CHAPTER 87
**ZION**
“Ethan,"
I snarled, my tone icy and lethal. "If you think you can play games with me, you're already lost—Zion Royal doesn’t know how to lose."
Ethan didn’t flinch. Instead, he tilted his head, eyes still gleaming with amusement.
"Is that so? Well, it looks like things are about to change….."
“After all, she’s got The mighty Zion Royal all worked up—never seen a girl do that before,” he said, his tone dripping with mockery.
“I’m starting to think there’s more to this whole mess than just her dad marrying your mom. But hey, being the *selfless* guy that I am, if she’s such a pain for you, why don’t I handle her for you? Consider it my way of helping you out. After all, we’ve been enemies long enough, and figured I’d throw you a bone with this *generous* offer.”
My fists tightened, nails digging into my palms.
“Winters off limits ”, I warned, my voice dark, steady, though the anger was building like a storm inside me.
Ethan’s grin stretched wider, his eyes glinting with a mix of amusement and something darker.
”*Off-limits*, huh? As far as I know, you don’t own her, and it’s obvious you don’t want her. So, what's the problem? You’ve been toying with her—playing your little game—”
He paused for a moment, his gaze flicking to the side as if pretending to consider it, before turning back to me with a wicked grin.
"Maybe, just maybe, I could make this game more interesting for you. Let her know I'm interested, fuck her, and then walk away without a second thought..."
“Who knows? Maybe she’d even thank me for it.”
That was it.
My blood ran cold at the implication, the possessiveness I felt over Winter surging to the forefront. I had no claim over her, not really, but the thought of someone like Ethan stepping in, acting like he could just swoop in and take what was mine—no, what was under my control—made me see red.
“Touch her, and I'll fucking kill you!” I snarled, stepping closer, my fists clenched and trembling with fury.
Ethan's smirk only widened as he leaned in, his eyes gleaming with amusement. “Are you threatening me?”
I growled. “Yes, I am—stay the fuck away from Winter, and my business.”
“Your business?” he echoed, mockingly raising an eyebrow.
"You know, you’re not as hard to read as you think. You pretend to hate her, but from where I’m standing, she looks like your Achilles' heel. I mention screwing her, and suddenly you’re losing it. Feels like you’re more involved than you’re letting on—like you care a little too much."
His words were like gasoline on a fire.
The implication that I had any feelings for Winter beyond viewing her as a mere tool for my own twisted amusement was infuriating.
That was enough to make me snap.
In a flash, I had him shoved against the lockers, the metallic clang reverberating through the room. My forearm pressed against his throat, cutting off any smarmy remarks he had left. He struggled for a moment, more out of shock than actual resistance. I leaned in close, my voice low and menacing.
“Listen to me, and listen well,” I hissed, my breath hot with fury. “What I have with Winter is nobody's business. She’s mine to deal with. If you so much as look in her direction, you’re going to wish you hadn’t. Got it?”
“You’re so damn predictable, Zion,” he rasped, his voice strained under the pressure of my arm against his throat.
“Winter’s unraveling you, piece by piece, and it’s killing you, isn’t it? She’s different. She's special.”
My grip tightened instinctively, and his face started to turn red, his smirk faltering just slightly.
“Z, let him go,” I heard Ro say, his hand gripping my shoulder firmly.
“He’s not worth it,” Clark added from behind me, his voice cautious but steady.
The words barely registered at first, my rage blinding me, consuming every rational thought. But then, as suddenly as the anger had come, it was gone—replaced by an icy, calculated calm. I stepped back, releasing Ethan abruptly, my eyes never leaving his, a silent warning that this was his only reprieve.
He staggered slightly, coughing and swearing under his breath, his hand moving to his throat as he tried to catch his breath.
“Admit it—you care about her. You nearly ripped me apart in the ring just because I danced with her,” Ethan said, his voice tight, barely hiding the quiver beneath. “And yet, you’ve got the whole college tearing her apart. What’s the matter, Zion? Angry because she’s your step sister and you can't have her? Or is it something more?”
“Ethan!” I snarled.
“I’ll figure it out,” he pressed, stepping closer, his tone sharpening. “I’ll figure out what your real deal with Winter is.”
“Whatever I have with Winter,” I said, my voice low and dangerous, “is between me and her. SO STAY AWAY FROM HER...”
“Tch…tch…tch…” his lips curled into a taunting grin that begged to be wiped off his face.
He leaned in slightly, his voice dipping into something cruel and smug. “If only your mother knew about how you treat her... she’d be ashamed of you.”
I can feel the heat simmering in my chest, threatening to explode. But I don’t let it show, not yet.
Instead, I smile. Slowly. Deliberately. The kind of smile that makes the air between us feel suffocating.
"What, like your mom is ashamed of you? Being the bastard son and all…” I sneered, letting the words hit their mark.
Ethan’s eyes darkened, anger flaring in them like a spark ready to ignite. His jaw clenched as he took a step closer, his voice low and venomous.
“Go to hell, Zion…and Winter will be mine!”
I laugh, low and dark, cracking my neck as I step closer.
“I’m going to give you a chance,” I said, my voice cold as ice. “A chance to apologize for wasting my time. or I’ll unleash hell on you, right here and now.”.”
His gaze flickers between me and my friends. He sneers, trying to look braver than he feels. “I’m not afraid of you, Royal.”
I arch an eyebrow, the corner of my mouth lifting into a lazy smirk. “Aren’t you?”
“Not at all,” he says, but his voice wavers just enough to give him away. He puffs out his chest like he’s trying to make himself bigger, but it’s pathetic.
I don’t even bother to respond. Instead, I reach back, grab my black T-shirt, and pull it off, tossing it aside like it’s nothing. The cold air hits my skin, but I hardly notice. I roll my shoulders, feeling the tension ease as the excitement of the fight builds up. The dressing room feels like it’s getting hotter and smaller, almost closing in on us. I throw my phone to the ground, and it clatters loudly.
“I hope you don’t faint at the sight of blood,,” I say, already tasting its metallic flavor. It’s been way too long since I’ve had a real fight, and I can feel that hunger rising in my stomach.
My fists clenched tightly, and I could feel my nails digging into my palms.
Without thinking, I swung.
The impact is solid and satisfying. His head snaps to the side, and he stumbles back, clutching his jaw.
"Fight me!” I demanded, my voice a low, dangerous growl.
He hesitates, his eyes darting between me and the door, calculating. That brief moment of hesitation is all I need to see. He’s afraid. And I can taste that fear like blood in the air.
But then he shakes his head, forcing out a bitter chuckle. It’s hollow, full of defiance he doesn’t truly feel.
“Whatever you say, man. But here’s the thing—you won’t always be there to protect her. Sooner or later, I'll have her. And there’s nothing you can do to stop it.”
I want to hit him again, but he’s already turning away.
“Come back here…you fucker” My nails bite into my palms so hard I feel a warm trickle of blood, but it’s nothing compared to the fire burning in my chest.
He’s wrong—he has to be. Winter consumes me, yes, but its because I hate her.
However, the thought of someone else touching her, even breathing the same air as her, ignites something primal in me.
Anyone foolish enough to test that will learn the hard way just how far I’m willing to go to remind them.