The Alpha Twins Rejection

Chapter Forty-One - Ashley's P.O.V

My anguished heart shattered into a million pieces the moment Zac took Mia's life. I was not tormented that she was dead. No, I was troubled by what Zac had sacrificed for me. Brutally killing your mate was generally unheard of in Lycan society.

Once werewolves mated, they were mated for life, for better or for worse. My bewildered brain could not process what had just happened. Once the light had drained from Mia's life, I could see the same in Zac's eyes. The light was going out of them, fast, and I did not know what to do to help him.

While Kane and Rayne got cleaned up, I just held Zac in my arms, trying to soothe some of the pain that he was inevitably feeling. Although he and Mia had not been together long, it was apparent that Zac had still cared about her. It was who he was, the kindest person I had ever met.

Zac had a heart of gold and was loyal to a fault almost. I did not know how either of us was going to move forward from this day on. Zac was young and had lost his mate so early in life. While losing your mate was not a death sentence, it was undoubtedly a fate that no one wished on, even their enemies. It was not something to quickly recover from and to see someone that I loved so dearly go through something so traumatic ripped my wounded heart from my chest.

After what seemed like hours, I was pulled from my musing by Rayne. "Sweetheart, we need to start the meeting shortly. It is important that you are there as their Luna to reassure them that everything is ok and that we have a plan in place to get the Midnight pack back on their feet as soon as possible," he said softly via mind-link.

While I did not want to leave Zac's side, I knew deep down that Rayne was right. I needed to push myself above the current grief and put my big girl pants on to address the Midnight pack. "Ok", I merely replied with a sniffle, not knowing what else to say. Pulling away from Zac, I wrapped my hand gently around his and lugged him slowly towards the door. Before I was given no choice but to leave him, I thought it would be best to help him shower so that he was no longer covered head to toe in Mia's congealed blood.

That was the very least I could do for him today, I thought with a sad sigh, wash his mates still warm blood off him. The terrible thought chilled me to my core. Carefully following the scent of my mates down a long hall and into a spacious bathroom, I found Kane and Rayne were already showered and dressed in clean clothes and talking quietly with Beta Miles along with River Runs Beta's Will and Henry.

I stopped briefly, leaning in to give both of my mates a swift kiss on the cheek, not wanting to get more blood on them now that they were clean.
Both leaned into the kiss, no doubt also needing reassurance after what had just happened. I felt terrible that I would not be able to provide that for them right now, not when Zac was on autopilot. It felt so wrong to be kissing my mates in front of the love of my life, and a pang of guilt ran through me. My stomach rolled and I bit down the bile that threatened to spill forth.

Knowing that Zac had killed his mate to save my life felt like being brutally stabbed, and the knife slowly twisted into my heart so that I would not miss any of the torturous pain. Zac was going through the motions of being alive today but was not truly there. Something I knew I had to change, and fast.

The sight of him shattered like this was something I could not stand. Closing the bathroom door behind us, I continued solemnly to lead him into the huge shower room and began slowly peeling his bloody clothing from his stiff body, making sure to leave his boxer briefs on.

Turning on the showerhead to warm and prodding Zac to stand under the spray, he made no objections but just stood motionless under the warm current. Sighing loudly, I quickly peeled off my blood-splattered shirt and pants and climbed in behind him.

It felt so wrong to be in the shower with Zac like this with my mates only a few feet away, but I knew I needed to help him through his grief. Grabbing the loofah and body wash, I washed away all traces of blood from his body and out of his hair.