.53. Never.

When Xavier reached the said warehouse, the wolf nearly jumped up in the air in happiness. The whole place rekt of his mate- she was here, still as safe as she could be. He wasn't fond of the fact that Camilla was there in the first place, yet her being alive was more important.

The wolf took in the surroundings, noticing that a couple of Vampires roamed around the place under the daylight. It was quite a weird thing to see- usually, the bloodsuckers were out only during the night. Instead of wasting more time- Xavier snuck on each of the Vampires, taking them down one after another. Only when the wolf could see five headless bodies did he stop. He headed for the warehouse, silently hoping that there wouldn't be more Vampires in his way- the Alpha didn't want to start an unnecessary war.

*"There wouldn't be war- they took our mate, we killed them and took her back. Even their own would probably punish them, not us. Everyone should know that taking a mate away from a wolf is a fucking suicide," Xavier explained his thoughts to Zane without hesitation. The wolf didn't care about the consequences or who might feel a little angry at his doings. As an Alpha and a werewolf- he had all rights to take back what is his.

The problem Vampires would be facing would be having an Alpha on their backs. Zane didn't tend to leave his territory and get into trouble, but the male would find out which coven the Vampires came from and kill them all. He wouldn't let any of them go- even the innocent ones would face the wrath of a werewolf leader.

*"Off to find her,"* Zane ignored the words spoken by his wolf, well aware that Xavier was right. Even if Vampires tried to start a war, the councils would have to get together and discuss what had happened. Roaming around and fetching a few humans as blood banks were common, but going after an Alpha's mate was equivalent to a spit in his face. There was no way Zane or any of his pack members would ever let that go past the Vampires. They would get the revenge all of them were planning for weeks.

The wolf snuck into the warehouse, his senses on edge- none of both would celebrate too early; first, they had to find Camilla. Xavier took his time, carefully scanning the building, but it seemed like she wasn't there. A Vampire spoke up, gaining the attention of the large wolf.

The male was tall, long black hair, a truly aristocratic-looking being, yet his frightened posture didn't suit him.

"Welcome, Alpha. Is there anything we could help you with? Please, could we speak after your shift? I don't feel quite comfortable holding a conversation with a beast that couldn't reply." Even though the male tried to sound confident, Xavier instantly caught on to the fear in his voice. The Vampire was alone; apparently, Zane killed all of his friends around there.

Zane silently chuckled, ensuring his wolf that they should shift. The next moment he faced the Vampire, this time as a human- very nude human.

"I will bring no harm over your pathetic self; all you have to do is bring my mate back to me. As an ancient creature, you should have thought better before taking what belongs to me." Zane was calm, yet his body shook in anger. The Vampire tried to step back, seeing how a human form couldn't hold back the wolf's violent attempts- his canines extended, fur covering a few parts of his body. It was once in a lifetime view to see an Alpha in the middle of half-shift; those happen extremely rarely, only if the wolf was powerful enough to keep fighting without stopping. Xavier was determined to get back his mate; no Vampire would ever approach her again.

"Alpha, I have no idea what you are talking about..." The Vampire attempted to lie straight to Zane's face, but the male had none of it.

He stomped towards the creature, growling in a warning. The male extended his claws, holding them to his side before the attack. The Vampire kept backing up, but soon his back hit the nearest wall; all the male could do was utter a few words.

"Now, listen here, you walking fucking corpse. You have two options- be a nice damn bat and bring back my mate before I help your head get rid of the excess body weight. Or, you can keep pretending that she is not here, even though the place is soaked in her scent, and I shall casually hunt down every single fucking bloodsucker from your coven. I will destroy centuries of bloodline, starting with your fucking sire," the Alpha growled, watching how an entirely new type of panic grew in the Vampire's eyes.
Threatening his creator was the same as taking Zane's mate- they would be even, yet the only difference that stays is that Camilla would leave the building alive, unlike all those Vampires.

The male attempted looking around, hoping that at least one of his allies would arrive, yet there was no alive Vampire in close enough proximity.

