Katie had been sulking in Zach's room for more than an hour, cursing herself for bringing trouble that was uncalled for. She hated the look on Zach's face as he walked away from her, as if he knew it was about to happen anyway. She didn't even understand what her true problem was.

It wasn't that she remembered how he let her go, because she too had done the same. She had asked him to reject her even after he told her he didn't want to. He told her it didn't feel right and that he needed more time but she had impatiently told him that ever since he walked into her life she had felt nothing but misery. She was a little selfish, if she was to be honest. As much as it pained her to admit, Zach was in love with someone else and he had spent years loving that other person, and in a matter of a week she demanded he made up his mind. She now believed she was just as at fault as he.

Nor was her problem about feeling pathetic. She didn't feel pathetic in Zach's arms, she felt happy. Happy and safe and calm, and she knew that letting herself enjoy those feelings didn't make her pathetic, at least not to her and not to Zach. And Katie didn't give a shit about anyone else anyway.

Her true problem was fear. Kat was so profoundly scared of the happiness she knew she could never feel anywhere but in his embrace. She was petrified that Zach might not choose her again if he was stuck in a position similar. She was afraid of trusting him, even if every bone within her body did. What if the goddess granted him another mate oneday? It was still possible, just as it was possible for her too. But would he choose his new mate and refuse to repeat his past mistakes, or would he stay with Kat? What would she do if she was stuck in the same position? It was all too complicated and too tiring for Kat to just let it all go so easily.

Wiping away a tear that had left her eye, Katie sighed. She wanted nothing more than to let herself fall into the endless pit of her love for him, but no matter how many times she was about to jump in, something had kept pulling her back.

"I'm just scared." She couldn't help but admit to herself. A knock on the door grabbed her attention, and she eagerly sat straighter, hoping that Zach had finally come back. Much to her disappointment, it was his sister.

"Hey, Jared and Jess called and said they were coming over later tonight, since my parents are almost here." Ella walked to Katie who had a deep frown on her face and lied next to her. "So I presume he didn't take the news well, huh?"

Katie sighed. "No, he was fine. We had an argument about something else. Where is he anyway?" She wanted nothing more than for him to come back so they could talk this out.

"He went to grab our parents from the airport. He said he wanted to explain everything before they meet you." Ella shrugged.

Katie whined as she asked, "do you think they'll be too hard on him?"

"No, they worship him. Don't worry, they'll understand. They will be truly sad, though. They want nothing more than to see him happy, especially after seeing how miserable he had been for the two years he spent waited for you to show up. And now that he somehow managed to lose that chance again will be hard for them to stomach. But they will get over it when they meet you, trust me. Mate or not, you make him happy." Ella knew that her brother was happiest with Katie, even if the bond had been broken. "You know what I don't understand though? How come he felt you getting hurt if you two are no longer mates? Do you know how rare it is for mated couples to have that kind of deep connection? It makes absolutely no sense for you two to have it if your bond was truly broken. The fours years apart I can understand, but this is something else."

Katie's eyes narrowed at her friend's hidden suggestion, reading between the lines. "He rejected me, honey. There's no 'If' here. He said the words and everything."

Ella only shrugged, dropping it. "Well, Dr. Hall is on his way to check up on you. So how do you feel?"

****

Zach had been as brooding as he could ever be ever since he left his room. He wanted to stay, to talk it out with Kat, to fix the issue. He wanted to remind her again of how much he regretted his decision, how much he hated himself for not choosing her, how much he wanted her by his side. He wanted her to give him a chance to try and make her forget the pain he caused her, but he believed she needed her space and time. This needed to work on her own pace, not his.

"I missed you so much, honey. Tell me how is your mate? Tell me everything." His mother's words pulled him back to reality as she gathered him in her arms. He had truly missed them too.

"She's much better. Healing." Zach's smile was small enough for his father to frown.

"Then what's the matter, son? Why do you look so down?" His father asked, wondering if his son would actually tell them. Zach was never a man of a lot of words. At least he used to be.

"Let's go home and I'll explain." Zach took a deep breath, his mind absent. It was back there in his room with Kat, along with his heart. It had been only a couple of hours and he had missed her insanely. He wanted nothing more than to gather her in his arms and breathe in her addictive scent.

****

"Thank you, Nick. Please don't let anyone interrupt us." Alpha Mark, Zach's father, patted Nick's shoulder before shutting the door of Zach's office.

Zach didn't know how exactly to explain this so he decided to just say it. Taking a seat across from his beloved parents, he started. "Katie and I found out we're mates a couple of months ago, before Megan and I broke up, and I didn't know what to do. I had to choose one of them and break the other's heart and I couldn't do that to Megan. I was in love with her, and I didn't know anything about Katie so it seemed like the right thing to do back then." Zach inwardly groaned at how bad this sounded. Once again, he hated himself for it.

His father's frown instantly deepened. "Please don't tell me you rejected your mate, son." He asked, already knowing the answer.

When Zach nodded his mother whined. "Oh, no. Poor girl. Wait, so when Megan found her mate she accepted him and broke up with you even after you rejected your mate for her?" Eyes widening, his mother asked, as she pushed her black silky hair out of her face in annoyance. She had never loved Megan, she didn't know why, but now she had a good guess.

"Well, not exactly, but yes, we could say that. And I know what you're about to say." Zach's eyes found his parents' as he spoke his heart. "Trust me, everything you could possibly have to say to me I had already told myself a hundred times since I broke the mating bond with Katie. I wish I could turn back time because I feel like my soul is slowly dying whenever she's not near me, but I just can't. I made a stupid mistake and I'll probably pay for it as long as I live. So just save it." He shook his head in exhaustion.

