**Zion


    pov**


    Bane was so excited about Aife''s birthday, this had to be the first time in our lives that I had seen him both so scared and thrilled at the same time.


    He had gone above and beyond to ensure her day was special, and while I was happy about my best friend, I couldn''t shake off a feeling of being off while standing near him.


    Something about his aura had changed so drastically, I felt like something had crawled under my skin as I walked side by side with him.


    Don''t get me wrong - a lot of people feared Bane and they did for a reason. However, I had never been one of that bunch. I had never feared my best friend, even on the worst of his days.


    Today, however, yeah, he was so off, the warning signals went off even in my head. And that was why I excused myself to run home to my mate and ask a few questions.


    As soon as I stood in front of the door, K opened it, grabbed me by my shirt and pulled me inside the house as if I wasn''t supposed to be here.


    "What the fuck?" I hissed before she pped a hand over my mouth and red at me.


    "Lower your voice, someone''s listening," she whisper-hissed and quickly nodded her head towards the door that led into the basement.


    Reluctant and fucking confused, I followed after my mate down into the basement. As I was about to descend on the stairs, K looked over her shoulder and hissed, "close the door, Zion, you weren''t born in a goddamn train."


    Oh shit, this sassy and angry side of her really excited me. A little too much because the erection wasn''t the mostfortable thing to experience as I ran up and down the stairs, but damn it, I really hoped she would do this to me more. One of these days, she could call me her bitch while we went at it and I would nut like some cum whore for her. Jeez, definitely not the direction I hoped my mind would go, but who was I toin? No one shouldin about their fantasies.


    My hesitation to move faster seemed to anger my mate as K crossed her arms in front of her chest and started tapping her foot against the concrete floor.


    Okay, this waspletely unrted to the situation but did she have any idea how tempting she looked when she was mad? I seriously considered asking her if she would mind a quickie in the basement until she red at me. Well then, I was equally as terrified as I was turned on. It was official, I was madly in love with this woman and wanted nothing but to live under her heel until the end of my days.


    "Soo, I suppose the scowl on your face means there won''t be a creepy quickie in the basement, right?" I dragged the words as my feet finally hit the floor and was met with nothing but an aggressive eye roll. "Focus, mate," K hissed.


    Once again, she managed to make me feel as if I was about to explode with nothing but pure happiness. Nothing mattered for as long as she called me her mate. It was me, Zion the great, the man who tamed the angry kitty. "I''m focusing on everything that is important," I muttered and looked down to imagine she wasn''t ring daggers at me.


    "Your important is very different from mine. Yours is to constantly have sex so you can impregnate me and mine is to ensure the pack is safe now that I have be an official part of it," K exined and started pacing around the basement.


    I shrugged. "Not my fault I think you would look perfect carrying my pups."


    I knew the argument didn''t hold much weight against her words, but I had to put it out there. My mate would look amazing with her belly swollen with our growing children inside her.


    K let out an audible sigh and shook her head. "The Goddess of wolves has been kind to me, she gave me a guy with a breeding kink."


    I snorted out augh, unable to hide how amused I was. Sure, theughter that was supposed never echoed against the walls because she looked ready to kill, but that, once again, was nothing of importance.


    "If you don''t focus on what I am about to tell you.. Zion," she ran a hand through her beautiful hair and stopped to face me. "If you don''t listen, there won''t be a pack anymore and definitely not a living mate you could impregnate. Does that sound serious enough for you to pay attention now?"


    Okay, this situation just got unnecessarily dark out of nowhere and I really didn''t appreciate this turn of events. Just the thought of losing K this soon after I had barely gotten the chance to call her mine was fucking unfair. "I''m listening," was all I managed to blurt out without thinking.


    As I watched her start to pace the basement all over again, I recalled the thing she said when she fist pulled me towards here. *Someone''s listening.* She had said.


    K didn''t seem to notice how I didn''t let my eyes leave her. I tried my best to read her, but the issue was that I still didn''t know her as well as I wished I would. Sure, we were mates, but our rtionship was so fresh that we didn''t have a chance to learn more about each other.


    Once K stopped and spun on her heel to look at me, I held my breath. My mate looked like something big was bothering her and all I wanted was to take all that worry and pain away from her.


    "What I am about to tell you, it''s not a joke. Let''s get that out of the way, okay?" K suddenly announced.


    I still stood like a fool, holding my breath, nodding my head, ready to agree with anything that woulde out of her mouth.


    "Something dark is looming over this pack. I know you won''t like this, but Salem and I still share a bond of a sort. She came to my dreams to warn me. But not for the danger that looms over me. It''s about Aife. And honestly, I too feel it. It''s strong, ancient and hard to exin. The biggest issue is that it''s growing stronger with every minute. It just appeared, out of thin air. Something bad is about to happen and I honestly worry it''ll happen sooner than anyone could expect." Raising an eyebrow at her, I was about to ask K to tell me more, but the nudge at my mind-link caught me off guard. Knowing something bad had to happen for anyone to need me, I quickly opened the link and listened. With each word that echoed in my mind, the dread froze my bones and my eyes grew bigger. When the link cut, K was in front of me, her hands holding my shoulders and shaking me as she screamed my name. "Zion, what happened? What''s going on?" She asked, nothing but paning her words.


    Quickly, I pressed my lips to her forehead and pulled my mate into a quick hug. "You must stay here. Lock yourself in the basement and don''t leave unless it''s me who''s at the door." I growled the words.


    K instantly shook her head, but I took away her chance to protest as I stepped away and held her face in my hands, "promise me. Fucking promise me you''ll stay here and open the door only if you know it''s really me. Promise me you''ll listen and stay hidden here."