"Keep looking for them; all you could find will be a couple of headless men. I killed your friends before coming after you. So, what is it going to be- your bloodline or my mate?" Zane raised his claw to the Vampire's face, tracing the extended nails over the ashen skin- leaving deep cuts wherever the nail collided with his skin. The Alpha smiled, enjoying both fear in the Vampire's eyes and the blood oozing from the cut.

"I-" the Vampire decided to speak up a little too late. If only he had given up and told Zane where Camilla was from the very beginning- perhaps he wouldn't have to face such a cruel fate.

The young Alpha noticed something moving in the further part of the warehouse, but before running off to see if it's his mate- Zane grabbed the Vampire's head and ripped it off of his body in seconds. The male thew the head away from the body, taking one last look at the miserable creature that once was considered as a powerful Vampire.

Zane ran towards the movement, finding a pile of dirty blankets.
*"Stupid bloodsuckers, they couldn't find a better way to hide someone."* The male growled in his thoughts, annoyed by the fact that his mate might be there- weak, hidden under the weight, probably having difficulties to breathe in the heat.

The young Alpha carefully took the blankets off, finally facing his mate. Zane felt how tears stung in his eyes- Camilla sat on the ground, her clothing covered in dry blood. Now, when he finally saw how she looked, Zane wondered where she found the strength to mind-link him. If Camilla wasn't the strongest woman Zane had ever known- he didn't know who could take that place. The male slowly leaned in, breaking the cuffs on her wrists and ankles, hissing as he did. No wonder Camilla couldn't move properly- she was held in silver. The view reminded Zane of the time when he did the same thing- once again reminding himself of the reasons why he didn't deserve someone like her. Zane gently lifted her on his arms; a small smile appeared on his lips when Camilla threw her hands around his neck and attempted to pull their bodies closer.

"I knew you would come. I knew you would look for me. I just knew it. Thank you," Camilla cried in his neck, hiccuping as she spoke.

Zane sat down and held her close, trying to calm the young woman before heading back to the pack territory. He whispered sweet nothings in her ear and squeezed her a little tighter to show her that she was safe. While the young woman sobbed in his arms- the Alpha kept thinking about many things. He wanted to bring her back to the pack, it would be safer, yet he had to make sure that Camilla intended to return. He might have to get her back to the human city, making sure that she had guards around her at all costs. Aside from her safety, there was another thing Zane had to do- the most heartbreaking choice he had to make, yet if it made Camilla happy, the Alpha had to do what was best for her. And apparently, he wasn't one of those things.

"I never stopped looking for you and wouldn't stop unless you wanted me to. Now, try to calm down a little and tell me where I have to bring you." Zane nearly choked on his saliva as he spoke. The male wanted to keep her near, but some things were impossible to happen.

"Home," Camilla whispered under her breath, getting more comfortable in his arms. Zane knew that it was just the mate thing- his closeness comforted her while weak and scared. As soon as she will recover and feel a little better- Camilla will stay away from him as if the male brought nothing but death and destruction.

"I need to find some clothing on the way there; I can't really enter the human city completely naked. I believe they have money fines for such extras, yet since I have no pockets- I have no money," Zane stood up and chuckled as he spoke. He would carry her home, being as slow as he could be, enjoying the last moments with her so close.

"I meant the pack," Camilla whispered under her breath and passed out.

The young male couldn't believe her words, but asking again wasn't possible- she needed to rest. Instead of wasting time, Zane carried her back home- to the packhouse. As much as he wanted, the male couldn't risk and bring her to his own house. Later on, Camilla would be as unhappy as she could be, waking up in the household she hated as much. As the Alpha neared his territory- he instantly mind-linked his Beta, warning that he's bringing Camilla to the packhouse. Everyone gathered around it, eagerly waiting to see if their Luna was safe. The doctors were preparing a bedroom where they would take care of any damage done by Vampires and monitor the young woman. A crowd of servants stood by the door, ready to help with whatever might be asked. Even the younger maids wanted to see Camilla coming back safe and sound- not a single soul around the pack wished her bad.
As the Alpha appeared in their vision line- a crowd of pack members rushed towards him. Thankfully Kaiden brought him some clothing. Aiden and his mate were there- Zane asked him to carry Camilla to the bedroom and make sure that doctors checked on her. Everything happened way too fast- one moment, he carried his mate back to the pack, the next moment, he was left next to the packhouse, accompanied by his Beta.
Slowly, Zane got dressed and started his way towards his house, confusing Kaiden.