His father's eyes narrowed at him for a few seconds before he asked, "how was she attacked?" He had already known the whole story from Ella, but he wanted to hear Zach explain it. Nothing mattered to Alpha Mark as much as his family's happiness, and he was determined to see both his children content.

"We're still working on it. We believe my gamma had been betraying us before the rogues killed him. Katie was taking a walk with Ella and I felt that something was wrong but I don't know why I couldn't catch her scent in time. Normally, her scent is the easiest thing I could breathe, but it was as if her scent was hidden from me somehow." Zach's fist clenched as he relived the worst day of his life. "When I felt her pain, I shifted and ran to the woods until I finally caught her scent and reached them, but I was too late. She had already passed out with seven rogues dead around her and Ella."

"Hold on," his mother blinked, "what do you mean you felt her pain?" Her eyes met her husband's for a second, sharing a look of understanding.

"I don't know, mother, I just felt it. I felt my flesh ripped open when hers did, and I felt my heart stop with hers for a moment. I just felt it." Zach shrugged, his whole body tense as he recalled the awful feeling of Katie almost dying. "Anyway, she's all better now. She's still healing though, so she can't move much, but I can take you to my room if you want to meet her."

Alpha Mark could no longer contain his smirk as his eyes met with his wife's once more. "She's staying in your room because your scent helps her heal faster, correct?"

"Yes, I believe so. Come on." Zach answered, as he stood up, already eager to see her again. He didn't like how they left things earlier one bit.

Trailing a little behind, Alpha Mark wrapped his arm around his wife's waist. "Mel. Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

Flashing him an instant grin, Luna Mel nodded her head rapidly, her heart finally at ease. "He has no idea."

"Just wait here for a second." Zach mumbled grumply as he saw Ella run through the hall to hug their parents. Leaving them outside, Zach stepped into his bedroom first.

Katie had been waiting impatiently for Zach to come back, so the second he stepped inside his bedroom she couldn't help but throw a pillow at his big head.

Blinking twice, Zach watched the pillow land at the foot of the bed. "Was that meant to hit me?"

Katie felt a blush of embarrassment reach her cheeks. "Yes, but I'm hurt. I can't use all my strength, luckily for you." She crossed her arms and looked the other way.

Zach couldn't help but smile. God, he had missed her. "How are you feeling, Katie?"

"I'm fine, Alpha." Glaring at him, Kat could feel her heart beat faster. "So I'm Katie and your Alpha Zach, now? Is that how this is going to be?"

Loosening a breath, Zach made his way to the bed and took a seat across from her. "If that's how you want it to be, then yes." For now, he thought. He would be patient for her.

"No." She replied almost instantly. "No, that's not how I want it to be. Far from it." Katie pouted. She knew she must be driving him insane, hot for him one moment and cold the other, but it was truly out of her control. She wanted to give him everything she had, but she was still terrified.

Finally taking a deep breath, Zach let her scent bring him back to life. "What do you want then? Tell me what you want me to do and I'll do it, Kat."

Looking at his warm eyes, Katie could feel how tired Zach was. "I want a lot of things." Her heart beat even quicker. She knew she shouldn't but the few hours she had spent alone without him convinced her that she was already a goner.

Zach had to clench his fists to his sides, in order to stop himself from gathering her in his arms already. "Give me a list and I'll make every single thing happen, love."

Katie couldn't help but smile when she heard him call her that again. "Well, first of all I don't want you to call me Katie again. And I'm sorry I called you Alpha, when I knew you hated it. I don't even know why I did, it was childish of me. You're not just my Alpha anymore, and denying that will do us both no good. Second of all, I don't want you to disappear on me like that again as well. If we have an argument or if we disagree about something let's just talk it out." She said. Her big eyes met his again and she saw so much hope in them that her heart ached to be in his embrace. "I'm tired of running from you, Zach."

Zach's heart jumped in his chest, his wolf just as happy at every word Kat said. She wanted to make this work. Zach scooted closed to her, his heart filled with hope. "Then don't run anymore."

Looking back down, Kat swallowed. "But I'm scared." She was so scared of him, yet she knew he was the only one who would conquer her fears. He was everything she wanted to have and everything she wanted to escape.

"Don't be." Zach couldn't stop himself anymore and he pulled her in his arms. "I'd rather pull out my own heart before I ever hurt you again."

Katie wrapped her arms around him tightly, her senses finally awakened by his touch. "I need time." She murmured as she hid her face in the crook of his neck.

Zach had never felt happier as he did when Kat spoke her heart. The feeling of her warm breath against his neck threatened to destroy him right then and there. "Take all the time you need, baby. I'll wait forever if I have to."

Katie's stomach flipped as he called her yet another sweet endearment. Unable to help herself, she purred in pleasure.

Zach couldn't hide his grin even if he wanted to. "My parents want to meet you. They're outside but if you're not up for it I'll---"

"No, no. I'm honored. Let them in. And hand me that pillow." Katie blushed harder as she heard Zach chuckle, before he handed her the pillow.

Zach opened the door to let his parents in, his smile perfectly visible. "Come on in."

Ella giggled at the sight of her brooding brother so suddenly joyful. "Aw, they made up."

Sending a glare his sister's way, Zach opened the door further. His parents walked past him, their eyes landing on Katie.

"Alpha Mark, Luna Melissa. It's such an honor to meet you." Katie smiled, sitting as straight as her pain would allow her.

Zach's mother's eyes found Katie's and she smiled broadly. "You're Emily's daughter!" She shouted.