Chapter 111

~SELENE~

"That's not normal."

Tristan looked up from his coffee. We were sitting in the campus library, pretending to be studying. But I couldn't focus on anything except the train wreck happening around us.

"What's not normal?"

"Zayne. The way he acts around Nessa." I pulled out my phone, scrolling through the photos I'd taken over the past week. "Look at this. Monday at lunch—he's staring at nothing, totally zoned out. She touches his arm and suddenly he's smiling like nothing's wrong."

Tristan leaned over to look. "So? Maybe he's just tired."

"It's not just that. Watch." I showed him another photo. "Tuesday, same thing. He looks miserable until she touches him. Then it's like a switch flips."

"You've been taking spy photos of them?"

"I've been documenting evidence. There's a difference." I put my phone away. "Something is wrong with him, Tristan. This isn't the Zayne we know."

"People change after breakups—"

"He didn't break up with Arlina. He betrayed her in front of everyone and now she's literally dying from a severed mate bond while he's playing happy couple with some random transfer student."

Tristan was quiet for a moment. "You think Nessa did something to him."

"I think she showed up out of nowhere, Zayne started acting weird immediately after, and now his mate is locked in her room falling apart. Yeah, I think she did something."

"Like what? Magic?"

"Maybe." I pulled out my laptop. "Remember last week when we ran into them at the coffee shop? Nessa was wearing long sleeves even though it was warm outside. When she reached for the sugar, her sleeve rode up and I saw marks on her wrist."

"What kind of marks?"

"Symbols. Like tattoos but they looked…I don't know. They looked different. Like, they moved."

Tristan's expression changed. "Moved how?"

"Like they were shifting under her skin. I only saw them for a second before she pulled her sleeve down, but I know what I saw."

"Did you tell anyone?"

"Who would believe me? Stefan already thinks I'm paranoid. Alpha Edward and Arlina's mom are focused on keeping her alive. And Zayne—" I stopped. "Zayne won't even talk about Nessa without getting a headache."

"That's weird."

"That's what I'm saying. Every time someone questions his relationship with her, he gets these massive headaches that only she can fix." I opened my laptop and started typing. "I've been researching all week. Witch magic, binding spells, compulsion techniques."

"You think she's a witch?"

"I think she's something. And whatever she is, she's using magic to control Zayne."

I pulled up the websites I'd bookmarked. Pages about magical compulsion, binding rituals, symbols used in dark magic.

"Look at this," I said, showing him a diagram. "Compulsion spells require physical contact to maintain. That's why Nessa's always touching him to reinforce the magic."

"Selene, this is—"

"And here. Binding symbols are often tattooed or carved into the caster's skin. They act as anchors for the spell." I showed him another page. "The symbols I saw on her wrist match these exactly."

Tristan studied the screen. "This could be a coincidence—"

"It's not. Look at the symptoms. Memory loss, headaches when questioning the spell, attachment to the caster, personality changes. Zayne has all of them."

"If you're right, if Nessa really did this, we need to tell someone. Alpha Edward, Patricia—"

"I tried. Alpha Edward said they're investigating her background. But by the time they find proof, Arlina could be dead." I closed my laptop. "The severed mate bond is killing her. Every day she's weaker, her powers are more unstable. We're running out of time."

"So what are you going to do?"

"Tell Arlina. Show her the research. She needs to know that Zayne didn't choose Nessa willingly. That he's being controlled."

"She won't believe you. She's too hurt to hear anything about Zayne right now."

"She has to hear it. Because if she gives up, if she stops fighting—" I grabbed my stuff. "I have to at least try."

Tristan stood too. "Want backup?"

"No. This needs to be just me and her." I headed for the exit. "But thanks."

The drive to Arlina's house took fifteen minutes. The whole way, I practiced what I'd say. How to explain that her mate's betrayal wasn't real, that it was magic, that there might still be hope.

Helen answered the door. She looked exhausted.

"Selene. Come in."

"How is she?"

