Chapter 44 43
Soraya's POV
The moment Darius stormed out, I swung my legs off the bed and tried to get up. A sharp pain shot through my stomach, forcing me to clutch it as my head spun.
“Darius…” I called out weakly, but he was already gone.
He was losing control and I had to reach him before Zeus completely took over.
Every step I took filled my entire body with so much pain, my head throbbed from where I’d fallen earlier, my cheek burned from the slap, and my stomach ached from the kick. But none of that mattered right now.
He was in this state because of me.
If only I had thought things through. If only I had called him before leaving the school, then none of this would have happened.
“Darius!” I called again, my voice trembling.
“Don’t come after me!” he growled back.
His voice didn’t even sound human anymore. It was deeper, with Zeus’ growl beneath. As he walked through the hallway, he shoved a vase off the table, causing it to break into pieces.
“Darius, wait!” I cried.
“Soraya, don’t!” he roared.
He was fighting it, I could tell. His body was shaking, his breathing was uneven but Zeus was taking over fast.
Still, I couldn’t just leave him. If I could just touch him, maybe he’d calm down.
“Darius…” I took another step, wincing as glass pierced under my foot.
And before I could even scream, a hand grabbed me from behind, yanking me into the next room. The door slammed shut and locked.
“Dante, what are you doing?” I snapped, trying to push his hand off the door. “I need to get to him!”
Dante turned toward me, after he locked the door. “You can’t, Soraya. He’s out of control right now. You could get hurt, and he’d regret that.”
“I know,” I said, my voice shaking, “but I need to get to him! If I could just touch him or hold him, he would calm down!”
“Look, I know that,” Dante said, stepping closer, “but you’re not in any condition to be anywhere near him. What if you try to reach him and he lunges before you get to touch him? You’re injured, weak, and bleeding, Soraya. I’m trying to protect you.”
“I don’t need protection!” I snapped, holding my head as the pain hit me again. I raised my voice too much. “Darius is the one who needs protection right now! He could do something he’ll regret.”
“Soraya,” Dante said, lowering his tone, “I know that. But Darius prioritizes you above everything. You’re his mate and our Luna. If I let you out and something happens to you, when he calms down, he’ll lose it.”
“Dante, would you rather he goes berserk all over the house? Tears it apart? Then disappears for a week like last time?” I shot back. “Come on. I can talk to him. Nothing’s going to happen.”
“Soraya, I don’t think—”
“Dante!” I shouted, but the pain in my head made me wince. “Ugh…” I placed my hand to my forehead.
“You see what I mean?” he muttered, grabbing my arm gently and forcing me to sit. “Just sit down, okay?”
“I can’t,” I whispered, shaking my head.
A loud crash echoed through the house, followed by a violent thud and then someone’s scream.
I looked up at Dante, panic rising in my chest. “Dante, he’s going to tear the house apart! Just open the door!”
I got up again, clutching Dante’s arm for balance. “Dante, just give me the key, okay?” I pleaded. “Look, if anything happens, which I doubt, I’ll tell him it was my fault. That I insisted. Please… you don’t want Darius to do something he’ll regret, right?”
I urged. “Just give me the key.”
He hesitated, his eyes travelling toward the door.
We both heard the faint clink of something falling down as I continued to shake him.
“Wait… what was that?” I asked.
Dante froze. “Oh, shit.”
“What?”
“The key, it must’ve fallen somewhere.”
My heart skipped. “Oh no. It fell off?”
He crouched down immediately. “I must’ve dropped it.”
“Let’s look for it,” I said quickly, dropping to my knees beside him. “Come on, come on…”
The key was small and silver, with a red mark at the edge. We checked under the table, behind the curtains, even near the corner shelf.
“Shit,” Dante muttered. “How did I even drop it—”
“Wait!” I gasped, spotting something glinting near the floorboard. I reached for it fast, with trembling fingers. “Got it!”
Before Dante could stop me, I rushed straight to the door, put the key into the lock, and twisted it open.
“Soraya, wait!” Dante shouted behind me, but I didn’t hear the rest. I’d already thrown the door wide and sprinted out.
The hallway was a mess. Another flower vase had shattered into pieces across the floor. One of the portraits had fallen, the frame cracked, a long claw mark tearing across the wall.
“Darius…” I whispered.
I hurried downstairs and there he was.
He was half-transformed. His eyes were glowing, his claws extended, his breathing harsh through his teeth. He wasn’t in full wolf form but he was close.
He growled low.
Miss Opaline stood frozen in the corner, her hands shaking, her eyes wide with fear.
“Darius,” I called softly, stepping closer even as my heart raced.
Everywhere was in chaos.
Darius picked up one of the jars from the table and threw it straight at one of the maids.
She gasped and ducked just in time. The jar smashed against the wall, shattering into a hundred sharp pieces.
My heart pounded. For a split second, he froze, like something inside him hesitated. But then, his hand twitched again, and he grabbed another object.
He was losing control. I could tell.
This wasn’t Darius. It was Zeus fighting to take full control of him.
I imagined how much pain he must be feeling, struggling so hard between himself and his wolf.
Then, his eyes locked on me.
For a moment, he paused again, his gaze switching to confusion for a second.
“Darius!” I cried out, stepping forward.
“Soraya, dear!” Mrs. Opaline’s voice came behind me, terrified. She rushed over and held my arm tightly. “I heard you were injured, please, just stay back, okay?”
“No,” I said, shaking my head. “He needs to calm down.”
“But I’m worried about you, dear,” she whispered. “You know how strong he is now. His claws are out…one wrong move and—”
“Mrs. Opaline, it’s fine.” I pulled my arm free.
“Soraya—”
“Darius!” I called out again.
I took a careful step forward.
And before I could even reach him, his arm swung.
His hand hit my face. The world spun for a moment, and I fell to the ground. He hit my head that was already pounding before