Infinity

Zayla

As he steps closer, I smell him.

It’s an intoxicating fragrance, masculine and dominant, yet sweet and sexy all at once.

I feel my mouth starting to water.

Almost without realizing it, I extend my hand toward the flickering outline of his muscular chest.

But before I can reach him, I feel his fingers close around my wrist, holding me back.

A shiver runs down my body at the feeling of his touch, and I feel wetness pool around my core.

My mouth opens involuntarily, and I let out a soft groan.

His grip tightens, and I feel him pulling me towards him.

“Oh, Soren,” I moan softly, my voice breathless and desperate. I’m so close. I can feel his heat.

What I would give to just fucking touch it…

But then, suddenly, the outline of his body is gone. His eyes blink out in the darkness, and I feel his grip slacken and leave me.

“No,” I sob, taking a step forward. I feel the tips of my outstretched fingers brush something firm in front of me. But no sooner have I made contact than it’s gone.

Somehow, I know I’m alone.

***

Waking up the next morning feels like an icy bucket of water has been dumped over my head.

Last night was the closest he’s gotten to me. Was the most he’s shared with me.

And now he’s gone again, and I may not see him for another fifteen years.

I sit up in bed and rub my eyes blearily. I don’t want to have to go downstairs and deal with my family, but I have no choice.

I stand up, stretching out all of my muscles, before grabbing a tank top and shorts.

Shuffling down the stairs and into the kitchen, I walk straight into my older brothers, Draxel and Drayden, who are in the middle of a whispered conversation.

“I don’t know Drax, but I’m telling you, I smelled it!”

They stop talking as soon as I enter the room, making me roll my eyes. They’re so obnoxious, always treating me like a child or something.

Throwing myself on the counter next to Drax, I glare at my brothers. “What did you smell, Drayden?”

Scoffing at my nosy nature like always, Drayden cocks his eyebrow at me. Effectively letting me know it’s alpha business and as always I’m to butt out.

“Whatever, you realize he’s my father just as much as he is yours?” I say, jumping off the counter, already over their dismissive attitudes this morning.

“I could just as easily take over the pack as you could.”

I guess I forgot to tell you: My father, Zayn King, is the alpha of our pack. He’s mated to our amazing mother, Skyla.

Stomping out of the kitchen and into the living room I spot my dad talking to my cousin Paisley. Walking over I huff loudly, a move that always breaks my dad’s attention.

“What’s wrong Zayla?”

His whole body stiffens as he looks over me, making sure I’m merely having a moment, and not actually hurting or in need.

“The twins are fucking annoying! They forget that I’m just as capable of taking over this pack as they are, I’m sick of them always shutting me out!” I say, stomping my foot like a child as my sentence ends, which causes Paisley to giggle, and my father to roll his eyes.

They’re both fully aware that I could care less about having any role in taking over the pack when my parents and uncles step down.

My head is always in the clouds as my mother says. But really, my mind is just always on Soren. At least these days, anyway.

No one in this house knows how it feels to have their mate not want to be with them.

Everyone in this family goes to bed every night with their mates in their arms except me! Nah, with me I have to do a strip tease by the river just to figure out his damn eye color.

So no, I don’t really care about pack business, and my father knows that, but I want to know what Drayden smelled! And while I hid it behind a lie about wanting to be involved, I can’t lie when I say that when it comes to Soren, I’d do just about anything to know him.

Including fighting with my brothers over a damn smell.

“Bullshit Zay, you don’t even care about becoming an alpha” Paisley barks out as she struggles to hold in her laugh.

“What’s this about Zayla? Since when have the twins’ secrets been something to be upset over?” my dad says. Pulling my eyes from my laughing cousin to my father, I take in his face. He’s worried and suspicious.

Clearing my throat, I pull out the biggest load of bullshit I can. I mean fuck it, I already woke up on the wrong side of the bed, I might as well go out with a bang, right?

I try to make myself look as awkward as possible.

“Drayden said he smelled something that he couldn’t place. You know how much I enjoy my runs Daddy, what if it’s something serious and I’m hurt because the twins think it’s alpha business only?”

Watching his face gives me a sort of savage pleasure. It goes from worried, to unsure, to ready to call me out on my bullshit, then back to unsure all within seconds.

“There’s no need for that Zay, I only smelled humans.” Drayden walks up behind me, pulling me to his chest.

“Liar, liar,” he whispers in my ear.

Feeling Draxel lean into my other side, he copies Drayden in his whispering scheme to call me out, “Pants on fire.”

They then decide to go at me back and forth, all the while my Dad watches us suspiciously.

“Not nice to tattle to Daddy, Zay,” says Draxel.

“Not that were surprised, you always have been up his ass,” now Drayden.

“We know you don’t care about your safety on runs, Zayla,” he continues. “So why are you so curious?”

Rolling my eyes, I step away, turning to face them. "Because I have the right to know!” I don’t mean for it to come out forcefully, but it does. My wolf is frustrated by their game of poking fun.

Paisley catches on to the growing tension I’m trying to hide and grabs my arm, pulling me out of the room. But not before I see the twins roll their eyes at me. Pulling me into a spare room and locking the door, Paisley looks at me with suspicion.

“Okay spill your guts, bitch because that was way over dramatic!” she hisses.

“I just wanted to know what he smelled.” I reply, and although it’s truthful, it comes out awkwardly and fake.

“Why? What could possibly be so important that you’d start a fight with the twins at 6 a.m.?”

Taking a deep breath, I try hard to hold it in, to keep my secret. But truthfully it’s been killing me! Having no one in the world I can talk to has my wolf and me on constant edge. The feeling of loneliness and sadness being our strongest and hardest emotion to hide.

“Is it really that bad that you can’t tell me Zayla? We tell each other everything,” Paisley says.

Sighing, I let my limbs relax in defeat. Shes right! I always did! Until I met Soren.

I’ve kept him a secret since I was six years old, something in me always wanting to protect him, while every other part of me wanted to be proud I found him. I wanted to show him off, show that I had someone who would love me forever! Someone made just for me.

But how do I explain to the people I love that, my mate, my soul mate, the man literally made to love me, doesn’t want me the way I want him?

How do I explain to people whose mates wanted them, and fought to be with them that my mate doesn’t feel the same, and while he watches me every night, watching me is the only thing he does?

“You look like you’re about to cry, Zay. What’s going on?” the look on Paisley’s face says it all. She knows I’m about to break down, my emotions today are all over the place, and I blame the fucking mate bond and damn my wolf!

She was on a high last night smelling his arousal for the first time, but this morning it’s like a bad sugar crash. She’s irritable and frustrated, and honestly so fucking tired.

Taking a deep breath, I decide it’s time to talk. To finally let out my biggest secret! To finally just fucking be able to be open and honest with someone.

So, taking a deep breath, I finally say it.

“I found my mate.”