Chapter 170: She Didn’t Come to Bargain

Chapter 170: She Didn’t Come to Bargain
Zade’s POV

The nerve of Alex to slap me.

I tasted blood at the corner of my mouth, but I didn’t wipe it away. Instead, I smiled.

Not the polite kind of smile. Not the calm one either.

It was the kind of smile that comes when anger meets amusement, when pride refuses to bow even in the face of humiliation.

I watched them carefully as my boys shifted uneasily behind me, clearly itching to attack. Their hands twitched. Their jaws tightened. One command from me, and Alex would already be on the ground.

But I lifted my hand.

A simple signal with my hands...

They hesitated, then obeyed.

I slowly walked over and sat on a cold concrete block like this was nothing more than a casual meeting. My eyes locked on Alex. He was breathing hard, chest rising and falling rapidly, his fists clenched so tightly I thought his bones might crack.

That boy looked like he wanted to tear me apart with his bare hands.

I grinned wickedly.

“So,” I said calmly, crossing my arms, “Alex, you actually had the nerve, the guts to hit me?”

Alex took a step forward.

“You’re lucky you can still talk, Zade,” he growled. “You should be grateful I didn’t cut your mouth off.”

The sound that left me was laughter, a deep, mocking laughter that echoed around the abandoned building.

“Oh, Alex,” I said, shaking my head. “You’re hilarious.”

I leaned back slightly.

“Should I be lucky,” I continued, “or should you be lucky that I didn’t tell my boys to attack you the moment you touched me?”

Alex scoffed.

“Who cares about your boys?” he shouted.

That was when I noticed Dana and Kyle trying to hold him back. Dana’s hands gripped his arm tightly, while Kyle stood in front of him like a wall. Alex shoved them aside without hesitation.

I laughed again.

“Let him go,” I said lazily. “He wants to fight me. Allow him. Don’t hold him back, let's see what Alexander got.”

Kyle glared at me.

“You better shut up, Zade,” he snapped angrily.

I placed a hand on my chest dramatically.

“Wow,” I said. “All of you are against me? I must be very special.”

Then Marcus stepped forward, his voice tight with fury.

“Zade, stop this nonsense and bring out Damian right now.”

I studied their faces, Alex’s rage, Kyle’s tension, Marcus’s controlled anger. I was enjoying myself far more than I should have.

That was when something changed.

Dana stepped forward angrily.

She walked toward me slowly, deliberately, until she was standing so close I could feel her breath against my skin. The atmosphere around her felt so different.

She stared at me without blinking.

For a moment, no one spoke.

Then she said, her voice low and sharp,

“Zade, before I count to five, call your boys and release Damian.”

The outburst stunned me.

Dana had always been strong, yes....but this?

This was something else.

Still, I refused to show weakness.

“And who do you think you are,” I asked coldly, “that I should listen to you?”

Her eyes darkened.

“I’m nobody,” she said, her voice shaking with restrained fury. “But you better do the right thing if you don’t want something terrible to happen in this forgotten building.”

I laughed, but uneasily this time.

There was something in her tone that made my skin whitened.

I motioned to one of my boys and whispered instructions.

“Go in and bring Damian.”

Minutes later, the boy returned.

Damian stumbled into view, his hands tied, his body weak, supported by one of my men. He looked thinner, pale, and broken.

“Damian!” Dana screamed.

She rushed forward instinctively, but I stepped in front of her, blocking her path.

“Take him back inside,” I ordered calmly.

“What are you doing, Zade?!” Alex roared.

Dana’s eyes burned into mine.

“Zade, are you okay?” she asked angrily, disbelief laced through her voice.

I only smiled as my man dragged Damian away again.

That was when everything changed.

“Zade, are you mad?” Dana shouted.

Her voice shook the ground, or maybe it was just my imagination.

She stepped forward again, her eyes glowing red now, no longer holding back.

“Do we look like we came here to bargain with you?” she demanded. “Release Damian right now!”

For the first time, fear crept into my chest, but I didn't show it.

I had never seen Dana like this.

I took a step backward.

She followed.

Another step.

She followed again.

Even my boys, my loyal fighters were at this time looking so terrified.

Dana grabbed my shirt collar suddenly and slammed me against the wall, shaking me violently.

“Tell your boys to release Damian,” she snarled, “if you still love your life, Zade.”

She laughed bitterly.

“Oh wait, you said you’re not living your life, fine. But release him anyway.”

My voice trembled.

“And if I don’t?”

Her eyes glowed brighter.

“Then consider yourself dead.”

My boys rushed toward me, whispering urgently.

“She’s losing control,” one said. “Her wolf is close. We should let him go.”

But pride is a dangerous thing.

I refused.

That was my mistake.

One by one, my boys ran away, abandoning me.

The moment they fled, Kyle and Marcus sprinted inside to free Damian.

Dana’s fingers dug deeper into my skin, sharp and painful.

Blood dripped from my hands.

Panic surged through me.

With a burst of anger, I kicked her stomach.

She fell to the floor.

Alex rushed toward her, but before he could reach her, Dana stood up.

And then....

I received a thunderous SLAP.

The sound echoed.

I staggered back, holding my face.

But she wasn’t done.

Her fingers grew longer, sharper.

Her wolf was awake.

And in that moment, I knew the truth.

I should have listened.

I should have released Damian.

Now, I had awakened something far more dangerous than I ever imagined.

And I wasn’t sure I would survive it.

Within a few minutes, Kyle and Marcus returned with Damian.

I thought that once Dana saw Damian, she would at least release her grip on me, but she didn’t.

That was when I realized it wouldn’t be easy to get her off me.