Later that evening…
When everyone in the pack went to bed, Zane sneaked into Lucas' room. He stood right next to the bed, staring at him. Looking at him sleeping soundly, he became angrier.
'After ruining my sleep, he is sleeping peacefully,' Zane muttered in his mind, clenching his jaw.
He reached out to grab his throat. He intended to strangle him. Instead, he put his hand on his chest and shook him vigorously.
Lucas woke up from his slumber with a start. When he noticed a silhouette looming over him, his eyes widened, and his hair sprang all over his body.
"What the fuck?" He exclaimed and sat up abruptly. He exhaled a sigh of relief when he realized it was Zane. "Fuck, man…" He pinched his nose bridge, squeezing his eyes. "What are you doing here?"
"I can't sleep," Zane said, his voice cold. "Can you come with me for a run?"
"Ugh…" Lucas groaned, racking his hair. He didn't want to ruin his precious sleep. At the same time, he couldn't let him go alone. "Fine," he grumbled and clambered down from the bed, gnashing his teeth.
They left the packhouse and went into the forest. They stripped naked and ran into the woods on all fours. Both ran so fast that their paws didn't appear to touch the ground.
Zane glanced at the black wolf running next to him. He contemplated lunging at him and tearing his throat. Meanwhile, memories of his childhood, when he used to play with Lucas, crossed his mind. This recollection reminded him of how often he helped him. It made him uneasy.
He felt guilty for planning to hurt his best friend because of a woman. He shifted back to the human form and collapsed in the grassy undergrowth.
Lucas also came to a halt when he realized Zane was not following him. He approached him, transforming back into a human. He lay next to him, gazing up at the star-filled sky visible through the cracks in the foliage.
The sound of crickets was deafening on that quiet night. Apart from that, their heavy breathing was faintly audible.
"It's cool to run in the quiet night," Lucas murmured. He enjoyed the cool breeze on his face.
"Do you like Eleanor?" Zane asked after a while, his gaze on the sky.
"What?" Lucas frowned at him.
"I saw you treat her well."
"She is sweet," Lucas said, moving his gaze back to the sky. "But I don't like her. I love my mate." When he remembered his mate, a smile appeared on his face.
"Your mate!" Zane turned to him, his eyebrows furrowing.
"Cecilia…"
"Cecilia?"
Lucas sighed and put his hands beneath his head. "Eleanor's cousin, my mate. Sadly, she doesn't feel the mate bond. She is not 18 yet."
"Okay… you have a mate," Zane muttered in a trance, a wave of relief washing over him. The corner of his lips quirked up.
"My mate means everything to me," Lucas continued. "I fell in love with her the day I found out she was my mate. She was only 15 at the time. She looked so adorable. For the past three years, I have been waiting for her to feel the bond…" He kept on talking about Cecilia, unaware of Zane's changing mood.
Zane's face turned gloomy with each word Lucas uttered. His smile had also vanished by this point. His friend considered his mate everything to him. On the contrary, he became attracted to another woman even though he had a mate. Because of this attraction, he even planned to attack his friend.
'What the hell is wrong with me?' He ran his fingers through his hair, letting out a frustrated sigh. At this point, he thought of staying away from Eleanor. He couldn't possibly deceive his mate.
"It is getting late," he said as he sprang to his feet. "We should go back."
Lucas also got to his feet and followed him to the packhouse.
************************************************************************
Eleanor woke up early and went to the forest to collect the herbs. She became alarmed when she heard the rattling of dry leaves and the snapping of branches. As she assumed the rogues were nearby, she became terrified. Goosebumps pricked her body.
She looked around, her heart leaping into her throat. She only saw bushes and looming large trees. But she could still hear slithering and rattling as if someone was sneaking up on her.
The adrenaline coursed through her veins. Her palms started burning as the inner current was about to erupt. She tightened her grip on the basket, trying to stop the rising current flow.
"Are you scared?" A female voice from behind made her jump. She spun around and saw Ruby with her two friends standing right in front of her. She took a frantic step back, glancing at each woman. Their gloomy expressions made her realize that their intentions were not good.
"Ladies, you must be wondering who she is," Ruby said, her tone mocking.
"Isn't she the weak, wolf-less member of our pack?" A woman with red hair looked at her disdainfully from head to toe.
"You are right," another woman, blonde just like Ruby, chimed in. "She is the wolf-less member of our pack."
"Oh… Is she wolf-less?" Ruby exclaimed her hands on her cheeks. Her eyes were wide as if she was taken aback.
"She is a disgrace to the Moon Keepers," snarled the blonde. "I don't know why Alpha is keeping such a lowly creature among us. He should drive her out of the pack."
Eleanor became enraged after hearing their remarks. One move of her hand would be enough to throw them several feet away. Sadly, she couldn't use her power. She kept glaring at them. She wished she could thrash them all… just for once.
"Despite the fact that she is wolf-less, she has the audacity to flirt with Zane," Ruby snarled, her razor-sharp gaze fixed on Eleanor. "She thinks she can entice him."
"Such a bitch," the red-haired woman muttered.
"Don't spare her, Ruby," the blonde added. "You should punish her. How dare she lay her eyes on Zane?"
"Excuse me…" Eleanor snapped. "Just because I'm not saying anything doesn't mean you can accuse me. I don't flirt with Zane."
"Huh… Who permitted you to open your mouth?" Ruby snapped.
"This is my mouth." Eleanor directed her finger to her lips. "I don't need your approval to say something."
"Girls, I am getting upset with her. How dare she talk to me like that?" Ruby clenched her fists, her face red with anger.
In a blink, the blonde tugged at her hair.
"Ah…" Eleanor yelped in pain and grasped the hand that was holding her hair.
"Don't open your mouth unless you are asked," snarled the blonde, gnashing her teeth. "She is the future Luna of the pack. You should never raise your head in front of her. Apologize to her."
Eleanor kept staring at Ruby, not saying a word.
Her defiant attitude irritated Ruby even more. She slapped her. "Eyes down, you filthy creature."
Eleanor felt a stinging pain on her left cheek. Even though she was an orphan, nobody had ever struck her before. Tears began to collect in her eyes. She was so angry that she found it difficult to control herself.
"I said eyes down," Ruby yelled, raising her hand to slap her again.
Eleanor shoved the blonde down and caught Ruby's hand before it could land on her face. Her quick movement caught them off guard.
"You…" Ruby tried to pull her hand back, but she couldn't.
Eleanor threw her hand away. "Don't mess with me," she warned sternly. "I have nothing to do with your boyfriend. Instead of warning me, you should pay attention to him." She turned around and walked away.
"I will kill her." Ruby dashed after her.
The red-haired woman tugged on her arm and drew her back. "Hold on, Ruby. I sense the presence of someone. We should leave. Come on. We can get even with her later." She dragged her along with her.
The blonde rose to her feet and rubbed her aching buttocks, wincing. She glanced back at Eleanor as she followed her friends.
Connor leaned literally on a tree, his arms crossed over his chest. His gaze lingered on Eleanor's back as he muttered, "Well, well... She is quite daring." He moved his gaze to Ruby, his lips quirking into a sly smile. "Ruby thinks Zane has a crush on her. Interesting. It looks like I have to keep an eye on him."
He walked away in a good mood.