Chapter 28 - Zoe
From the moment I regained consciousness, the only thing I felt was pure, unbridled fear—not to mention a dull ache on one side of my face.
I didn’t know where I was or what was happening as the woods came into view, and I found my hands bound behind my back at a painful angle. It took time for my awareness to return, but when it did, something in me wished it hadn’t.
The moment I saw Dane and Rory there, my heart was in my throat, and I couldn’t help but feel a wash of complete panic as everything from the gym came back to me.
He managed to pull me away, and I had no idea where I was or what he planned to do with me.
I only knew that I was an inconvenience and I was just in the way to him.
He needed to get rid of me to get his way, and I didn’t like what that implied.
Despite the tape over my mouth, I did my best to breathe through my nose. It was uncomfortable, and I wanted nothing more than to pull in a deep breath after being unconscious. But mixed with my panicked breaths, it felt impossible to come by, and that lightheaded feeling remained.
Dane glanced over at me, surely detecting the change in my breathing, and scoffed. “You’re awake, huh?”
Rory snickered, giving me a slight nudge with his boot. I bristled, wishing I wasn’t bound so I could finally give him a piece of my mind.
Unable to say anything, I only glared at Dane.
I may have been in his possession and unable to do anything, but that didn’t mean I was going to make it easy for him.
He just scoffed and shook his head, looking at me with pure disdain. “I can tell you’re a stubborn one. Can’t imagine why Ezra would ever waste his time on you.”
My anger only mounted as my heart ached beneath it all.
Thinking about where everything was left off between us only made that pain worse, and I hated knowing that our situation was completely up in the air.
As far as I knew, he didn’t want me anymore, and whether those were his true feelings or if he said it as a defense mechanism, it still made my chest hurt anyway.
He likely had no idea where I was, and the same applied to Sebastian. As annoyed as I was with him, I couldn’t deny how insignificant that feeling seemed at the moment. After being abducted and held against my will, I didn’t care about the fight.
I just wanted to see them—Ezra, Sebastian, and everyone else I cared about.
I hated knowing there was a chance everything that unfolded could be the last memory I’d have with them, and it would be how they remembered me, too. If Dane got his way, all our good times would constantly feel shadowed by that blip.
Even thinking about that made me ache all over again.
Silently, I hoped more than anything that it wasn’t the end. I couldn’t stand the thought of Sebastian thinking I was angry with him and never getting the chance to try and work things out with Ezra.
But as the air around us seemed muggy, and the tape prevented me from taking in the mouthful of oxygen I needed, that lightheaded feeling remained. It made everything fuzzy and disoriented.
I had no idea how long Dane kept me there, leaning against that tree as I went in and out of consciousness. Whatever he used to knock me out seemed to linger in my system, and I couldn’t seem to keep track of anything.
Eventually, the sound of feet crashing through the underbrush in the distance made my eyes open, and before I knew it, someone’s hand gripped my shoulder hard as they pulled me away from the tree. I was snapped back to the moment as Rory’s voice reached my ear in a rasp.
“Looks like your fate will be wrapped up soon…it’s a shame I couldn’t get a piece of you first.”
I internally recoiled at the words, squirming slightly despite his tight hold on me.
Dane stood several steps ahead of us as Rory’s nails hovered beside my neck, poised to strike at any moment.
Then, Ezra appeared from the woods somewhat blurred, followed by Sebastian and the others. I sensed the other wolves in the distance, shifted as they watched over the scene and monitored the woods.
Even through my daze, I felt immediate relief, almost like my plea had been heard. However, seeing Ezra there, seemingly putting all the clues together in his mind, reminded me that nothing was over yet.
He may have found me, but Rory had me in his grasp, and his dad was orchestrating the entire thing.
Despite my relief, I couldn’t deny how worried I was at the same time.
As everyone surrounded us, watching closely, I could hear shifted wolves moving in the distance. There was no way Dane could get away without being caught by someone, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t still cause damage in the meantime.
Ezra’s expression hardened as he glanced between me and his father. “You lied. You and Mom.”
Dane chuckled despite the angry note that lingered in his tone. Regardless of it only being the beginning, he already sounded pleased with himself.
“You’re right…we did. Your mother’s performance was quite good, wouldn’t you say?”
He snarled at that. “You did all of this to entrap me, didn’t you? To force me to accept Nora.”
“What choice did you leave me, hm? You refused to see reason. Refused to acknowledge your place as my son and heir, along with the responsibility that comes with that title.”
“A title I never wanted,” Ezra snapped, rippling with anger. “Especially not as your son.”
Even from behind him, I could sense as Dane tensed slightly at the insult. “You used to be a good son, once. You were mindful, agreeable…obedient. What happened to you?”
Ezra’s gaze sharpened. “Not by choice. I was beaten into submission, or did you forget that part?”
A bitter chuckle came from his dad. “Beaten? Hardly. We did what we needed to in order to get your respect.”
“Respect,” he muttered as he shook his head. “You never deserved it…which is why I left. Why I changed.”
“And now look where that has landed you,” Dane began with a hint of feigned defeat. “With your apparent ‘fiancé’ abducted and under my hand now—well, Rory’s, technically. I bet that just stings, doesn’t it?”
Pulling in a breath to steady himself despite his obvious anger, Ezra glared at him. “What the hell do you want? Why do all of this?”
“You know what I want, which is why I have her,” he muttered, gesturing carelessly. “If she is what’s standing in the way of you following through with your end of the bargain, then we’ll pretend she doesn’t exist. Better yet, we’ll get rid of her completely, and you’ll be distraction-free.”
A new darkness moved through Ezra’s gaze then, and there was no missing the protectiveness in his eyes. Despite the situation, it gave me hope that things weren’t completely over between us. He cared, and that was enough.
