CHAPTER 148

**ZION**

The guys and I step into the house, where the party is already in full swing. The kitchen island has been turned into a makeshift bar, bottles and red cups littering every surface, while the living room has become a dance floor, bodies moving to the bass-heavy rap song blasting through shitty speakers. The vibration rattles through my skull, worsening the dull throbbing already forming behind my eyes.

Thank fuck the party isn’t at our place tonight. I’m not sure I could handle it if it was.

Harry shoves a beer into my hand, and I take a sip, barely tasting it. Normally, I’d be getting shitfaced and looking for someone to sink my dick into, but not tonight. 

Not when I already know that no amount of alcohol will numb this, and no random girl could make me forget the one person who actually matters.

I nod, force a smile, and make conversation—playing the part like nothing is wrong. But the whole time, my eyes are restless, scanning the crowd, searching for the only person that matters. The only one I need. Every second that passes without her feels like a fucking eternity.

Still no sign of her.

I turn to Clark, already impatient. “Well? Where the fuck is she?”

He shrugs, “Hell if I know. Girls take forever to get ready. Probably arguing over which shade of lipstick matches the outfit or some shit.”

Harry snorts. “Or picking out shoes... and deciding which pair would hurt the most when they stab you with a stiletto.” He smirks. “Which, honestly, would be well deserved.”

I roll my eyes, taking a slow sip of my beer. 

“Great. So while I’m here losing my damn mind, she’s out there assembling a damn murder weapon.” I glance at Harry. 

“Remind me again why I hang out with you assholes?”

Ro leans against the wall, arms crossed, expression unreadable. 

“Because, deep down, you know we’re right. And because without us, you’d be an even bigger asshole than you already are.”

Ro tilts his head, his voice devoid of any emotion, yet laced with just enough bite to get under my skin. 

"Or maybe she changed her mind about coming. After spending the day crying over the asshole who wrecked her life, being surrounded by a bunch of happy, oblivious people probably isn't at the top of her list."

That one lands, hard. A muscle ticks in my jaw as I run a hand through my hair.

She’ll be here. She has to be.

Harry claps his hands together, shooting Ro a glare. “Alright, enough with the doomsday shit. Think positive, yeah? Clark, call Claire and find out where they are.”

Clark pulls out his phone, dialling as we watch. He waits, then frowns. “Huh.”

“What?” I snap.

He flips his phone around. “Call got disconnected.”

I grind my teeth, my grip tightening around the beer bottle. “Try again.”

Clark shrugs. “Yeah, yeah. But if she yells at me for interrupting her girl time, I’m blaming you.”

Clark dials again, putting the phone on speaker. We all wait.

Nothing.

He pulls it back, frowning. “Nope. Not answering.”

I clench my jaw. “Try. Again.”

“She’s my twin, not my girlfriend. I’m not about to blow up her phone like some desperate ex.”

Harry sighs. “Enough with the dramatics. Just text her and find out where they are.”

Clark grumbles but starts typing, then glances up at me with a smirk. 

“Relax, lover boy. Worst case? You’ll have to hunt her down yourself and drop to your knees.” He pauses, tapping his chin.

“Maybe shed a tear or two. Girls eat that shit up.”

Harry nods sagely. “Tears are key. Make ‘em think you’re suffering.”

I exhale sharply, shaking my head. “I am suffering, you fucking morons.”

Clark grins. “Then you’re already ahead of the game.”

I roll my eyes, tuning them out as my focus sharpens back to the door.

Come on, Snowflake. Hurry the hell up.

I wished I could go back in time and beat the shit out of myself for being such a selfish prick. 

“Oh, hey, Zion, I didn’t know you were here.”

Cindy’s voice slithers through the noise, and before I can react, she’s in front of me, pressing close, her hand wrapping around my forearm as she leans in. 

“It’s really loud in here. Wanna go upstairs?” She bats her lashes, tilting her head like she actually thinks I’d be tempted.

I barely register her words, my patience hanging by a thread. “Not now. I just got here… and I’m not in the fucking mood to fuck you.”

She pouts, obviously not used to hearing no, and before I can move, her hand slides lower—wrapping around my dick.

I go rigid, but not because of Cindy.

No. It’s because at that exact fucking second, I spot her across the room.

Winter.

Her gaze collides with mine, and even from here, I can see it—that flicker of raw hurt buried beneath the simmering rage. And fuck, I already know exactly what she’s thinking. That I’m here celebrating with Cindy, basking in the destruction I caused, the pain I inflicted.

“Feels like he wants to go upstairs,” Cindy coos, pressing in closer, stroking harder, completely oblivious to the fact that I’m seconds away from shoving her off me.

But it doesn’t fucking matter. Because the damage is already done.

Claire appears behind Winter, following her gaze straight to me. The moment she clocks Cindy practically glued to my side, her expression twists with instant disapproval. Her eyes drop to Cindy’s hand—still lingering way too fucking close—and her lips curl in disgust.

I shove Cindy’s hand off me and push to my feet. 

“Snowflake!” My voice comes out sharper than I intended.

Winter’s eyes widen, and she instinctively steps back.

Fuck. She’s scared of me.

Something tightens in my chest, but before I can say anything else, Claire glares daggers at me, flipping me off with zero hesitation. Then she grabs Winter’s hand and yanks her away, disappearing into the crowd.

Fuck.

From behind me, Clark lets out a low whistle. 

“Well, that went great.”

Harry sighs, rubbing a hand down his face. 

“You came to fix this, and instead, you just threw a damn grenade on the situation.”

Ro, shakes his head. 

