From Arina's POV
"Andre?" I heard Bryan answer the call.
I listened silently as he recapped what we had just experienced. It was unclear who he was talking to, but he seemed to trust them.
"We are about three and a half hours away from Lycan Blood Pack, assuming we drive straight and make no stops along the way," Bryan explained to whomever he was talking to. Suddenly, he said something that caught my attention.
"I can't believe Zeno never told us about her, and why did he keep it secret?" he said.
I could hear the hurt in his voice, hinting that he felt betrayed. And I couldn't blame him. I felt the same when I learned the truth about my mother.
After exchanging a few more words, Bryan ended the call. I glanced in the rear-view mirror just as he glanced in my direction. He smiled at me. "That was Alexandre," Bryan said.
"Oh, you guys seem very close," I replied.
Bryan chuckled, "Yeah, we are like brothers from another mother. He's a good guy," he said.
I nodded, not wanting to get into the details further.
A silence fell over us as we kept driving. Marabelle slept the entire way. We reached the Lycan Blood Pack's border just a quarter past six. I watched as Bryan pushed the intercom, signaling that someone was at the gate.
After a few moments, a guard answered and asked for his name; a few moments later, he cleared us for entry. Our car was struck from the back within seconds of passing through the gate. Turning around, I noticed a black SUV following us.
"FUCK ME!" I heard Bryan yell, "Andre, we are being chased." I looked over at him and noticed he had his cell phone to his ear.
I had no idea when he made the call, but I had no time to question it as our car was hit again seconds later.
"BRYAN, DO SOMETHING!" Maribelle yelled as she looked back at me. "Are you OK?" she asked.
I nodded as I slipped to the floor. As I huddled in a small ball, I saw the SUV coming up on the right side where Marbelle was. She glanced at the SUV and then at Bryan. Her face contorted in fear.
"Hold on," Bryan yelled as he hit the brakes hard, stopping the car. The black SUV tried to smash into us from the side when, as if by magic, a strong gust of wind blew, toppling it.
"Stay in the car," Bryan said as he placed the car in park, exited the vehicle, and headed toward the SUV.
As I pulled myself onto the seat from the floor, I noticed Maribelle's forehead was bleeding.
"Maribelle, are you alright?" I asked her, placing a hand on her shoulder.
"I was not wearing a seatbelt when they hit us. I must have hit the window or something, but I am fine," she replied.
I nodded and smiled as I turned and glanced toward the toppled SUV to see what was happening when I saw a few men approaching Bryan. At that exact moment, I caught the scent of Maninka, Bran, and Black Vanilla Husk. Despite not knowing where it came from, everything inside me wanted to find it.
My senses were so intoxicated by the sweet smell that I hadn't noticed I had gotten out of the car until I saw Bryan heading back towards us, accompanied by two other men.
One was about five feet eleven inches tall with dark brown eyes and black combed hair. Wearing dark gray sweats and a black T-shirt, he looked sharp.
Compared to him, the man next to him was much taller, about six feet three inches. Ocean blue eyes framed his dark blonde hair, which was styled in a disconnected taper with a textured top. He wore black sweatpants, and a white t-shirt hung over his shoulder, revealing his godlike abs perfectly chiseled against his tan skin; his arms and biceps looked like they were constantly flexing.
I felt my face flush as I lowered my gaze for a moment. As they approached, I noticed the sweet scent getting closer. When they finally stood a mere five feet before us, I knew the scent came directly from him.
As I lifted my gaze, our eyes locked, and in that brief moment, I felt a wave of chills wash over my entire body. I took a deep breath, and my heart raced as I held his gaze. I could feel my heart pounding in my chest as if I was being pulled into him.
I quickly averted my eyes and looked away as Bryan cleared his throat.
"Andre, you remember my mate, Maribelle?" Bryan said.
"My king," Maribelle said as she bowed her head slightly in respect.
"Please don't bow to me," Alexandre replied with a smile. Maribelle smiled and nodded.
"You're a rude ass. I'm his beta, Thiago," the other guy said to Maribelle, extending his hand toward her.
Maribelle shook Thiago's hand and said, "Nice to meet you." He then turned to me. "And you might be?" he asked.
"Oh, this is Zeno's daughter, Arina," Bryan said.
"Thiago at your service," Thiago said, extending his hand to me.
"Nice to meet you," I said, shaking his hand as Bryan then said,
"Arina, this is Alexandre LeBlanc, the Lycan King,".
I looked at Alexandre, and again, I felt a wave of chills run through me.
"Arina, it's nice to meet you. I am sorry for your loss. Zeno was like family to us all." He said with a smile as he extended his hand to me.
I stayed silent for a moment as I stared into his blue eyes. "Thank you," I said. A small smile spread across my lips as I shook his hand. I gasped at the moment our hands intertwined as I felt a wave of tingles wash over my entire body, unlike anything I had ever felt before. I quickly let go of his hand and stepped back, my heart racing. I took a deep breath, trying to regain my composure. I was certain I felt a spark between us, but I couldn't understand it.
As I looked into his eyes again, I heard Zakara whisper.
"MATE"