69: He did this to you, man!
**Zion pov**
I should’ve known this might happen, but I never expected the day could come so soon. I mean, how long had it been since Kala and I escaped the pack? Days? Weeks?
I couldn’t keep a track of time anymore, but I knew one thing for a fact - Bane’s appearance couldn’t bring any good.
Deep down, I still tried to convince myself that my best friend was in there, fighting against the monster that had taken over him.. but for how long?
The monster’s claws were deep enough to blind Bane, make him forget who his friends and allies were, so nobody could predict if he would ever fully come back.
As the silence stretched out, I couldn’t take it anymore. I cleared my throat and tightened my hold around my beautiful mate as I spoke, “Aife, when you saw him, did he look like Bane? Like at all?” I asked and held my breath.
I could feel Kala stiffen in my arms, so I had little to no hope left that Bane was still there.
Aife, however, shook her head slowly. “Not exactly. Would you believe me if I told you that I might have, but only for a second? The wolf was monstrous and when it shifted, it was Bane’s body, but it was covered in black, toxic-looking spots, little to no skin left. His eyes were empty almost all the time, except for that one moment when I saw them.”
Aife swallowed loudly and shook her head again, as if she wanted nothing more but to forget.
Best case scenario would be to let her rest and gather her thoughts, but I couldn’t afford that, so I kept pushing. “What about that second?”
Her eyes met mine again, hers full of hope and something that resembled deep-rooted pain. “He was there for a second, Zion,” Aife whispered, her voice tight and hoarse. “I could see the desperation in his eyes, the hope, but the next moment, he was gone again, replaced by that.. that.. creature. And then, he attacked.”
I nodded slowly, processing her words. If nothing else, at least I knew that my best friend was still there and he hadn’t lost hope.
However, as good as those words sounded in my head, I knew that reality wasn’t as bright and hopeful.
I exchanged a glance with Jonathan, who to his credit, looked genuinely worried and shaken.
Truth be told, I didn’t want to trust him, still entirely didn’t, given from what pack he came from, but at least he looked very adamant in his need to protect Aife.
Was it selfish to admit I kind of hated him for that? It was admirable that he stood by Aife’s side and didn’t step aside for too long, sure. But.. Aife was my Luna, my best friend’s mate and the future of our pack, not theirs. I wanted to protect her, I wanted to be the one who ensured our Luna was safe, even if I had to hide her from Bane.
Shaking my head to rid myself of the annoying thoughts, I cleared my throat again, all eyes turning to me as I spoke, “as nice as this place is, we can’t stay here. I’m not worried about myself or Jonathan,” I glanced at him and smirked, “no offence.”
Jonathan rolled his eyes and grumbled, “none taken.”
“Anyway, I’m worried about you, ladies. First of all, both of you are in a very vulnerable state, if you catch my drift. I think it would be best if we got the ladies checked by a doctor to ensure the experience didn’t cause any damage to the little ones and then, we should relocate.”
Jonathan hummed and nodded, “where to?”
I shrugged, holding Kala just a little tighter, needing to feel the warmth radiating off her body just to convince myself she was still there, safe and sound, and so was our baby.
“All I know is that we can’t stay here. Not anymore. We don’t know if that monster could try to come back again. I wholeheartedly believe that Bane is doing his best to fight him, I know my best friend, but-”
Suddenly, Jonathan jumped to his feet and cut me off. “But, what? Are you going to try to come up with excuses just because he’s your friend? For fuck’s sake, Zion, just listen to yourself for a second! You’re battered and bruised because of the same best friend you’re so adamant to protect! He did this to you, man!” Jonathan hissed, motioning to my body.
I opened my mouth to protest, but he took a step closer and raised his hand, “there are no buts. He attacked Aife and in the process, put your own mate in danger. Are you thinking clearly at all? From where I stand, it doesn’t look like it. You worry more about a fucking monster than you do about your unborn child!” He growled, stopping close enough to force his face in mine.
While a part of me, the rational one, knew he had a point, the more powerful part - the one that wanted to savor the taste of Jonathan’s blood on my tongue - that one didn’t agree at all.
That was probably why I swung at him without a moment of hesitation. Kala jumped aside and slapped her hands over her mouth while Aife screamed.
I? Fuck. I felt crazed, in first time in fucking ages, I felt alive and like I could finally breathe. With every punch of my fists that collided with Jonathan’s face, I felt more like myself than I ever had. And honestly, I would’ve continued pistoning my fists at his face if it wasn’t for him suddenly laughing like a maniac.
“The fuck you think is funny?” I growled as I grabbed the collar of his shirt and pulled his bloodied face closer to mine.
Aife and Kala tried to pull me away from the asshole, but I didn’t move, refusing to let go.
Jonathan turned his face to the side and chuckled before he spat out some blood. Pity, he didn’t lose even one tooth.
Then, as he looked back at me, he grinned at me like a goddamn toddler, all bloodied mouth and everything. “Finally,” he chuckled, eyes sparkling with mischief. “There he is.”
I frowned and gripped his shirt tighter, literally lost like an absolute moron. “The fuck are you talking about?” The words left me like a loud growl rather than a simple question.
Jonathan grinned wider, if it was possible and proudly spoke up again, “You. I’m talking about you, Zion. Not the man who was broken and barely stitched together, but the pure-blood Beta you’re supposed to be. Not the man who seeks excuses and solutions based on a clear mind, but the cold-blooded killer you’re supposed to be. Now that the violence and dominance is back, we can finally decide what we do next without hesitating and beating around the bush like some old hags.”
My eyes widened as I let go of his collar and let Jonathan fall on the floor, that smug smile still across his lips. I ran my bloodied hand through my hair and snarled, “you’re telling me you provoked me to attack you just to fuckin’ get to conclusions? Are you mental?”
Jonathan chuckled, still laying on the floor. “Maybe just a little.”
I glanced over my shoulder at Aife and Kala, “am I seeing this shit or is he really losing his mind?”
Both of them exchanged glances and the next moment, they started laughing at the ridiculous situation and soon after, I couldn’t stay serious anymore. The same as they did, I laughed at the stupid outcome of this shitstorm.
Eventually, when we all calmed down and Jonathan finally sat up, prepping his back against the couch, he spat out some more blood and spoke up. “For the record, you hit like a bitch.”
That was all we needed to laugh more. The whole world was collapsing around us, nothing made sense anymore, and yet, here we were, laughing after I attacked the poor man.
I offered him my hand, “sorry, man, I shouldn’t have attacked you like that.”
Jonathan accepted my hand and shook his head, chuckling. “It’s fine, that was my intention anyway. Let’s say I don’t mind, I sort of deserved it. That aside, we need to figure out what to do next. I can reach out to my Alpha and find out if he has heard anything about Alpha Bane lately, and maybe has an idea where Alpha Bane went after the attack.”
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