Chapter 22; What if he lost her?

The world around him blurred, the sounds of the forest fading into nothing.

Zeke's body was still thrumming with rage, bloodlust coiling through his veins, demanding release. He had been ready to tear the man apart, to hear his bones snap, to see him suffer for what he had done to Alexia. The fury inside him was untamed, a beast clawing at its cage, screaming to be unleashed.

And then—her touch.

Small, trembling hands cupped his face, delicate yet firm. The warmth of her fingers against his skin sent a shock through him, cutting through the suffocating darkness like a blade.

His breath caught.

Then—soft lips pressed against his.

Zeke froze.

The rage burning through him wavered, cracking under something softer, something gentler. It was as if she had reached into the storm raging inside him and silenced it with a single touch.

His entire body tensed. He hadn't expected this. He hadn’t expected her to do something so reckless, so… devastatingly tender.