“Winter? Forgiving you tonight? Yeah, not happening.”

My jaw tightens as I glare at them. “Real fucking helpful, guys.”

But deep down, I know they’re right. I just made things a thousand times worse.

I shove Cindy off me without a second thought and move. Winter’s already disappearing into the crowd with Claire, and I know this is my chance—probably my only fucking chance—to apologize, to fix the mess I made before it’s too late.

I shove past bodies, weaving through the crowd, but it feels like the universe itself is working against me. Every step closer I get, someone moves in my way, and another group shifts, forcing me to slow down. My frustration builds, my pulse pounding.

She’s slipping away.

Again.

And I’ll be damned if I let that happen.

Carl steps in front of me, blocking my path. His frame isn’t anything special, but right now, it feels like a fucking roadblock I don’t have the patience for.

"Hey, Z," he says, his voice laced with forced confidence. If he doesn’t get the hell out of my way now, he’s about to find out just how short my patience really is.

“What?” I don’t bother looking at him. My eyes stay locked on the crowd, scanning for any glimpse of Winter’s golden hair—the way it catches the light, soft and wild, like spun sunlight. I know every shade, every curl, and I’ll be damned if I let her slip away from me now.

He smirks, scratching the back of his head, before finally spitting it out. 

“Look, since you posted those pictures of Winter… I figured you don’t really give a shit about her.” Carl’s voice is casual like he’s talking about the fucking weather, not spewing absolute filth. 

“I mean, those shots of her thighs, that creamy back of hers… fuck, man.” He lets out a low chuckle, shaking his head. “Just looking at them had me hard.”

My jaw flexes as I clench my fists so tight my nails bite into my palms. Every muscle in my body coils, my vision darkening at the edges.

Don’t hit him. Don’t fucking hit him.

Completely oblivious—or maybe just too stupid to care—Carl keeps running his mouth.

“The guys and I were saying, though… it would’ve been better if you’d just gone all the way and posted some nudes, you know? Give everyone a real show.” He shrugs like he’s discussing a goddamn game score. “But that’s okay. Maybe after I fuck her, I can post a few of my own.”

Blood rushes to my ears, a roaring in my head drowning out everything else. My fingers twitch at my sides, the sheer force of my self-control the only thing stopping me from breaking his fucking face.

He smirks like he actually thinks we’re on the same page.

Like he isn’t one second away from getting his ass handed to him.

My entire body goes rigid, a slow, dark fury unfurling in my chest.

He keeps talking, digging his own grave. 

“So, since you’re done with her, I was thinking I’d take a shot.” He smirks, and I want to rip it off his fucking face. 

“I mean, if she was willing to mess around with her stepbrother, I figure if I lay on the charm enough, I’ll get into her pants tonight. All I’m asking is—don’t mess this up for me by pissing her off. She already hates you, man, and I don’t want her in a bad mood. Can’t get laid if she leaves the party.”

The blood in my veins turns molten.

I lift my gaze slowly, locking onto him with a look that should have him fucking running. 

“Who said I was done with her?” My voice is quiet. Dangerous.

Carl blinks, caught off guard. “No one, but… I mean, it’s kind of your thing. You fuck them and leave them. I’ve never seen you with the same girl twice... except for Cindy.”

His words aren’t wrong. It’s exactly what I’ve done, over and over. Girls were interchangeable. Disposable. Use, toss, repeat.

Except Winter.

And because I was a fucking idiot, because I let my own fucked-up feelings twist into something ugly, I’d all but shoved her into these assholes’ minds as open season. By posting those pictures, I’d told them she was fair game.

I fucked up.

But Carl doesn’t get to touch her. None of them do.

I shrug, forcing a smirk to my lips, even as my fists clench at my sides. 

“Maybe her pussy’s just that good.”

Carl laughs like we’re sharing a fucking joke.

He doesn’t see it coming.

But he will.

Carl smirks, eyes gleaming with sick amusement. 

“Really? Well then, let me get a taste of her pussy too. You’ve already had her, Z. Let me have a go.”

The moment the words leave his mouth, my vision goes red. My fist is already swinging before I can think, but something tightens around my arm, stopping me just short of smashing his smug fucking face in. I whip around, breathing hard, only to find Harry gripping my arm like a damn vice.

“Not now,” he mutters under his breath, eyes locked onto mine. 

“You don’t want to piss Winter off by starting a fight. She’ll think that’s all you ever do. Stay calm.”

I rip my arm from his grasp, barely holding onto the rage crawling beneath my skin. 

“Didn’t you hear what the fuck he just said?”

Carl snorts, tilting his head like I’m the one being unreasonable. “Relax, man. I didn’t say anything the other guys aren’t already thinking.”

That’s when Ro steps in, his presence like a blade sliding into place. He doesn’t raise his voice, doesn’t need to. He simply claps a firm hand on Carl’s shoulder, his grip making Carl’s cocky stance falter.

“Then go tell those guys to delete those images from their phones. From their minds.” Ro’s voice is dangerously low and controlled. 

“Or we’ll delete them.”

Carl’s throat bobs as he hesitates, eyes darting between the four of us. Finally, with a scoff and a forced chuckle, he shrugs Ro’s hand off and walks away, muttering under his breath.

Clark exhales, shaking his head. “Man, I swear, every day we stray further from God.” Then he smirks. 

“Not that it matters—pretty sure Winter’s already condemned you to hell.”

Harry nods solemnly. “If you don’t get a grip on that temper, Z, you’ll need more than a miracle to earn her forgiveness—you’ll need divine intervention.”