Chapter 21

Zane’s POV

I climbed to the attic, my breath coming in short bursts as I reached the top faster than I ever should’ve. The smell of freesia hit me before I even opened the door. It was her scent. The girl.

The door stood between me and her, the silence thick enough to swallow me whole. I paused, letting my mind settle, recalling how I had searched the Silverwood packhouse from top to bottom. Why hadn’t I thought to check the attic first?

Of course, I should’ve known. She wouldn’t be in the common areas — not in places that others used. But here, in the attic? Perfect. Isolated. The kind of place no one would think to look.

I knocked lightly at first, hearing nothing but the soft hum of the wind. Again, but harder this time, my patience starting to wane.

Then, a rustle from inside. My heart hammered in my chest. Was that...her?

I turned the handle and pushed the door open, feeling my wolf surge forward, excited at the prospect of finally finding her. The faint light from the early dawn barely made it through the attic's small window, but my Alpha sight made her stand out. Mabel, sitting on the edge of the futon in the corner, hugging her knees tightly, her eyes wide and watching me.

I froze in the doorway. My breath hitched, caught somewhere between surprise and disbelief.

"Say something," my wolf growled in my head, snapping me out of my trance.

"Hi…" I finally said, awkwardly. "You’re probably wondering why I’m here."

She was. I could see it in her eyes.

Did she think I was here to hurt her again? Or was this some cruel prank? Maybe I was just another face in the long line of people who'd come and tormented her. I didn’t blame her. Not after everything.

I felt it then — the heavy weight of my past actions bearing down on me. I hadn’t done anything to make her trust me. I was the one who’d hurt her.

"Please, just leave," she said, her voice shaky, and I saw it: the raw fear in her eyes, the way her entire body curled into itself.

It hurt more than I could’ve imagined.

“I won’t hurt you,” I promised, though I knew that my words might not mean much coming from me.

But damn it, I couldn’t leave. Not now.

I stepped into the room, my eyes following her every move as she shifted away from me, backing into the corner.

"Please…" Her voice cracked, and my chest tightened.

I lifted my hands, palms out, trying to show her I wasn’t a threat. “I won’t hurt you,” I repeated, my tone soft but firm.

"Yeah, you won’t hurt me. But others will," she thought bitterly, though she didn’t say it aloud.

I closed the door behind me gently and took a slow step forward, careful not to make any sudden moves. I dropped to a squat, bringing us closer to eye level, though I still towered over her.

“My name is Zane,” I said, trying my best to sound less like a monster and more like a person.

She looked at me, her gaze flickering between me and the door.

“Please, leave,” she whispered again.

But I couldn’t. Not this time. Not when I finally found her. She was shaking. I could feel it, even from where I was.

I reached out to her, my fingers brushing her swollen wrist. The shock of electricity between us nearly knocked the breath from me. I hadn’t expected it to be this intense.

“What happened?” My voice dropped, worry replacing my earlier calm. "Did you fall again? Is it Lydia?"

I could feel the rage bubbling up inside me, threatening to boil over. I wanted to go to her, take her somewhere safe, anywhere but here.

But she recoiled, pulling her wrist back. “Please,” she pleaded, “don’t say anything. She’ll hurt me more.”

I couldn’t take it. This wasn’t just some random act of violence. This was deliberate. And I’d done nothing.

“Did Lydia do this?” I pressed, keeping my voice soft but insistent.

Her eyes widened, and that look alone confirmed everything I needed to know. My mind reeled, anger flooding my veins. How could I have been so blind?

I clenched my fists. “I’ll kill her.”

“Don’t,” she whispered. “Please… just leave me alone.”

She didn’t even know. She had no idea how much it hurt to hear her say that. That someone would want to isolate her even more.

I sat beside her, pulling her gently to my chest before she could protest. The shock of the contact was enough to make her freeze, but I didn’t care. Not this time. I was done with letting her suffer.

She tensed, but I didn’t let go. I wasn’t going to. Not after everything.

“Shh…” I murmured, pressing her gently into me, my chest humming with the strange satisfaction of her proximity. “It’s okay.”

Her body was stiff in my arms, her resistance only making me tighten my hold a little more. I wanted to keep her close. I wanted to stay like this forever, but I knew better than to push her too far.

She stopped fighting after a while. I could feel her giving in, though it wasn’t from trust. It was from defeat.

“Am I hurting you?” I asked, voice soft but filled with concern.

“No… but…”

I didn’t let her finish. “Then it’s fine,” I said, cutting her off before she could say anything else.