"You didn't tell me you were the alpha's daughter."
"You never asked."
"I never asked. This does kinda put a crimp in our relationship, don't you think?"
"I don't care..."
"Well, you'd better start. If we're caught together, it's likely to start a war., with hundreds killed on each side. Your father is never going to willingly let you be with me, ever."
"And what am I supposed to do about this, about us? Do you think I planned this or wanted this." Zenah whirled away from him; her fists clenched tight. "But it is what it is, don't you see that. The bonding we wolves go through when we meet the other half of our soul changes us." Rushing back to Zach, she grabbed him by the t-shirt. "I don't know if I can live without you now, God knows I don't want to." She turned and wrapped her arms around herself.
She'd never looked more lovely to Zach than in that moment. So alone and small, so needing of protection. Reaching forward he grabbed her shoulders, pulling her into his chest she melted against him. He wrapped his arms around her small frame and squeezed, feeling her breathing stop for several seconds.
"To hell with it, if they want to try to stop us, let them. There's only one thing I need to know."
"What's that?" She asked, craning her neck to look up into his face.
"How far are you willing to go for this? When your father finds out, he'll want to kill me."
She spun around, snaked her right hand around the back of his neck and pulled his unresistant face down to her's. Their lips met and Zenah could have sworn she saw a spark ignite between them. Within seconds she found herself squeezed against his chest, their hunger a physical force between them. Time stopped for them as their passion for each other ran wild.
At last Zach pulled away, leaving Zenah gasping for breath.
"What about you leaving your scent on me, huh?" She asked into his chest.
"I guess if I'm going to die, I might as well die happy."
"What did you just say?"
"Nothing, nothing at all." Zach stepped back and walked to the door.
"So are you ready for another class?"
"Oh why yes sir, you'd better ask Ted if he's busy, remember, I don't like you." Zenah ran her hand across his chest as she sauntered past him and through the door.
"Yeah, sure," Zach whispered, following her inside. "Hey Ted, would you like to instruct Zenah this morning?"
Zenah's head whipped around to stare daggers at Zach.
"Never mind, I'll teach her again today." He winked at her.
"Turnabout is fair play."
* * * * *
"My alpha, we bring you disturbing news." Jason entered Zenah's father's study, followed by a limping and distressed David, who was having a hard time keeping up.
"What happened to him? James asked from behind his desk.
He did all of his informal business in his study. It kept the messier part of his station away from prying eyes. Like those of his wife and daughter. Some more unsavory parts of what it meant to be an alpha they wouldn't understand.
"He was attacked, sir. On a sidewalk in broad daylight."
"By whom, who did this to you?" He was out from behind his desk, his hand on Davids's shoulder in less than a second.
"Your daughter sir, she kneed me in the balls just for following her."
"And why were you following my daughter? I gave none of you orders to have her followed?"
"But sir, I've been worried about her, a lot of us have. She's been acting strange lately, stranger than normal. So I thought I'd follow her and find out where she'd been going...
"She's going to a Taekwondo school, you idiots, one I've allowed her to attend."
"One instructed by a tom cat." Jason spat back at him. "She's attending the school of the tom we've been keeping an eye on."
"I know there was something she wasn't telling me. DAMN IT!" he roared. "She never listens, never. How did she seem, was she worried about anything, scared?"
"No, my alpha. If anything she seemed eager. When I tried to follow her she put me on the ground before I knew what was happening." David groaned.
"Then there is no danger from this cat. We are all bound by the rules of the treaty. None of us can attack anyone, not of our species without provocation or just cause. Since this cat has given us either we cannot kill him. No matter how much I may want to."
Alpha Loadstone turned to the two other wolves in the room with him. "But if that cat slips up even the slightest, kill him, and bring me the body."
* * * * *
"That was a fun class." Zenah fell back in exhaustion from her seated position onto the sparing mat with a slight whomp.
"And you learned a lot, not that that's surprising if you're anything like me."
What do you mean?" She asked, staying on the mat.
"I learned every move in this style in a little over two weeks. Our kind," he pointed back and forth between the two of them. "Learn physical things faster than a normal human. I could have you to black belt in less than a month if you wanted."
