CHAPTER 201
ZION
"You have to believe me," I murmur, my voice breaking around the edges.
"Please. Tell me you believe me."
There's a heartbeat of silence. Two.
Then, finally, she nods.
Small.
Barely there.
"I do," she whispers.
The moment she says it, those two soft, fragile words, I nearly fall apart.
I do.
It shouldn't hit me as hard as it does, but it feels like a fucking lifeline thrown into the chaos I've been drowning in.
My chest caves in. My eyes burn. I don't even realise I'm holding my breath until it leaves me in a shaky exhale.
She believes me.
Despite everything- despite the venom I spat, the cold silence, the cruel goodbye- she still believes me.
"Fuck..." I breathe, raking a hand through my hair, overwhelmed, unsteady. My voice is raw.
"You don't know what that means to me, Snowflake."
My hands reach for her before I think, like I need to anchor myself with her or I'll come undone. I gently wrap my arms around her, pressing my forehead to hers, our breaths mingling in that thin space that still crackles with everything unspoken.
"I don't deserve it," I whisper. "I don't deserve you."
But she doesn't pull away.
And for the first time in too damn long, I feel like maybe... just maybe, I can forgive myself too.
I pull her in gently, holding her against my chest like she's something fragile I've nearly shattered, because she is.
My arms tighten around her, my eyes falling shut as I breathe her in.
That soft, familiar scent that's haunted me for weeks.
That grounding presence that makes the noise in my head finally go quiet.
I don't rush it.
I just feel her.
Then, slowly, I lean back-just enough to see her face again.
My eyes find hers, wide and vulnerable, and for a second I forget how to breathe.
I lean in slowly, my breath brushing against her skin, close enough to feel the way hers hitches.
Our foreheads nearly touch, the space between us charged like a live wire ready to snap.
My hand drifts to her waist, barely grazing the fabric of her shirt, and I swear I feel her tremble.
She wants this.
Wants me.
Just as much as I want her.
I tilt my head slightly, my voice nothing but a breath.
"Say the word," I murmur, "and I'll give you the world, Snowflake."
Her gaze flicks to my mouth-then right back to my eyes.
Her lips part on an unspoken reply, and I feel my chest tighten.
Just one more second.
One heartbeat.
Buzz.
The phone's sudden vibration slices through the moment like a blade.
She jerks-flinching like she's been caught doing something she shouldn't. Her body stiffens, eyes snapping toward the glow of her phone across the room.
The spell shatters.
I already know what she's thinking.
I'm thinking it too.
My blood turns cold and hot all at once.
Her lips part.
"It... it must be another message," she whispers, and it's the fear in her voice that guts me.
My jaw tightens instantly, something dark and volatile curling in my gut like smoke before a fire.
"Are you fucking kidding me," I mutter, voice low, dangerous. The way she's looking at that phone like it holds power over her- it makes something primal rise in me.
Whoever is doing this...
Whoever is putting that kind of fear in her-
They're already dead.
They just don't know it yet.
Because I saw it-just for a second.
Fear.
And whoever the hell keeps doing this-whoever keeps putting that fear in her eyes-
They're going to pay for it.
With everything.
I stormed over, grabbing the phone before she could. Her breath hitches.
"Zion-"
But I'm already looking at it.
Already bracing myself for some twisted message. Another threat. Another fucking game.
The name on the screen:
Claire.
And April is heading over in 10 🙃
I stare at it, heart still pounding.
Just Claire.
I glance back at Snowflake.
She's still frozen, eyes locked on the phone in my hand like it's a bomb that might go off again.
I walk to her slowly, wrapping my arms around her before she can even flinch.
"It's okay," I murmur against her hair.
"It's just Claire. She's coming over with April."
But the relief is short-lived.
Because as soon as I see how shaken she still is, how deep that fear runs, something inside me snaps.
My jaw locks. My fists clench so tightly around the phone that I hear it creak beneath the pressure.
I pull back from her, just a step, the fire in my chest too much to contain.