"Hey, where are you going?" Kaiden ran after him, trying to find out what his friend was thinking.

"Home," Zane replied coldly, avoiding the male's judgemental gaze.

"But you just brought Luna back; won't you stay around her? I think she needs you," Kaiden scratched the back of his neck awkwardly. Zane was a complicated man- doing everything to get her back, find her, and now turning his back to the young woman as soon as she's brought back home.

"Camilla is fine, don't try to tell me otherwise. She is strong, but right now- she needs rest, not people surrounding her constantly. I will keep my distance until the day when she's ready." Zane groaned in annoyance. He wasn't angry at Kaiden, more at himself for speaking as much. The Beta will ask questions; he wouldn't back down even if his life depends on it. That's how curious the male was.

"Ready for what?" Kaiden had to ask. There wasn't anything the pack would be getting ready for, and Camilla seemed rather happy with the closeness between Zane and her.

"Ready to reject me and start her life over," Zane stated and stormed off, leaving his best friend shocked behind.

The Alpha had been thinking about it for a while. He decided that since he entered her life- Camilla had to face too many problems, she was hurt way too many times by him, and life wouldn't get more comfortable. The Alpha didn't want to let go of her by any means- all Zane wanted was to keep her close and safe. That was another reason he would allow her to reject him- she would be safer if her mate wouldn't be an Alpha. Zane stomped in his house, locked all doors, and threw his body on the living room couch. A glass of whiskey was more tempting than ever, but the male decided to keep on fighting- he wouldn't drink anymore.
Another week went by; the Alpha wouldn't leave his house, hiding from everyone. Nobody was allowed to get close to his house, let alone try to approach him.
After three days, Zane found himself constantly glued to the window, watching the snow-covered lands, wondering how different things would be if he wasn't the man he was. Perhaps, he would have a chance to lead a happy life with Camilla if things were different.
Camilla got better within two days; the pack members ensured that at least one person was near whenever she went anywhere. That might be the main reason why Zane didn't step away from the window- his mate was spending a lot of time outside with a few pups. The view made him wonder why she didn't want a family of her own- was it his fault or just something she wasn't thinking of.

*"Probably my fault; no woman would build a family with a monster."*

Just as the thought invaded Zane's mind, someone tried to mind-link him. The Alpha didn't feel like communicating with anyone, but he had to- if anything happened around the pack, he had to be there. To his surprise, it was Camilla, asking if she could come over and talk. Zane was over the moon; she would come on her own, without being forced or told to. Even if he had just a couple of minutes- he would cherish them till the end of his days.

Zane unlocked the door and let Camilla in, following her to the living room. For a couple of minutes, they sat quietly; the Alpha took in her scent, hoping to remember the unique mix of fragrances his mate used to carry.

"Alright," Zane let out a deep breath. "I assume that there is a reason for your visit, not that I complain. If it's about wherever you stay- you are free to stay in the pack, no matter what you choose. We can offer you a room in the packhouse, your old house or a brand new one. If you leave, I do hold onto the power as an Alpha to arrange guards around you- every member of my pack shall be granted protection, even if from afar. Now, next issue- pretty sure Kaiden already discussed that one with you since he can't keep his mouth shut. It's up to you, really- whichever seems like the best exit. I can accept it or not, but that doesn't depend on me, that would be another of your decisions. No bond at all or a weak one if you ever decide to build it back. Since none of us are willing to waste time, let's get over it. Reject me."

"Never."