37. I meant it when I said I'm cruel.

Zane woke up because his wolf was stirring around. The animal had a feeling that something was off, not around them, but inside the house, where their mate hid from them. The wolf hasn't ever been as pissed at Zane as he was lately- especially after the trick he pulled off at the club. Of course, the heartless bastard didn't care about those vixens, dry humping him, but there was the risk of their mate going out to look for them. She didn't, her appearance there was unplanned, and Camilla definitely didn't want to face them, but there's no way to escape the fate. Once two souls have been paired together, they would find a way to each other sooner or later. And the same happened tonight, in the cruelest ways of them all- nor Camilla, nor Eden would ever trust them once again.

*"Wake up, asshat, something is wrong."* The wolf announced, trying to gain Zane's attention. That boy slept more than a damn bear; even a tank passing by wouldn't wake him up.

Xavier kept pacing around Zane's unconscious mind, thinking of ways how to wake him up. Yelling wouldn't work, he had tried that a couple of times, yet it never worked out as planned, and the wolf had no need in getting blocked out. He needed Zane as much as the young Alpha needed him now- if something happened to their mate, both human and beast would have to work together. The more time passed, the more worried Xavier became, unable to get rid of the uneasy feeling. Something had gone wrong, and if he was right- Camilla wasn't sleeping in her bedroom. The wolf froze, memories of her repeating how she wanted to leave flooding over his mind. What if she? No, she wouldn't- would she? But then again, Zane stepped over all imaginary boundaries; she had all rights to turn her back to the man who was supposed to be her mate. She wouldn't reject him, not that she couldn't, more like Zane wouldn't allow her to. He already took his rejection back, stepping a bit closer to having Camilla all to himself. Selfish bastard.

*"Wake the fuck up; I can't feel her presence!"* Xavier growled as his heart rate fastened. No wonder he felt like something was wrong- Camilla's scent faded; it wasn't as intense as it was supposed to be around her house. The wolf knew how her home scented whenever she was or wasn't around, and as soon as she left it- the scent faded, just like now.

Zane stirred in his sleep, stretching his limbs as he did. The young Alpha felt irritation growing within him; whatever his wolf wanted- it could wait until the morning, right? Wrong, the beast wouldn't let him sleep; Xavier would yell, growl, and throw offensive words at him using every chance the wolf had. Zane understood that he deserved being called names and listening to one or two lectures, but not while he was asleep. Did Xavier really decide to take away everything that Zane held dead, including his rest hours? He hasn't been able to sleep for more than a couple of hours lately; at least now, he managed to fall asleep relatively fast. But no, the damned wolf had to whine.

*"Alright, alright, I'm fucking awake, happy? How can an Alpha wolf be such a damn prick? At times, I hate you more than anyone or anything else."* Zane snapped at his wolf, sitting up and rubbing his eyes in an attempt to wake up faster. Just like every other average person, Zane was slower during the time when he just woke up. Usually, it took him at least two cups of coffee to catch on to everything someone had told him.

*"The feeling is fucking mutual, asswipe!"* Xavier snapped back at his human with the same hatred as Zane.

Unlike other shifters, Zane never managed to find mutual language with his wolf. While others worked in teams, he and Xavier spent the most time arguing. Both had their truths drilled in their minds; none of them able to stop or back off. That's about how most Alphas functionated- all of them were extremely stubborn, following only whatever they assumed was the right thing to do. Just as hard as it was for Zane and Xavier to get along- it was nearly impossible for others to suggest something. They wouldn't listen to anyone, often ending up in messed up situations, thinking of the unthinkable ways out.

*"And you decided to wake me up so that you could tell me how much you hate me? That's not something new; give me a damn break; I need to rest too. If you keep on disturbing me, I won't have enough energy to shift. Let's see how you'll run around the woods and pee on every other goddamn tree then,"* Zane laughed. He would need a run himself, just to calm down, but that was an extra he would gladly defy to his wolf. For the time being, of course, the animal would calm down and start behaving sooner or later.

*"I knew you're an idiot, but never did I assume that you're this level of dumb. Before I tell you what's the damn issue, let me ask you a question. Were you born this stupid, or did you have to take some special classes to grow in the level of stupidity? You know, asking for a friend."* Whenever both sides fought, none could stop, forgetting the important things happening around them.

Zane could feel the rage growing in him, yet as much as he wanted to smash everything in his way, the male did his best to hold back. Camilla had to be asleep by now; he couldn't risk getting himself into more trouble than he already was. If she wakes up to him, destroying everything around her house- she will send him away. That was the only thing Zane tried to avoid; he couldn't stay away from his mate for too long. Even if she didn't admit it- she needed Zane as much as he needed her. It would be a matter of time until the young woman would understand and accept it.

As soon as her name crossed his mind, Xavier grew restless, howling and running in circles like a circus animal. *"How could I drop to your level of negative intelligence?"* The wolf cried out, confusing his human side. Zane knew that all of those words were meant to hurt him, but the male decided to keep quiet; he had enough of the animal already.

*"Stop whining like a bitch and tell me what's going on before I get a fucking headache. If you don't stop acting like a brat, I will block you out and sleep like an infant."* Zane grabbed the sides of his head in frustration; the young Alpha couldn't take more arguments. He had enough on his mind already; dealing with Xavier would be just another problem. *"Listen, I don't want to fight, alright? All I want to do is sleep for once, have a decent rest, and make sure that she's alright. I fucked up, I fucked up big-time, and I will deal with the consequences. Call me stupid, but I know that my actions affect you as much as they affect me- because of me, and me only, we're locked out, waiting for a miracle to happen. I'm sorry, but the more I say those words, the less everyone believes in me- especially you and Camilla, the two persons who should have the biggest faith in me. I'm trying, but nobody sees that or tries to acknowledge my efforts."* Zane wanted to succeed; he truly wanted to be good enough. From the very beginning- he knew that Camilla was different; the first woman who didn't care about his title turned out to be his mate. Every other woman would die to end up by his side, but not her.

