Page 5 of Elusive Mate

“Given that he knows I don’t want to come back—I’ve been pretty vocal about that…”

“That needs to end—not abruptly, but little by little you need to appear resigned to your fate. Sorry for the interruption.”

Zenya was impressed. “I think it would take a lot to convince him or my brother I was dead and then they’d both be looking to avenge me. I fear that if they think I was kidnapped or killed there could be innocent blood shed.”

“From what I know of your brother and his alpha, I think you’re right. Best they just get angry at you and/or us for spiriting you away. If they found you, would they kill you or be inclined to kill those who helped you?”

“I’ve thought a lot about that. I don’t think so. I think they’d be pissed and make no mistake, if they find me, they’ll drag me back to Alaska kicking and screaming. I think the worst they would do if they found those who helped me is return them to their own people or assimilate them into the clan. ‘Assimilate.’ That sounds so much nicer than forcing a pair bond or claiming a woman against her will.”

“It does, doesn’t it? Funny how they can make it seem almost benevolent.”

“Sometimes when I think about my brother, it hurts to think that if it came down to it, he would back Lucian.”

“Your brother is Lucian’s beta; the bond between alpha and beta tends to be incredibly strong.”

“I wish it were just that. Zaiden all but hero-worships Lucian, as do all of the males and most of the females in our clan. He has been all but deified for the way he killed my sire.”

“Interesting that you refer to Zion as your sire and not father. Is that why you don’t want to be with Lucian—because he killed your father?” asked Caye.

“Good god, no. As bad as Lucian is, my sire was far worse. And I call him my sire because to me to be a ‘father,’ you have to actually care about your offspring. Zion never cared for anyone but himself.”

Caye stopped and looked at Zenya. “I think you’ll do fine. We’ll be in touch. Don’t despair if you don’t hear from us for a while; we’ll be getting things set up. New identity, new life. Just know that there will come a time that you have to commit to going forward, but you’ve got time to think about it.”

“Caye, I’ve done nothing but think about it since the day I received my acceptance to the program at UC Davis. I want to do something with my life. Be useful, significant. Most of the first ladies of the clan of the white-tiger shifters that I know just sit around eating snacks and popping out babies. I have no interest in either.”

“Good to know,” laughed Caye. “It will probably be best if you keep yourself in good shape. We’ll try and find some place remote so you can shift when you need to. But white tigers are rare, so the safety of a big city becomes more problematic.”

At the end of the tour, they’d hugged and gone their separate ways. Watching the relief on the faces of Lucian’s men when she returned was almost comical. She’d hid her smile behind a bridal magazine. No time like the present to make them think she might be considering surrendering to her fate.

University of California

Davis, California

Present Day

The small burner phone buzzed. The text read:

Everything is ready. Far stall by the window. Destroy this phone. We’ll contact you in mesa And meet up with you further along the way. Good luck.

Zenya smiled as she painstakingly destroyed the little phone that had been her lifeline for the past two years. She grew almost giddy as she ground some parts in the garbage disposal. It felt as though she was finally going to get away. Finally be starting her own life. Finally defeating Lucian, Zaiden and the plans they had made. She would flush another small part down the toilet here in the apartment, one at the graduation ceremony site, and the last of it at the restaurant.

She had carefully selected what to wear under her graduation gown. She fully expected her brother to want to inspect her dress, so she had chosen wisely. The little black dress was form-fitting and appropriately sexy. Beneath it, she had on close-fitting, stretch nylon whitewater shorts. The bodice of the dress zipped off from the lower portion to give her a top that matched the shorts. She would ditch her heels for hiking boots, and the rest of what she needed would be in a day pack.

She felt an odd pang about leaving her brother behind, but he had made his choice, just as she had made hers. In her mind, he should have chosen her over his friend, but he hadn’t and there was nothing she could do about that. Zenya wasn’t sure where she was headed, but knew she had a job and a place to live somewhere she could disappear and live her life. The Shadow Sisters had set up bank accounts and a new identity, but Zenya planned to use cash as much as possible to set up her new life.

The last of the phone parts that could be flushed or sent through the garbage disposal had been taken care of when there was a knock on her door. She opened it and ushered her brother and several of Lucian’s goons into the room.

“I’m almost ready,” she tossed back over her shoulder as she went to the kitchen counter to grab her purse.

“It could have been anyone on the other side of that door. You should have checked,” scolded Zaiden.

Zenya had to bite her lip from retorting, ‘It wouldn’t have mattered. You’ve had thugs in place since early this morning.’ But she didn’t. Instead, she said, “You might be right, but I knew what time you’d be here, and you are always on time.”

“It doesn’t matter. Let me see what’s in your purse.”

Rolling her eyes, Zenya handed it to him. “You really are an ass, Zaiden.” She walked past him and pushed through the guards, forcing Zaiden to run to catch up with her.

“You forget yourself, little sister. I am beta to the clan.”

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