Chapter 155 Shattered bonds

Chapter 155 Shattered bonds
Zarek’s POV

The cell stank like sweat, iron, and something darker — the kind of musk that clung to a predator when his claws had already tasted blood.

I shouldn’t have been here. Not with half my ribs still aching every time I breathed, not with the faint sting of bandages hidden under my shirt. The healers said “rest.” The principal said “stay away.” But the thing about Zarek? I don’t listen. Especially when it comes to Atlas.

Atlas.

The name itself made my jaw clench as I pushed through the narrow, torch-lit corridor leading to the dungeon under the Academy. Every step echoed in my ears, sharp, loud, reckless — just like me. I wanted him to hear me coming. I wanted him to know I wasn’t afraid.

Because the truth? I was furious.

Furious that I’d been flat on my back, half-dead, while Zara — my Zara — had been fighting for her life. Furious that the monster who nearly gutted her was still breathing at all. Furious that my dragon blood, my so-called “gift,” hadn’t healed me fast enough to stand between her and those claws.

That fury burned through my veins hotter than fire as I reached his cell.

And there he was.

Atlas King, chained like the beast he was, shackles binding his wrists to the stone wall, ankles bolted down so he couldn’t even take a full step forward. Blood crusted his cheek, his lip split and bruised. His once-perfect black hair clung damp to his forehead. And yet — he was smiling.

A slow, lazy smile. The kind that said you think you’ve won, but you haven’t seen the worst of me yet.

“Well, well,” Atlas drawled, voice rough but steady. “The clown himself. Did they finally send you down here to dance for me, Zarek?”

My lips curled in a sneer. “Funny. I thought the Academy locked you up for murder, not comedy night.”

His smirk sharpened, teeth flashing. “Still loud. Still hiding behind that tongue. Tell me, does Zara laugh when you yap? Or does she just pat you on the head like a dog?”

The name sliced through me. Zara. Always her. Always the tether between us.

I stepped closer to the bars, gripping them tight until the iron dug into my palms. “Careful, Atlas. Talk about her again and I’ll ram one of these through your throat.”

He tilted his head, unbothered, eyes glinting with something twisted. “Threats. That’s all you’ve got. You were bleeding on the floor while I had her by the neck. And you know the truth, don’t you, Zarek?” His voice dropped, venomous. “No matter how loud you shout, she’ll never choose you. She looks at you like a jester. At me—like temptation. At Jace—like destiny. And you? You’re nothing but her puppet.”

My breath caught for half a second. Just half. Because damn it, the bastard knew exactly where to cut.

But if there’s one thing I’m good at, it’s smiling through the wound.

So I laughed. Loud, obnoxious, bouncing off the dungeon walls until Atlas’s grin faltered.

“Puppet?” I chuckled, stepping back and spreading my arms wide. “Maybe. But guess what? I’m still standing, Atlas. I’m not the one rotting in chains. And you want to talk about choice?” I leaned in again, dropping my voice into a mock whisper. “She didn’t choose you either.”

For the first time, something flickered in his eyes. A crack. Anger.

Good. Let it sink in.

Atlas’s jaw tightened. He yanked against the chains, muscles straining, veins bulging in his neck. “You think this cage makes me defeated?” His voice rose, sharp and jagged. “This is nothing. This is a pause. When I get out—”

“You won’t.” I cut him off, cocky grin plastered across my face. “Because everyone saw what you are. A murderer. A liar. A monster. The big bad wolf who finally slipped. So, here’s your crown, Atlas—” I tapped the bars. “King of nothing.”

The silence stretched. His breathing grew heavier, nostrils flaring, that fury simmering under his skin.

And me? I drank it. Every ounce of his anger, every shred of his unraveling calmness. It didn’t erase the ache in my chest, the guilt gnawing at me for not being there fast enough for Zara. But mocking him, watching him rage while he sat chained? It tasted almost like victory.

Almost.

“Leave,” Atlas finally spat, his voice low, guttural. “Before I decide, the first throat I rip open when I’m free will be yours.”

I grinned wider, because if he thought threats scared me, he hadn’t been paying attention. “You’ll have to get out first. And until then—” I rapped the bars once, loud. “Sweet dreams, wolf boy.”

I turned on my heel, laughter spilling from my chest, echoing down the dungeon as his growl chased me.

But when I reached the stairs, my smile faltered.

Because beneath all the mockery, beneath the cocky shield — his words lingered.

“She’ll never choose you.”

I clenched my fists, whispering to myself as if saying it out loud would make it true.

“She doesn’t have to choose me. I’ll choose her. Every damn time.”

And that was enough to keep me moving.