"About the same. She ate half a piece of toast this morning. That's progress, I guess." Helen led me upstairs. "The healers came yesterday. They said without her wolf responding, there's not much they can do."

"Can I see her?"

"Go ahead. Maybe you'll have better luck getting through to her than I do."

I knocked on Arlina's door. No answer.

"Arlina? It's me. I need to talk to you."

"Not now."

"It's important. It's about Zayne."

A pause. Then: "I don't want to talk about Zayne."

"I know. But you need to hear this." I opened the door.

The room was dark, curtains drawn. Arlina was curled up in bed, looking smaller than I'd ever seen her.

"I'm not kidding, Selene. Leave."

"Not until you hear what I have to say." I sat on the edge of the bed. "I think Nessa's been using magic on Zayne."

"I don't care—"

"Compulsion magic. To make him pull away from you and attach to her instead."

She didn't respond.

"I've been watching them for the past week," I continued. "He acts like a different person around her. And every time he tries to question what he's doing, he gets these massive headaches that only she can fix. That's not normal, Arlina. That's magic."

"Even if that's true, it doesn't matter."

"How can you say that? If Zayne's being controlled—"

"He still did it. Magic or not, he still asked her out. Still kissed her. Still hurt me." Her voice was flat. "I don't care why he did it. I only care that he did."

"But if his actions weren't his own—"

"Then what? I'm supposed to forgive him? Go back to him? Pretend it didn't destroy me?" She finally looked at me. "I can't, Selene. Even if you're right, even if Nessa cast some spell on him—I can't go through this again."

"The bond is killing you—"

"Good. Let it kill me. At least then I'll stop hurting."

I grabbed her hand. "Don't say that. You're stronger than this."

"I'm not. Everyone keeps saying I am, but I'm not. I'm broken and I don't know how to fix it."

"Then let me help you fix it. Let me prove that Zayne's being controlled." I pulled out my phone, showing her the photos. "Look. See how he changes when she touches him? That's not natural behavior. That's compulsion."

Arlina glanced at the screen then looked away. "I don't want to see pictures of them together."

"I know it hurts. But you need to understand what's happening. Nessa isn't just some random transfer student. She's a witch using magic to manipulate Zayne and destroy your bond."

"Why? What does she gain from breaking us apart?"

"I don't know. But Edward's investigating her and Patricia thinks she's working with The Order." I showed her the research on binding spells. "These symbols—I saw them on her wrist. They match the ones used in compulsion magic."

Arlina studied the screen for a long moment. "This could all be wrong. You could be seeing patterns that aren't there."

"Or I could be right. And if I am, if Zayne really is under a spell—wouldn't you want to know? Wouldn't you want to save him?"

"I don't know if I can save him. I can barely save myself right now."

"You don't have to do it alone. Let me help. Let Stefan and Tristan help. We'll figure this out together."

She pulled her hand away. "What if you're wrong? What if there's no spell and Zayne really does want her more than me? What happens then?"

"Then at least you'll know the truth. But Arlina, mate bonds don't just break because someone prettier comes along. They're permanent, biological, sacred. For Zayne to act this way, then there has to be something else going on."

"Or maybe the bond wasn't as strong as we thought."

"You don't believe that."

"I don't know what to believe anymore."

I stood up. "Fine. Don't believe me. But at least let me keep investigating. Let me find proof before you give up completely."

"Do whatever you want. Just don't expect me to care about the results."

"You do care. That's the problem." I headed for the door. "I'll be back when I have more evidence. In the meantime, try to eat something. Your mom's worried sick."

I left before she could argue.

Outside, Helen was waiting.

"Any luck?" she asked.

"She's listening. Even if she doesn't want to admit it." I pulled out my phone. "I need to talk to Patricia. If Nessa really is using magic, we need to break the spell before it's too late."

"I'll call Edward. He'll want to know what you found."

As I drove back to campus, one thought kept repeating in my mind.

We were running out of time. Arlina was dying, Zayne was being controlled, and Nessa was still out there pulling strings.

But at least now I had proof that something was wrong.

And maybe, that would be enough to save them both.