"Fucking hell," I growl, glaring at the floor like it's to blame-then back at her.
She's still staring, eyes wide, breath shallow.
That one stupid message.
That one damn scare.
And now she's looking at every text like it might ruin her.
My chest tightens. My rage sharpens.
Whoever did this-whoever is playing these games with her-will fucking pay.
Even for a second-someone got inside her head. Someone made her afraid in my arms.
And that's not something I can live with.
I toss the phone onto the bed, hard enough to bounce.
"I'm gonna kill them," I say, voice low, lethal.
"Zion-"
"I swear, Snowflake." Fury pulsing beneath my skin.
"Whoever is doing this-whoever's sending you those messages, scaring you like that-I will find them."
I stop right in front of her, cupping her face gently despite the rage simmering in every inch of me.
"And when I do," I whisper,
"they'll wish they'd never been fucking born."
Her breath catches.
"I don't care if I have to tear this whole fucking school apart brick by brick-no one puts fear in your eyes. Not while I'm breathing."
She doesn't speak right away.
Just looks at me-heart in her throat, lips parted, like she wants to say something but doesn't know how.
Then, suddenly, she pulls back just a little.
Not much, but enough for the air between us to shift.
“I still don’t understand who sent those messages,” she says quietly, trying to keep her voice level, like she isn’t unravelling inside.
“I just think… maybe someone’s messing with me,” she adds, her tone too careful. Too even. Like she’s walking barefoot over broken glass, afraid to step wrong.
But it’s too late for caution.
The beasts’s already awake.
My jaw locks. My fists curl until I feel my nails dig into skin—welcoming the bite of pain, needing it to ground me.
“Whoever it was doesn’t get to ‘mess with you,’ Snowflake,” I snarl, my voice rough with fury.
“They didn’t just string together some cruel words. They crafted that shit—calculated every line like a weapon and sliced fear right into your heart with it.”
She doesn’t answer. Just looks up at me, her eyes full of guilt and confusion, and fuck—it guts me.
“Don’t worry,” I say, voice low and sharp as a knife.
“I’ll find out who did it.”
“Zion—” she starts, startled.
But I cut her off.
“No. Someone went out of their way to hurt you. To twist you up. To make you feel alone. And they did it hiding in the shadows, like a coward.”
She flinches. And I hate that I’m part of why she’s even flinching at all. But I can’t pull back now.
I won’t.
“I don’t care who it is,” I grind out.
“I’ll drag them out of whatever hole they’re rotting in. I’ll tear the truth out of them with my bare hands if I have to.”
Her lips part—like she’s going to tell me not to. Like she’s still afraid of how far I’ll go.
But I’m already there.
I step closer, my eyes locked to hers, burning with something feral. “No one gets to hurt you.
"No one gets to touch what’s mine. And if they thought they could get away with it—thought they could break you—they clearly don’t know who the fuck they’re dealing with.”
I pause, gaze locked on her.
“…No one messes with my girl?”
“…Your girl?” she says, voice just a breath.
“Yeah,” I rasp, eyes narrowing. “My girl.”
Then I grab her by the waist—gently, but possessively, claiming her like it’s the only thing keeping me sane.
“You’re my girl, Snowflake. Whether you agree or not.”
She blinks, lips parting like she doesn’t know what to say. But then… she nods.
Small.
Real.
And that’s all I need.
Because I see it in her eyes—the fear is still there, but it’s not alone anymore.
There’s something else now.
Belief.
Because she knows I won’t stop until I’ve found whoever did this.
And made them bleed for it.
Whoever thought they could mess with her head, mess with us, and walk away unscathed?
They have no idea who the hell they're dealing with.
"I swear to God," I whisper, eyes locked on hers,
"Whoever did this? They're gonna regret the day they even thought of your name."
She's quiet again. Staring at me like she doesn't know whether to kiss me or stop me.
But it's too late for either.
I step forward, lowering my voice.
"They made a mistake coming after what's mine."
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