"No, that's fine. I need the excuse to come here." Zenah kicked up onto her feet, walked over to Zach who was taking his soaked workout clothes off.
"I need to make a phone call." Reaching into her gym bag, she took out her phone and dialed her mom's number.
With hearing as keen as his, Zach could hear both sides of the conversation from where he sat.
"Hi mom..."
"Where are you, you had better be on your way back here, right now young lady?" Zach chuckled until Zenah kicked him in the shin.
"One of the students invited me over to her house for dinner. I was thinking of going, if I can that is?"
Zach rubbed his shin for a second, then smiled. With great care, he began to roll his shirt up his chest. Zenah's eyes glued to the skin he began to show, as little by little his rock hard abs came into view. His shirt rose another couple of inches and the black hair that grew from his chest came into the light.
"Zenah, honey, Zen, are you there." Zach smiled then nodded to the phone.
"Oh yeah, I'm still here," she scowled down at Zach and kicked him again.
"I asked you if she was human. Is there something wrong with you hearing?"
"No mom, I'm fine, just got a little distracted, and yes she's human, her name's Amy."
"And when will you be home?" She could feel the annoyance in her mother's voice.
"I have no idea, I might not get home at all. I could find a good-looking guy and decide to hook up with him. You know me."
"That's not funny, now when will you be home?"
"I have no idea," Zenah dropped to her knees, slid over to where Zach sat and laid her head slowly on his chest. "I might be there for quite a while." She looked up into Zach's face and sighed a long, drawn-out sigh.
"Just be careful, and I know about that tom that works at that dojo." Zenah sat bolt upright, her phone clutched in white-knuckled fingers.
"And what about him?"
"You tell that cat that as long as he behaves himself he has nothing to fear from us, on your father's word. But if he as much as touches you, I'll kill him myself."
"Mom, he's been nothing but a true gentleman in every way." She winked at Zach. "I'm sure I'll be fine. And mom, he's teaching me Taekwondo, we have to touch each other all the time."
"And you don't have a problem with that! You're my daughter, I will not have you smelling like a cat every time you come home." Her mom almost shouted into the phone.
"Oh don't worry about it mom. I know how to take a shower."
"That is not what I meant and you know it, young lady."
"Yes mom, I know. I need to get going. I'll see you later." Zenah hung up and threw her phone back into her bag.
"I thought she'd never shut up." Turning, she had eyes only for Zach. His chest beckoned to her. Her hands wanted to run all over it.
"Is there a reason you just lied to your mother? He asked.
"I want to spend the evening with you." She laid down on top her him, wanting to touch all of him.
"Then lets get going. My place is only thirty minutes from here. It's what," he brought his watch up. "Three now, we can have all evening there if you'd like?"
"Sounds lovely. Do we take your car or mine?" She asked.
"Both, that way we don't have to come back into town. You'll be able to leave right from there."
I'd rather stay the night.
"That sounds great, you lead." Zenah got to her feet, grabbed her bag and walked to the door.
"Are you coming or what?" She asked him.
"I wouldn't miss this for the world." In a flash he was on his feet and to the door.
"After you, ma'am." He pushed the door open for her, then stepped out after her.
"Hey Zach, you leaving?" Ted yelled to him as he led the other students back from a run.
"Yeah, I've got something I need to take care of."
Ted looked at Zenah and chuckled. "Yeah, I can see that. Just be careful, man."
"I think I can handle myself, but thanks." He gave him a fist bump, then walked to his truck.
"Just follow me and we'll be there in no time." He yelled over to Zenah, who was just getting to her car.
She flashed him the thumbs up sign, got into her car and fired up the engine.
Minutes later they were out of town and cruising south. In no time the houses gave way to nothing but trees interspersed with the occasional farmers field. They were travelling in an area she was not familiar with, so she stayed glued to Zachs bumper until at last they turned onto a two lane dirt road. About a mile down it turned into a true two track road that her little beetle had a hard time navigating, but finally they arrived at their destination.
Zach was already out of his truck and waiting before she came to a stop. Reaching for the door handle she missed it as he opened her door for her and helped her out.
She took a long sniff, her eyes rolling back into her head. There was nothing, no human smell at all. All she could smell was nature, and him.
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