And he turned around to leave as I nodded but Dane being Dane just couldn't shut up. "Don't order her around as if you are her dad."

And Zale halted. Uh-oh. No, this isn't going to end well.

Zale slowly turned around to face him, his eyes twinkling with mischief and his lips twisted into a smirk. "Oh, what a coincidence, she does call me daddy."

Oh God. I don't call him that! And why did he have to say that infront of my dad and brother. My face turned red as a tomato.

And before I could react, Dane did. He pulled up his gun and fired it at him and eyes widened and I pushed Zale out of the way but I wasn't fast enough as the bullet grazed his bicep making him groan and fall down.

"DANE!" Dad bellowed and I rushed to Zale who now clutched his bicep and his eyes were shut firmly as blood oozed out between his fingers. Pain was etched all over his face.

I knelt down next to him and cupped his cheek while I placed the other hand over his bicep. "Hey...hey... shit. Oh God. We need to go to the hospital."

Zale opened his eyes slowly and croaked, "I am okay... it's okay..." And he made an attempt to stand up and I helped him.

"We should go to the hospital." I told him as I started to lead him to the front door.

"It's okay...call Maverick. He's nearby."

Nodding, I pulled out my phone and dialled Maverick's number which Zale gave me along with his in case I ever need it.

"Hello?" I heard him speak and in a haste I told him everything and he replied saying he will be there in three minutes.

"I can get a doctor to see you here only..." I offered seeing how much he was bleeding.

"No." He refused immediately. "I am fine. Maverick will treat it."

I looked over my shoulder to dad who stood there looking guilty and Dane was standing beside him with his head hung low and jaw clenched.

Not caring about them, I lead Zale out of the house as we waited for Maverick.

Tears welled up in my eyes. "Zale...are you sure you are okay? I don't think so..."

He removed his hand from his bicep and more tears formed in my eyes on seeing the wound. With his bloodied hand, he gripped my chin gently and made me look at him.

"Hey..." He said softly. "I am okay. It's nothing new."

"I am so sorry. I didn't know he would do that, I really am sorry." Tears fell down on my cheeks.

"No." He groaned. "Don't cry, please. I fucking hate seeing you cry. The first time you cried I felt so guilty." And he leaned down and kissed away my tears as I held his collar with both my hands.

"Shh..." He whispered, kissing my eyes. "I am okay, don't cry, princess."

And I pressed my face to his chest, wrapping my arms around his waist and he wrapped his uninjured arm around shoulder.

He kissed the top of my head and he chuckled hoarsely. "Well...it was kinda my mistake too. I shouldn't have said that."

I pulled back and slapped his chest making him chuckle again. "Don't do that ever again. That was embarassing!"

"It was funny." He laughed.

I rolled my eyes as my lips twitched to turn into a smile. So, I grabbed the back of his neck and kissed him instead, my tears all gone by then.

Before he could kiss me back, Maverick's voice forced us apart. "Zale!"

I stepped back as he rushed to his brother and grabbing his arm, examined the wound. "The hell do you keep getting hurt?"

"Are you going to take me home or keep lecturing me?" Zale spoke in a bored tone.

"Come on." Maverick grabbed his hand and started to drag him away and when I followed him, Zale stopped me.

"You need to stay here and talk with your dad, okay?"

"No! I am coming with you!"

"Jezebel..." He cupped my cheek. "I am going to be alright. Go, talk with your dad and then come to me, okay?" And he kissed my forehead lingeringly.

I pouted sadly but nodded and he gave me one last peck on my lips before leaving with Maverick.

When I turned to go back inside I noticed dad standing at the front door watching me or us for the past few minutes with a neutral expression on his face.

When I reached him, he said, "Come to my study. We need to talk."

Determined to sort it out with him today itself, I followed him into his study and he went behind his desk and opening a drawer took out a thin file and placed it on the desk.

"What's this?" I asked him.

He leaned forward, resting his palms on the edge of the desk. "Transfer of territory."

My mouth fell open and I glanced between him and that file in shock. "What?"

He sighed deeply. "Alaska belongs to Zale. He is the right owner of it. What I did was wrong so I am giving it back."

And he opened the file and taking out a pen, signed his name at the bottom of the page over the dotted lines.

I walked across the desk and jumped over him, hugging him tightly. "THANK YOU!"

He hugged me back, patting my back. "No. Thank you for making me realise my mistake. I started to consider this ever since you said it to me for the first time but I wasn't sure."

He pulled back and grabbed both my shoulders squeezing them gently. "But today I saw just how much you love him and how much he loves you. He really does, you can see it in the way he looks at you."

