39. You had a little of that chocolate there.

Camilla opened her eyes, letting out a deep breath. It's been two days since the young woman woke up, but Eden warned her about Zane. The male wouldn't leave them unless something important happened and had to be dealt with instantly. Camilla found herself stuck between starting to feel something for the male and restricting herself from any kind of feelings she might have.

Zane was a complicated man; becoming Alpha did change a few aspects of his behavior, but there weren't many that actually changed as well. The young male seemed to become more responsible, serious and took his responsibilities without any whining. Then again, he still had moments when he acted like a teenager rather than a grown man.
Camilla wanted to acknowledge his effort and dedication in keeping her around, but this time Zane stepped way too low. Marking her without consent was something she thought the Alpha would never do.

As soon as Zane stepped into her room, silently announcing that he had to leave for a while- Camilla knew that this might be her only chance. She wouldn't face the Alpha, terrified of the effect mate bond might have on her now. Of course, they would need to complete the mating process, and Camilla had to mark him, yet already now, the mark was playing tricks on her. The young woman feared to leave Zane, not only because of the pain she would feel, but mostly for the suffering, Zane would have to go through. If he ever found her in the future- Camilla would be as good as dead because then the Alpha would chain her to himself, making sure she wouldn't leave.

Silently, she got out of the bed, carefully stretching her sore limbs. The young woman was barefoot, but that wasn't a thing that could hold her back. Camilla did her best to keep the balance and tiptoed to the door. She nearly fainted next to it, feeling dizzy, but the feeling had to be ignored- this was the last time she would try to run.

As soon as she opened the door, the young woman tried to sneak away. And she would succeed, if not the deep, powerful voice that sounded from behind.

"Going somewhere?" At one point, his voice sounded amused, as if Zane set up a trap for her, which might be entirely accurate, knowing how he was. Camilla gasped, afraid to turn around and face him. The young woman wasn't sure if her fear was his reaction or perhaps seeing the disappointment all over his face. For some reason, whenever he was close, the young woman didn't want to see Zane being sad even for a second.

"I-" the young woman rolled her eyes, annoyed at herself more than others. How could she act like the little scared Omega when the Alpha couldn't hurt her even if he wanted to? They were mates, and apparently, Zane was severe enough to mark her. She took a deep breath and turned around, finally facing him. The young woman gasped, noticing the smirk, which was supposed to hide emotions which his eyes gave out- he was hurt. "Matter of fact, yes, yes, I am," Camilla smiled.

The way how his face fell nearly broke Camilla's heart; whatever she wanted to say before was gone, now she wanted to comfort her mate.

"Where?" Zane shook his head; his eyes averted down to the floor. He stood alone, but Camilla could sense that the doctor, who treated her, somewhere around. The older male's scent was all over the place.

"To the cafe? I'm hungry," the young woman lied. She didn't want to admit the truth. Zane might lock her in if he found out that she attempted to escape again. But that wasn't the only reason- she genuinely didn't want to hurt Zane more than she already did. Even if he was the biggest asshole out there- he still was her mate.

Camilla had heard about many cases when males would abuse women before discovering that they have mistreated their mates. Some didn't change, yet some, same as Zane, tried to fix everything. Many wolves died because of rejection, many tried to run away, and even more killed themselves to avoid spending like with monsters. On the other hand, some accepted their mates instantly- Camilla knew that it was a pure Stockholm syndrome, nothing more or less.

"Interesting, and I thought that you might try to run away again. Hence, I'm here, waiting." Zane's eyes finally locked in with hers. The wave of emotions was unbelievable- how could one person feel so much yet show so little?

"Nope, you're quite wrong. I wake up because my stomach keeps rumbling like a damn beast; this lady has to eat." Camilla threw back a strand of her hair, imitating an action as flirtatious as she could. Perhaps if Zane fell for her charms, which were as impressive as a three-year-old would have- he would let her slip this time.

"Alright, miss hungry, let's go then," the Alpha grinned, stepping closer to his mate. Camilla stepped back on instinct, mate, or not- Zane could be pretty terrifying at times if he wanted to seem like that.

What surprised Camilla the most was his next action. Zane approached her, leaned in, and picked her up, carrying the young woman bridal style. They were surrounded by medical staff and some wolves, who most likely arrived for checkups. Everyone stared- the doctors smiled and nodded at their Alpha while nurses blushed and whispered something to each other. Camilla could hear how some addressed her as the "lucky bitch," since she was the one who was mated to their Alpha. Nearly all women in the pack envied her- their dreams about ruling side by side with Zane came crashing down as soon as he set his eyes on Camilla.

"Umm, Alpha, I do have legs, you know? I can walk." Camilla averted her gaze, whispering quietly to make sure that no one other than Zane would hear her words.

"I know that you do, pretty damn fucking sexy legs, at that. Is it a crime if I want to carry my mate, huh? Besides, you just woke up from a coma; I don't want to risk anything, even if it's just you losing the balance or slipping. Your safety is my top priority, same as your well being. If needed, I will gladly carry you around till the day I drop dead." Zane grinned at Camilla. He came up with excuses; the male knew that she was perfectly fine to walk on her own- she already proved that bit. The young male wanted to keep her close, have skin to skin contact, and this was the easiest way to achieve his goal.

