Chapter 71 – Pup–3
–LIA’S POV–
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Zane’s expression shifted instantly. “I don’t know, probably?” he
said in a bored tone.
“He called me, by the way.”
“When?” Zane asked.
“An hour back, I think.”
“What did he say?”
“I didn’t receive the call.”
“Good.”
“Not on purpose. I missed it. I was downstairs.”
His face fell again. “Did you call him back?”
“No.”
“Good,” he said again, smiling.
I laughed. “You’re jealous of him.”
Zane scoffed. “I don’t have anything to be jealous about, love.
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I’m the one here with you. Not him.”
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“Okay, so why do you get so annoyed at the mention of him?”
“I’m not annoyed, I just don’t like the guy. I don’t trust him.”
“I’m sure he doesn’t trust you either,” I pointed out.
“He should. Because I saved you, twice, when he failed.”
“That’s not his fault, is it?”
“It absolutely is. He put you in harm’s way once. And this time, he ran away, Lia.”
“He was probably calling to explain,” I said.
“There cannot be a reasonable explanation for running away from a fight. A fight in which your mate is present. He is either a complete loser, or he just doesn’t love you more than he loves himself.”
I frowned. “But isn’t that impossible? All werewolves love their mates more than they love themselves.”
“No, not all.”
I frowned. “What do you mean? I thought all werewolves love like you.”
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“No, not exactly. It varies from person to person. All werewolves love their mates, yes. But all werewolves have different love languages. Just like humans.”
“Oh. That makes sense.”
“Yeah.”
“So what if the love languages of two mates don’t allign? You’re still stuck with the person and forced to make it work?”
“It’s not that hard, usually, even if the love languages don’t allign. You find yourself loving them anyway.”
“So there are no abusive relationships among werewolves? No relationships with unbalanced dynamics?”
“There are,” he nodded. “It’s rare, but it happens, of course. There’s good and bad people everywhere, right? So even in werewolves, there are some who are just vile creatures.”
“Do they hurt their mates?”
“Sometimes. Yeah.”
My face fell now. “I—I thought werewolves could never hurt. their mates.”
“Like I said, most cannot. But it happens.”
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“Then you should say, ‘would not‘. There is a difference between would not and cannot.”
Zane nodded slowly. “I guess you’re right.”
I bit my lip, frowning.
“Lia?” Zane said. “What’s wrong? You know I would never–”
“I know, I’m not thinking about you.”
“Then? Did Blake do something I’m not aware of?” he asked in
alarm.
“No, no. It’s just that… if a werewolf gets stuck in an abusive relationship, they can’t even leave?”
“Of course they can.”
“But the bond would make it impossible.”
Zane paused now.
I raised a brow. “There is a catch, isn’t there? You’re not telling
me.”
Zane sighed. “It’s not important, Lia. I would never hurt you.”
“I still wanna know. You acted like the bond is unbreakable. So wouldn’t it make it impossible for a werewolf to leave their mate,
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even if they’re abusive?”
“The bond can break in certain circumstances.”
“How?” I asked.
“Why do you wanna know?” He frowned.
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“Because I deserve to.” I replied. “It won’t be true love unless I know the way to escape and still choose to stay. If I don’t know how, it’s just… something I’m trapped in.”
Zane stared at me silently for a moment. “Okay. I’ll tell you. But it’s complicated.”
“How so? Uncomplicate it.”
“It’s not like ripping off an engagement ring, or updating your status on socials, or like asking for a divorce. The bond is created by the Goddess, and it only breaks when she sees fit.”
“Like when?” I asked.
“It breaks when she sees that the bond isn’t working in the way it’s supposed to. For example, if your mate becomes someone you’re more anxious and afraid around, instead of feeling at peace and happy, the bond can break.”
“Then why didn’t ours?” I asked. “I was afraid of you for quite some time.”
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“Yes, but that was because you hadn’t given me a chance yet. Because you’re human and all of this was new to you.”
“So it only breaks when both mates have given the relationship a chance and it still doesn’t work out?”
“Yes, you could say that.”
“How does the Goddess decide it’s enough?”
“I don’t know. Sometimes people are terrible to everyone around them. They destroy everything they touch. If they do the same to their mates, then the Goddess frees the mate and takes the bond. away. The mate bond is a blessing, Lia. And if someone doesn’t appreciate it, if someone takes it for granted or abuses it, it gets snatched away.”
I slowly nodded. “That… makes sense. It’s fair.”
“It is,” he replied. “But you’re not planning on creating circumstances to break our bond, right?”
“Of course not,” I laughed. “Do you need a reminder that I kissed you?”
“Maybe I do. Maybe I need a physical reminder.”
I laughed. “I’m not gonna kiss you again, Zane. If you want one, you have to do it yourself.”
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“Do I?” he asked, his eyes going black. My heart gave a thump. “See,” he smiled, eyes returning to normal. “You’re not ready for the Zane Adams kiss yet. You’ll get it when you’re ready.”
“The Zane Adams kiss?” I quoted, laughing. “You’re such a dork.”
He scoffed. “I am the coolest boy in school.”
“You’re barely even a boy, Zane. You’re just a…
pup.”
“Oh, you did not just say that.”
B