*"Listen, fuckface, I'm sorry for being mean, but I didn't wake you up to annoy you. I have a reason, and that would be our precious mate. I do see how you're trying, but your constant failures piss me off, alright? And her need to defy us isn't helping much either. I need my mate by my side, no matter what it costs. For all I care- she can hate us till the end of her days, but I need her near."* The wolf sighed, silently wondering what it would feel like to have Camilla around on a daily basis. How her shower hair would look like before she went to bed and how her morning hair would look. If she reminds a silly puppy dog whenever she woke up, or if the young woman was as cranky as Zane was. What she preferred for breakfast and if they would have one together after Camilla moved in. He did know that she might try to lock herself in, avoiding them as if they were a deadly disease, but it didn't matter- as long as she was around. Perhaps now she thought of awful things, but Xavier knew that he and Zane would manage to make Camilla fall in love with them sooner or later. Both men were determined to experience the taste of true love if it was possible with Camilla.

*"Wait,"* Zane jumped on his feet, scanning his surroundings as if someone would watch him. Everything seemed suspicious, all based on the little things Xavier had told him so far. Was there anything wrong with Camilla, or did she leave, sneaking past him while he was asleep? *"What about our mate? Did you feel or heard anything?"* The young Alpha questioned his wolf, walking back and forth along her porch.

*"Take a deep breath and tell me how strong her scent around here is,"* Xavier instructed, and the young male followed his words without any questions.

Zane inhaled deeply, his eyebrow raising in question. Her scent faded; it wasn't as strong as it had to be. How did Alpha couldn't notice such important details about his beloved mate?

*"Pretty sure you caught on my words. Zane, I'm scared that she left, but she didn't go past us. I didn't hear anything out of the ordinary; she walked around the house, took a shower, and did the usual little things before going to bed. I think I passed out for a little as well because when I woke up, the first thing I noticed was her scent fading; therefore, I tried to wake you up. Not a surprise that we managed to fight again, we always do, but this time it might be the biggest mistake we had ever made. Camilla kept talking about leaving, right? She wouldn't reject you, that girl knows that you wouldn't let her to, but she can always try to escape us."*

Zane didn't answer; he closed his eyes and inhaled again, trying to catch the direction where her scent seems to be the strongest. The young Alpha rushed to the backyard, looking for any traces of where she might have gone. Her smell became a little stronger, the lawn covered in her footprints, leading into the forest.

*"We're getting her back tonight. Let's work together like brothers we were supposed to be since the beginning. Deal?"* Zane eyed the forest line, a slight smirk appearing on his lips. Camilla was a true fox, using her chance to get away without facing him or the consequences. Sadly, she had no idea what would happen next since she couldn't do as much as sit down and wait for them to talk. If they would have done that; Zane might have her in his arms; if only she wouldn't be so damn stubborn.

"Deal,"* Xavier grinned, matching his human's facial expression.

Zane didn't bother to shift; he wanted the chase to happen fair. Camilla didn't change into her wolf so the Alpha would follow her in his human form. Zane glanced at the moon and let out a deep, threatening howl, warning everyone around that the chase had started. The Alpha was out, going after his prey- even if someone tried to stop him, no one would be able to succeed.

He bolted straight into the forest, following her intoxicating scent, throwing a look at the footprints time by time. His little mate was a clever woman, she could try to rub against many trees to lead him on, yet she didn't, and the fact calmed the raging male down a little. As he ran, Zane thought of many possibilities of how to punish her for trying to run. Going rogue would be the worst thing Camilla could do- she was a rare breed, prized possession for hunters to dream of. If she ended up on her own, sooner or later, those freaks would catch her and skin the woman alive- both in wolf and human forms. Camilla had no idea how cruel the world was outside pack boundaries, and Zane had no intention to let her find that out. He felt the excitement growing in him; it meant only one thing- the Alpha was close.

It took the male nearly five more minutes to catch on her; Camilla managed to get over the pack border. Technically, now she was a rogue.

*"Ha, won't happen,"* Xavier growled from the back of Zane's head.

The Alpha caught Camilla, wrapping his arms around her. She tried to get out, but his mind was clouded, unmovable, and so was his body. Camilla yelled at him; there wasn't even a word Zane could understand, his thoughts rushing in fear of what might have happened if he didn't get there on time. Since she kept fighting back, Zane threw her over the shoulder and carried her back to his territory as the young woman kept banging her fists against his back. Zane wasn't known for being a patient man, and he wouldn't become one for his mate either.

He let go of her and pressed her back against the tree. The more Camilla tried to push him away, the more she angered her mate. "I meant it when I said I'm cruel. You leave me no other choice," Zane growled in her face, extending his canines and biting into her neck before the young woman could register what happened. He marked her without bothering to ask for content- now she can't leave him anymore. The Alpha felt how Camilla's body relaxed and then became utterly limp in his arms. She fainted. Zane smiled, looking down at the mark he left on her neck, and lifted Camilla on his arms.

This time he won't bother to bring her to her house. Now, her home was with him.