Page 11

EIGHT

ZEV

Z ev's fingers brushed against the damp cave wall as they moved deeper into the lava tube, the rough stone cool beneath his touch.

The memory of Chrissy's face on the beach—her lips parted and her green eyes wide with anticipation—flashed through his mind like lightning.

His wolf snarled in frustration at the interruption. So close.

The way she'd looked at him when he said he wanted her —not the pop star, not the polished persona—had nearly undone him.

That flicker of vulnerability in her gaze, and the way her breath hitched when he stepped closer.

And when she admitted she wanted to be ready for whatever this was between them?

His pulse had roared in his ears like the sea during a storm.

Now, in the cave's dim glow, he stole a glance back at her.

The emerald sundress clung to her curves, the fabric shifting with each step, teasing glimpses of her toned legs.

Her sandals scuffed against the stone, her bare toes peeking out.

Fuck. Even in a crisis, his body reacted to her like she was the only thing that mattered.

"Jonah!" Chrissy's voice echoed, melodic even in urgency.

Zev's muscles tightened reflexively. He should've insisted she stay behind. But that defiant lift of her chin back on the beach—no one challenged him like that. Not his pack, not even his enemies. And yet, when she did, his wolf had practically preened . His mate had fire.

A low chuckle escaped him. "You do realize you're the first person who's ever argued with me about safety and lived to tell the tale, right?"

Chrissy let out a soft laugh. "Guess I'm special."

You have no idea.

The cave narrowed, forcing them sideways. Chrissy's shoulder grazed his, the contact sending heat spiraling down his spine. Her intoxicating scent—jasmine and honeysuckle and salt air—wrapped around him.

"You really came here as a kid, huh?" She trailed fingers along the stone. "It's... beautiful. In a strange, 'might get eaten by a cave monster' way."

Zev smirked. "No monsters here. Just silence." He hesitated, then added, "I still come here sometimes when I need some space to think. To be me without the Alpha bullshit."

Chrissy slowed, studying him. "Sounds like heaven to me." Her voice dropped, suddenly raw. "I haven't had that in over a year. I don't even remember what it feels like to be me anymore. To have peace."

His chest tightened. The urge to pull her against him and to promise she'd never feel trapped again burned through him. Instead, he brushed a knuckle down her arm—light and testing. "Maybe you'll find it here."

She shivered, but didn't pull away. "With you?"

The words hung between them, charged with possibility. Zev stepped closer, caging her against the cave wall without touching. Her breath hitched and her lips parted. Fuck taking it slow.

"Zev?"

A faint whimper cut through the electric tension.

Both froze. Zev's head snapped toward the sound, his instincts sharpening. "Jonah!"

Twenty feet ahead, a small figure huddled in a crevice. The boy's eyes widened—relief, then guilt.

"Alpha, I—I didn't mean to?—"

Zev was moving before Jonah finished, Chrissy right behind. He crouched, gripping the boy's shoulders firm but gentle. "You're okay. That's all that matters."

Jonah's lower lip trembled. "I just wanted to see the crystals. But then I got lost, and?—"

Chrissy knelt beside them, her hand gentle on Jonah's arm. "Hey, little adventurer. We've got you now."

The boy blinked up at her, then at Zev. "You brought her ?"

Zev arched a brow. "Problem with that?"

Jonah grinned, suddenly cheeky. "Nope. But Grandma Rosa's gonna freak when she hears Chrissy Rivera crawled through a cave for me."

Their laughter echoed off the cave walls, relief washing over them in waves.

Zev ran his large hand through his brown hair, his wolf settling now that they'd found the lost pup.

As the initial relief subsided, his alpha instincts kicked in, his eyes scanning Jonah for injuries.

The boy's posture was off, and that's when Zev noticed it—Jonah's right foot wedged between two jutting rocks.

The boy's forced smile and the tightness around his eyes told Zev everything.

The kid was worried but trying to be brave for his Alpha.

"Jonah," Zev's voice dropped an octave, commanding but gentle. "Why didn't you tell me your foot was stuck?"

The boy's eyes widened, his bottom lip quivering slightly again. "I didn't want to—I thought I could?—"

"I'm going to send word through the pack link," Zev interrupted, his tone brooking no argument. "Let them know we found you and that you're safe."

