Chapter 78

Chapter 78

Zenovia

I nodded meekly, and we began walking inside. Callahan did not speak for the entire time it took him to

drag me back inside the walls.

But his hand never left mine. And I was busy trying to not melt under his touch while his hand held

mine.

His touch was warm and protective, a stark contrast to his body language that was cold and distant.

When we reached inside the gated compound, he closed the gate and ensured that it was properly

locked.

Without a word, he again held my hand, making my heart race, and silently climbed up the stairs,

walking all the way up to my room.

When we reached, he made me sit on the bed and pulled a chair in front of me.

I could feel his anger as he leaned forward and asked, “Where is your phone?”

I did not know where it was. I had forgotten all about it.

“It must be in the room…somewhere.”

I mumbled while looking around. He scratched his temple and said, “Get it”

I only looked at him warily, but got up and looked for the phone. Had I put it in the drawers? Or maybe it

had fallen down.

I spent the next five minutes searching for it while he stayed where he was. I could feel the irritation

bubbling inside of him as I searched for it.

Finally, I tossed the sheets and saw it under them. Holding it in front of me, I went towards him.

“Open your messages”

He ordered, and my heart ski pped a beat. I had not deleted my messages with Sid.

What if he saw them? He would skin me alive.

I could guess he was already thinking I had tried to run away for the second time. But how would I

explain why I was outside when I could not remember it myself?

Also, his body language did not make me feel that he was in the mood to listen.

I nodded and tapped on the message icon.

“Read the message I had sent”

I gulped and tapped on the message.

“Read it aloud,” He said when I stayed silent.

“Stay in the mansion,” I read and he ordered.

“Repeat it”

“Stay in the mansion”

“Again”

“Stay in the mansion”

“Good. So you can read. But do you understand what it means?”

He asked, and nodded meekly. “I only left the mansion when Elijah accompanied me outside to the

pack house. I did not even know they all stayed at a different location or where it was.”

But Callahan did not seem pleased with it.

“Did you force him to take you there? I know he is a sweet guy, so he never really says no to anyone.”

I looked at him like a scared chicken.

“No, in fact, I told him that you would not like it. But he insisted that I should come along since now I am

the member of the pack.”

Callahan let out a sigh.

“Elder Lina, she was not happy with my decision. I had to spend a lot of time to appease her and I

promised her that you would not let me down.”

I fidgeted with my fingers.

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“I know nobody likes me here or wants me. And when I think of going away, you don’t like it either.”

I blurted it out, but the way his eyes stared at me made me feel nervous.

*I am the Lycan King. I make the decisions and others follow it. Elder Lina is just too protective of me

and the pack and is a

little old school.”

I nodded at that.

“Why did you not reply?”

I furrowed my eyebrows. “I…I understand”

But he let out a sigh again. “To the text message.”

Oh.

“I did not know what to reply,” I answered honestly, but his retnark was snarky. “Ever heard of the

words, yes or okay?”

“I will reply next time,” I mumbled, and he leaned back on the chair.

“Look, you know the rogue King is after you. I am still trying to find out who he is or why. But I guess he

wants to get to me through you. The fact that I never take anybody in my pack but I took you makes

them think you have a special place in the pack. And I love my pack members and would not want any

harm to befall them.”

Was he blaming me for putting his loved ones in danger? How was any of this my fault?

“I did not know you never took anybody in your pack. I was wondering why you did that, too.”

I hoped he would answer. But he did not.

“You should better focus on training and becoming physically fit. And if you want to run away, be strong

enough to not need me to protect you.”

“I don’t need you to protect me,” I snapped, and I realized I had raised my voice, but I did not care.

He was always so snide and arrogant when he was around me. It was as if all the sweetness

evaporated into thin air whenever he saw me.

Callahan raised his finger and began counting, “One- you ran away from your house and bumped into

me, two- you went to that club and almost got drugged and kidnapped, three- you went to the forest in

the middle of the night and almost got lost tonight. Every time, I had to come to rescue you. What are

you? A damsel in distress?”

His words were grating on me and I bit back my tongue to not retort angrily.

“I have a lot of things to do. And you not having a wolf makes me feel I have to pay more attention to

you, like a nanny would have to look at a toddler who keeps running around. It’s exhausting.”

He said it wearily, and I felt tears brim in my eyes.

“I am trying, okay? I did not ask you to take me in. I did not ask you to keep me in this golden cage of

yours. And I did not ask to be a late bloomer either. I want to meet my wolf more than anybody. Elijah is

helping me to

to train and grow strong. And when I do, I will not stay around to annoy you.”

My hands fisted in the sheets with the effort to not straight up yell at him.

“You could do that right now as well…not annoy me.”

A hint of a smirk crept up his face, which I ignored.

“Either way, I did not come here to chitchat. This lover boy of yours…what was his name again? The

one who tried to drug you…”

“He is not ‘my’ loyer boy,” I said through gritted teeth.

Callahan ignored my tone and muttered, “Your boyfriend? He is your stepbrother, right?”

“He is not my boyfriend and his name is Sid” I was fuming, but Callahan was unbothered by my anger.

“Yeah him. How is he? I mean, as a person.”

I had

my heart jump in my throat the moment he asked me how he was. I feared he had somehow learned

that Sid had tried to communicate with me.

But after hearing his next line, I relaxed a little and answered.

“Shrewd and just a bully. But I think of him more as a person who is controlled by someone else, his

mother, to be specific.”

“You mean your father’s wife?” Callahan asked.

The mention of my father made me feel uneasy. I did not want to discuss my family, not with Callahan,

at least.

He would but cher me for still wanting to save my father, despite knowing that he disowned me.

Callahan did not believe in

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second chances, I assumed.

“Yes.”

“Hmm. Do you think anybody apart from Sid might know of this rogue King? Your father or your

stepmother?”

I was not sure. My father ab id ed by the rules laid down by the King and was generally someone who

would not be friends. with rogues.

Though I could not say the same about Celeste and her son.

So I answered honestly.

“I am not sure. I haven’t met them since you brought…since I left the pack.”

I corrected myself hastily.

“Hmm. I just thought you might know something. Guess not.”

Saying so, he got up from the chair and began walking outside the door. And when he did, I suddenly

wanted him to sit beside me and talk my heart out.

“Just don’t go out alone. Until you are strong enough, at least.” He added when he reached the door.

I looked up at him as his hand reached for the doorknob. “And you did well on the treadmill earlier

today. I…I didn’t think you could….”

Had he just complimented me? Not that it sounded like one, but that was the nicest thing he had said to

me in a while.

“Uh, thanks”

The moment I said that, an odd grin flashed on his face.

“Elijah is not going to be around for a while. If you wish to, you could train with me starting tomorrow.”

“Oh”

I mumbled, unsure of what to say next. Being near him made my skin pri ckle with a nervous energy. I

did not answer him as

I was contemplating if I could stay in the same room as him and focus on the exercises.

But before I could answer, he replied, “See you tomorrow at 6 am or…”

I kept looking at him curiously when he took a pause, but he did not finish his line. He simply shut the

door and walked away, leaving me staring at the door.