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Chapter 284
~Zara’s POV~
As the evening wore on, we talked about lighter things—stories from my childhood, updates on the pack, and even a few funny moments from my time with Ella and Snow.
Eventually, Mum stood, smoothing the fabric of her gown. "I’ll let you rest. Tomorrow will be a long day, and you’ll need your energy for the celebration. We’ll also get your gowns fitted tomorrow morning. So, rest early."
I stood as well, walking her to the door. "Thank you for coming to talk, Mum. I needed it."
She cupped my cheek and stared into my eyes, with love. "You’re stronger than you know, Zara. Never forget that."
As she left, I closed the door behind her and leaned against it, a small smile on my lips.
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~Tempest’s POV~
As I stood at the old forest trail near Crescent Ridge, the cool breeze rustled through the trees. With the weight of the decision I was about to make, my heart pounded harder with every passing second.
It was suffocating, and I wrung my hands while waiting for them to arrive.
Ryland showed up first. His blue eyes locked onto mine as his figure emerged from the shadows of the trees.
"Tempest." I swallowed, already sensing and expecting the storm to follow. "Why are we meeting here? And why didn’t you go back to your father’s pack after leaving Koda?"
I hesitated, not knowing how to explain everything just yet. "Ryland, I just... I needed to talk to you. To both of you."
"Both of us?" His brow furrowed, and his gaze hardened. "What’s going on, Tempest?"
Before I could answer, the sound of footsteps broke the tension. My head snapped toward the source, and my breath hitched as Koda strode into view.
The moment his eyes landed on me, they softened. But that gentleness didn’t last long. His gaze flickered to Ryland, and his entire body went rigid.
His wolf tried surfacing, his aura changing as his presence was made known.
"Tempest," Koda greeted me curtly before turning his attention to Ryland. His jaw tightened, and a low growl rumbled in his chest.
Ryland straightened and squared his shoulders. "Beta Koda," he said coolly.
Koda didn’t respond. Instead, he stalked forward, closing the distance between them. The moment he saw Ryland’s hand resting on mine, his growl deepened, and his wolf’s aura flared.
"Get your hand off her," Koda snarled.
Ryland’s grip on my hand tightened as he met Koda’s glare head-on. "She called me here, Koda. Not you. So maybe you should back off."
In an instant, Koda lunged forward, shoving Ryland hard enough to make him stumble back a few steps and break us apart.
"Koda, stop!" I yelled, stepping between them.
But Koda wasn’t listening. His eyes burned with fury as he advanced on Ryland again. "I told you to stay away from her," he growled, his fists clenched at his sides.
"And I told you," Ryland shot back, his voice just as fiery, "that I won’t."
The tension between them was suffocating, and I could feel the charge of their wolves battling for dominance. Koda’s wolf was on the verge of surfacing, and Ryland’s wasn’t far behind.
"Enough!" I shouted, placing a hand on Koda’s chest to stop him from taking another step. Then, I turned to Ryland. "Both of you, stop this right now!"
"Tempest," Koda began, his voice softer now, though the anger in his eyes hadn’t faded.
"No," I cut him off, holding up a hand. "I didn’t call you both here so you could rip each other apart."
Ryland took a step closer, his expression softening slightly but when he glanced at Koda, his eyes were filled with hateful glares.
"Then why did you call us here, Tempest? What’s going on?"
Get a grip, Tempest, and do the right thing.
No, this was not what was happening.
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