Chapter 339

Zion’s POV
My body still refused to obey me, even as I watched her struggle in this state. Desperation clawed at me. I wanted nothing more than to drag myself to her side, to fight with her, but if I forced myself forward now, I might only end up becoming a burden instead.
Could I really do nothing to help her?
Panic squeezed my chest until I felt desperate, rifling through useless ideas for how to save Addison. Then I saw her, cornered, eyes wild, as if she were about to fight for her life. It was a now-or-never moment.
My brain went numb; my limbs trembled and went cold with fear.
I couldn’t stand there. I had to stop it. I had to save her.
My vision narrowed until everything went red. I lunged before thought could catch up. I was heaving and was still supposedly injured, but I couldn’t register pain; only the terror of watching Addison die flooded my mind.
Hatred and righteous fury surged through me toward that monstrous thing standing over her.
I struck the ogre from behind. I plunged my claws into its back, claws sinking into its muscle as I clung on. I bit down hard, tore a chunk of flesh, and raked with my free hand. It screamed, and the sound felt like music to my terror-turned-anger.
This was what it deserved for driving Addison to that edge.
My anger drowned out everything else. All I could think about was revenge for Addison, to kill that monster.
“Kill.” The word hammered in my skull like a mantra. I unleashed every ounce of rage on the thing in front of me, but I didn’t want it to die quickly. It had made Addison roll in the gravel; it had to understand pain, the pain she went through.
I wanted it to suffer, to know exactly what it had done. If it had to die, it would do so with the same torment it had made Addison feel.
The damned thing was tougher than I expected, too tough to die quickly.
Good.
It wouldn’t escape pain that easily. Die. Die. Die. The word hammered in my skull as my rage emptied me out. My vision blurred; everything narrowed to the rhythm of the attack.
I felt myself slipping, consciousness fraying at the edges, as I dove deeper into the abyss my fury had opened.
What am I even doing?
Why am I so furious?
My rage is swallowing everything; I’m losing track of why I’m fighting in the first place. This hatred is too loud, too much to hold. Addison has always been my Achilles’ heel, my bottom line.
I’d been holding myself back for so long that letting go felt like an explosion happened inside my head; every suppressed feeling spilled out at once. Still… maybe this isn’t wrong.
Maybe it’s what I have to do. I’m protecting the woman I love.
Then I heard her whisper my name: “Zion It was a soft thing, but it cut through the roar. For a second, a cool breeze brushed my mind, a tiny reminder of who I was.
The darkness felt almost comfortable. I didn’t have to hold myself back, didn’t have to bottle anything. I could tear apart anyone who crossed that line. Those murderous thoughts circled me like vultures, and I realized, with a hollow shock, that my anger was devouring me.
When had a single thought been enough to unmake me?
Was it Shura?
No, this wasn’t just Shura’s doing. We were both dragged down by it. The abyss was calling my name, and there were reasons I was losing control, but hearing Addison snapped something in me back into place.
That familiar voice called my name again and again, and I felt myself pulled toward it. My eyes snapped to her, but the world was a blur, only a hazy silhouette at first.
Then it clicked: Addison.
Addison, the woman I love with everything I am, the one I almost lost, the one who dragged me back from the edge. The single flicker of recognition was enough to wrench me back to myself.
I realized, in a dazed shock, that the berserk ogre at my feet was dead. I was still heaving, chest burning, as if the hunt hadn’t ended; my thirst for blood hadn’t been sated. Even so, hearing her voice, feeling her there, pulled the darkness off me like a weight, and for the first time in that red blur, I could see her clearly.
When I came back to my senses, dread washed over me. I feared I had terrified Addison by showing her this side of me, the side that loses control, where I am neither fully human nor beast.
Her wide, scared eyes burned into me, and my whole body went cold. My knees nearly buckled beneath me.
Shifting back to my human form, I realized I was drenched in the ogre’s blood from head to toe.
I must have looked horrifying.
I wanted to reach for her, to hold her, but I couldn’t bear the thought of staining her with my blood-soaked body. More than that, I was terrified of hearing her fearful voice telling me to stay away.
Oh Goddess! My heart sank into my stomach just thinking about it. In the end, I didn’t step forward. I could only stare down at my blood-covered hands, searching for words to explain myself to her.
I must have looked terrifying, a madman unleashed on that monster. In her eyes, I was probably scarier than the monster itself, and she might not even be able to tell which of us was truly the monster anymore…
For a moment, my gaze darkened again, the familiar pull of the abyss tugging at me, threatening to consume me. Then her scent hit me, milky vanilla with a hint of cinnamon, and it wrapped around me like a balm, calming the storm inside my mind.
Her warm body pressed against me, and suddenly, nothing existed but her.
“God, Addie… you are my only light in my dark world,” I whispered, my voice breaking. And then, the world went black as I slipped into unconsciousness for a moment.
…
When Zion passed out in Addison’s arms, she didn’t know what to feel. Seeing him lose control like that had truly caught her off guard. Yet, when she called his name and met his gaze, she didn’t feel fear, only a strange comfort.
Even in that state, she could tell Zion recognized her and that he would never hurt her, no matter what.
Then she heard him whisper, “God, Addie… you are my only light in my dark world.” Her heart trembled. She had never seen Zion like this before, never seen him so emotional or vulnerable.
He was an Alpha, prideful, strong, unwilling to show weakness, especially in front of his mate. And yet, here he was, baring his fear of losing her, exposing the part of himself he usually kept hidden.
Addison cradled Zion in her arms for a long moment, still feeling the lingering pressure of his overwhelming aura that refused to fade even after he collapsed. Around them, the warriors stood frozen, their faces pale with fear. Follow current novels on.net