Biding his time
Nevertheless, Daniela chose to listen intently.
"Don't you see, all I have to do is bide my time?" Daniel expressed enthusiastically, giving hand gestures. His head tilted toward Daniela, staring into her eyes, not backing down or showing a hint of indecisiveness.
No, he was certain.
"Wow, so you are serious about rejecting your mate?" Daniela finally asked.
"Yes, I am," Daniel answered, not missing a beat almost before she finished her question.
"My plan is simple, sis; I would not get myself entangled in anything with anyone and simply wait."
Daniela stared at her brother as if he had grown two horns. She could not help it. She snapped, "Who are you, and what did you do to my brother? Because this is not my brother I am talking to."
She did not want to start calling him names, especially the fact that she thought he was a psycho.
Daniel smiled almost eerily at Daniela and said, "It's me, sis."
Daniela could not help but wonder if something sinister was going on.
Something diabolical must be at play. Daniela could not fathom nor accept this was her brother. Who she had known and loved all her life.
Who always spoke of HIS Mate and what it would be like meeting her. He simply could not wait to meet her and have what Mom and Dad had.
This had always been his dream, and now this Daniel was a total stranger to her; she did not know this person.
What was this? Daniela pondered, then burst.
"Daniel, are you out of your mind? How could you be so cold-hearted, waiting for her? " Daniela's hands dramatically went up in the air, then smacked right back down on her thigh.
"Daniel, take it from me. Even if Goddess forbid- Aubrianne lost Zayne, whatever is left of her, she surely would not give it to you and betray the love of her life. I am telling you this as a woman. Plus, did you see them, Daniel?"
Daniela paused dramatically as she eyed him, eyebrows pinched and her nose flaring, and she was not really giving him a chance to respond, "his love for her is clear as day, and she mirrors it. Do you see how she gets lost in him? They are it Daniel, Alpha Zayne, alive or dead, will not make a difference to Aubrianne."
"You will be wasting your life away waiting for something that will NOT happen."
She eyed him, and he simply shrugged; Daniel was over this conversation. Nothing would sway him from his decision.
Daniela sighed, "Daniel, you are my brother, and I love you; I just don't want you to get hurt. Plus, since when are you the villain?"
"I am no villain. I would be her Savior. Besides, little sis, hurt and pain are a part of life; you are the one who is afraid to let anyone in and not take any risks." Daniel retorted.
Daniela was hurt at what he said because it was true; it cut deep, and she was over this conversation. This was not about her.
She slanted her head, jutting her chin toward him, "You are grown and allowed to make decisions, so I know I cannot stop you. But that does not mean I would accept this or stand for it."
"How could you be so cruel, biding your time in hopes someone else dies? You aren't my brother." Daniela shook her head negatively.
"The Daniel I knew would never think of or do such a thing." Disgust was written all over Daniela's face by now.
With that, Daniela opened the car door, got out, and went straight into her home, not even looking back at Daniel.
Who was he? Daniela wondered, what was this? How could he be so mean? She questioned. Daniela's mind raced as she trekked up the stairs and went straight to her room. She did not even know if her dad was at home, nor did she care.
She was sad. She felt as if she had lost her brother.
Daniel stared at her back till she entered the front door. What she said hit him slightly, but he instantly shook it off and drove off.
Alpha Theodore Thornton headed straight to his office in the manor and researched all he could about the Whites Foundation. He already knew everything, but he wanted to make sure there were no new developments, so he reached out to his contacts and had them do a search.
Meanwhile, he stared at Nathans's number on his phone, and his thumb finger hovered over his name, contemplating pressing it. He was also running what he would say repeatedly in his mind.
Tobias happily entered the manor behind his father's long strides and ventured to his room, not even looking for his mother or brother. Tobias was in a great mood and did not want to be around that kind of negativity right now.
Later, Jada lay on her bed feeling conflicted; maybe she should not have left.
Soon, there was a knock at the door, and at her shout to come in, Mr. Grey walked in and closed the door behind him…
Meanwhile, back in Ragnuff Crescent Moon Community...
Alpha Zayne's day was very hectic: the briefing with Sacha's team, making more plans on the way forward, and getting updates on his teams still out on the field, plus strategizing with those on the field, switching up tactics. It was a lot.
Plus, he was slightly distracted in the earlies, constantly glancing at his phone to hear that Aubrianne was safe. He already realized that this was something he would have to get used to.
Later on that day, the Doctor finally stole a moment with Zayne. He knew his Alpha had been busy the past few days, and big things were happening for him, like finding his Mate, having the Luna ceremony, and a surprise proposal.
Now, Doc believes it would be appropriate to reach out concerning Jane Doe and her developments in the past few days.
The Doctor is still unaware of today's events, as he has yet to go to the hospital for the day because he had some personal errands to run. However, he hoped to get Zayne to visit to see the changes he had observed recently.
He informed Zayne that they had noticed a lot of static in Jane Doe's room in the past few days, and she had been wrapped in a magical cocoon for days.
He explained his decision to hold off from saying anything while monitoring her as she was not a threat. The magic seemed to be protecting her but not a danger to them.
The Doctor convinced Alpha Zayne to visit, but Zayne still had a lot to do, so he told the Doctor he would visit later on.
Mekhi had done his fair share of brooding because he realized his stupid behavior sent his Mate, Jada, running back home. And who lives in her hometown?
He was pissed at his stupidity; for all he knew, he sent her straight back into that wolf's arms.
He felt sick to his stomach and vowed that when he saw her again, things would go differently; her leaving woke him the hell up. He felt a hollowness he could not deny or ignore.
After the briefing, Sacha was beside herself; she told no one what had happened. She suspected it was her Mate and did not know who it was or why they seemed to be running from her.
She was no fool.
Maybe naive and blind at times, even delusional, but it was clear that the closer she got to the scent, the further it moved away.
She was now accepting things as they were and not making up silly delusions to convince herself that it was not the case.
She'd learned a hard lesson with Alpha Zayne. She would not make that mistake again, ignoring all the signs of rejection.
She was crushed. It was karma. She was prepared to reject her Mate for Alpha Zayne. That dream seemed so far away now, and she'd moved on to HER mate.
Now he was running from her?
Was he a member of this community, or was he visiting? She'd met a few who came for Aubrianne's Luna ceremony. He may be a visitor as well.
Oh, how her mind went from one possibility to another. She laid on her bed but was a restless mess. She tossed, twisted, and turned while constantly running her fingers through her hair or twirling the ends at times.
She was frustrated and hurt…
Meanwhile, back at Martha's...
Aubrianne woke three hours later with a melancholy feeling; she was sad. She sat up on the table. Did she fall asleep down here?
She was still in the room but was moved to the bed table and carefully covered.
Nevertheless, she rose up. She had a dream that her mother was alive, and oh, how she wanted it to be true...
