Chapter 182 – Together
–LIA’S POV–
“I… I’m sorry, Zane,” I said, taking his hands in mine. “That must have been so…”
“Scary?” He chuckled.
“Yeah,” I said softly. “And humiliating.”
He shook his head. “It wasn’t. I was very happy with your new power, but also worried because it seemed like you didn’t have control over it. If you can use it correctly, we can end this war before it even starts. But if not, you don’t even know what you might cause.”
A rush of power coursed through me.
This was the means to fix everything.
“I want to learn,” I said. “Is there any way?”
“We have figured out a few things to practice it.”
“Okay. Let’s start immediately.”
“Sure,” Zane replied.
“Wait,” Blake said softly. “Caitlyn.”
shot him a look
“I can’t believe you want us to let her live. After everything you dist to
ow you to in love with a girl who wants to kill me
be
“Eiche’t it our purs” he said “t disn’t choose it. E trust to resist my fexhings to do it”
1 folded my arms “what changes? Why are you here
He hesitated, then looked at both of us “She’s still my mato I can’t stop worrying about her or dismiss what I lost. You know that I got a second chance at happiness after everything with you. Flow can th
We were quiet for a boat.
He went on, slower now. “I know I have no right to ask you log anything. Not alter everything I did. But I’m begging you… when the fighting starts if you come across her, don’t kill her. Give me a chance to reach her first. Let me get her out.”
Zane gave me a side glance, like he was checking to see it was going to explode.
I sighed, staring at Blake.
He was tired. Not the fake, dramatic tired he’d used before when trying to guilt trip me. But the kind that showed on his body. This
Chapter 182 Together
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eyes were sunken, skin paler than usual. He looked like he hadn’t slept in days. Or eaten. Or done anything except worry about this girl.
“You’re serious about her,” I said.
He nodded. “I don’t expect forgiveness. I don’t expect trust. But if I can do one thing right… I want it to be this.”
Zane leaned back against the wall, arms still crossed. “You’re asking a lot. How do we know she’s not setting you up again?”
“She doesn’t know I’m doing this. In fact, she would kill me first if she found out. She hates me.”
“Well deserved,” I muttered.
“What do we get in return?” Zane asked. “I’m still not convinced to do anything at all for you. The Hounds will fight me if they found out I even let you in.”
Blake straightened up slightly. “That’s fair. But I do have something to offer you.”
“What?”
“My pack.”
That made both our eyebrows shoot up.
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Chapter 182 – Together
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“They’re well trained. You have fought them yourself. They will help you if I ask. And they will follow you with their eyes shut if I tell them who is on this side of the war.” He glanced at me at
the end.
“Why would they care about me?” I asked cautiously.
“Because you’re the Goddess’s daughter. Some of them worship the idea of you. Imagine if they got to follow you in battle.”
Goosebumps covered my skin, a shiver crawling down my spine.
Worship me? No way. That didn’t sound right. It was different when it happened in dreams. But now it was getting too real. Too powerful.
Zane looked at me, then back at him. “So you’re offering your pack in exchange for this girl’s life?”
“Yes,” Blake said. “They’ll fight for you. Protect you. No questions asked.”
The silence that followed was heavy.
I didn’t trust him. That much was obvious. But… I believed him. Maybe not completely. But enough to see that he wasn’t lying about Caitlyn. And something in his voice—raw and cracked—sounded real.
Zane spoke first. “If you betray us–”
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Chapter 182 – Together
“I won’t.”
“If she betrays us–”
“Then I’ll deal with it.”
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Zane stepped forward, looking Blake in the eye. “You get one shot. You mess this up, she dies. With the rest of your pack. I won’t hesitate.”
“And neither will I,” I added.
He nodded, once. “That’s all I ask.”
I looked over at Zane, who was clearly still weighing the pros and cons in his head. He let out a long sigh and nodded.
“Fine,” he said. “We’ll consider it.”
Blake exhaled like he’d been holding his breath the whole time.
“But this doesn’t mean we trust you,” I added. “And if I even sense that you’re lying…”
“You won’t.”
I turned back to Zane and motioned towards the hallway. “We should talk. Alone.”
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Chapter 182–Together
She modded and followed me out leaving Blake alone in the
JUUL
We don’t say anything right away. Just walked down the hall. Zane’s supuiders terse
on belee mm?” be malested
It in. I believe he believes himself
“That’s not the same thing.”
“I know. But what choice do we have? If he’s telling the truth, we gan fighters. If he’s lying…”
Then we kill him and her both.”
I nodded. “Exactly.”
Zane sighed. “I hate this.”
“Me too.”
But in the pit of my stomach, something was shifting. Uneasy. Curious.
Caitlyn. From the Order.
Why her?
Chapter 182 – Together
And why now?
What games was the Goddess playing exactly?
Didn’t feel very kind of her.
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“Come here,” Zane said, pulling me to his chest. He kissed my hair, and I breathed in his scent, melting into him. “I won’t let you get hurt again, Lia. Even if I have to give up everything else. I promise you, I will protect you. And I’m sorry I didn’t tell you things sooner. I was trying to figure out how to help first.”
I nuzzled closer to him, holding onto his clothes. “I…. understand. I do. It’s okay. I’m sorry for fighting with you.”
“It’s okay, my love. It was expected.”
I closed my eyes, clinging to him tightly.
Too much was changing. And too quickly.
A war was coming.
And we were running out of time.
But all I wanted was to stay with Zane.
All I needed was to be close to him, and we’d figure out the rest together.
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