CHAPTER 111
**WINTER**
The frustration with these stupid boys and their juvenile games churns inside me. I can’t believe my name was ever in that jar or that Zion humiliated me so publicly. Anger simmers down my spine, a fiery irritation that I can’t shake. Zion has always had a knack for being an arsehole, but this was beyond anything I expected. And in front of half the college, no less.
A bitter, strangled laugh escapes me. Zion Royal and his crew aren’t just boys; they’re man-boys with their absurdly good looks and sculpted bodies. Muscles everywhere, tanned skin that seems to glow with arrogance. The way they flaunt their physicality, it’s as if they think their bodies make up for their lack of character.
A bunch of idiots!
I stagger a bit and reach out, gripping a tree for support.
I needed to escape the suffocating tension that clung to the air. Claire offered to come with me, but I waved her off, needing the solitude. Maybe I had drunk more than I thought. The chill of the woods hits me like a slap, but it’s exactly what I need to snap out of the haze.
I push forward, my footsteps crunching on the undergrowth, each one driving me further from Zion and his ridiculous friends. The deeper I go, the more I can feel my pulse slowing, the anger and frustration starting to melt away with every step.
The darkness presses in around me, thick and unyielding, and the vodka haze only makes it worse. My phone sits heavy in my pocket, the urge to call Harry gnawing at me. But I bite my tongue, refusing to give in. I know I should reach out, especially with how easily I could get lost out here, but stubborn pride holds me back. After all, he’s Zion’s cousin—could i even trust him?
“Stupid fucking boys,” I mutter, kicking a small stone with my Converse. It skitters across the forest floor before disappearing with a soft plunk. I hum quietly to myself, trying to ignore the fading noise from the party as I walk toward what I hope is a well-trodden path. Suddenly, a rustle behind me makes me freeze, my heart pounding with icy fear.
“Hello?” I call out, trying to sound braver than I feel.
Silence answers, heightening my anxiety. I know this forest well enough to be confident that if I scream, someone will hear me. Or maybe I should just—
“Boo.” A dark figure steps out from the shadows, and my heart leaps into my throat.
“Zion?” I hiss, frustration bubbling up inside me.
“Seriously, why are you following me? I came out here to get away from you and your idiot friends," I snap, trying to hide the unease creeping up my spine.
"Just making sure you don’t wander too far into the woods," he responds, his voice dripping with mockery.
“Wouldn’t want you to get lost before I have the chance to ‘claim’ that ‘date’—after all, I did win you in the game,” he teases, his tone dripping with arrogance.
“I’d rather date a gorilla than go out with you,” I shoot back, narrowing my eyes at him. “And I couldn’t care less if you won. I’m not playing that ridiculous game.” I try to stay angry, but as my gaze catches his, I can’t help but notice how impossibly gorgeous his eyes are.
His smirk spreads slowly, the kind that sends a chill down my spine. “See something you like, Snowflake?”
“Don’t call me that,” I snap, despite the heat that unexpectedly flares up in my chest.
Zion is undeniably good-looking, but his arrogance is infuriating.
"Why not, Snowflake?" he taunts, his voice dripping with amusement.
“Ugh, just leave already,” I growl, my frustration clear as I try to ignore the stir of something else beneath my irritation.
“Leave?” He takes a step closer, and I instinctively back away.
“I’m not going anywhere, Snowflake.”
“I said stop—” I shouted, fists clenched at my sides. I draw in a sharp breath, trying to force myself to stay calm, to rise above him and be the bigger person.
“Fine. If you won’t leave, I will.” I try to manoeuvre around him, but Zion’s hand shoots out and grabs my arm.
“Not so fast,” he growls, pushing me back against a tree and pinning me there. His proximity is overwhelming, his presence a relentless force.
My mouth falls open as I stare at Zion, incredulous at his audacity.
“Cat got your tongue, Snowflake?” he taunts, a wicked smirk spreading across his face. I’m seething, barely restraining myself from kicking him where it counts.
“You are such a—” I start, but his grip on my arm tightens painfully, making me wince and silently fume.
“Go on, Snowflake,” he urges, leaning in so close that his breath mingles with mine, making the air feel heavy and stifling.
Too close.
His proximity makes my skin prickle, and the heat of his breath sends a shiver down my spine.
“Why don’t you tell me exactly what you think of me, since you’re so self-righteous?” His voice is low, almost a growl. A tense silence stretches between us, and I struggle to think clearly through the fog of alcohol clouding my mind.
Zion’s lip curls into a cruel smirk. “Didn’t think so.”
“I hate you.”
The words tumble out, the confession more painful than I anticipated. It shatters the tense, charged atmosphere that seems to be building.
Yet, Zion merely laughs—a dark, resonant chuckle that sends an unsettling thrill through me, stirring emotions I can’t quite control or understand.
God he's attractive!
What is happening? Could someone have slipped something into my beer? I don’t find Zion attractive. I really don’t. He’s wealthy, entitled, vulgar—a bully. Once, he might have been one of my best friends, but now he’s just a cold, calculating tormentor.
Yet, as he lets his finger trail down my cheek and across my jaw, I can’t deny the response his touch elicits. He slides it down my throat and beneath the edge of my top, sending an involuntary shiver through me.
“Don’t,” I manage to whisper, trying to ignore the rush of desire his touch stirs. It’s just a physical reaction, nothing more.
How could it be anything else? Zion embodies everything I despise.
“Your body says otherwise,” he murmurs, his eyes dark and molten with a teasing glint.
“Scared I’m right?” he taunts, his breath warm against my ear. “Scared you’ll… actually like it?”
“Please.” I roll my eyes, trying to maintain a facade of indifference.
“I doubt you even know what to do with a girl like me,” I snap, attempting to distance myself emotionally.
“You know, a girl with more than a single brain cell.”
“Big words, Snowflake,” Zion says with a smirk, his fingers still lightly caressing my skin. “Especially when I have you pinned against a tree with no way out.”
“Why?” I ask, struggling to keep my voice steady.
“Why even bother with me? You were disgusted when my name was pulled from the jar.” I recall the look of disdain in his eyes clearly.
“Why?” His brow lifts as he leans in closer, his breath tickling my ear.
“Because I can,” he whispers. “And because it’s so much fun proving someone wrong.”
“I’m not—” My protest is cut off by a breathy moan as his teeth graze my earlobe.
“Zion,” I gasp, almost in disbelief at the sound of his name escaping my lips. This isn’t supposed to be happening. Yet, as his lips continue their treacherous journey down my throat, licking and nipping at the sensitive skin, the heat inside me only grows.
“Zion, stop…” I breathe, though my voice betrays a hint of desperation.
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