"Okay," Camilla nodded her head, for the first time agreeing with what he had said. It did surprise him, primarily because of how calm Camilla seemed. Her behavior made him wonder if it was because all wolves surrounded them, or maybe because she would repay his kindness later on. It didn't matter, though, for as long as he could keep her close.

As they reached the cafe, Zane sat next to the table with only one chair- intentionally, of course. The male made Camilla sit on his lap- a thing she wasn't happy about but wouldn't dare to complain. The young woman tried her best to sit as if she had frozen on the spot. She did think about grinding in his lap, which might end up like a funny thing; the thought of Zane walking around with a hard-on was hilarious. Yet, she knew that the Alpha would repay her later on, probably in privacy, so she decided to avoid the thought; maybe later, it would be more useful than now.

"So, princess, what would you prefer? They have a pretty good salad if you're one of those who keep counting calories, which I hope you're not. Then, they have great hamburgers, better than I cook for sure. If those two don't seem good enough, we can ask them to make anything that you crave right now," Zane smiled, looking down at confused Camilla.

She did miss a couple of days, but there shouldn't be anything that happened to change Zane as much. She couldn't look away from his eyes, wondering if he always had that look whenever his eyes landed on her form. The Alpha stared down at her with adoration and love written all over his face, his eyes holding a slight hint of lust.

Camilla bit onto her lip, trying to prevent herself from smiling at Zane. She wanted to grin, laugh, and jump around like the happiest person ever, but the young woman had to find out if his emotions were genuine.

"Come on, don't do this to me," Zane groaned, sighing in frustration.

"What? Wait, I'm supposed to tell you what I'll want to eat now, right? I want that burger, and if possible, a chocolate cake would be pure heaven," Camilla cautiously scanned the other wolves around them. Even if they didn't stare at the couple directly, there still were eyes on them.

"That's a great choice, but I wasn't whining about how long you take to choose whatever you'd like to eat. Biting your lip while you look at me with those puppy dog eyes is killing me. Do you have any idea how damn gorgeous you look when you do what? Can you imagine how much I want to kiss you?" Zane made sure to whisper, even though he knew all of those wolves, he wanted to keep his private life as private as it should be. For the first time- the young Alpha wanted something that he never dreamed of having. The male leaned closer to Camilla, his lips stopping way too close to her ear. "You're killing me, princess. I'm more than willing to superglue our lips together if that means that I'll wake up and fall asleep with the taste of your lips on mine. It's driving me crazy. That's how bad I want to kiss you right now," Zane whispered in her ear, his breath tickling Camilla's skin. She shivered under his touch, which made the young Alpha only to tighten his hold around her waist.

"I'll keep that in mind," was all Camilla could say to avoid failing as miserably as one could. Her cheeks burned as if someone had pressed pure silver against them; his behavior surprised her more than ever.
Not only did Zane act friendly, but he also carried her, and now, the male called her pet names and spoke about intimate topics. He had never been so overprotective and touchy as he was now. Was it his way of punishing Camilla for her attempts to leave his side, or did he really change?

"No need to be shy or feel ashamed. We are mates, and I was stupid enough to take you for granted. When I found out that you were my mate, I thought the worst, but as soon as I faced reality. The fact that you might leave me- I instantly regretted everything I once did and said. I tried, Camilla, I really tried, yet managed to fail you again. And I understand why you kept trying to run away- I'd be heartbroken if I had to see you drunk to bits, with another male by your side. You had all the right to react as you did. It was a dick move to mark you, I know, but I couldn't face even the thought of losing you; it's my biggest fear. All this time, I tried to stay close to you, waiting when you'd open those eyes. God, how I missed your eyes- even when you glared at me was way better than seeing you lying there, nearly as a lifeless doll. I know, it's hard to believe me since I'm such an asshole and all that, but I understood how much you meant to me only after I faced the risk of losing you for good. I'm not asking for forgiveness, but I'm begging for a chance. Please, let me prove that I can be the mate you deserve." Zane's face remained close to her ear; the male didn't move even an inch. For a split second, Camilla felt as if a tear fell from his eye, landing on her skin.

She expected many things- anger outbursts, yelling, mean words, and everything terrible one could think of. Never did she even think of having Zane, begging for a chance. The young woman closed her eyes, thinking if she was ready to give him a chance he so desperately wanted to receive. Did he give her a chance in the past? No, he didn't. But was Camilla a heartless monster who didn't care about anyone but herself? Also no. So she made a decision that might ultimately destroy her life, or perhaps make it better.

"Okay, but first I want that food; it feels like I haven't eaten for months," Camila gasped as she felt Zane's lips leaving gentle butterfly kisses all over her neck; he kept repeating "thank you" in-between, swearing that she wouldn't regret her choice.

The young woman enjoyed the food Zane suggested to her to have if anything- her mate knew a thing or two about food. When she was done with the hamburger, she grabbed the chocolate cake, acting as she had never had one. Zane watched her with a gentle smile across his face until a low chuckle left his lips. Camilla raised an eyebrow in question, but instead of the answer- she felt his lips gently brush against hers.

"You had a little of that chocolate there," the Alpha proudly announced.