Page 40 of Forbidden Virgin Mate

“Why?” he asks.

“I’ll tell you everything when they get here, Zack,” I say, more tears threatening to fall. “I think I’m only going to be able to explain everything once, so I want everyone who needs to hear it to be here.”

Just then, a doctor and nurse enter the room. They look between us and realize they're interrupting something.

Zack nods at them to come in. "It's okay," he says to them. "I've got to make a call."

Before he steps out of the room, he leans down and kisses my cheek. "Whatever's going on, I'm with you all the way,” he whispers to me.

Before I can reply, he's heading out of the room, presumably to call Diego and Mateo. I want to call after him, to tell him over and over again that I'm sorry.

But I know there's no point. Once I make my confession, even the bond we now share won't stop him from hating me.

Chapter 20 - Zack

I lean against the clinic wall, waiting for Dr. Soren and his nurse to finish checking on Tanya. I know they've cleaned out her nasty wound and given her some steroids specially designed to aid shifter healing. With her advanced DNA able to work better now, Tanya’s wound should already be healing.

Honestly, I can't believe she made it down that hill with the bone almost coming through her leg. She's unusual in that she's a shifter who hasn't grown up with much access to nature, the wilderness, or even the unique ways of shifter medicine. She could have died out there, and just the thought of losing her makes my wolf grow agitated again.

But have I lost her, anyway?

She was leaving me. This whole rescue mission has served as a distraction from the central issue. She was so desperate to get away from me that she stole my truck in the middle of the night and crashed it, trying to get off the mountain.

But one thing I know for sure is when she regained consciousness and I looked into her eyes, the bond felt as real as ever. My wolf felt it, and I could feel her emotions pouring into me. I know it's the mating bond because I've never felt anything like it before.

And the strongest emotion I could feel from her was…shame. Which makes no sense at all. Shame for leaving me? We could have just talked about it.

Then she asked me to summon Diego and Mateo, and now I don't know what to think. I guess it makes sense she'd want to see Mateo—he's her alpha. If something important is going on, she'd want her alpha to advocate for her. But I don't understand why she thinks she needs that support.

I'm not going to deny her anything, though, so I make the calls.

After Diego's call earlier, I already suspected there was a new development with my current problems. Therefore, it's no surprise when I discover the two alphas were on their way to a meeting and are rerouting to meet me at the hospital. They sound as perplexed as I am when I tell them Tanya wants to discuss something with them.

As I wait for them, I pace the corridor and reply to a text from Saffy. She's going to stay with her friend for the rest of the weekend while I sort things out with Tanya. My sister clearly idolizes Tanya and is worried sick about her after the accident. I try to reassure her, but in the back of my mind, I'm reminded of my conversation with Tanya when I learned how badly being banished affected her. If that happens to me, too, I'll have to consider if it's best to leave Saffy with the pack. Where she belongs.

That thought still weighs heavily on me as I see Diego and Mateo enter the clinic. They greet the receptionist and then push through the double doors leading into the corridor. I know immediately that something is very, very wrong when neither of them makes eye contact with me. Mateo's face is hardened, set in a firm countenance. But it's Diego's expression that confirms what I already know: something has happened, and I'm in the firing line.

I push down the frustration and sadness threatening to overwhelm me as I feel my entire life slipping through my fingers. I simply nod at them in greeting.

"You know what this is about?" Diego asks, and I shake my head.

"You do something to her, Zack? Something that made her take off in the middle of the night and crash that truck? Hmm?" Mateo snaps, glaring at me. "Seems strange she'd run out like that with everything else going on with you."

I immediately bristle, not believing the words I'm hearing. Mateo's complete change in demeanor toward me confirms my suspicions that I’m being blamed for something again. But I won’t be accused of hurting Tanya, even from an alpha.

I step toward Mateo, but Diego holds me back.

"Shut the fuck up, Mateo," Diego snaps. "Whatever happens next, the one thing I know above all else is that Zack would never hurt that girl. Okay?"

Mateo's eyes burn with rage, but he shrugs it off. He starts pacing the corridor, unable to even look at me.

I don't bother asking Diego what's happened since I saw them on the mountain earlier today. Part of me doesn't want to know.

After a few minutes of painful silence, Tanya's door opens, and the doctor steps out with the nurse. They acknowledge us, but sensing the tension in the corridor, they don't stick around. I don't even wait for Diego and Mateo; I simply knock on Tanya's door and enter.

She's sitting up now, propped up on some pillows. "You look a bit better," I say, but I don't miss how her eyes are still glazed with tears. I instinctively reach out to touch her hand. "Hey, whatever it is, it's going to be okay."

I feel Diego and Mateo's presence behind me and turn slightly so I'm standing beside Tanya. I have no idea what she's about to say or if she even still wants me, but my wolf won't allow me to do anything other than stand by her side. For as long as she'll let me.

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