CHAPTER 118
**ZION**
The sounds of the party fade as I push through the crowd, my focus narrowing to the woods ahead. The laughter, the music—none of it matters. Every second that ticks by feels like an eternity, and I don’t have time to deal with anything else. People step aside as I move, but I barely notice.
My strides are long and purposeful. I don’t look back to see if anyone’s following. I don’t care. I hear Ronald’s footsteps behind me, but I’m too far gone to pay attention to him now. The air around us grows heavier as we near the edge of the property, the familiar sounds of the party replaced by the cold silence of the woods.
The trees loom in front of me like dark sentinels, their branches swaying in the night air. The ground beneath my feet is uneven, the path barely visible in the dim light, but I don’t slow down. My gaze is sharp, eyes scanning every shadow, every movement.
I hear every snap of a twig underfoot, feel the shift in the air, and with every step, the urgency inside me spikes. There’s a fire burning in my chest, a need to find her before it’s too late. If I don’t if I fail to get to her in time… No. I can’t think like that.
I mutter under my breath, the words a growl, barely containing the rage and fear eating away at me.
“Where the fuck is she?” My voice is low and deadly, and as the pace picks up, I feel my heart racing in time with my steps.
The thought of someone using Winter to get to me—hurting her just to strike at me—sets my blood on fire.
My hands clench into fists, every muscle in my body tight with the need to find her and make sure she’s safe. I can feel the storm inside me brewing, the pressure building, and I know that if I don’t find her soon, I’m going to lose control.
I push harder, my body moving faster now, driven by a fear that I can’t escape. Nothing else matters. Just her.
I try to keep up, my panic rising as the trees blur past us. Every second feels like a lifetime, and the thought of what Ethan might be doing—what he might have already done—churns in my gut like a sickness.
I can barely hear Ronald’s voice over the blood rushing in my ears, but I catch his words.
“He’s trying to get in your head, man,” he says, his tone trying to steady me.
I don’t look back, my focus fixed on the dark trail ahead, but I can feel the tension in my jaw tightening as his words hit me.
“This is all about getting to you. He knows you care—”
“Care?” I snap, cutting him off, my voice sharp like a blade. I spin around to face him for a moment, my expression hard, my fists clenching involuntarily.
“This isn’t about caring. It’s about control. He thinks he can take something from me. He thinks he can fucking win.”
Even as the words leave my mouth, they taste bitter on my tongue.
Do I care?
The anger rips through me like a violent storm, and I feel my chest tighten with the need to do something, anything to get to her, to stop Ethan from pulling this bullshit.
Without waiting for a response, I turn back and keep moving. I don’t care about anything else right now. I can’t afford to. My eyes are locked straight ahead, my body moving like a machine. Every step I take is driven by pure, primal rage and a need to protect Winter.
The woods around me grow darker and thicker, and the air feels colder. I can’t shake the feeling that time is slipping away, that I’m losing precious moments.
I know Ethan thinks he can break me, but what he doesn’t understand is that I’m already broken. Broken and ready to tear him apart. He’s made a mistake. A big one.
..
The sound cuts through the stillness, faint at first, but unmistakable. Voices. Low and indistinct, but they’re close—too close.
I stop dead in my tracks, every muscle in my body tensing. I tilt my head, listening, trying to hone in on the voices. It’s Ethan’s voice. And then—what was that? A muffled noise that hits me like a punch to the gut.
Without thinking, I bolt toward the sound, my body moving faster than my mind can process. I can feel the fear in my gut, twisting and tightening with every step, but I don’t slow down. I can’t.
The voices grow louder as we push through the trees, and I feel the weight of each passing second. I can feel my heart pounding in my chest, the rage bubbling up, pushing me forward. Every inch closer to the clearing is one step closer to whatever the hell is happening to Winter.
And then, we break through the trees.
I see it—Harry standing over Ethan, fists clenched, ready to strike.
And there she is.
Winter.
Huddled against a tree, her body shaking violently, tears streaming down her face.
Claire sits beside her, her arm wrapped protectively around Winter's shoulder.
Her wide, terrified eyes lock onto mine, and every ounce of rage I’ve been holding back explodes in an instant.
I don’t even think. I don’t need to. Every ounce of my being is consumed by the need to protect her, to destroy the threat in front of me. With a roar, I surge forward, my body fueled by pure fury, and nothing—not even Ethan—will stop me.
“Harry, leave him! He’s mine!” My voice rips through the night like a blade, sharp and commanding.
Harry’s fist freezes mid-air, his entire body tensing at the sound of my voice. He doesn’t turn, doesn’t move—just stops, caught in the force of my words. The tension in the clearing crackles like electricity, the moment hanging heavy as he slowly lowers his hand, stepping back.
I don’t wait for his reply. I don’t need it. My focus is already locked on Ethan. I move, lunging forward like a predator that’s finally found its prey.
Ethan doesn’t even have time to react before I’m on him. I tackle him to the ground with a force that sends the air around us vibrating, the sound of him hitting the dirt like a sickening thud. My fists find their mark immediately, slamming into his face with all the fury I’ve been holding back.
Each blow is a release, a physical manifestation of every ounce of rage, hurt, and humiliation I’ve swallowed for far too long.
The sound of my knuckles cracking against his bone is like music to my ears—sweet, satisfying, the only thing that feels right in this moment. He tries to lift his hands to defend himself, but it’s too late. I’m on him; every punch is another step toward making him feel every ounce of pain he’s caused.
I can feel the fury in my blood, my heart pounding in time with each blow. The need to protect Winter, to make him pay for what he’s done, is all-consuming. It’s everything I’ve ever wanted to do to him, and more. My knuckles break against his face, and I don’t stop. I can’t stop.
“Zion!” I hear someone shout—Ronald, I think. But his voice is distant, drowned out by the roar of blood in my ears, the sound of my fists pounding into Ethan’s flesh.
“Stop! You’re going to kill him!”
I don’t care. I don’t care about anything but making him pay. He took her from me, and now, he’s going to feel every ounce of the hell I’ve been holding inside. He’s going to understand what it means to hurt someone that belongs to me.
And I’m not stopping until he does.
..........
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