Chapter 72 Gossip
Zion
Phoebe’s question hit me harder than I expected. For a second, I froze.
I’d been dodging that question for way too long, and now she was calling me out. Guess it’s time to be a little more honest.
Phoebe had stolen my heart a long time ago—even though I pretended not to care. She deserves to embrace her wolf instincts.
Yeah, I’ve been a hypocrite. But what else could I do? We werewolves are slaves to our instincts, to the fate that feels carved in stone. I just kept holding back because I wanted the ultimate version of Phoebe Matthews—the strongest, boldest version of her.
“Why are you zoning out, Zion?”
I wanted that fearless Phoebe back—the Alpha female who never backs down. Not the Phoebe who looks unsure and trapped. And I had a crazy idea to bring that spark out again.
“How about we make a bet?” My voice broke the silence.
She frowned. “What kind of bet?”
I smirked. “If we win the tournament and take the championship, I’ll mark you and mate with you that same night.”
Phoebe’s eyes went wide. “Zion!”
I laughed softly. “Hear me out. But if we lose… you wear a bunny costume that I pick out and do everything I tell you to. Deal?”
“A bunny?!” She hissed, her face turning red.
“Like this…” I pulled my phone from my pocket, typed quickly: bunny cosplay lingerie. Images flooded the screen. I scrolled until I found the perfect one—cute, but still sexy. White bunny ears, fluffy tail, and a ribbon around the waist.
I turned the screen toward her. “This one.”
She stared at it for a few seconds, and I could literally feel her body tense up before she jerked her head away. Her cheeks were on fire, her ears just as red. Miss Tough Girl looked like a shy little bunny caught in headlights. Moon Goddess… I wanted to pull her into my arms so bad.
“Phoebe…” My voice dropped an octave. “You look adorable when you blush.”
“Shut up, Zion!” She smacked my chest lightly, not to hurt me but to hide her embarrassment.
I leaned in a little closer, grinning. “So… deal?”
She bit her lip, breathing a little uneven. “If it motivates you… fine. Deal. But we have to win!”
I grinned. “Hell yeah, Alpha Girl.”
The rest of the afternoon was all practice and strategy. I stayed with Phoebe until night, making sure she ate and rested.
“When I’m asleep, then you can leave. Let me be needy just this once, okay?” Her eyes were already drooping.
I nodded with a soft smile.
When she finally passed out on the couch, I sat there for a few minutes, just watching her. Peaceful. That tiny smile on her lips, the way her chest rose and fell—it warmed me in a way I can’t explain. It felt like owning the whole damn world.
I carried her to the bed, tucked her under the blanket, and brushed a strand of hair off her face. That simple moment… yeah, it was everything.
“Good night, Phoebe,” I whispered before heading back to my room.
The second I walked in, my phone buzzed. A text from my father.
Father:
I wants you at the family gathering next week. Mom’s birthday. Don’t even think about skipping it.
I let out a breath, staring at the screen. Mom’s birthday… the amazing woman who hasn’t seen the world since the accident years ago. Ever since then, I promised I’d always be there for the important days.
Me:
I’ll be there.
My chest tightened and warmed at the same time. I love my mom. She may be blind, but she sees everything that matters. If she knew about Phoebe… she’d probably smile. I wanted to introduce Phoebe to them, to the Glass family, to the South Hallow Pack in Minnesota. Just thinking about it made me restless.
But the next morning, that peace shattered.
Loud bang filled my ear. Someone was pounding on my door. I groaned, dragging myself up. “Hayden, what the hell—”
The door flew open before I could finish. Hayden stormed in, face dark, phone in hand.
“Look at this.” He shoved the screen in my face.
A viral post. Phoebe’s picture—blurred, but still recognizable—with a headline in bold letters:
‘Female Player Pretending to Be a Guy in the North America High School Mobile Legends Tournament?! Rule Breaker?!’
My blood boiled. “Who the hell—”
“We need to keep our heads straight,” Hayden cut me off, gripping my shoulder. “Send this to Adonis and Finley. We need them on this now.”
I growled. “Fine.” We made a group chat in seconds.
Me:
This just dropped. We need to know who’s behind it.
Adonis:
Send me the original link.
I copied the link and sent it. Not long after, Adonis dropped a hacker emoji.
Adonis:
Give me 10 minutes. Booting up my laptop now.
I paced the room like a caged wolf while Hayden sat on the edge of the bed, tapping his knee like a ticking clock. “If Phoebe sees this…” He didn’t finish. He didn’t need to.
Five minutes. Nothing. Seven minutes. I was about to smash my phone when the notification popped up.
Adonis:
Alright, I’m in their server. Whoever made this account used some cheap-ass VPN. First layer’s down.
I exhaled in relief as Hayden typed back.
Hayden:
Can you trace it?
Adonis:
Working on it. Spoofing their IP now. Relax. This is a kid trying to mess with a god-tier player.
I pictured Adonis at his setup—three monitors glowing, fingers flying over the keyboard, headphones slung around his neck. Dude was a freakin’ genius at this stuff.
Adonis:
VPN bypassed. Got the real IP. Cross-checking with local database.
Every second felt like a year. Sweat trickled down my temple. I had to know.
Adonis:
Done. Location: Minneapolis. Device name: Lily Carson.
A low growl rumbled in my chest as my jaw locked. Hayden stared at the screen, then shut his eyes and cursed under his breath.
“Lily…” he spat. “Son of a—”
Me:
Your ex.
Hayden:
I’ll handle it. Do NOT tell Phoebe yet.
Adonis:
I can nuke the original post, but the reposts are already spreading.
Me:
Take it down anyway. Minimize the damage.
Adonis:
On it.
Hayden grabbed his jacket, his eyes burning with fury. “I’m going to her. Finley needs to talk to Coach Cooper. You, Zion—stay with Phoebe. Make sure she doesn’t see this.”
I nodded, holding back the fire inside me. “Got it.”
A few minutes later, I headed downstairs. Phoebe was already in the kitchen, drowning in an oversized hoodie, her hair a total mess—and damn, she still looked perfect. She smiled when she saw me. “Morning, Zion.”
I forced a smile. “Morning.”
“Why do you look so tense?” Her eyes narrowed in suspicion.
“It’s nothing.” I stepped closer and casually grabbed her phone from the table. “Let me borrow this for a sec.”
“For what?”
“Just… something.” I slid it into my pocket before she could react.
Phoebe shot me a sharp look. “Zion. Give it back.”
“Just a minute.”
She crossed her arms. “You’re acting weird. What’s going on?”
I gave her a small smile, trying to stay calm even though my head was a storm of rage and worry. I wasn’t gonna let anyone hurt Phoebe. Not with some trash gossip. Not ever.