“Neither of you is going to do anything to Zoe,” Ezra stated firmly, unwavering in his conviction. “And I will not take Nora as my mate, regardless of what you want. Not while I already have one.”
I felt our bond lightened from his words as if satisfied by being acknowledged again. My heart squeezed, and more than anything, I wanted to be back with him. To have the chance to go back home and sort things out between us properly. I didn’t want to leave things the way they were.
I was angry and upset with him before, but hearing his declaration and knowing that he still recognized our connection meant more to me than he could ever know. All those negative emotions went away, and all that remained was my affection for him and the desire to be reunited with my mate—free of struggle and distractions.
“Beyond that, I’m ready to do whatever it takes to end this,” Ezra said, gaze full of challenge and conviction.
Dane sneered at him. “And how do you plan on doing that?”
Lifting his chin slightly in an act of defiance, Ezra returned, “By proposing that we leave Zoe out of this, regardless of the outcome. I’ll fight you for my complete freedom and ability to choose, but if you win, I’ll agree to the arrangement.”
My heart immediately clenched at the thought of him losing and being forced to accept Nora. While I didn’t have any reason to believe he’d lose to his dad, I still couldn’t discount that possibility completely.
It made me anxious, but at the same time, I knew he had no other choice. It was the only way he’d ever get his dad off his back and be given the chance to move on finally.
I heard Dane quietly growling his consideration, then with the slightest reluctance, he forced out a breath.
“All right then, I accept,” he said, rolling his shoulders as he prepared himself. “We’ll fight to settle this. If you win, you can do whatever you’d like while I face Kody myself…and if I win, you’ll take Nora as your mate and cast this one aside.”
Even the mention of it made my end of the bond tighten uncomfortably, but I urged myself to ignore it. I had to focus my energy on supporting Ezra, not dwelling on that grim possibility.
Stepping forward, gaze set on his dad, he and Ezra began circling each other, wearing a determined expression. “It’s about time I proved I have the chops to be an alpha.”
Dane snapped at him, showing no love to his son. Instead, there was only resentment, anger, and the intention to cause whatever harm was necessary to get his way. “We’ll see about that.”
With my heart in my throat, I could only watch as Rory’s grip tightened on me in anticipation, surely aware that if his alpha went down during that fight, he’d be the only one left surrounded by Ezra and the others. One beta against a handful of alphas didn’t stand a chance.
The wolves lingering in the woods seemed restless as they prepared to support their alpha from a distance. A sense of anxiety along with anticipation lingered around them, needing to find out who would win the fight after all.
Without warning, the two of them sprung into action, clothes tearing as they shifted mid-jump, only to collide in a mess of fangs, fur, and claws. Jaws tense, they snapped and snarled at each other, causing an immediate orchestra of aggressive sounds that seemed to echo hauntingly around us through the dark.
The sound of it was brutal, especially while knowing that my mate was in the middle of it, and I couldn’t do anything but watch.
The others watched closely, eyes trained completely on the fight, waiting for the outcome. We were all anxious, even if we had complete faith in Ezra.
With my gaze fixed completely on the violent scrap between the two shifted wolves, my attention snagged when I felt Rory’s fingers tighten against my shoulder before they went away completely.
At once, I spun around to find Sebastian standing there, expression furious as he looked down at Rory who suddenly seemed no stronger than a child in comparison.
A loud crack came from one of Rory’s bones as my brother snapped his arm in an unfortunate position while he glared at him, teeth clenched. A low growl resonated within his chest.
The fight mostly drowned out Rory’s cries, but I took slight satisfaction in being close enough to hear just how pathetic he sounded.
Sebastian moved his face closer, pinning him to the spot. “If you ever, ever look at my sister again, I’ll do more than break your bones.”
Sharp, pained breaths were sucked in through his teeth as Rory looked back at him, wide-eyed and surely wishing he had never said a word to me before.
When he didn’t say anything, his arm was twisted further, causing him to scream out. Sebastian snarled, “Am I clear?”
“Yes!” Rory managed, voice trembling. “I understand…”
“Good,” Sebastian snapped, releasing his arm with a shove in the opposite direction. “Now get the hell out of here.”
At once, life surely flashed before his eyes. Rory caught himself before he could fall, then stumbled away, doing his best to run through the trees despite his fresh injury.
As Sebastian focused on me then, he shook that fury away from his features and replaced it with concern instead. He gently put his hands on my arms to keep me steady. “Are you all right?”
With the tape over my mouth, I nodded as grateful tears filled my eyes.
His expression was softer than before. He reached for a corner of the tape and carefully pulled it away from my skin.
I winced from how it pulled my skin, but the moment it was off, I drew in a deep breath and managed to regain my bearings as Sebastian wasted no time getting the chains around my wrists undone.
“I’m sorry,” he said immediately the moment the chains dropped, and he collected me in a tight squeeze, resting his cheek against the top of my head while I hugged him back with an equal measure of relief. “I never should’ve said those things to you or Ezra…I never should’ve gotten in the way. You were right—I was a hypocrite. I’m sorry.”
“I know,” I murmured against him, comforted by the thought that we didn’t have to end things the way we left them. “It doesn’t matter right now. Not anymore.”
Sebastian nodded as he pulled back slightly, clued into the fight unfolding nearby. “You’re right. I’m just glad you’re safe…and I’m not letting you out of my sight until this is over.”
Unwilling to disagree with him, I nodded and stayed close as I returned my attention to Ezra and Dane while they pushed back against each other, looking for anywhere to bite and scratch.
It didn’t matter that they were blood—not while they both had something to lose.
All the while I watched, I silently rooted for Ezra, aware that he could use every ounce of support to his advantage.
Regardless of his father's threats, I had faith in him, and through our bond, I let him know that I was on his side. That no matter what, I believed in him.
In us.