Chapter 253: The Night Alpha
Zane~
Her fingers were cold in mine—too cold. But I held on like my life depended on it. Maybe it did. Letting go wasn’t even an option. Not now. Not ever.
She looked like a dream trapped in a nightmare—Natalie. My spark. My storm. My everything. She lay so still, too still, like the world had hit pause on her soul. Her breathing was barely there, like it didn’t want to be noticed. It terrified me. Because she was here... but not really. Like a ghost caught between two realities.
The sight of her stillness pressed against my chest until I could barely breathe. My ribs were a cage and my heart was a beast, thrashing behind the bars.
Fox paced the room like a fuse waiting to be lit—his movements sharp, restless. He kept throwing glances my way, eyes tight with warning. Like he was watching a grenade with a pulled pin. He wasn’t wrong.
Bubble leaned against the wall with his arms folded, his face carved from stone, but his voice was soft. "Zane," he said carefully, like I might break if he said it any other way, "you need to calm down—"
"I am calm," I snapped. But the growl in my voice betrayed me. The air around me wasn’t calm. It vibrated. Hummed. Like a thunderstorm pacing in circles inside my skin.
"No," Fox said, and for once, his voice didn’t have that bite. It was low. Careful. Almost kind. "You’re not. You’re spiraling."
He said it like he’d been there before. Like he knew the feeling of your soul unraveling thread by thread, and you’re too far gone to notice.
My hands shook, but I didn’t let go of her. Couldn’t. My breath came in broken pieces, every inhale a burn, every exhale a war. My chest felt like it was on fire and drowning at the same time. My thoughts spun, a tornado of rage and fear and guilt so loud I almost didn’t hear it.
Almost.