"Craig wasn't as bad as some other alphas," I said, not looking at Zak. "He was mean. Short-tempered. He didn't hit me, except for the last night I was with him. That's what made me snap. I was gone five minutes later."
"How is that not as bad?" Zak asked, incredulous.
I thought of Galileo and Malke and dozens of over omegas. "I've seen worse."
"No. Don't you dare say that. Don't compare your suffering to theirs and make it a competition. An alpha hurt you. End of story."
I stared at Zak with wide eyes. His frame was rigid, his muscles taut, like his wolf was going to burst out of him at any second.
I gave him a smile that was tired, but genuine. "I appreciate it. But the truth is that I was lucky, Zak. My shifted form is an orca. Craig was a wolf shifter. He knew I could bite him in half if I wanted to. It was easy for me to get away from him."
Zak winced and drew back like he'd done something wrong. "Shit. I'm sorry."
"Don't apologize. I don't care if you're a wolf. You're not like him."
Relief flashed across his gaze.
"You're right, though," I murmured. "I shouldn't make it a competition. I'll try to remember that next time I think that way."
Zak nodded.
We sat in silence by the fire, soaking up its warmth and listening to the pleasant crackle. It almost felt like everything was okay. But I knew it wasn't. We'd have to deal with our issues eventually.
"Kamari," Zak said. "Why did you storm out of the room earlier?"
I winced, regretting my petulant action. "I didn't like what Mistral was saying. Both because his talk about Animus reminded me of Craig, and because his solution sounded like bullshit."
Zak's lip curled to expose a fang at the mention of Craig.
"That's not what bothered me the most," I said, frustration creeping up on me again. "Apparently, rescuing Nautilus is on your shoulders alone, and not even through a concrete action. I feel helpless, Zak. I can't do anything."
He was quiet, then said, "Maybe that's not true, Kamari."
I frowned at him in confusion. He slowly met my gaze.
"Mistral said finding my fated mate might unlock enough magic to wake up Nautilus," Zak said. "Right?"
I ground my teeth and gave a single curt nod. Even if it sounded ridiculous, thatwaswhat Mistral conveyed to us.
Zak hesitated, then glanced away. It was unlike him. He was acting almost wary of me.
"What?" I asked when he didn't continue.
"The door opened. Remember?"
I recalled the door that revealed the secret chamber deep inside the temple, the one with the engraving of two dragons apparently kissing. And then I recalledourkiss. My heart twisted, racing like a rabbit. It wasn't supposed to mean anything. Why did the memory of it affect me like this?
"What are you saying?" I asked.
Zak's silence and the way he gazed at me was answer enough.
My racing heart began to pound against my ribs like it was trying to escape my body. Heat flushed my skin, turning my face hot, hotter than the fire in front of me.
He's not really insinuating what I think he is,I thought,is he?
I couldn't look anywhere except at him. His gold and black gaze sucked me in, mismatched yet balanced.
Just like us.
