Blue & Red | MXM |

Chapter 6 |❔

-Zane's POV-

[NOTE's : I will be using Square Bracket's [], for inner wolf thought's]

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I stood there, my paws shifting uneasily on the soft earth, staring blankly at the spot where Shadow had disappeared into the shadows. The silence of the night seemed to amplify. Suddenly, I couldn't contain the frustration bubbling up inside me.

"UGHH!" I barked out into the night, my voice echoing slightly against the trees. "This is so annoying!"

I started pacing back and forth, each step more agitated than the last. My mind was a whirlwind of conflicting thoughts and emotions. One moment I was furious at Shadow for putting me in this position, and the next, I was wrestling with the gnawing fear of what it meant to be connected to someone...again.

Why did he have to say he wouldn't give up so easily? Couldn't he just respect my decision if I said no? The idea of being pursued relentlessly was suffocating. But then again, a small, traitorous part of me whispered that maybe, just maybe, it wouldn't be so bad to belong again.

I stopped pacing and lifted my nose to the sky, taking in deep breaths. The cool night air filled my lungs, trying to soothe the storm inside me. I needed advice, someone to talk to who wouldn't just tell me what I wanted to hear. Kay? No, too straightforward. Rokar? Definitely not. My ears flicked back in annoyance.

With a heavy sigh, I turned and trotted toward the stream, the place where I was supposed to meet Shadow in two days. The water always helped clear my mind. As I walked, the rustle of the leaves and the gentle flow of the water began to calm my nerves. I needed clarity, and I needed it now.

Reaching the stream, I dipped my paws into the cool water, watching the ripples spread out and distort my reflection. Was I really considering this? Could I handle being tied to Shadow, with all the strings that came attached to being someone's mate?

"Do I need this...?," I muttered to myself, my voice barely a whisper over the sounds of the forest. I knew I couldn't run from this decision forever. Shadow was not going to let this go easily, and part of me didn't want him to. But was I ready to face all that being mates entailed?

As the moon rose higher, casting a silver light across the water, I knew the next couple of days would be some of the longest of my life. I had to decide.

And under the luminous glow of the moon, I felt my heart rate pick up as my mind raced through the ramifications of my now, impending decision. Pacing alongside the stream, my paws pressed into the soft grass, each step mirroring the turbulent thoughts swirling through my fucking brain.

"I don't need a mate," I muttered to myself, a hint of desperation. The words felt...hollow, even to my own ears. I'd been alone for so long, relying solely on my own strength and wit to survive. The idea of dependency, of intertwining my life with someone else's, sent a shiver down my spine.

But as I continued to pace, the image of Shadow's intense eyes and the firm set of his jaw invaded my thoughts. He had an undeniable presence, a force of nature just as wild and untamed as the forest around us. The memory of his words echoed in my ears, "I won't give up so easily." It wasn't just a declaration; it was a promise, a promise of him being persistent.

———

As I trotted through the dense forest, my thoughts involuntarily shifted to a chapter of my life I had forcibly closed off. I had once fallen in love, and that had turned out to be the gravest mistake of my life. The mere thought of him—an alpha I once adored—still cast a dark shadow over my spirit.