Xander


    Lanie was starting to worry me.


    Ever since her mother hade by earlier that day, she’d been acting distant and quiet.


    No fieryebacks orints about being held prisoner in the mansion.


    Very un-Lanie-like.


    She''d wandered into my office a few minutes earlier and just plopped down in an armchair, looking out


    the window with an unfocused gaze.


    | caught Zane’s eye, and he shrugged.


    If | asked him what was up with her, she’d overhear, but her silence was starting to grate on me.


    | walked up behind her and cleared my throat, waiting for her to turn around and finally speak to me.


    “What is this, the silent treatment?” | asked, but she still didn’t move.


    She didn’t even nce at me.


    I started pacing behind her, growing more impatient by the second.


    Zane was watching me with a concerned expression


    He could feel my irritation radiating off of me.


    “Lanie!” | growled, my voice echoing around the high-ceilinged room.


    “What the hell is wrong with you?”


    | grabbed her shoulder, and she spun around, blinking hard like she’d only just noticed me.


    Her eyes were shining with tears.


    “Come on, man.” Zane walked up and pped my chest. “Look what you did to her.”


    “Me?” | rounded on him. “I didn’t do a f ucking thing!”


    “You yelled at her! There are better ways to ask what''s wrong.”


    “Oh, yeah?” | challenged. “I didn’t see you trying very f ucking hard.”


    And then | shoved him.


    Lanie


    Zane snarled and pushed Xander back.


    “Don''t f ucking touch me, Xander!” Zane growled.


    Xanderughed sarcastically. “I''ll do whatever the f uck | want! I’m the Alpha.”


    Asmall smile tugged at the corner of my mouth.


    There was something endearing about the way they fought, the passion they spoke with, especially when


    they were bickering about me.


    dy as


    Warmth seemed to blossom from way down in my soul, radiating out through my whole body


    watched them, and | suddenly had the crazy thought that | might die if | never heard them fight like this again.


    But how stu pid was that?


    They weren''t even looking at me for goddess’ sake.


    What did it mean that the idea of losing my memories, of losing little moments like this, absolutely


    crushed me?


    Was this...love?


    It had been only a week since we were mated, but in those short days, I’d felt a small seed of something growing deep inside of


    me, blossoming more and more every time | saw them or touched them or missed


    them.


    Love, huh? Interesting...


    But of course | could never tell them.


    | had no idea if I’d even remember | loved them by this time tomorrow. And anyway, | couldn’t handle the anxiety of hearing them


    say it back.


    I''d only second-guess myself more


    I''d only worry again that this was some fluke, that there was some exnation | was missing for why they could possibly have


    these feelings for me and not Alice.Còntens bel0ngs to N?(v)elDr/a/ma.Org


    And if my mother and Gabri did take me to do the spell, then what would happen to my mates?


    Would the bond be broken? Would they banish me for real?


    | pulled myself back to the present, back to Xander and Zane.


    “As annoying as you two can be, I’m really going to miss this,” | said quietly.


    They both turned to look at me, confused expressions on their faces.


    “What are you talking about?” Xander asked. “We’re not going anywhere.”


    Zane studied me with concern, like he was reading my soul.


    “Lanie, what aren’t you telling us?”


    But then the war fantalone and Alien une tomains into the room


    213


    She was breathless when she spoke.


    “Xander, Zane, | have big news.”