Chapter 55 Chapter 55

Chapter 55 Chapter 55
  Zachary’s POV
  “You can’t keep living like this, Zachary,” my mother snapped, her voice sharp with frustration. “I won’t stand by while you rot in this dark room like some defeated nobody.”
  I didn’t move. The room was my shield—quiet, shadowed, safe. But the moment was shattered when she yanked the curtains open, flooding the room with sunlight. I winced, groaning, and buried my face deeper into the pillow.
  “Mom, close the damn curtains,” I mumbled, my voice rough with days of disuse.
  She ignored me. Of course she did.
  “This is pathetic, Zachary. You’re letting Asher win,” she hissed, stepping closer. “Do you think he’s sitting somewhere sulking? No—he’s out there laughing, because you’ve handed him the victory.”
  “He already won,” I muttered bitterly. “He humiliated me in front of everyone. Do you even know what they’re calling me now? The Failed Alpha. The one who couldn’t even land a punch. I’m a joke, Mom.” I laughed, low and hollow. “This is my life now. So please… just leave.”
  A heavy silence filled the space between us.
  “Isabella’s pregnant,” she said abruptly.
  I froze.
  My heart began to pound, but I clenched my jaw and forced myself to stay still, to feel nothing.
  “Did you hear me?” she pressed.
  “I heard you,” I said flatly. “What do you want me to say? She’s made it clear she doesn’t want me. That child has nothing to do with me.”
  “I don’t care about your heartbreak, Zach,” she snapped. “If Isabella gives birth to that child, Asher’s power becomes untouchable. You think you feel worthless now? Just wait. Everything our family has worked for—everything—will be gone. You need to wake up.”
  That did it.
  I shot out of bed, fury erupting in my chest. My voice cracked as I shouted, “What do you want from me, Mother?! My life is already in pieces! I’m done! Let Asher have it all—I don’t care!”
  She flinched, but I didn’t stop.
  “I’m not fighting anymore. Not for power, not for titles, not for you. I’m drowning, and all you care about is who ends up on top. You want me to fight? I can’t even look in the mirror without wanting to disappear. Is that what it’s going to take for you to understand? For me to end it all?!”
  My breath came in ragged gasps. My hands trembled. I hadn’t meant to go that far, hadn’t realized how much pain was choking me until the words exploded out of me.
  She stared at me, stunned into silence.
  Good.
  Maybe now she’d finally hear the truth.
  “I’m sorry, Zachary,” my mother said softly, her voice trembling. “I know you’re hurting. That’s why I’ve let you be these past few months. But I can’t stand back anymore—not when I see you wasting away like this.”
  She stepped closer, and I didn’t stop her. My shoulders felt heavy, my chest hollow.
  “I’m your mother,” she continued, her eyes glistening with unshed tears. “And I love you too much to watch you disappear. You’re not weak, Zach. You’re strong. You’re fierce. So what if Asher won that fight? That wasn’t supposed to be the end—it was supposed to be the beginning of your comeback.”
  Her voice cracked.
  “Give him a reason to shiver every time your name is spoken. Remind him that Zachary doesn’t stay down.”
  Tears had started slipping from my eyes before I even realized it. I wiped them away quickly, but she noticed.
  “You can’t let him take what’s yours,” she said firmly. “Your title, your place… your woman.”
  My heart clenched at the mention of Isabella.
  “I know you love her,” she said, and this time her own tears broke free. “And I know our past decisions tore your relationship apart. I take responsibility for that, Zachary. But I want to make things right—I want to see you happy again. Please… snap out of this. Fight back.”
  Her words were like fire pouring into my frozen chest. For the first time in weeks, maybe months, I felt something stir in me again. A flicker of the man I used to be.
  “What can I do, Mom?” I asked, voice low and broken. “How do I get back everything I’ve lost?”
  She smiled, brushing her tears away, and stepped closer.
  “We’re going to get it all back,” she said. “With help.”
  I raised a brow, confused. “What kind of help?”
  “There’s a supernatural being who’s returned,” she whispered. “She and I have… history. Her name is Lunareth.”
  “Lunareth?” I repeated, the name foreign on my tongue. “Who is she?”
  Her lips curved into a slow, secretive smile. “She’s the most powerful and ancient wolf to ever exist. And she’s come back for one thing—Asher’s child.”
  My eyes widened. “What do you mean?”
  “She wants Isabella’s baby,” she said darkly. “And she won’t leave without it. We can use that, Zach. We get her on our side. Make her see that Asher is trying to trick her, trying to keep the child from her. And once she turns against him… he’s finished. No one crosses Lunareth and walks away unscathed.”
  I didn’t fully understand how it would all work—but I didn’t care.
  If Lunareth was our key to destroying Asher… so be it.
  “Okay, Mom,” I said, a slow grin forming on my lips. “Let’s do this.”
  She stepped forward and gripped my shoulders tightly, pride gleaming in her eyes.
  “We’re going to take back everything, Zach. Your future, your throne… and your mate.”
  And as I stared into her eyes, I felt it again—that hunger, that fire.
  Zachary was back.