustrated. "You've never acted this way before.
You're supposed to be... serious. Confident. Assertive. Dominant. A leader. Not-" she waved at him, exasperated, "whatever this is."
He tilted his head, studying her with unsettling focus. "I wouldn't flirt with a woman who already had a mate."
That shut her up
"You're single now," he continued, voice rich with amusement. "So, I thought
I'd try."
Her heart hammered, though she forced a
scoff."Do you do this with every single woman?"
"No," Zayne said smoothly, his grin
flashing. "Only you."
Her stomach did an infuriating little flip. She
hated it. She hated him. She hated how much he knew exactly what he was doing.
Before she could retort, he lunged. Not in human form. This time his body shimmered, muscles stretching, bones snapping. In a breath, his massive silver wolf stood before her, eyes like molten steel catching the moonlight.
He growled. Not threatening, but low, teasing,
daring.
"Oh, you've got to be kidding me," Esther
muttered.Still, she dropped into her shift, light brown fur replacing skin, her wolf form sleek and fast. She landed on all fours with a snarl, circling him.
Zayne's wolf prowled closer, massive shoulders rolling, tail flicking with amusement. He lunged playfully, and she darted back, her claws scraping earth. They circled, snapped, tested each other's speed.
When he leapt, she ducked, twisting beneath him withquick precision, brushing his side with her muzzle in a taunt. His silver wolf
huffed, almost laughing.
For a moment, the air sizzled with unspoken tension.Two wolves, matched, circling, neither yielding.
Zayne finally backed off, shaking out his fur before shifting back, and grinning like the devil himself.
"Damn, Esther. I didn't expect you to look
better as a wolf."
She shifted back just far enough to glare at him, cheeks hot again. "You're insufferable."
"Accurate," he said easily. "But admit it, you enjoyed that."
She clenched her jaw, refusing to answer.
From the shadows near the training yard, Tyler stood rigid, jaw tight.
"She's... she's desperate for attention,"
he muttered, his voice thick with unease.
Dorothy leaned against him, her delicate hand brushing his arm like a snake coiling tighter. "Of course she is. You left her. What else could she do but try to get Zayne's eye? Don't let her fool you, Tyler. She'll use anyone she can to make you regret choosing me."
Tyler swallowed, staring after Esther with a stormbrewing behind his eyes. Dorothy smiled faintly, her victory sharpening.
The training yard emptied, but Esther's pulse stayeduneven, her chest rising and falling too quickly. She hated the Alpha's games.She hated how he teased her, how he tested her.
But most of all, she hated that some traitorous part of her didn't hate it at all.