Chapter 87 – Death–1
–LIA’S POV–
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Zane held me to his chest as we drove back. He drew gentle circles on my back with one hand, the other caressing my head and hair. I clung to him silently, desperate for the comfort, for the familiarity. I realised how far away we were from home. But he’d still managed to get to me.
Warner was driving, and he was covered in blood for some reason. Aaron was in the passenger seat, Sheila beside me, and Ajax was in a different car, trailing ours.
“How did you find me?” I asked Zane again.
I wanted details. I wanted to know everything he did, every effort he put into searching for me.
“Does it matter?” he asked, staring down at me.
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“I don’t know.”
He hummed softly, his chest vibrating gently and giving me an odd sense of comfort.
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Chapter 87 – Death–1
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“The pack helped. Aaron and Sheila questioned Blake, Warner interrogated people from The Order, Ajax and I combed through the forest near your house.”
“Then?” I whispered, although my gaze flew to Warner. Did that blood on him belong to people from The Order?
“Then we set out to search the rest of the town. You told me you would scream if you were in danger. That you’d call for me. So I clung onto that hope. And it worked. I heard you, Lia.”
My throat burned, and I closed my eyes, tears filling them. I didn’t know what I did to deserve him.
“I love you,” he said softly, somehow knowing how badly I needed to hear it. “I’ve got you, Lia.”
I snuggled deeper into Zane’s chest, craving his touch. The sparks and tingles that shot through my skin helped relax my
nerves.
“You wanna go home?” he asked softly.
I nodded. “But I don’t want Mom and Dad to worry.”
“We’ll sneak in and get you cleaned up.”
I sniffed, nodding again. “Okay.”
Silence fell once more, thick and louder than noise. The air was
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Chapter 87 – Death–1
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full of tension from the million unanswered questions reflecting in each of their eyes.
How did I end up in the forest? Who got me there? Why was I naked? What happened to me?
But none of The Hounds voiced their questions, and I was glad for it. Because I didn’t have any answers either.
I knew Zane would ask me immediately after I’d be cleaned up. He would treat and bandage my wounds, tuck me safely in bed, and then ask me everything.
And I would have only one answer to offer him: I don’t know.
I was terrified.
My heart was thumping in my chest, and Zane tightened his hold on me every few minutes, showing that he knew.
I bet all of them knew.
But the biggest question I had was if they could smell it.
If they could smell a change in me. In who I was. In my body.
And I couldn’t wait to get home to ask that.
“Zane,” I said, not bothering to meet his gaze. I was much more comfortable with my face in his chest.
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Chapter 87 – Death–1
“Yes, love?” he asked.
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“Do you…” I trailed off, thinking of how to word it. What was I supposed to say? I swallowed hard. “Can you tell?” I asked.
“Tell what?”
I sniffed again, my nose runny from the crying. “I’ve been feeling different ever since that night you saved my life. When The Order attacked, I mean.”
“Different? How?”
Why couldn’t he smell it? He should have been able to tell. All of
them should’ve been able to.
I glanced up at him now. “You remember I said I kissed you that night to check something?”
“Yes,” he said carefully, eyebrows furrowing.
“I could hear your heart, Zane. Without hugging you, without pressing my ear to your chest. I thought I could hear your heartbeat, and the fluctuations in it every time I said something flirty or touched you. So I kissed you to be sure. But then I forgot about it, distracted by my own pleasure.”
Zane stared at me, his face blank..
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Chapter 87 – Death–1
So I continued.
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“My wound healed too quickly. You said it was because of your blood, and I believed it too. But now, I’m not so sure.”
“Lia, what are you getting at?”
I bit my lip. “I don’t know, Zane. But… is it possible to turn someone without their knowledge? Did you… do something to me?”
“No,” he said instantly, “how can you even ask that? I would never do anything like that without your permission, Lia. I almost let you die because I did not want to make that choice for you.”
“Then what is happening to me?” I asked, my voice cracking. “If I’m not turning into a werewolf, why can I see the smallest insects on far away trees? That too, withouy my glasses. Why can I hear everything? How could I smell the stench of blood?”
Now I felt all of their eyes on me. Scrutinising gazes, even doubtful ones.
“Am I turning into something else? Did The Order do something to me? What is wrong with me?”
“Hey, shh,” Zane whispered, cupping my cheeks. “There is nothing wrong with you, alright? Don’t worry about it. I will figure it out.”
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Chapter 87 – Death–1
“Do you think I’m a werewolf?” I asked again.
“I’m not sure, Lia.”
“What do you mean?” I cried. “How can you not know?”
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