Chapter 173: Goodbye in Flames

Chapter 173: Goodbye in Flames
Dana’s POV
I stood quietly and watched as the flames consumed Zade's body reducing him to ashes.
The fire crackled softly, yet the sound felt deafening in my ears. Zade’s family cried openly, broken sobs that tore through the night. His mother held unto her husband as though letting go would shatter her completely. Hana stood in disbelief, her eyes fixed on the flames, her tears falling silently.
I wiped the last tear from my cheek and slowly turned away.
I couldn’t watch anymore.
“Kids,” Zade’s father said gently behind us, his voice filled with grief, “you can’t return to Archlight Academy tonight. It’s too late, and very dangerous out there. You should stay here and leave in the morning.”
I paused and turned to look at Kyle and Alex, silently asking for their thoughts.
“I don’t think it’s a bad idea,” Kyle said after a moment.
Alex nodded. “If Damian is okay with it, then I’m fine.”
All eyes turned to Damian.
“I don’t have a problem with it,” he said calmly. “After all, they are my family too.”
My heart softened at his words, and I smiled faintly.
We were welcomed into the Frost family house shortly afterward. It felt strange, this massive, quiet mansion filled with grief. I realized it was my first time entering someone else’s home like this. My father had always been strict, rarely allowing us to visit others.
“You boys can stay in Zade’s room,” Mr. Frost said quietly to Damian, Kyle, and Alex. “Dana, you’ll stay with Hana.”
“Thank you, sir,” I murmured.
I followed Hana upstairs. She walked slowly, carefully, as if every step required effort. She hadn’t said a word since the burning, and I didn’t blame her. She had just lost her only brother.
I imagined losing my little sister.
The thought alone made me so sad as though the thought was reality.
“Hana,” I called softly.
She stopped and turned to look at me, her eyes empty yet heavy with pain.
“I’m sorry about Zade’s death,” I said carefully. “It was a mistake. I never meant to....”
“Sorry won’t change anything,” Hana said gently. There was no anger in her voice, only exhaustion. “What’s done is done.”

She climbed onto her bed and lay down, facing the wall.
“I know sorry isn’t enough, but....”
“Dana, it’s okay,” she interrupted quietly.
I hesitated.
“Zade wouldn’t listen to me or my mother,” she continued. “Only Father. Always Father.”
Her words cut deeper than blame ever could.
“Some things are beyond our control,” Hana said softly. “There are events destined to happen, no matter how much we try to fight them.”
She turned her face slightly toward me.
“It’s just tragic that you were the one who took his life. His first fated mate, the one he publicly rejected because of our father.”
My breath caught.
“Good night, Dana,” she whispered, pulling the blanket over her head.
I lay awake long after the lights went out.
Her words echoed in my mind, destined, beyond our control.
They were the same words her father had spoken earlier.
Slowly, memories of Zade flooded my thoughts, his anger, his cruelty, his hesitation. The hatred in his eyes hadn’t been his own. It had been planted there, it has been shaped by his father.
I sighed and closed my eyes.
Eventually, sleep claimed me.

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“Zade, back off!” I shouted, stepping backward as he advanced toward me.
The atmosphere around filled with power. My heart pounded violently in my chest.
Suddenly, as if pushed by an unseen force, a powerful bark escaped my throat. Zade staggered back, surprise flashing across his face.
“Do you think you’re the only one who can throw tantrums?” I yelled, rage burning in my eyes.
“Dana, I’m sorry,” Zade pleaded, his voice trembling.
“Oh, you’re sorry now?” I laughed mockingly. “What will your apology fix? You kidnapped the entire school, and also kidnapped Damian!”
“It was my father,” he said desperately. “Everything was his doing.”
I hesitated.
“I had no choice,” Zade continued. “I had to obey him, whether good or bad. He hated your family so much that he forced me to reject you the moment he found out we were fated.”
My heart broke.
“I didn’t want to,” he cried. “Please, Dana. Forgive me.”
I stared at him coldly.
“I forgive you,” I said slowly. “But I don’t forgive betrayal.”
His eyes widened.
“Betrayal stinks, Zade,” I whispered. “And I never take it lightly.”
Suddenly, I raised my hands up, and a knife appeared in my hand.
“I’m sorry,” I said as I plunged it into his stomach.
“Dana NO!!!!” Zade screamed.

\---------------------------
I jolted up from sleep, screaming his name.
“Zade!”
My body trembled violently, sweat soaking through my clothes. My heart raced as though it wanted to tear free.
“Dana, calm down,” Damian said urgently, holding me as I shook uncontrollably.
I realized everyone was in the room, Hana, Kyle, Alex, even Mr. and Mrs. Frost.
“You were screaming in your sleep,” Damian said softly. “You were shaking.”
I took a deep breath.
“It was a dream,” I whispered. “But it felt too real.”
They escorted me downstairs, where I told them everything, every single word, every feeling, every scream.
When I finished, silence filled the room.
Then, for the first time since we arrived, Zade’s mother spoke.
“My child,” she said gently, walking toward me. “Don’t torment yourself over Zade’s death.”
I looked at her, tears blurring my vision.
“You didn’t kill him,” she continued. “It was destined.”
She paused, then sighed deeply.
“A seer once told us that Zade’s fated mate might be the one to end his life,” she said quietly. “Even after rejecting you, the prophecy still stood.”
My knees weakened.
“Please,” she said softly, placing her hands on my shoulders. “Go and live your life. Don’t carry this burden.”
Tears streamed down my face as I threw my arms around her, hugging her tightly.
“I’m so sorry,” I sobbed.
She held me firmly, like a mother comforting her child.
When we finally pulled apart, we said our goodbyes.
As we walked away from the Frost family home, my heart felt heavy, but lighter than before.
Zade was gone.
It was painful, but there's nothing we can do.
Damian, Alex and Kyle followed behind me as went back to Archlight Academy.