Chapter 41 41
Scarlett’s POV
The night was dark and suffocating, as though the shadows themselves were closing in around me. I was running, my heart pounding in my chest as I tried to escape the suffocating grasp of the trees that twisted and bent unnaturally. The forest was alive, moving with a dark energy that pulsed with the curse.
The man... he was here. I could feel him.
His cold, Harsh voice echoed through the trees. “You can’t run from me, Scarlett. You can’t run from your fate.”
I stumbled, falling to the ground as his shadow came over me. I looked up, seeing nothing but darkness, yet feeling his presence all around me. His fingers, cold and sharp, grasped my throat, squeezing the breath from my lungs.
“You will have to choose,” he hissed, his voice shouting into my ears like an echo. “And when you do, everything you love will be destroyed.”
I tried to scream, but no sound came out. My body was frozen, paralyzed by the choking of the man's hand and the curse.
This is a dream. It has to be a dream...
But it felt too real. The pain in my chest, the coldness of his touch was all too real.
“Scarlett!”
Suddenly, the voice calling my name was different, familiar. I gasped, jerking awake, my body drenched in sweat. My room was a bit lit by the moonlight entering through the window, but I could still feel the terror of the nightmare clung to me like a second skin.
My breath came in ragged gasps, my heart racing as I struggled to calm myself. But the fear wouldn’t leave me. The man... his presence. it felt like he was still here, watching, waiting.
The door to my room burst open, and before I could even react, Zane was there, his eyes wild with concern. “Scarlett,” he breathed, rushing to my side. His hands were on my shoulders.
Shaking me, pulling me back to reality.
I stared at him, my chest still heaving as I tried to process the fact that it was just a dream. “ I... I was dreaming,” I whispered, my voice shaky.
Zane’s eyes softened, but the fear in his body remained. “I felt something was wrong,” he said, his voice low and filled with worry. “I couldn’t stay away.”
I blinked, still trying to shake off the feeling of the nightmare. His presence was comforting, the mate bond between us pulling me closer to him. The warmth of his touch went into my skin, calming the fear inside me.
Without thinking, I moved aside slightly, allowing Zane to climb onto the bed beside me. He pulled me into his arms, and for the first time since I had come to the Black Blood Pack, I felt... safe.
But that safety came with a cost. The pull of the mate bond was stronger now, more insistent. I could feel the heat radiating from Zane’s body, the way his muscles tensed as he held me. My heart raced for a different reason now, and I hated that my body responded to him this way.
“You’re safe,” Zane murmured, his lips brushing against my forehead. “ I won’t let anything happen to you.”
I closed my eyes, trying to take away the growing warmth spreading through my body. The nightmare had shaken me, yes, but the presence of Zane so close, so protective, was starting to mess with my head. And my heart.
I could feel his breath against my skin, his scent earthy and wild filling my senses. The bond between us pulled stronger, and before I could stop myself, I looked up at him, my eyes meeting his.
His gaze was dark and intense, and I could see the same pull in him that I felt in myself. For a moment, the world around us disappeared. It was just him and me.
And then, before I could think, before I could stop it his lips were on mine.
The kiss was soft at first, testing as if he was waiting for me to push him away. But I didn’t. I couldn’t. The mate bond was in control and I found myself kissing him back, my hands clutching the front of his shirt, pulling him closer.
For that brief moment, I forgot everything: the curse, the betrayal, the man in the shadows. All that mattered was Zane, the way his lips moved against mine, the way his hands tangled in my hair.
But then reality crashed back into me.
I pulled away, my breath coming in shaky gasps. “Zane, we can’t,” I whispered, my voice filled with confusion and guilt.
He blinked, the haze of desire fading from his eyes as he stared at me, his expression hardening. “Why not?” he asked, his voice cold.
“Because... I can’t,” I said, shaking my head. “ I can’t let myself... not after everything. I can’t go through that again.”
Zane’s jaw tightened, and I could see the frustration building in him. “Scarlett, I’m not Rand,” he said, his voice sharp. “ I’m not going to betray you.”
I flinched at the mention of my former mate, the pain of his betrayal still fresh in my mind. “It’s not that simple.”
He stood up abruptly, running a hand through his hair as he turned away from me. “Nothing’s ever simple with you, is it?”
I felt a pang of guilt, but I couldn’t give in. Not now. “I didn’t ask for this, Zane,” I said, my voice barely above a whisper.
He was silent for a long moment, his back to me. “I’m trying to protect you,” he said finally, his voice low and filled with frustration. “But you keep pushing me away.”
I bit my lip, fighting back the emotions filling inside me. I didn’t want to push him away, but I couldn’t let myself fall into the same trap again.
Zane turned to leave, his body tense with anger. But before he could reach the door, I found myself calling out to him. “Wait.”
He stopped, his hand on the doorknob, but he didn’t turn around.
I took a deep breath, my pride be damned. “Stay... please.”
He glanced back at me, his expression unreadable. “What did you say?”
I swallowed, the words feeling heavy on my tongue. “I said... I want you to stay. I don’t want to be alone tonight.”
Zane’s eyes softened slightly, and a small, teasing smile tugged at the corner of his lips. “I didn’t quite hear you, Scarlett.”
I clenched my fists, my irritation rising. “I said I’m sorry, okay? Just... stay.”
For a moment, I thought he was going to leave anyway, but then he sighed and came back toward the bed. He slid in beside me, pulling me into his arms once more. “You’re impossible, you know that?” he murmured, though there was no anger in his words.
I rolled my eyes, but I couldn’t deny the comfort I felt being in his arms. “Shut up.”
We lay there in silence for a while, the feeling of the nightmare still pressing down on me. Finally, Zane spoke again, his voice softer this time. “What was it about? The dream?”
I hesitated, not sure if I wanted to tell him. But then I remembered the man’s words, the choice, the destruction.
“ It was... him,” I whispered, my voice trembling slightly. “The man from the cursed tree. He was in my dream. He said... I had to make a choice. And that if I did, everything I loved would be
destroyed.”
Zane’s arms tightened around me, his body going rigid. “He won’t touch you,” he said, his voice filled with quiet fury. “ I swear to the goddess herself, Scarlett, I'll protect you. No matter what.”
I wanted to believe him. I wanted to trust in his words, in the strength of his arms around me.
But deep down, I knew the curse was bigger than both of us. And no matter how much Zane swore to protect me, some battles had to be fought alone. I didn't understand why the curse now felt more personal than the deal I made with Zane.