"Are you..." I trailed off not believing him.

A small smile touched his lips. "Approving your relationship?" He completed the sentence for me and I nodded eagerly.

"Yes, Jezebel. I am approving your relationship. I don't have any problem with it anymore, I know that man loves you and makes you happy."

I once again hugged him. "Thank you, dad. Thank you so much!"

He kissed the side of my head. "Anything for you."

"And..." He said as I stepped back. "Dane is not going to be the leader next month."

I frowned. "Why?"

"Because for being a leader, he needs to learn to control his anger so, I am giving him an year to do that untill then I will remain the leader."

"That's a very good decision, dad. He is very hot headed." And I pressed a kiss to his cheek. "Thank you."

And grabbing that file, I walked to my room where I took a shower and changed my clothes and once I was ready, I took that file and walked down to the garage.

.
.
.

I repeatedly rang the bell to his house for ten seconds and the door was pulled opened by an annoyed looking Maverick. "Have you gone mad, woman?"

I shoved him aside and moved inside the house searching for Zale and sighed in relief when I found him sitting on the couch, shirtless and his bicep bandaged properly.

"Jezebel." He stood up and took a step towards and I ran to him and hugged him tightly.

He wrapped his uninjured arm around my waist. "Is everything alright?"

I pulled back and nodded as Maverick stood behind me, watching us. "Are you okay?"

He shrugged. "Of course, I am. It's not my first time being hit by a bullet."

"Whatever, but you need to be more careful from now on."

He leaned down and kissed the tip of my nose. "I have you to take care of me now, don't I?"

Behind us, Maverick scoffed loudly. "All these years..." He drawled dramatically. "...I was the one to take care of you yet I never got the credit for it and then she comes into your life for a month or two and gets all the love and attention."

Zale deadpanned and gestured him. "Come here."

He looked unassured and took a step back instead. "You are going to hit me."

"No, I won't. Come here." Zale rolled his eyes.

Maverick narrowed his eyes in suspicion. "No. You will hit me."

Zale blinked slowly, staring at him blankly. "Fine, then I will come there." And he took a step forward and Maverick held up his hands in surrender. "Okay, okay..."

And he came closer to Zale and Zale, pulled him in for a hug surprising him and while hugging him, he kissed the top of his head. "You are my little brother, I love you, okay?"

Maverick gently shoved him away. "Yeah, whatever." But he had a small smile on his face.

Then his eyes fell on the file in my hand and he pointed to it. "What's that?"

"Oh, right. I forgot." I turned to Zale and held up the file in between us. "Guess what? You got Alaska back."

They both froze in their places and stared down at me in disbelief. "I am not kidding! It's true, take a look at this."

And Maverick snatched the file from my hand while Zale kept staring at me as if I said the most impossible thing ever.

Maverick skimmed through those pages and gently slapped Zale's shoulder with the file to bring him out of his shock and handed the file over to him to read.

And the next thing I knew is that Maverick wrapped his arms around my waist and lifting me off the floor twirled me around in the air making me chuckle. "God! I love you! You are the best, Jezebel! Thank you!"

"Hey!" Zale shouted. "Put her down, you can't love her!"

He showed down and placed me down. "Don't be jealous, Zale. I meant I love her platonically, like a sister."

Zale yanked me out of Maverick's hold and crashed his lips to mine, moving them slowly and passionately. I wrapped my arms around his neck kissing him back with the same passion.

"I love you." He whispered between the kiss. "I love you so much. Thank you."

"Oh, for fuck's sake!" Maverick groaned. "I am not a huge fan of PDA. Get a room instead."

I smiled against his lips and pulled back much to Zale's disappointment but no before whispering, "I love you too."

Zale still held the file in his hand and asked Maverick, "You have a pen?"

Maverick searched his pockets and pulled out a pen and handed it to Zale and he placed file down on the coffee table kneeling down, he signed his name next to dad's, finally, securing his territory back.

As he put the pen down, I noticed the tears glistening in his eyes and I knelt down too and hugged him from the side, pressing a kiss to the side of his forehead.

Maverick went upstairs to pick Alaric from his nursery and soon they both joined us, Maverick hugging us from the other side with Alaric in his arms.

And in that moment I knew I had found a new family whom I loved and cared for with my whole heart, because sometimes we find a family for ourselves who is stronger than blood.

Chapter completion on: 27/6/22
Published on: 29/6/22

So, only the epilogue is left now which I haven't written till yet so I will publish it as soon as I complete writing it which I don't know when...

~Ahlam