An Enemy Called Mate

ZIVA

As soon as Xander left the mansion, I felt my cheeks turn red. He had prepared our pup’s nursery room all by himself and he even intended to surprise me with it.

I foolishly ruined the surprise, but I’m still excited. I walked into the nursery room. Seeing the blue and pink crib, a smile appeared on my face. My little pups would soon arrive and fill this beautiful room with laughter and joy.

A buzz sounded from my phone, drawing my attention. I glanced at it and saw a pop-up message from Sender – Doctor Aurora. The message contained details about the foods I should avoid and the exercise classes I could join.

There was a prenatal exercise class by noon that would involve other pregnant women and their partners.

I forwarded the class location to Xander and sent a message, “Can you reschedule your meeting and meet me here? Doctor Aurora recommended this prenatal exercise class, happening at noon with other expectant couples.”

“I will be there,” he replied quickly.

With that, I smiled and searched through my closet. Surprisingly, there were a lot of maternity clothes there. Glancing at each of the clothes, a pair of maternity leggings, and top caught my gaze. I decided to wear them.

When the clock struck 12 PM, I changed into the outfit I had chosen and the driver drove me to the location – a yoga studio.

I stepped inside the studio, feeling nervous and excited. The room was filled with women with round, big pup bumps, and their partners. However, Xander was not there.

I grabbed my phone, intending to message him and remind him about the exercise class, just in case he had forgotten. Then, his message popped up on my screen.Property of Nô)(velDr(a)ma.Org.

“I’m so sorry but I won’t be able to make it to the yoga studio. Something unexpected came up.”

My heart sank. Why didn’t he say that earlier instead of raising my hopes?

“Mrs. Ziva,” I heard someone say.

I turned around and saw a woman in yoga pants and a comfortable tank top. I’ve never seen her before and how did she identify me?

She approached me with a smile on her face, “I’m Nancy, the yoga instructor.”

Oh! I should have noticed. She was the only woman in the studio who didn’t have a pup bump.

She extended her hand for a handshake, and I shook it. I said, “Nice to meet you, Mrs. Nancy.”

“Nice to meet you too! Please make yourself comfortable and let me know if you have any questions or concerns.”

She glanced around as if searching for someone. Instantly, I knew who she was searching for.

“Alpha Xander isn’t here,” I explained to her. “He’s tied up with pack business.”

Her expression turned sympathetic. “Oh, I hope you’re doing okay with that,” she said, and I nodded curtly.

It stung a little, but I understood. Work had kept him away, and I knew it was part of being with a pack leader. Still, the absence lingered like a faint ache.

Just then, the yoga instructor strode to the front row, and she began the exercise class. I went through the motions, trying to focus on the exercises and the other expectant mothers around me, but my heart wasn’t fully in it.

After the class, everyone chatted and laughed as they left. I walked out of the studio and the driver took me back to the mansion.

I joined Mum and Alexei for dinner, listening as they chatted excitedly about Alexei’s new job in the human city. He had always dreamed of working there, and now he was finally taking steps to make it a reality.

I headed to my room after I finished having dinner, but I could not sleep. I was disappointed by Xander’s absence at the studio.

I checked my phone, reading Xander’s previous message. “Something came up?” I wondered. Perhaps he was really busy. I sighed. I shouldn’t greet him with a scolding or complaint then.

My ear perked up at the sound of a soft knock.

I called out, “Come in.”

The door creaked open, and I turned to face it. Xander appeared in the doorway. I could see the exhaustion etched on his face. His trip must have been tiring.

“I’m sorry I missed the class-” He began, his voice low.

“It’s fine,” I said gently. “But you said something came up. What happened?”

Xander sighed, and he rubbed his temples as if trying to ease a headache. “There was a report of a family’s death on the other side of the pack. I had to pay my condolences, but Lance informed me that another family had been killed, with the same symptoms as the first. It’s been a long day.”

My heart softened and I asked, “Do you need me to accompany you there tomorrow? You know, the family of the deceased deserves to be comforted.”

His eyes widened in surprise, and he waved his hand dismissively, “Don’t trouble yourself. You may not be comfortable.”

“I am comfortable with it.”

~~~~

As dawn broke, I and Xander traveled to the other side of the pack. He mentioned that it was a war-ravaged rural place that he had under his protection because its people had helped his father during his reign.

The car halted, and Xander walked over to my side to open the door. Then, I walked out of the car and paid my condolences to the relatives of the deceased.

“It’s very disheartening. They were so close to us,” the woman sobbed as her husband patted her back.

“We are very very sorry for your loss,” I said in a low tone.

With that, they bowed their heads and left.

“Strangely, they seem to have a lot of well-wishers,” I whispered to Xander, who folded his arms.

“Well-wishers?” Xander replied, his voice low. “We can’t trust any of those faces. The family members of the deceased probably poisoned them for their selfish gains.”

I looked at him, surprised. “Why would you say that? You’ve only seen the corpses and relatives once.”

“Lance investigated,” Xander explained, leading me to a small house. “The deceased owned top stores in this pack and several others. You can imagine what their family would gain after they die.”

I thought for a moment. Then, an idea struck me. “Speaking of owning a top store, shouldn’t the first suspect be their business rival?”

Xander nodded. “Yes, but he doesn’t seem to be the culprit. He was investigated, and he even confessed to deciding to close down his business before this happened.”

As we walked inside a room, a pungent smell hit my nostrils.

“Are you sure you will be comfortable with checking the corpses?” Xander asked, concern evident in his tone.

“Yes,” I replied. Glancing around the room, I noticed a body that was placed on a table.

Lance was also in the room. He parted his lips to speak, but as soon as his gaze fell on me, his gaze darkened.

But then, he quickly composed himself.

“Lady Ziva, you are here,” Lance said in a calm tone.

Surprisingly, this was the first time I noticed his dark and cold gaze. Initially, he was very nice and gentle when we first met.

However, after I returned to this pack during the Crystal Moon incident, he seemed to have become increasingly distant and cold – Why does he seem so different now?

Xander strode towards the table and Lance approached him. He removed the white sheet from the corpse.

A wave of sorrow washed over me as I saw the corpse, a young boy likely between five and six years old.