The Beta's Missing Mate (Book 16 Of The Regal Eclipse Pack Series)

Chapter 52

Breakfast was halfway through, and Bianca still hadn't showed up. Zane finished up his meal rather quickly and got rid of his plate. His gaze met Xavier's and he nodded to him. He was going to go down to Bianca's room and find out why his mate was avoiding meals. He doubted Bianca knew anyone here who would be willing to bring her a meal. But then again, he really had no idea. 

He thought about bringing her a plate, but then decided against it. He didn't know what she liked yet.

Finding her room wasn't that hard. The further down the hallway he walked, the more he picked up her amazing scent. He stopped outside of the room where her scent was almost overpowering and stood there for a moment, breathing her in before he knocked on her door. It took a moment or two for her to open the door, and when she did, Zane felt his heart break for her. 

She'd been crying. Her face was red and blotchy and she looked incredibly sad. The scent of her tears hit him and he found himself wondering how long she'd been crying for. His need to comfort his mate hit him with a force he hadn't expected. 

But she still looked absolutely beautiful with her long dark hair that was a mess and her big brown eyes. She was petite, and the perfect height in his mind. She was curvy, and he couldn't wait until he actually had the opportunity to explore her body. One day, he would know every inch of it.

She looked a bit surprised to see him. "Beta? What can I do for you?"

There were about a million different ways he could answer that question, but the main one was the one he was hoping she'd allow. Let me comfort you. "I came to check on you."

"Why?"

Well, he hadn't expected that question. He couldn't exactly say, because you're my mate and I'm worried about you. "Well, you missed dinner yesterday and breakfast today. I just want to make sure you're okay."

"So, since your brother is no longer interested in me, he sent you to check up on me?" She stared at him.

His eyebrows flew up at the harshness of her tone, and he watched her facial expression immediately change to one of regret. Her gaze moved away from him.

"I apologize Beta. That was rude of me. I'm not in a good place right now," she murmured. 

Zane pursed his lips, thinking over his options. He realized he might have to tell her the truth, though he had also realized that Bianca might be hurt by the fact that he had been willing to walk away from her. That he'd had a moment of insanity when he thought he was doing what was best for his brother. "Can I come in?" 

"You don't have to feel responsible for me, Beta. I'm a big girl," she told him. 

"Well first of all, Aidan didn't send me down here to check on you. I haven't seen him since yesterday. Things aren't exactly going well with his mate." Zane hoped that Aidan could get through to Ana, but they might end up rejecting each other. 

"Really?" Her gaze moved back to his face.

"I don't know what you know, but their situation is incredibly complicated. I'm not sure if they're going to be able to work out their differences," he said quietly. He didn't envy his brother at all. Or Ana for that matter, but at least now, if things couldn't work out between them, Aidan could reject her and not be forced to mate a woman he wasn't fated to.

Bianca frowned. "Aidan deserves to be happy."  

"I agree. My brother has been miserable. Has he told you he hasn't shifted because he's been at odds with his wolf since before he met Ana?" Zane asked her.

"No. I had no idea." She frowned, then bit her lip. "You might as well come in." She stepped back from the door and Zane walked in her room. 

He breathed in deeply and realized he probably had been stupid to come in here. He was aroused now, her intoxicating scent filling his lungs and going straight to his dick, and he absolutely had to hide it from her.

'Great idea to torture yourself, dumbass,' His wolf chortled in his mind. 

"I didn't know Aidan was going through all of that," Bianca said, closing the door behind her. "He seems so ... controlled." 

"He's fighting it, Bianca. Aidan is usually calm and relaxed. Not tense like he could jump out of his skin at any second," Zane told her. Even upset, she still looked absolutely beautiful. 

"That still doesn't explain why you're here," she said, eyeing him. 

"You missed dinner and breakfast," he reminded her. 

"And now you're thinking of me as a charity case that you need to check on?" 

Zane looked at her. Aidan was right. She was sassy. And he was probably going to have to tell her why he was here. She was far too perceptive for her own good. She'd fit right in. "You're not going to make this easy on me, are you?" 

She crossed her arms, staring back at him, waiting for him to give her a straight answer. "Well?"

He suddenly laughed. "Guess not. I know Aidan invited you to join Regal Eclipse. Are you still considering it?" 

She suddenly stopped, and sighed. "I'm so sorry, Beta. I'm not usually like this. I didn't get much sleep last night, but it's still not an excuse for me to be so rude to you. I don't know. It seemed like a good idea at the time, but I don't know anyone here. Now that I'm not going to be Aidan's mate, I'm not sure what my purpose here would be."

"Did he talk to you about a Second Chance?" Zane asked curiously. He hoped so. He didn't want to be the one to tell her about it, only to have her tell him that she didn't want a second chance. Aidan should have told her though. It would probably seriously affect her decision.

"Yes. It's just about the only reason I'm thinking about staying," she murmured. "I don't have family here and I don't really know anyone. But home is so full of sad memories, that I'm not sure going back would be the best thing for me."

Zane walked over and sat down in one of the chairs and Bianca followed him, sitting down across from him. "So you do want a second chance?"

She nodded. "I hate the way I feel. I hate this heartache that just never seems to want to go away. Don't get me wrong. I miss him so much, but sometimes I hate the mate bond. I hate that mine has been severed and feels like it's just bleeding out uncontrollably and there's nothing I can do to stop it. I hurt so bad, but I just want the pain to go away. I'm young. I just want to live my life and not have this overshadowing me forever."

Zane felt his heart break for her. He could give her what she wanted. He could probably give it to her right now too, if she was willing. Hopefully she wouldn't be angry with him, and he knew he needed to be patient with her. Even with a new bond, she might not be ready to immediately complete the mate bond with him, and he had to be okay with that. He knew she was hurting, and had known that even before he'd realized she was his mate, but talking to her now, he could easily see that the pain was far worse than he thought it was. He wouldn't wish it on anyone, and watching his own mate go through it was killing him. "There's something that I need to tell you, Bianca."

"Okay?" she leaned back in her seat wearily. 

"I want you to know, I didn't leave to hurt you. At all." He took a deep breath, hoping she was understanding, and knowing very well that she might outright reject him. "I'm your second chance mate."

Her eyes widened and she frowned. "What?"