Chapter Chapter Twenty-Two: Rocky

Mackenzie yawned and rubbed her eyes as she walked down the halls of the castle. It had been a few days since she met Ryan and they had been non-stop planning ever since. Zack had stuck around for a while but soon got bored and went back to the castle to do his work which left Mack alone with Ryan who had too many questions and not enough breath in his lungs to ask them.

She liked Ryan. He was a man-child but not in the way where you are rolling your eyes every five seconds because of his stupidity. Ryan was sweet, he was smart and most importantly he knew everything about fabric and sewing.

She stretched her arms a little as her eyes wandered the empty halls. After days of working and drawing, she needed a break and was sleeping in but Zack wanted to see her in his office. August didn’t tell her why but the way the guy had been stand-offish meant that Zack was in a bad mood and she had to deal with it on her own.

Noticing the door, she welcomed herself in without knocking and paused. Her eyes surveyed the different bokays of flowers that were on Zack’s desk as he stood by them with his face in his hands. “What is this?”

“They were sent to our room. There were more but I threw them out.” He responded slowly as he breathed through his rage. “All I want to do is ask you who you have been associated with but with Daisy keeping tabs on you for me, Raph following you around without you knowing and now Ryan, I can’t. I can’t keep thinking that you are with someone behind my back.”

Her face fell flat. As much as her chest started to burn with hurt, she couldn’t blame him. This was slowly getting out of control and the more she ignored it the more the flowers kept coming. “Are you sure they aren’t for you? The last batch was Azalea’s and not saying you are entertaining any females but there would be some women out there trying to gain your affection to be Queen.”

“I have already thought of that.” Zack sighed, placing his hands on his desk and using his weight to hold himself up. “Luke and Raph have investigated for me, there are no women trying to gain my attention.”

She stood there for a moment and thought. They must know someone, anyone who would be doing this to get her attention but who?

And then she found herself gasping and gaining Zack’s full attention. It was so obvious and Mack couldn’t help but swear at herself out loud. “It is that guy!”

“What guy?”

“Remember when you chased after me and brought me back here to the castle? We went into the stables and there was that guy who creeped me out and-”

“He was arrested and charged with harassment. He had a history of freaking out women so we have placed restraining orders on him for every female he tries to harass.” Zack interrupted. “And it couldn’t be him because he has been exiled from the castle.”

Mack nodded. “Yes, but was he imprisoned? And it is Daisy who brings the flowers to our room which means whoever leaves them at the front gates for her to get, also knows the layout of this place and would know when Dasiy retrieves our mail and would know that those flowers would go straight to us.”

Zack’s mouth opened and closed as she saw the puzzle pieces connect in his mind. “I am a fucking idiot.”

“Well, yeah.” Mack agreed with a shrug. “Probably why you were paired with me.”

He suddenly appeared in front of her and grabbed her face. The close contact caused her breath to leave her chest as she felt his lips on her forehead. “You are my gorgeous genius.”

Her heart jumped into her throat in seconds whilst he spoke. The contact was one thing with the sparks shooting through her skin but his words, his husky words sent a shiver through her that she couldn’t shake off.

The door being opened snapped her out of her daze as Zack still stood over her. Lucas’s eyebrow had raised at the sight of them but he didn’t say a thing as he spoke. “You called for me, dear brother of mine?”

“We figured out who it is.”

“The freaky flower gifter?”

Zack nodded. “It is the stable guy. What was his name? Who we had to exile.”

Luke’s eyes widened before he slapped his forehead and groaned. “How did that guy not come to mind!” He whined before turning his attention to a red-faced Mack. “You are a popular lady.”

“I don’t know how.” She mumbled. “Do you guys have that telepathic thing like werewolves?”

Zack chuckled as he finally removed his hands from her face but not before tucking a few strands of hair behind her ear first. “No, I asked August to retrieve him after retrieving you.”

“If you two could stop eye fucking each other, I can tell you where this guy is currently hiding.”

Mack jumped away from Zack who seemed to have gotten closer before she cleared her throat. “Where is he hiding?”

“That information, I cannot share with you, little lady.” Luke winked. “You have a mission tomorrow.”

Mack felt her eyes widen for the millionth time today. She had completely forgotten about her helping August with his mate and finding this girl. Getting caught up with Zack had fogged her mind so much that she was beginning to lose her memory. “Oh yeah, I should get to that.”

“Wait, you can stay.” Zack frowned as he glared at his brother.

“No, it is fine. I would rather get ready anyway instead of talking about this creep.”

And with that, she made her escape. Mack would have been confused about Zack not wanting her to leave but the mate bond was making itself known on a daily bases and if his heart beat as fast as hers did, it wasn’t completely the mate bond influence.

But actual feelings instead.