𝐓𝐰𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐅𝐚𝐭𝐞 ⸙

1.19𓆩ᥫ᭡𓆪

Zayn lingered in the shower. So the cold water
streamed over him. Every time he thought about
Liam's lips and his large brown eyes, he dipped his head under the water.

Taking things slow was hard for a werewolf. Zayn's instincts were to mate. Liam's instincts were not the same. Zayn respected Liam enough to move with him, not drag him along.

Still, Zayn was hot in his cold shower, and now had memories of kissing his mate, not just fantasies. He could still feel the way Liam's lips moved with his, and the taste, and the heat of his breath.

Zayn shuddered and dunked his head back under
the water.

He soon left the shower when he was satisfied that Liam's scent wasn't on him. He had been careless about mixing scents, and Baela had to tackle him in their wolf forms to mix her scent too, so Liam's wasn't so obvious.

Zayn began to understand why his mother was so
adamant that Baela was his mate.

He reached for a towel and slipped on some black cotton pyjama bottoms, just as his phone made a noise from the bedroom. Zayn never had his phone on loud, though he hoped to have a text from Liam before the night was over.

Zayn stepped from the cold tiles to the cold wood
of his bedroom floor and shut the bathroom door
behind him. He only noticed his mother when she spoke.

"Who's Lee?" Solana asked, leaning over Zayn's
phone that he had thrown on the bed before his
shower.

"What?" Zayn's body tensed, and the blood drained from his face.

"Is there a Lee in the institute? I've never heard that name before."

"It's uh... a nickname" Zayn said, rubbing his black hair with a towel. The short back and sides had started to dry, but the black mop on top stuck in all different directions. Zayn turned back to the mirror, staring at the grey patch of hair at the front of his head.

Zayn was about three years old when a small tuft of his hair turned grey among the black, just like his mothers.

"For who? Baela?" Solana asked.

Zayn glared at himself in the mirror. He looked
terrifying with thick black brows pressing into his
already dark eyes. Zayn approved. "Why are you
here?"

"Just to remind you about the annual gathering.
It's a week late because of your bloody uncle."

"What's he done now?" Zayn grumbled. All he could think about was the text from Liam. He didn't want to open the message with his mother watching his every move.

"He doesn't approve of your cousin's mate. Do you remember me mentioning that your cousin Louis had the dream last week? Well, his mate turned out to be human. His father's furious."

Zayn turned towards his mother, resting against the headboard of his double bed. Her long grey hair was in a large French plait, though the tip still hung by her waist as the plait curled over her shoulder. She was also in her pyjamas, black like Zayn's.

"Why?" Zayn asked.

"Exactly my response," Solana said, throwing her
hands up in the air. "It's not like the poor boy had a choice."

Zayn narrowed his eyes. Would she approve of Liam, then?

"Also" Solana continued, "it's not like he'll be the
Alpha of a powerful pack like this one. He's the
descended of an Alpha, but the second son, so
why should it matter?"

Ah, there it is. Zayn hung his towel over the radiator and crossed arms over his bare chest. "Get out of my room. I'm tired."

"Tired from spending all day with Baela?"