Chrissy knelt close beside Jonah. "Jonah," Her voice was soft velvet in the cave's stillness. "Want to hear something brand new? Something nobody else has heard yet?"

Jonah nodded, his attention momentarily diverted from his trapped foot.

As Zev closed his eyes to concentrate on the pack link, Chrissy began to sing. The melody started low, almost a whisper, before lifting into something hauntingly beautiful. Her voice filled the cave with raw emotion—not the polished performance he'd seen on videos, but something organic and pure.

Focus. Zev forced himself to concentrate, reaching out to the others through their mental connection. We found him. He's safe. Stuck, but we're freeing him now. Meet us at the lava tube cave entrance.

He opened his eyes to find Jonah mesmerized by Chrissy's song, the fear temporarily forgotten in his wide-eyed wonder. Her lyrics spoke of finding light in darkness and of adventure and coming home. It was as though she'd crafted it on the spot just for this moment and just for this boy.

"I need to move these rocks," Zev said, interrupting the song with reluctance. "It might hurt a little."

Chrissy never stopped singing, only shifted to kneel behind Jonah, wrapping her arms around his small body and supporting him. Her eyes locked with Zev's over the boy's head, nodding in silent understanding.

Zev positioned his hands on the rocks, his fingers digging into the crevices. His muscles bunched beneath his shirt as he braced himself. With one powerful motion, he wrenched the rocks apart, creating just enough space for Jonah's foot to slip free.

The moment he was released, Jonah's brave facade crumbled. Tears streamed down his face as he launched himself into Chrissy's arms, burying his face against her neck.

"It's okay," she murmured between verses, never breaking her song. "You're the bravest explorer I've ever met."

Before Zev could reach for him, Chrissy had already stood, somehow managing to lift Jonah onto her back in a single graceful movement. The boy's arms wrapped around her neck, his tearstained face pressed against her shoulder.

"Lead the way, Alpha," she said with a wink that sent heat surging through Zev's body.

His wolf preened. Look at our mate. Strong. Caring. Carrying our pack's young.

Zev didn't bother arguing with her, partly out of respect for her determination, and partly because the sight of her with a pack child on her back stirred something primal in him. Instead, he flashed her a smile that showed just enough of his canines to be a reminder of what he was.

"This way," he said, his voice rough with something more than concern for Jonah.

The trip back seemed faster. Zev stayed close enough to Chrissy to catch her if she stumbled, but she moved with surprising confidence through the narrow passages, singing softly to Jonah the entire way.

When they finally emerged from the cave, the night air felt electric against his skin. The sounds of people—his pack—crashed through the underbrush, reaching them moments before two figures burst into the clearing. Jonah's parents.

"Mama!" Jonah cried, his voice breaking.

His mother rushed forward, sobbing as she pulled her son from Chrissy's back and clutched him to her chest. His father wrapped his arms around them both, pressing kisses to the boy's head.

Chrissy stepped back into the shadows, giving the family space.

Zev watched her face as she observed the reunion—the soft parting of her lips, the gentle moisture gathering in her eyes, and the way she hugged her arms around herself.

She looked awed and wistful, like she was witnessing something alien yet beautiful.

Zev moved to her side, drawn by an instinct deeper than thought. "You were incredible in there."

Chrissy's eyes remained on the family, now surrounded by arriving pack members offering comfort and relief. "This is..." She gestured to the scene. "It's nice to see. Everyone coming together like this."

"It's pack," Zev said simply.

"What's it like?" Her voice held a note of longing that tugged at something deep within him. "Being part of a community like this. Where you all protect each other, and where everyone drops everything when someone needs help."

Zev studied Chrissy intently for a moment—how the moonlight caught the delicate curve of her neck, the perfect fullness of her lips, and the way her sundress clung to her curves.

His wolf paced restlessly. Every protective instinct in his body had been triggered tonight—first by the missing pack pup, then by the fierce woman beside him who'd thrown herself into danger without hesitation.

"Maybe someday you'll know," he said, the words more revealing than he'd intended.

His nostrils flared as the scent of rain prickled his senses. Looking skyward, he saw dark clouds rolling in, threatening to unleash nature's fury. The island's storms were legendary—violent and swift, transforming placid terrain into deadly slides within minutes.

