Chapter 35 – Boyfriend–1
–ZANE’S POV–
&
Lucky Draw
I did not enjoy scaring her. But sometimes, she left me no other option. It pained me to see her frightened expression, but how else was I supposed to convince her to do what I needed her to do? Lia Snow was the most stubborn girl I’d ever met.
“What condition?” she asked, a slight tremor to her voice.
I wanted to step forward and pull her into my arms, to reassure her that she was safe. That no matter what happened, no matter what she did, I could never hurt her.
“Tell me honestly, how many times did you think about me in the last week? And don’t lie—I’ll know.”
Her heart raced.
Bingo.
I’d asked the perfect question.
She looked away from me, a clear sign that the question had caught her off guard. Now she was scrambling for an answer, or a way to lie to me without making it obvious.
“Once,” she then said, “or twice maybe.”
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Chapter 35–Boyfriend–1
I smiled. “And for how long did those last?”
Now she glanced at me in utter shock.
I stifled a laugh.
Lucky Draw
She thought she did something there. But in all honesty, I would give the same response if she asked me the same question. It thought about her once and then did not stop.
“I am done here, Zane. I have to get to class.” She tried to leave, but I moved to block her way. She tried from the other side, but I moved with her, placing my hand on the wall.
Lia backed away, her eyes downcast. I took a careful step towards her.
“Lia, look at me,” I said softly, placing a finger under her chin and tipping it up.
Her eyes were glassy with tears.
“What is it?” I asked, gliding my thumb below her lower lip.
“I’m scared, Zane,” she said, sniffing softly.
My brows furrowed. “Of me?”
She nodded.
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Chapter 35 – Boyfriend–1
“Don’t be, my love,” I said in the gentlest of tones I could muster. “You have no reason to be afraid of me.”
Lucky Draw
“Not just you,” she replied, taking a deep breath. “You, Blake, the Hounds. What all of this means for me… I am not a part of your world, Zane. I’m just a human. I’m completely ordinary.”
She was not ordinary. Nothing about her was.
“Come here.” There was a barrel in the corner of the closet, and I turned it upside down, leading her to it. She sat down on it, and I knelt on the ground before her, taking her hands in mine. “I know it’s all very overwhelming for you, Lia. I understand what
you mean–
“No you don’t,” she said, cutting me off. A tear escaped her eye, and I quickly reached out and wiped it away. “You had always known that there is a person out there who is created for you. You had been keeping an eye out for her ever since you found out. You knew exactly what would happen when you’d turn sixteen. You just didn’t expect that it would be me. Imagine if you were human, away from this world. Imagine if you did not know that people like you exist. And then all of a sudden, you turn sixteen, your bully starts showing up to your bedroom, acting all romantic and loving. You find out that he can turn into an animal, and if you don’t end up with him, if you dare to fall in love with someone else, he would eat him.”
“We don’t eat–”
Chapter 35 – Boyfriend–1
Lucky Draw
“Yes, I know. Let me rephrase that to exactly what Sheila said. You’d rip his head off.”
Goddess. Why did Sheila have to do this?
“He gets you used to him, he stays close by no matter how many times you tell him to stay away. And then one day, he simply disappears. He stops coming to school, to your house, he stops texting or calling you for a whole week. You keep staring at your phone, and looking out the window, wondering where he went, worrying for his safety, worrying about the stupid message you’d sent to a random, fake Facebook group, and thinking you got him into trouble. And then he shows up, with a girl on his arm, acting like nothing happened, and he got a girlfriend.” She broke into sobs, tears spilling from her eyes freely.
Facebook group… Did she know about The Order? Was she the one who had led them to us?
“What Facebook group, Lia?” I asked, trying to keep my tone calm.
She glanced at me, wiping away more of her tears. “Something called The Order. It said they hunt werewolves. It’s probably a fake as you were just busy with your new girlfriend.”
I pursed my lips, running a hand through my hair.
Lia frowned. “What?”
