Zane clutched the edge of the counter of the bakery, his jaws tense. His hostile glare was directed at Connor. When he noticed him touching her face, he became even more enraged. His grip on the counter became firmer, turning his knuckles white.
'Why is she not pushing his hand away? Is she enjoying his touch?'
His hazel eyes glowed with rage.
Whenever he went to see her at her house, she pushed him away and asked him to go back. But she didn't ask Connor to leave. Instead, she let him touch her face. It looked like she was in love with Connor.
'Damn it.' Zane became extremely angry when this thought emerged in his mind.
Eleanor could be only his. She belonged to him. No matter what, he would make her his.
"Let's go." Lucas' deep voice jolted him back to reality. When he returned his gaze, he noticed him slipping a slip into his shirt pocket.
"The cakes will be delivered on time," Lucas continued. "I have placed an order for your favorite pineapple flavor cake." He grinned.
Zane was in no mood to think about cakes. No matter how delicious they were, they would all taste bitter. "Go ahead," he said, loosening his grip on the counter. "I will join you later."
"Alright. Come to the stationery shop. Don't be late." Oblivious to Zane's fury, Lucas went out.
When Zane gazed back at Eleanor's shop, he saw Connor still talking to her. He wondered what he had been saying for so long. Their conversation seemed to go on indefinitely.
He wished he could rush over and drag Connor out. Meanwhile, he noticed Connor exiting the shop. After making sure that Connor had gone farther away, he strode to the 'Mystic Herbs' in a stormy momentum.
He had had enough of her drama. He would warn her one last time. If she didn't listen to him, he would make her his. His fists clenched with determination.
Eleanor was still reeling from the shock when she saw Zane walk in. His burning eyes made her hair rise on her back.
'Zane…' She took his name, but her voice didn't come out.
Thump…
He slammed his hand on the counter.
She flinched and took a step back unconsciously. Her legs collided with the stool, causing her to slump.
"Are you dating him?" His deep voice, tinged with frustration, rang out loud.
'No…' Eleanor instinctively wanted to say this. She then realized she shouldn't get carried away.
She had always wanted to stop him from coming after her. By accepting Connor's offer, she could finally let him know that she was not interested in him.
"You shouldn't bother about it," she summoned her courage to say.
"I am concerned about you." Zane leaned forward, his hand on the counter curling into a ball. "I warned you not to approach him. Instead, you brought him healing paste. And now you are chatting with him nonstop. I have told you that he is not a good guy. Why are you not taking my words seriously?"
Eleanor opened and closed her mouth. She wished she could reveal that the paste was his, not Connor's. She wanted to tell him that she was not interested in talking to Connor. But she held back her emotions.
"I was just showing my gratitude to him for helping me," she said as she squared her shoulders and stood up.
"Helping you!" He exclaimed, arching his eyebrows. "How did he help you? Why did you seek his assistance? You could have come to me if you needed help. You could have approached Lucas. Why did you go to Connor?"
"I didn't go to him," she retorted, a flash of irritation crashing through her. "He showed up by chance when your mate and her friends were bullying me. He even stopped Ruby from vandalizing my shop."
"What?" Zane twisted his eyebrows, as though his brain had exploded. He was taken aback by the revelation.
"What happened?" Eleanor cocked her head. His perplexed expression fueled her rage. It made her realize that Zane was completely unaware of what Ruby had done to her.
Zane was so wrapped up with Ruby that he had no time for the pack, let alone her. He then suddenly became aware of her and came to show his concern. He had no reason to be upset with her.
"You don't know that," she sneered, her heart aching. "Everyone in the market knows about it. Where were you when she was troubling me? Why didn't you stop her?"
Zane stared at her, mouth agape. He couldn't believe his ears. The Ruby he knew was a kind woman, who took care of her loved ones. She would never bully others, let alone vandalize someone else's property.
He assumed that Eleanor had mistaken Ruby for someone else. He was not ready to believe in what he had learned. At the same time, he couldn't suspect Eleanor either.
Her limpid eyes spoke nothing but the truth.
Zane was not sure whom to believe. One was his mate, whom he had known since he was a child, and the other was the woman he loved.
"Anyway, I don't want you to argue with her over me," Eleanor continued, a glint of disappointment in her eyes. "She is mad at me because she thinks I am flirting with you. Stop coming to me. She will stop harassing me."
Boom…
Zane was under the impression that thunder had struck him, numbing his senses, paralyzing his brain. Time and space seemed to stop around him.
When he came to his senses, he became aware of the buzzing in his ears. Something was crushing inside his ribcage. It was painful like a spear went through him.
His wolf whined in sorrow, asking him to tell her to take her words back.
Zane wanted to tell her not to push him away. He wished to take her in his arms and apologize for all the known or unknown mistakes he had made. He wanted to proclaim that he adored her and that he couldn't see her with another man.
'Don't let me go,' his mind screamed.
'Yaff, yaff…' his wolf continued whining.
Zane had never felt this kind of pain before. He didn't know why he had the impression that he had been rejected. He could hardly endure the tearing pain in his heart. His world was falling apart. Everything seemed to be spinning rapidly around him. His vision became blurry as tears pricked his eyes.
He thought he would collapse there. He did, however, manage to walk out of the shop without stumbling.
'Control, control…' he chanted in his mind. 'She is right. I should keep my distance from her. I have a mate. Focus, focus…'