Chapter 119 Chapter 119
Black hair, sharp eyes, and a calm confidence that made my stomach twist. He wasn’t running, wasn’t hiding. He simply walked behind me all the way from Rhyland Global to the cafe, deliberately keeping just enough distance to avoid suspicion. But I knew. I knew.
My heart slammed into my ribs. I moved faster, and he moved faster. My legs felt like lead, my lungs screamed, but I forced myself to keep walking anyway, hoping the crowd would swallow him, but it didn’t; he kept following me all the way.
I froze. It was a text. No number. Just words:
UNKNOWN: You can’t hide. I know where you go. I see everything.
I swallowed hard; my fingers trembled as I typed back.
ME: Who is this?
No reply.
Zaiel
I didn’t need the phone to know something was wrong; I felt it. That primal, dangerous feeling in my gut told me someone had crossed the line. My contacts confirmed nothing unusual, no alerts. Security footage showed nothing except for subtle shadows and someone slipping through the periphery of the cameras, just careful enough to stay invisible.
I didn’t wait. I wasn’t going to let whoever this was get the upper hand. I called Joe and the others, giving a single order: Track her. Find him. Keep me posted.
Every instinct screamed that if I arrived too late, it would be over before I could even touch him.
Carlo was weaving through traffic like he knew the urgency; I already had a plan. This wasn’t just a man following her. This was someone who thought he could get close. Someone who thought he could intimidate her, make her afraid. And that made him my prey.
I already had her location; she was in an alley. The second the car pulled up and I got out, and I walked into the alley, I saw her, half-collapsed against the wall, wide-eyed. I felt that surge of heat in my chest, the protective, possessive, murderous kind. I didn’t even hesitate. I moved like a shadow, silent and deliberate, until I was between her and the man. He froze, and I didn’t wait for him to make a move.
I knew. Always knew. Even before Tessa mentioned that he was still watching her, I felt it. That same, dangerous, primal warning that someone had stepped into her orbit. I didn’t wait for reports, I didn’t wait for confirmation, I moved.
I watched her route, every stop, every sidewalk. I knew her routines almost better than she did. When the shadows first appeared, I didn’t panic. I planned.
When I spotted him lean, confident, and arrogant enough to think he could intimidate her, my hands clenched into fists. He hadn’t touched her, not yet, but just existing in her life was an insult I couldn’t forgive.
I didn’t approach immediately. That wasn’t necessary. I let him track her, let him think he had the upper hand, and let him grow comfortable. And then, I would strike.
Tessa
He appeared suddenly, impossibly, like he had materialized from thin air. The man in the leather jacket stopped mid-step when Kai stepped into the alley. His calm demeanor faltered just slightly. I hadn’t even realized how much relief and terror mixed together could make my knees weak until I felt myself leaning against him without thinking.
“Stay behind me,” he murmured, voice low, cold, and dangerous. I knew that tone; Zaiel was kind and sweet, but Kia was a murderer.
The man’s eyes flicked to me, and for a second, I could almost see the recognition, arrogance, and then panic as if he realized he wasn’t the hunter anymore.
“You…you shouldn’t be here,” Kai said, every word carefully controlled but carrying a weight that made the air itself feel heavy. The man tried a step forward. Kai’s hand was lightning fast. Not touching me, not threatening me, he moved to him. A flick of the wrist, a calculated strike, and the man staggered. Kai’s expression didn’t change; he was calm and ruthless.
“I warned you,” Kai said. “Stay away from her, anywhere and forever.”
The man’s breathing was shallow, his confidence shattered. And in that moment, I realized something terrifying: if Kai wanted him dead, he could make it happen before anyone even knew what had occurred.
I didn’t dare move; I felt frozen, every nerve screaming. The man took a step back, then another, finally breaking eye contact. Kai’s gaze didn’t leave him, a silent promise that was more terrifying than any weapon. When he finally turned to me, I felt something shift. Protection, possession, relief, and fear.
“Are you okay?” he asked quietly.
I nodded, unable to speak. My body shook, not from the confrontation, but from the knowledge that Kai would kill anyone who hurt me, that my stalker wasn’t just being followed, he was being hunted. And somehow, that both terrified me and made my chest feel like it could expand and crush me at the same time.
I watched the man back away from Zaiel, terror in his eyes. My body felt like it could collapse under the weight of what I was seeing. Zaiel didn’t just protect me. He annihilated threats. When he finally turned to me, that same possessive, protective heat filled my chest. I felt both terrified and…safe, impossibly safe.
He caressed my face gently. He didn’t speak again. He didn’t need to. His presence was enough. His control over the situation, his control over everything, was enough. I realized then that anyone who hurt me, anyone who even tried to scare me, would feel Zaiel Kai Rhyland’s wrath. And I would never, ever have to be afraid again.
Zaiel
I left him there, trembling, broken, knowing he had learned the lesson too late. No one touches Tessa. No one threatens her; anyone stupid enough to try will not survive. When I turned to her, she was pale, shaking, vulnerable, and utterly mine. My fingers brushed a strand of hair from her face, and I felt the tension in her body, the terror slowly giving way to relief.
“You understand now?” I asked, low and dangerous.
She nodded, barely audible.
“Good. That’s all I needed. You don’t go anywhere alone. You don’t see anyone who can hurt you. You obey, or I’ll make sure they regret ever thinking they could.”
Her lips parted slightly, and I felt that same heat of desire and fear, confusion and relief, all swirling inside her. I ignored it. She needed protection, not distractions.
The stalker had tried to break her. I had ensured he wouldn’t survive trying again. The lesson was clear. Anyone who thought she was prey now had reason to fear me. And Tessa…she was still trembling, but I knew something had shifted. Fear had given way to dependence. And that made me hungrier, more possessive, and more lethal. I would not allow anyone to harm her, not ever.