29. What were you thinking?

When Zane finally understood what was happening, he bolted out of the cabin. It was surrounded by multiple men from the border patrol and some of his warriors. In front of them stood his Beta Kaiden, waiting for what would happen next. The young male was visibly distressed, wondering how his best friend would react after discovering that he spent more than ten minutes in that cabin since Camilla ran away. All men waited for him to come out impatiently, wondering why their Alpha was taking so much time.

Only Kaiden knew the answer- no one, even not a warrior ever dared to punch Zane. But Camilla did. And she did it with such ease it left their leader so confused, he stared at the wall for a full ten minutes.
Kaiden stepped closer to Zane before he could take off and try to chase Camilla. He raised his hand and smacked the back of his Alphas neck, yelling: "What were you thinking?" In the most serious tone of voice ever. Zane's eyes widened in shock. That wasn't how his foolish and sometimes arrogant friend used to behave. What has gotten into him? It was obvious that Zane was pissed. He had a reason to be- at himself and some which surrounded him.

"Ouch, what the fuck!" Zane rubbed the back of his head and raised an eyebrow. The anger was gone, replaced by eager curiosity.
"Your mother mind-linked me; she was worried. Since you don't have a Luna, she still has her power over everyone, and she forced me to explain everything. I had to tell her about Camilla, rejection, my own little stunt in keeping her away, and you getting here, acting like a fucking maniac. She's pissed, man, so crazy pissed she stormed off to tell everything your father. We're fucked because of you! Luna thinks that I supported your idea of rejecting Camilla! This time you got my ass is such deep shit; I don't even know how to get out of it. Should I add that you stood in that damn cabin for ten minutes straight, too? We have been waiting for you to get out and decide what is to happen next. But now both of us have to go to your parent's house since apparently, we have some explaining to do." Kaiden placed hands on his hips like Zane's mother used to do whenever she scolded him. The young man rolled his eyes, excused his men, and slowly walked towards the house, where his parents lived now. Zane slid hands in his pockets and sighed in irritation, thinking about Camilla. He had to run after her; he was supposed to chase her and claim the woman who was his. Instead, he is willingly going to meet his mother so she could scold him like a five-year-old.
Kaiden kept a distance from his friend, as silent as never.

Zane understood that from now on, their relationship would change, probably to worse. They grew together, at times, shared rooms and houses, or even a plate of food. Both men were inseparable, growing up closer than blood brothers. Zane's sudden anger outburst and obvious mistrust might lead their friendship to the dead end. He didn't want to lose his best friend, Kaiden was his brother from another mother, one of the most important people in the young Alphas' life.

"Listen, I should apologize before we get there and face my parents. I'm not going to let you take that bullet for me, knowing that this mess is all my fault. I was the one who bullied her; I rejected her, and I went off on you. I trust you, dude, even when I say I don't. I'm stupid, alright, most of the time, I can't control my anger and let it get the best of me. I don't have intentions in hurting you or being an asshole towards you either. You're like my brother, and I don't want to lose the friendship we have. I'm sorry, man." Zane kept starting forward as he spoke.

He couldn't face Kaiden, not now, when he felt so guilty about his stupid behavior. The male took it all too far, pushing too much on his friend's shoulders. For the first time in his life, Zane was truly scared. He was scared to lose his best friend and mate on the same day. Even his wolf started thinking about something they should do to fix things. Both felt incredibly guilty, ready to do whatever just to keep Camilla and Kaiden in their life. Zane slowly accepted the fact that he needed his Luna and if she was to be an Omega- so it be. There is a reason why the Moon Goddess paired them, and that reason had to be enough for Zane to stop acting like a jerk and accept her. He didn't have any rights in accusing his Beta in things the male would never do. The more Zane thought of it, the worse he felt. Not for himself, for the things he had done to others. His unusually quiet friend didn't help much either; it would be easier if he would say something, anything. But instead, Kaiden stared in the distance, the same as Zane, and kept silent. For a while, nothing but the faint sounds of forest was heard. The young Alpha didn't know should he talk more or keep quiet till his best friend would be ready to speak.

"I get it. I mean, I think I do. I would probably act and react the same if I would have found my mate by now. You know that I don't want to meet her or him yet, I still feel way too young for getting tied down, but it's a matter of time. That's a thing I have no power on, like it or not. I could only imagine looking all over the place for my mate and find this person hidden in some old bunker with you. I'd lose it faster than you did, so there's still an admiration for the time you managed to stay calm. I wasn't trying anything with her, man. I knew that she is your mate for a bit now; everyone thinks I'm stupid, but I can put two and two together. It's too obvious. I just tried to protect her, Camilla was right. Since she didn't accept the rejection, my wolf and I feel a connection to her as our Alpha female. We had to act." Before Kaiden could continue his rant, Zane cut him off and spoke up. He made sure to be extra quiet in the cabin, so no one around them would find out that he rejected Camilla and took the rejection back just a little while after.

