CHAPTER 196
WINTER
My eyes locked on his, steady and unflinching.
“You really think I wouldn’t burn the whole goddamn world down if someone even looked at you wrong?”
I swallowed the lump in my throat.
“You matter to me. More than you probably realise. So yeah—I’m pissed. Not just because someone’s threatening you, but because you didn’t think you could tell me.”
I crossed my arms, biting back a sharp laugh.
“I didn’t tell you because, honestly? I thought it was just some stupid prank. Nothing worth dragging you into.”
My gaze cut through him like ice.
“And yeah, I knew exactly how you’d react—losing your damn mind, letting that rage take over like it always does.”
I took a step closer, voice low but fierce.
“You’re always so quick to blow up, Zion—like a damn wildfire that leaves the whole campus shaking before anyone even knows what set it off. That’s exactly why I didn’t say a word. Because your so-called ‘protective’ side? It’s way more dangerous than whoever’s been sending those creepy threats. And this? These messages? I honestly thought they might be nothing. Just some sick joke. I didn’t want to watch you unravel over something that could turn out to be meaningless. I was trying to protect you, in my own way.”
The words slipped out sharper than I meant, but underneath them was something else entirely—worry.
And maybe… fear.”
Fear of what could happen if he really lost control.
Zion’s jaw clenched, the tension radiating off him in waves I could almost feel. His eyes darkened, stormy and fierce, like he wanted to burn right through me.
He stalked toward me with that slow, lethal grace he always had.
Somehow, a man so big could move without making a sound—like a shadow slipping through the room.
When he stopped right in front of me, I tilted my head back to meet his dark, intense stare.
“Someone’s been sending you threats,” he growled, his voice tight with anger and raw worry.
“Someone knows exactly where you are every damn second.”
I saw the muscle twitch along his jaw—rock-hard, dusted with the faintest trace of five o’clock shadow.
“That isn’t nothing,” he said, eyes locked on mine.
“It’s something very big. To me.”
“You think I’m just gonna stand by and watch some psycho treat you like a damn target? Hell no.”
He stepped closer, closing the space between us until I could see every flicker of raw anger and something else—something like desperation-in his gaze.
“You think I’m quick to blow up? Yeah, maybe I am. But that’s because I care. Because I don’t have the luxury of sitting back and pretending everything’s fine when you’re in danger.”
His voice dropped to a harsh whisper, thick with frustration.
“I don’t give a damn about ‘cool heads’ or ‘calm reactions’ when it comes to you. You’re important, Snowflake. And if that means shaking the whole damn campus to pieces, then so be it.”
I swallowed hard, the weight of his words settling heavy in my chest.
“I know our friendship’s been rocky—hell, I’ve been a stupid bastard, I won’t deny that. But you’ve always been damn important to me, Snowflake. More than you probably realise. I don’t say it enough, but I’ve got your back. Always have, always will. Even when I mess up, even when I lose my head, you’re the one I want to protect. So don’t shut me out—not when it matters most.”
I didn't say anything.
“....Snowflake...”
His voice dropped low, the way he said my name sent a shiver crawling down my spine—though I couldn’t tell if it was the kind I wanted or the kind I feared.
I quickly turned my head away, desperate to hide the tremble in my skin.
“Don’t look away,” he growled, his voice deep and steady like distant thunder.
“Look at me. Talk to me. Tell me you weren’t scared.”
I sucked in a shaky breath, forcing my eyes back to meet his—unable to deny the truth swirling behind my gaze.
“Yeah, I was scared. But I figured if I ignored it long enough, maybe it’d go away. And maybe—just maybe-I wouldn’t have to stand here, feeling like an idiot..."
"Snowflake...."
“Zion.....” I said, keeping my back straight, trying to sound firmer than I felt.
“There’s no reason for you to worry about me. I didn’t want you to get dragged into this mess. And I’m sorry you had to see those messages… but they’re just stupid, harmless threats. Nothing more. So please, don’t waste your energy on it.”
“Of course I’m going to fucking worry!” he growled, eyes blazing.
“What the hell do you think I’m made of, Snowflake? Stone? You’re getting threats, someone’s watching you, messing with your head—and you expect me to just sit back and do nothing?”
He took a step closer, jaw tight, voice sharp and shaking with barely contained fury.
“You don’t get to decide if you’re a bother to me. You don’t get to tell me it’s a waste of my time. You are not a fucking inconvenience. You matter—more than you apparently realize—and the fact that you’d even say that pisses me off more than anything else.”
I didn’t mean to say it.
“I do…?”
The words slipped out before I could stop them, raw and too honest, but the dam had already cracked.
The last forty-eight hours had been hell—living with the unease of knowing someone was out there, watching me, invading my life, my space.
I felt exposed, like there was nowhere left to hide.
Violated.
Angry.
Scared.
And I’d been doing everything I could to hold it together with duct tape and stubbornness.
And Zion...
He was standing there, all righteous fury and stormy eyes, like he had any damn right to barge in and flip my world upside down.
Like he hadn’t just grabbed my phone and read through the most personal, terrifying messages of my life—like they were his to dissect.
Because he did care.
Because he was worried.
Because no one had ever looked at me like that before—with that kind of reckless protectiveness that said he’d burn the whole world if it dared to touch me wrong.
I hated that he saw through me so easily.
I hated that he acted like I was his to protect.
And I hated how some twisted part of me liked it.
God, I was so angry—at him, at myself, at the whole damn situation. I felt exposed, violated, like there was nowhere left to hide.
And Zion?
Zion made it all worse and somehow better at the same time.
Because no one made me feel this seen.
No one made me feel this furious—or this safe.
And deep down—God, I hated admitting it—even now, even with my fists clenched and my heart racing and every cell in my body screaming at him to back off…
There was still that dark, quiet part of me that wanted more of him.
Always had.
And that terrified me more than the messages ever could.
Zion’s voice cut through the air like a blade—sharp, sure, full of fire. He said it like it was already done, like there was no room for debate.
“I’ll find him,” he growled, stepping closer, every word laced with a dark promise.
“I don’t care if I have to tear this entire campus apart brick by brick. I’ll dig until there’s nothing left to hide behind. Whoever the hell is doing this—whatever thinks they can mess with you—they won’t see the light of day when I’m done.”
His eyes were burning now, locked on mine with that terrifying kind of intensity that only he could manage.
“You don’t have to worry. You don’t have to lose sleep or walk around looking over your shoulder anymore. I’ll handle it.”
He leaned in, voice dropping but somehow growing more dangerous.
“And I swear, Snowflake… on everything I’ve got left—I will protect you. I’ll make sure they regret even thinking about coming near you. You’re not alone in this. Not anymore.”
And in that moment, I believed him. Every furious, protective, relentless word of it.
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