"Everyone needs to head back now." His voice carried the weight of command. "Storm's coming, and it's going to be a bad one."

The pack members scattered immediately, recognizing the authority in his tone. Only Jonah hesitated, turning back with panic flashing across his small face.

"My necklace! Grandpa's carving—I left it in the cave!" The boy's voice cracked with distress. "Please, Alpha, I need it!"

Zev's jaw tightened. He knew exactly what Jonah meant—a wooden wolf pendant the boy's grandfather had carved for Jonah before his passing. He crossed to Jonah in three swift strides, crouching to meet the child's eyes.

"I'll get it. You go home with your parents. Now." The command was firm but gentle. "These storms are dangerous, and your safety matters more than anything."

Jonah looked ready to protest until Zev's eyes flashed amber—a subtle reminder of who was in charge. The boy nodded meekly and rejoined his relieved parents.

"We're going back in, aren't we?" Chrissy asked as the others disappeared into the jungle.

Zev raised his eyebrows. " We? "

"Like hell I'm standing out here alone in this weather." Her green eyes sparked with defiance.

His wolf rumbled with approval at her inner fire. "Fine. But stay close to me again."

They slipped back into the cave, their movements practiced now after the first journey. Zev's enhanced vision picked out the wooden pendant almost immediately—nestled in the crevice where they'd found Jonah.

"Got it," he announced, tucking the carved wolf pendant into his pocket.

They retraced their steps quickly, aware of the darkening sky outside. As they approached the entrance, Zev's instincts triggered.

"Run," he ordered, grabbing her hand.

They burst from the cave mouth just as the heavens opened.

The downpour was instantaneous, a vertical wall of water that soaked them within seconds.

Visibility dropped to nothing as sheets of rain transformed the path into a slick mess.

Zev felt rather than saw the ground that began to shift beneath them.

"Back!" He pulled Chrissy hard against his chest, spinning them both back toward the cave entrance. They stumbled inside, drenched and breathing hard.

"Holy shit," Chrissy gasped, water streaming from her hair down her neck and over the swell of her breasts beneath the thin fabric of her dress.

"Island storms don't mess around." Zev raked a hand through his wet hair, dragging it back from his forehead. The top four buttons of his shirt had come undone, revealing his bronzed skin and the muscular planes of his chest. "We'll have to wait it out. Usually passes in twenty minutes."

They moved deeper into the cave where it was dry, the sound of rain drumming against stone creating a primal rhythm. Chrissy wrung water from her hair, laughing softly.

"Well... not how I pictured our first date ending."

The word 'date' sent a jolt through him. His wolf prowled to the forefront, satisfied that she saw this night as something personal and intimate.

"Not how I pictured tonight going at all," he replied, unable to keep the hunger from his voice.

Chrissy studied him, her eyes traveling over his face with quiet intensity. "You really care about them, don't you? You didn't even hesitate tonight."

"They're my family." The simple truth rumbled from deep in his chest. "I'll always run into any storm for them."

She stepped closer, close enough that he could feel the heat of her body despite her wet clothes. "That's the kind of person I want to be around someday."

Their eyes locked. Something electric sparked between them, primitive and undeniable. Her full lips parted slightly, and the scent of her desire mixed with rain and earth threatened to overwhelm his control.

"You showed bravery tonight too," he murmured, his voice deepening to a primal register. "Coming into the jungle, into danger, for a child you'd never met." He brushed a wet strand of hair from her cheek, letting his fingers linger. "That's the kind of mate I've always wanted."

"Mate?" The word hung between them, weighted with possibility.

Zev didn't answer with words. He didn't need to.

His lips found hers with unerring precision, claiming them in a kiss that started gentle but quickly blazed into something raw and honest. Her mouth opened under his, yielding and demanding all at once.

His hands spanned her waist, lifting her slightly as her arms wound around his neck.

The kiss deepened, his tongue sweeping into her mouth to taste her. She made a soft sound—half sigh, half moan—that his wolf recognized as surrender and triumph combined.

When they finally broke apart, both breathless, Zev noticed the rain had stopped. Through the cave entrance, moonlight once again painted the jungle.

But neither moved to leave.