–CHRISTY’S POV–
“I don’t think so,” I muttered, faking a laugh.
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Nathan frowned, his perfect eyebrows pulling together. “Why not?” he whispered.
“Because, Nathan, you likely imagined it. The lights in the gym were so messed up.”
“No,” he replied. “I know what I saw, Christy.”
“You saw wrong,” I replied. “You know how crazy it sounds? Eyes gone completely black? Like is he a demon or something?”
Nathan stared at me, then his eyes widened. “The Hounds,” he said softly. “Like hell hounds. Maybe that’s why they call themselves that, Christy. Maybe they are demons.”
I licked my lips.
“Cool theory. But no. I think if Zane was a demon, I would’ve
known.”
“How?”
“My best friend is dating him,” I shrugged.
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“And? Where is she now? Because she disappeared in the middle of prom. And she didn’t even come to see you.”
My heart tightened in
my
chest.
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“I’m sure she has good reason for that,” I muttered.
“That’s what I’m saying too, Chris. Maybe the good reason is that Zane hurt her. Or she found out the truth about him and he locked her up. You tell me yourself, is it like her to not come visit you when you need her the most?”
“Zane would never hurt her.”
There was a knock on the door, making both our heads snap towards it.
“Come in,” I called.
The door opened slightly, and then Lia stuck her head in.
A wave of grief took over me, one I’d been suppressing for too long.
“Lia,” I whispered, sitting up, as tears pricked my vision.
She didn’t waste a second and rushed up to me, pulling me into a hug.
“Are you okay?” I asked, a tear sliding down my check.
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“I’m fine,” she replied. “Are you okay?”
I laugh–sobbed, nodding. “I’m okay. Zane saved me.”
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“Yeah, I did,” Zane announced, sauntering inside the room with balloons and a bouquet.
I smiled at him, but then glanced at Nathan, whose face had gone pale.
He stood up, moving to the side, away from us. His eyes fixed on Zane like he was watching a ticking time bomb. His jaw was clenched, and I could tell he was itching to say something, but didn’t. Not with Zane looking so calm and confident and completely unaffected by the tension buzzing in the air.
Zane placed the bouquet and balloons on the bedside table. “They didn’t have your favorite flowers, so I got whatever looked like less of a funeral arrangement,” he said, trying to lighten the mood.
I narrowed my eyes. “What are my favourite flowers, Zane?”
He grinned. “No idea.”
I chuckled. “Thanks.”
Lia sat beside me again, holding my hand gently. She hadn’t let go since the hug. “I wanted to come sooner,” she said, eyes soft
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with guilt. “But a lot’s happened.”
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Nathan cleared his throat loudly, like he wanted to say exactly what he thought had happened. Zane turned to him, his blue eyes unreadable.
“You can go now, Nathan,” I said softly, even though a part of me wanted him to stay forever.
Nathan looked at me, then at Zane and Lia. “You sure?”
I smiled at him in reassurance. “Yeah. I’ll text you later. Thank you… for staying.”
He nodded slowly. His eyes flickered one last time towards Zane, and then he walked out without another word.
As soon as the door clicked shut behind him, I exhaled.
“Okay,” I said. “Tell me everything.”
Lia glanced at Zane, then back at me. “You remember what happened in the washroom?”
“I remember Blake,” I said quietly. “He pushed me. I hit my head.”
Her jaw tensed. “He took me right after that.”
“What did he want?”
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Zane leaned against the wall, arms crossed. “To run away with her. He marked her.”
My eyes widened, gaze settling on her neck now. There was a bandage on it, one I didn’t notice earlier.
“So what now?” I asked. “Are you not Zane’s mate anymore? Did it hurt, Lia? Are you alright?”
“Relax,” Lia said, squeezing my hands. “I’m fine, Chris. Yes, it hurt. He’s a piece of shit. But Zane arrived after, thanks to you. He took me to his pack house and they saved my life. Healed me. Then Zane marked me too. And now I’m absolutely head over heels for him.”
I frowned, “More than you already were?”
“Yeah. Didn’t think it was possible.”
I smiled, pulling her into a hug. “I’m sorry I couldn’t protect you, Lia. I was so useless back there.”
She hugged me back, shaking her head. “I’m the one who’s
I was supposed to protect you, not the other way round.”
sorry.
“No guys,” Zane said dramatically, breaking the moment. “I’m sorry. I was supposed to protect you!”
We both laughed, and Lia shot him a look.
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“Girls are so dramatic,” he said, shaking his head.
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I stared at Lia, at the bandage on her neck. “How can there be two marks? Is that even possible?”
‘Apparently,” Lia muttered. “Because of me. Because I’m not normal.”
I stared at her. “Lia…”
“I’ll explain that part later,” she said quickly. “What matters is, I’m alive and well. And so are you.”
“And what about Sheila and Warner?” I asked. “Blake shot them.”
“They’re at the pack house, don’t worry,” Zane replied. “They’re healing.”
“Thank God,” I whispered, finally deflating and leaning back in bed. I stared at my blanket, my mind spinning. Then I looked up. “There’s something I have to tell you you guys too.”
Mischief glinted in Lia’s eye. “Oh yeah. Is it about… Nathan?” she sang.
I smiled, shaking my head at her. “I’m gonna freak about that bit later. There’s something more important right now. He… he saw something.”
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“What?” she asked, eyes widening.
“He saw Zane’s eyes turn black.”
“Tell him he imagined it,” said Zane.
“I tried. He’s not convinced.”
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“So that’s why his heart was beating so fast when we came,” Lia muttered.
“You can hear heartbeats?”
She pursed her lips. “Yeah.”
“How?”
“Doesn’t matter. Not at the moment. What did Nathan say?”
“He wants to report it. He thinks you’re dangerous.”
Zane let out a humorless laugh. “He’s not wrong.”
“He is,” Lia snapped. “You saved me. You saved both of us.”
“He saw your eyes and made this theory that you’re some kind of demon. Even said that the Hounds might actually be hell hounds.”
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Zane snorted. “Original.”
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“He’s scared,” I added. “And honestly? So am I. A little bit,” I admitted.
Lia frowned. “Why, Chris? You know they would never hurt you.”
“I know. But after everything that happened with Blake, my heart hasn’t really rested. It’s scary.”
“Hey,” Zane said, approaching. “You have nothing to be afraid of, Chris. I promise. You’re family to us. Because you’re family to Lia. We won’t let you get hurt again.”
I stared at him, then offered him a small smile. “Okay.”
“And if Nathan tries to report anything, I’ll handle it.”
I looked up at him sharply. “You can’t hurt him.”
“I didn’t say I would,” he replied. “I know you’re in love with him.”
My cheeks flamed. “I… I’m not–”
“Save it, Chris.”
I groaned. “Okay, fine. But you don’t handle anything. I’ll talk to him. Make sure he doesn’t do anything stupid. I just told you
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guys because I thought you should be prepared if something goes wrong.”
“Alright. I trust you to take care of it,” Zane replied. “If you can’t, you let me know, and we kidnap him and force him to marry you.”
I fake laughed. “You’re hilarious, Zane.” I deadpanned.
He chuckled.
“Well, at least it’s all over now,” I muttered. “Blake’s gone?”
“He won’t come near you again,” Lia promised.
I nodded. “Thank you.”
“I love you, Chris.”
“I love you too,” I pulled her into a hug, taking a deep breath.
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