OrionI jerk back, my eyes narrowing as I take a step toward the door. “This was never about me,” I mutter, more to myself than to Zane.“What was that?” Zane asks, tilting his head with that same infuriating smirk. He knows exactly what he’s doing.I don’t respond. Instead, I bolt from the room, slamming the door behind me. Something’s off—Zane’s too calm, too confident. The sounds of the crowd grow louder as I make my way down the corridor—cheers, growls, and the unmistakable sound of flesh hitting flesh. The usual chaos of the underground fights. But as I approach the arena, there’s something else. A sound deeper, more primal, shakes the walls.A roar.I rush into the arena, and the sight in front of me makes me pause.In the middle of the pit is a massive three-tailed fox, its white fur gleaming under the dim lights. The crowd is on their feet, screaming and roaring with bloodlust. The fox is surrounded by five wolves and a panther, each one circling, waiting for an opening. But
ZaneI walk through the back streets of Las Vegas, weaving through the crowds like a ghost, slipping between darkened alleyways and neon lights that make my skin crawl. The buzz of the city used to get to me—the constant noise, the faces—but now it’s just static. My mind’s too damn busy to care about the chaos around me.Legion shifted back tonight. Fuck. I didn’t see that coming. All the planning, all the months of pushing to get him into that fight, and he fucking shifted back like it was nothing. I’m not sure if it’s pure luck or if Arkyn’s little training tricks are more effective than I gave them credit for. Whatever it was, it put a serious wrench in things.I shove my hands into my pockets as I approach the run-down building, the smell of incense thick in the air. The witch always loves her theatrics. Natasha’s door is already cracked open like she’s been waiting for me. Of course she has. She knows everything before I even step foot in the room.I push the door open with a la
OrionI step out of the Vega pack house, feeling the tension in my shoulders ease just a little. Being around Arkyn and Legion always puts me on edge—there’s too much at stake right now. But it’s nothing compared to the weight I carry whenever I think about Zane. The thought of him makes my blood boil. And now I have to leave this shitstorm for a bit, handle a few errands for Nero, and get back to dealing with all of this.I tug my jacket tighter as I make my way through the streets. The cold air helps clear my head. Nero sent me to Vegas with a list of things to handle, and the faster I get it done, the sooner I can get back to helping Arkyn and figuring out how deep Zane’s bullshit goes.First stop: I’ve got to meet up with a few shifters who’ve been keeping tabs on what’s happening back home. I’m not in the mood for small talk, but I need the intel. It’s been too quiet lately, and I don’t trust that. Quiet usually means something’s brewing.I find the shifters near the warehouse di
ZaneOrion’s words echo in my head like a gunshot, shattering every bit of composure I have left.“You have no idea how much you broke me. You fucking destroyed me, Zane.”I’m frozen against the brick wall of the alley, my body still vibrating from the way his hands had pinned me there moments before. It’s not like I haven’t heard anger from him before. I’ve heard rage, bitterness, hate—but this? This was something else. This was broken, raw. And it’s my fault. All of it.My legs give out, and I sink to the concrete floor. I press my back against the wall, my head dropping into my hands. My chest feels like it’s being ripped apart, the pounding of my heart loud in my ears. It’s almost funny—people always thought I was cold, that nothing could touch me. But Orion’s words cut through me like a fucking knife, carving me up from the inside out.I knew how much I hurt him. I’ve always known. That’s why I stayed away. That’s why I left. It was supposed to keep him safe, keep him from ever
OrionI’m gripping the steering wheel so hard my knuckles turn white. The road blurs in front of me, but I don’t slow down. I can’t. The streetlights flash past, their yellow glow streaking across the windshield, but all I see is Zane. His face, his voice, the fucking way he kissed me like none of this ever happened.“You have no idea how much you broke me.”I can still hear my own voice in my head, those words spilling out before I could stop them. I meant them, every damn one, but I wasn’t ready for the look on Zane’s face after I said them. The shock, the guilt, the pain. Like he didn’t expect me to still care.I slam my foot on the gas, the car roaring down the highway as I head toward Arkyn’s packhouse, trying to outrun everything. My heart’s pounding in my chest, and my breath comes out in ragged gasps. I can’t think straight. Everything’s spinning, and it feels like I’m suffocating.How dare he try to fucking apologise like he didn’t rip out my heart? Then he tries to kiss me a
OrionI sit at the long wooden table in Arkyn’s study, my phone balanced on speaker in front of me. The room is quiet except for the low hum of Legion’s breathing and the occasional shuffle of Arkyn’s chair beside me. The tension in the air is thick as we wait for Nero and Aeron to join the call. My leg won’t stop bouncing under the table, and I grit my teeth, trying to calm down, but I’m still too rattled from everything with Zane. I shove the thoughts aside for now. This call is too important to get distracted.The phone crackles, and I hear the familiar voice of my older brother, Nero, come through. “Orion, Arkyn, you there?”“Yeah, we’re here,” I say, my voice a little rougher than I’d like. Arkyn nods silently next to me, his sharp gaze flicking between the phone and the door, always alert, always ready.“Good. Aeron’s with me,” Nero continues, and I can hear a faint rustle as Aeron presumably shifts closer to the phone on their end. “Let’s get started.”“Aeron,” I say, leaning
OrionThat night, my phone buzzes, pulling me out of the quiet that settled in after my call with Nero and Aeron. I don’t recognize the number, but something in my gut tells me to answer.“Yeah?” I growl, my voice low, not in the mood for whatever this is.“Orion.”The voice on the other end is shaky, barely recognizable. But I know it’s him. Zane.I freeze, my grip on the phone tightening. “What the fuck do you want?”There’s a pause, and I can hear Zane breathing heavily on the other end. “I need to see you,” he says, his voice almost cracking. “I need to tell you something.”I laugh bitterly, already prepared to hang up. “Yeah, I don’t think so.”“Please.” His voice breaks this time, raw and desperate. “I can’t go on like this. You need to know the truth, Orion.”My finger hovers over the end call button, but something stops me. There’s something different in his voice. It’s not cocky or smug like it usually is. He sounds… broken.“What truth?” I snap, hating how much he still gets
ZaneOrion’s arms pull me into an embrace, and I lose it all over again. I can’t stop the shaking, the sobs that wrack my body as I bury my face against his chest. I don’t deserve this. I don’t deserve him, not after everything I’ve done. But right now, feeling his arms around me, I can’t hold back the flood of emotions anymore.“I’m so sorry,” I whisper through the tears. “I’m so fucking sorry. I never wanted this... I never wanted to hurt you.”Orion stays quiet, his hand gripping the back of my neck, grounding me in a way I haven’t felt in years. I cling to him, afraid that if I let go, he’ll disappear, and I’ll wake up to find this was all some cruel dream.“I still love you,” I choke out. “I always have. I know it doesn’t change anything—Gods, I know that—but it’s true. Even after everything I did.”Orion pulls back, just enough to look at me. His hands are on my face now, cupping my jaw, and I can’t believe this is happening. He shouldn’t be looking at me like that. Not after e