His Savior

Bliss

~Laslo~

               I hurry outside and take a deep breath of air. Nona's emotions are suffocating, and I was having a hard time breathing. I know she is hurting right now, but in the end, she will realize that this was all for the best. There is no way my heir can be with Nona. After I have my heir, I will give her all of the children her heart could want. I just need her to wait a bit.

               I need to get Zahara here now. I don't care who she has chosen or who she has marked. I made my intentions very clear, and I was not giving her a choice. We will be good together even if she can't see that right now. I pull my phone out and dial my contact. I've waited too long for answers, and I'm done waiting.

               "Yes?"

               "Where the hell have you been? I've been waiting days for you to call me back with my information."

               "Apologies sir. You know I have been gone for a bit and when I arrived, I got the information that Zahara was mated and marked." I sigh with impatience.

               "Who is he?!"

               "I did confirm that she is mated and marked. This isn't a chosen mate, it is her fated mate." Her fated mate? Where the hell did she find him? I bet he can't compare to me. "I've had run ins with him before. He is meant to take his place through the ceremony. They are having it together."

               "I could give a shit! Who the fuck has claimed my woman?" I swear I'm not some school girl that will go gah gah over some party details. I just wish this asshole would get to the point already.

               "Uh, right........apologies. She is mated to a Co.....Cory. Yes, that's right. His name is Cory Williams. It seems she saved him a bit ago from........" I don't hear the rest of the words spoken on the other end of the phone. In my anger, I clench the phone so hard in my fist that it cracks in half. There is no way....there is just no fucking way! I know I killed him. I know I killed Cory. How the fuck is he at the Ash Band pack? They are marked and mated?? It absolutely can't be!

               I throw the pieces that used to be my phone on the ground and howl so loudly that I can see the ground shake. I shift into Nero and let him take over. He takes off into the woods, running with a fury I have never seen. That fucker should be dead! He has taken what's mine, and he will pay.

~Zahara~

               The last few days have been amazing. Cory and I are marked and mated, and the bond is ridiculously strong. I can feel his feelings, and I love being so close to him. Sylas and Aria have enjoyed many evenings together. They have gotten to know each other intimately.

               Cory's training has been going so well. He catches on fast, and he has been able to best Lennox most days. Cory has been eating regularly, and without the threat of abuse overhead, he has been getting really healthy. Cory's body has been filling out, and his strength has been building. I love watching him train, always having eyes on his body.

               Our ceremony is tomorrow evening, and things have been hectic over here. We have been getting everything delivered and arranged. This will be a big party, and many of our allies have been invited to celebrate with us. We don't have any clear answers from the elders about the investigation; they just told us that they have left two people at the Wild Tail Pack to keep an eye on everything and try to find more evidence. I'm not sure what will end up happening with all of that, but I refuse to let it worry me too much.

                I'm watching the training of the teens. One of the warriors has just taken over that training, and I need to make sure everything is going well. Sparks erupt on my lower back, and I smile at the sensation. "Hey beautiful." His deep voice is in my ear, his hot breath fanning the side of my face. Cory wraps his arms around my waist and pulls me tight against him. I can feel his hardness against my back, but I try to keep my arousal to myself. I don't want everyone to be able to smell how much my mate turns me on.

               "I missed you." I place my arms over his and start to rub his arms. He nuzzles my neck, and I swear my breath leaves me with just this simple gesture.

               "I always miss you. I keep expecting my reality to change. I barely remember how life was before you." Cory presses his lips softly against my neck. "You saved me more than once." I turn in his arms so that I'm facing him. I caress the sides of Cory's face, running my thumbs across his cheekbones. I pull his head down and press my lips to his. Our kiss is sweet and slow. I hear a few whistles, and I start to smile against Cory's lips. Cory pulls back and looks at me with a smirk. "I guess we gathered an audience." Against my better judgment, I turn to look behind me and am met with a round of applause. I duck my head into Cory's chest, listening to it rumble with his laugh.

               "Let's go inside." I grab his hand, and we walk back to the packhouse. I can't imagine life getting any better than this. I'm sure kids would be a new aspect of our relationship, but for now, this is bliss. My mate by my side, me being marked and mated, and soon I will take over the pack as I've been training to do. A nagging feeling in the back of my head tells me to be cautious and stay on alert, but my happiness quashes it until it is no more than a whisper.