142 Chapter 141: Will you marry me?

"I think I like her," Skye said, standing up to her cousin. "And I don't see any reason why I have to stay away from her. She even beat Sam during combat." With a shy smile, she turned towards Elize and said, "I think I wanna be like her after I shift."

Heidi's jaw dropped open at the statement, but she quickly recovered from the initial shock, trying her best not to show it. She looked at Elize with a hostile gaze, narrowing her eyes in contempt, much to her dismay. Elize smiled awkwardly at her little packmate who, for some unknown reason, couldn't help but diss at her. 

"She must have cheated." Heidi said, pointing her finger at Elize, "I bet I can beat her." She said with a huff. 

"Hush, Heidi!" Skye shouted, grabbing her cousin's hand and yanking at it violently. "You don't know her yet."

Heidi pulled her hand of SKye's grip in a flash, glaring at her. Looking furious, she shouted, "I know her better than you. She must have used her mag-"

"Heidi!" Mikhail interrupted before she could complete the sentence. 

Elize sighed in relief. That was an almost disaster. If Heidi had blurted it out, her identity would have gotten exposed in a room full of strangers. If people were to know that she was the chosen one, then she'd have to say goodbye to her dreams of having a quiet life in the academy. She looked at Mikhail gratefully, nodding in acknowledgment. 

"What?!" Heidi yelled.

Mikhail crossed his arms over his chest, looking down on his packmate with a chastising look. 

"Do you want the Alpha to send you over to his grandfather's place in Singapore?" He asked threateningly. 

"Huh! Threaten me all you want!" Heidi said, gritting her teeth in irritation. "One day, people will know how disgusting she is. She is nothing but a weakling! She doesn't deserve to be our Luna!" She shouted.

"Excuse me?!" Elize asked, shocked at the display of hatred.

She scrunched her brows, looking at the girl intently. Raw anger had spiked up in her blood, driving her towards the edge of a shift. Heidi turned towards her, meeting her irritated gaze with a glare. The room had suddenly turned quiet, with everyone's attention turned towards the two girls. Elize's palm itched to hurt the girl in front of her. But she held back, squeezing her fingers into fists. How dare she talk to her like that? She thought in anger. For a straight ten minutes, she had stood there, listening to the kid's rant. But it was getting harder to control her wild side anymore. Just as her nails started to elongate and dig into her palms, a warm hand closed in around her shoulders, instantly calming her down. 

"Yes, Alpha!" Mikhail said, quickly grabbing the girl's hand.

Heidi screamed and shouted as Mikhail dragged her out of the room, spurting curses at her Luna. Elize gritted her teeth in irritation as she watched her go. As soon as Heidi was gone, all attention in the room turned towards Elize. She looked at Zack helplessly, hating the stares. 

"You want to get out of here?" He asked, tucking her hair behind her ears gently. 

Elize nodded. "Yes, please." She replied with an exhausted sigh. 

Zack bent down to place a kiss on her forehead before turning her around towards the exit. Elize smiled, pleased at the gesture. She wanted more. She leaned towards his face to get a peck on his lips when suddenly, he bent down and lifted her in his arms. Elize gasped in surprise, holding on to his jacket with both her hands.

"Hey!" Skye protested, shaking a finger at Zack. 

"Not now, pup, we'll talk later," Zack replied, sliding past her. 

"We'll meet again, Skye! Take care!" Elize shouted, waving back to Skye as she was getting carried out of the room at lightning speed. 

------

"What is this place?" Elize asked, looking around in wonder. 

Zack had brought her to a place outside the town boundary. They were standing in the middle of a grove, with a small stream cutting across the length of it. The flow of water was weak, but its sound resonated throughout the thicket of Rowan trees, making her sigh happily. She spotted a few birds sleeping in their nests atop some of the trees- their small chests rising up and going down in perfect harmony with the rhythm of the gurgling water. Thousands of fireflies flew around the bottom of the tree leaves, making the deep red of its fruits appear brighter. 

She laughed, twirling around in joy. Water splashed around her as her legs pushed against the flow of the stream. The cold of the water didn't bother her as she continued to play in the brook. Elize took a deep breath, taking in the fresh air. The place smelled like berries, wet earth, and flowers. With a broad smile, she turned around to take in the rest of the view. Elize felt like she had never seen a place as beautiful as this in her life. It seemed like a garden long abandoned by someone who had left the locale in a hurry. A lone cottage stood a few feet ahead from the stream in shambles, adding to the mysterious allure of the site. 

"I came across it when I was out doing work," Zack said, walking towards her with a satisfied smile. "Do you like it?" He asked, cocking his head to the side. 

"Like it?!" Elize laughed, shaking her head. "I love it!" She exclaimed. 

She watched as Zack sat down on the grass a couple of steps away from her on the bank. He removed his jacket, exposing the taut muscles on his arms as they strained against his white t-shirt. Elize couldn't help but stare at her mate in awe. The moon was shining with all its strength on that night. Its soft light fell on Zack's figure, covering him with an ethereal radiance. As she was standing there, appreciating her mate, an image flashed in her mind. A man in flowy robes was lounging against a similar backdrop, smiling warmly at her. Elize gasped, surprised at the deep yearning that gripped her heart suddenly. 

"Elize!" Zack's voice cut through her distraction, bringing her back to the present. "Come, sit next to me." He said, patting on the ground next to him. 

She smiled, pushing the image to the back of her mind. Elize got out of the stream and walked towards her mate with a shy smile. It was a rare opportunity to spend time with him, and there was no way that she was going to ruin it by giving in to her weird hallucinatory visions. But what bothered her the most was that the man had looked eerily similar to Lloyd. But he had looked at her the same way that Zack was looking at her right now. Shaking her head, to push out the thoughts once again, she sat down next to her mate with a happy sigh. 

"You smell so nice." She said, leaning on his shoulder. 

Zack chuckled at the statement. Placing a kiss on the top of her head, he whispered, "I love you."

"Is this your apology?" Elize asked, turning to him with a teasing smile. 

"Why? Did I do something wrong?" Zack asked, playing innocent.

Elize reached out to pinch his cheeks. "You told me that you wouldn't follow me." She said, pulling at his skin. 

"Ouch!" Zack exclaimed, quickly grabbing both her hands with his right hand. "Okay, okay! I'm sorry!" He said, laughing in defeat. 

"Bad boy," Elize said, pouting her lips.

Zack chuckled, wrapping his free hand around her waist. In one swift move, he lifted her up to seat her on his lap. Elize laughed in surprise at his action, helplessly complying with his movements. he leaned down to place a quick peck on her lips, making her blush.

"All yours." He whispered against her mouth. 

Elize didn't wait as she bent forward and caught his lips in between hers. She licked his soft wet flesh, sucking on his lower lip. The sudden burst of desire that erupted from the lower half of her body consumed all her senses. Zack moaned as he let go of her hands, wrapping both his hands around her torso. But soon, he broke away from the kiss, grabbing her by the shoulder.

"Wait." He said, panting for air. 

"Hmm?" Elize asked, raising her brows. 

With a broad smile, he quickly detached himself from her, and before she knew it, he was on his knees on the grass in front of her. 

"Zack-" Elize said, her eyes widening in surprise. 

"Elize Gurg, will you marry me?" Zack asked, producing a ring from his pocket.