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Chapter 155
~ Zara’s POV~
I sat there, feeling the weight of Zade’s revelation pressing down on like a heavy blanket. Every word he spoke felt like a piece of a puzzle I didn’t know existed suddenly snapping into place.
"You’re telling ," my voice was quiet but edged with disbelief, "that everything I thought I knew... isn’t real? That my parents, the people who raised , aren’t my real family?"
Zade’s gaze softened as he leaned forward, resting his forearms on his knees. "They are real in the sense that they’ve loved you and raised you. But your roots, Zara... your true identity, it’s with the Golden Claw Pack. Our pack. Our family."
His words settled into my mind, sparking mories I’d buried long ago—small fragnts of laughter beneath a towering tree, a warm voice singing an unfamiliar lullaby, the feel of a hand in mine as we ran through an endless stretch of greenery.
"You said... I was taken," I whispered, staring at the ground.
He nodded. "When our pack was attacked, chaos erupted. Our Gamma’s wife thought she was protecting you by taking you away. She had no idea it would spark a chain of reaction that will result in us losing you forever. For years, we searched but we couldn’t find you."
I swallowed hard, my throat tight. "Why now? Why did you find now, after all this ti?"
Zade exhaled, his shoulders slumping slightly. "It wasn’t easy. We stayed hidden for years, rebuilding after the attack. When Andrew ntioned soone who resembled my mother, I knew I had to find out. And when I saw you..." He trailed off, his voice breaking slightly.
I hugged my arms to myself, trying to hold my emotions together. "I don’t know what to do with this," I admitted, tears streaming down my face.
"You don’t have to do anything right now," he said gently. "Just... let it sink in. I’ll be here, Zara. Always. In whatever way you need ."
His words carried a warmth that sohow comforted the storm raging inside . I was angry at everyone, myself for forgetting, my parents for hiding the truth and...
A gasp tore through my lips as realisatioj dawned on .
My mother... The past years played through my mind and so of her indifferent treatnt. But above all only one thought remained etched into my head—Ivan.
She did not carehow terribly Ivan behaved to and was willing to sacrifice to get what she wanted. What true mother would do that to their child?
Zade caught whiff of my reaction and was bothered. When he asked, I shook my head, brushing off the thoughts.
"I’ll need to confront my family wit this news first." He nodded in the best hospitable manner.
"Let’s get you ho first. Youve had to process so much," Zade said after a long pause. "You’ve been through enough for one day."
I nodded, too overwheld to argue. He got an ice cream cone which I was grateful for as the coldness seeped into my being, grounding back to reality, though I wished it could numb this pain within .
The drive back was quiet save for the My thoughts swirled with fragnts of Zade’s story, the DNA results, and the familiarity I’d always felt around him.
It all started to make sense—the sense of safety I felt with him, the flashes of mories I couldn’t place, the ease with which we connected. Deep down, so part of knew he was telling the truth.
When we arrived at the house, Zade parked the car and walked around to open my door. I stepped out slowly, the weight of the day pressing down on .
Before I could take a step toward the house, Zade pulled into a hug, his arms strong and comforting. "You don’t have to face this alone, Zara. Not Snow, not this truth. I’ll be here, no matter what."
His words were soothing, but my heart still ached. I nodded against his chest, letting his presence ground and make feel okay.
"Do not think too much about the issue with Snow. I am sure there;s a reasonable explanation. Take it from who’s been his best friend for years now. It is niot in his character."
"I..."
":Shh," he cooed softly, "I know you are in love which is why you are not looking at things clearly due to the hurt but, trust baby girl. Trust your big brother. I won’t do anything to hurt you, ever."
I sniffled, trying my best not to get angry and be clear headed. So far, from knowing Zade, nothing had proven to be wrong and Snow trusted . There’d be no way he’ll let his siter get hurt, right?
Just as I pulled back, the rumble of an approaching engine caught our attention. My heart clenched as Snow’s car pulled into the driveway, the sleek vehicle coming to an abrupt stop in front of us.
The door swung open, and Snow stepped out, his piercing gaze locking onto mine imdiately.
"Zara!" he thundered, his voice echoing in the stillness.
My heart skipped a beat, torn between anger and longing. The sight of him was enough to reignite the swirling storm of emotions I’d been trying to suppress.
Zade’s arm tightened around my shoulders protectively as Snow approached, his expression dark and unreadable.
"What are you doing?" Snow demanded, his tone sharper than I’d ever heard it. His eyes flicked to Zade’s arm around , his jaw clenching visibly.
Anger swirled in his eyes far more than anything I had seen before, not even during Marcus’ attack.
I swallowed hard, my voice caught in my throat as I prepared for whatever confrontation was about to unfold.
"I am gone barely two day and you couldn’t wait before slipping into another man’s arms?"
At the accusation, my blood boiled, anger I had pushed back resurfaced a hundred fold as I pushed myself from Zade and glared daggers at Snow.
"How dare you ask that after what you have done?"
"Stop throwing blas Zara. This has been going on for too long and now..."
"Do not speak to her that way, Snow," Zade cut in, gritting his teeth.
But as soon as he did, Snow’s eyes hardened as turned his gaze in Zade’s direction. "And you..." he growled and closed the distance between the two of them.
Every muscles in Snow was tense—tightened jaw, balled fist, angry eyes, you need no soothsayer to tell that he was barely holding back from lashing out.
Glacier pushed forward, his eyes glowing red as he challenge Zade.
"You’re supposed to be my best friend," he choked out, grabbing Zade by the collar. "You know how much I cherish, love her, you know how much I ache for her, yet..." He pulled Zade closer until their faces were inches apart.
A heavy thunder rumbled in the sky, shocking everyone except for Snow who stared at Zade as though he had seen his worst enemy.
Knowing what was going on, I attempted to step in but Zade lifted his palm for to halt. That singular action and how I obeyed him, heightened Snow’s rage and the next second, he had Zade pushed against his car.
"...yet you’re trying to chase her. Even though you know... she belongs to ?!"
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