"I took the rejection back. She was about to accept it, and I panicked. I kissed her dude, and I don't care how stupid this sounds or looks, but man those lips. It's fucking insane when I think of that kiss we shared. I've kissed so many women, and none stood even close to what that Omega can do to me. Weeks ago, I despised them all, and now I'm absolutely crazy over one of them. I think deep down I felt that she is mine, I've been acting strangely whenever Camilla was around, even I noticed that. The jealousy over her shitty boyfriend nearly killed me; I trashed the gym and my bedroom without thinking about the consequences or costs of repairs. It's like I want to run after her now, so badly, but I know I can't. And it's not about my mother or father being disappointed in my actions or getting pissed off, no. It's about her- she needs time to process things and think. So do I. Whatever happens, I have to distract myself from going after her. She comes first; her needs come first." As the last words left Zane's lips, he smiled. It wasn't the cocky grin or evil smirk everyone got so used to. It was a real, genuine, and warm smile. One which could easily make everyone around him smile back.

Kaiden stopped and stared at his friend in disbelief. The man, who has been his best friend over a decade, wasn't himself anymore. The way he spoke and acted didn't resemble Zane; he knew even a bit.
"Dude, stop. Have you been drinking? Doing drugs? Didn't sleep more than two weeks or something?" Kaiden raised an eyebrow, slowly approaching his best friend. The young male wanted to check if his friend didn't have a fever.

"What? No to all of that, I haven't been drinking or doing drugs, nor having any insomnia. I'm well-rested and healthy; there isn't anything wrong with me. Why would you ask? Did I do something? Aside from being an absolute asshole and lashing out on you, of course. I'm sorry for that; I'll try to learn how to manage my anger issues better and maybe see a therapist or something." For Kaiden, even the tone of Zane's voice sounded different. The young male was nearly sure that his best friend was possessed by a demon or bewitched. There was no way that the male, standing beside him, was truly his best friend.

"Alright, now you're creeping me out. You're either possessed by a demon, bewitched, have a fever, a deadly disease, or herpes. Which one is it?" He raised an eyebrow, stepping back a little. If Zane was sick, Kaiden would help from ten feet away.

"Herpes? Who's the one talking bullshit now, dude?" Zane laughed, slowly walking away from Kaiden. The male enjoyed his company, but at moments as such, he wasn't quite sure how mentally stable his friend actually was.

Kaiden ran after Zane and spoke again, bringing the whole issue up. "Alright, let me explain then. Maybe, if I tell you how you sound and how the situation looks so far- you'll understand my point. First- I have never heard you speaking about a woman in a manner you're using right now. You're praising Camilla as if she was a Goddess. And you never do that, I repeat- never. All your women are toys, and they always fail at something. You never said that someone was a good kisser to start with. Second- you never give them time or space to think. You don't care about their health or any issues regardless of women you hook up with. Now, you're giving her time to think, and you put her first. First, dude! It's unreal; I can't believe I've heard those words leaving your unholy mouth. What the actual fuck. Now, third- you, doing anger management therapy is something outrageous. You don't drink, that's another red flag because you always do. No drugs, no fever or demons and some kind of witches. I'm not sure if this is really happening, but my best friend might be growing up. From a tiny wildflower to a grown-ass man. I'm so proud of you, dude, a little scared for your sanity, but so damn proud." Kaiden wiped a fake tear under his eyes and smiled.
He was happy to see how Zane didn't hesitate to give Camilla time to think.

He wasn't the most caring person ever, but this time he acted and thought as an actual adult. Letting go of teenage ways is difficult, especially at such an early age, but now Kaiden was sure that his best friend would become one of the most respected and powerful Alphas out there. He was choosing the right route, all thanks to Camilla. The young Beta was sure that Zane would be surprised to find out her little secret. He did debate on spilling the beans, but for some reason, he decided that letting her say it was the right thing to do. It wasn't Kaiden's place to speak about secrets which weren't his.

"I don't know what to say. I'm doing what feels to be the best thing in this situation. Even more, I'm about to get a whole lot of Hell from my parents, so I might, as well, try to avoid one whenever I face my mate again. In the meantime, I could start planning the official announcement about her and later on the Luna ceremony. Bet she looks fucking hot in a white dress, can't wait." Zane sounded like a puppy, talking about his first run. He was so deep in thoughts, the young male nearly ran into a tree, unaware of his surroundings. The only thing he could think about was Camilla's lips pressed against his, her legs wrapped around his hips and arms around his neck. The way how her scent intoxicated his senses, sending his mind into overdrive. How soft her skin was and how godly her moans sounded in his ears. He didn't get to hear them loud enough, but even the faint sound of them was printed in his memory forever. Now, when Zane thought of it, he would be more than happy to fall asleep and wake up next to Camilla. She became the center of his universe with a bang, from the very beginning when he saw that douche kissing her.

As soon as the thought of Aiden, kissing Camilla, crossed Zane's mind, he growled. The young man forgot about the destination he was heading to, ready to turn around and hunt down the unlucky soul who was brave enough to touch what was his.
Zane didn't notice how Kaiden lead him to his parent's house, too lost in thought about how many different ways of torture he might use on the male. Just as he was about to turn around and look for Aiden, the door opened with a loud bang, and very pissed off Luna stood in the door frame. She crossed her arms in front of her chest and threw death stares at both young men.

"Zane, Kaiden, such a pleasure you tiny asshole could join us tonight. Bow get your asses in, we have a lot to talk about. And I have a lot more to beat your asses up for! Now!" Luna snarled, turning around and entering the house.

Zane and Kaiden shared worried looks at each other and followed Luna inside. They could run, but they could never hide from her anger.