Chapter 160: Rip off the Bandage

Words : 1676 Updated : Sep 19th, 2025

Chapter 160: Rip off the Bandage Natalie~ I sat cross-legged on the soft couch at Zane’s Vereth estate, my fingers nervously picking at the frayed edge of a cushion. The fireplace crackled across the room but it didn’t warm the growing pit of dread gnawing at my stomach. I should have told him. I should have told Zane everything hours ago, when the moment was still mine to claim. But everything had spiraled too fast — the truth about my mother, the real reason my parents had died, and then Zane’s father... The memory of King Anderson’s cold, dismissive eyes made my blood boil anew. He had stood there, looking at me like I was nothing. Cursed. Weak. Unworthy. I squeezed my fists into the cushion until my nails bit into my palms. I had barely held myself together long enough to leave without burning that damn palace to the ground. And on top of it all — Griffin. My eyes drifted to the center of of the room, where I had held the small glass case in my hands — shattered now, its fragments long cleaned away. A bitter taste rose in my mouth. "Dammit," I muttered under my breath, scrubbing a hand down my face. I should have known it wouldn’t be that easy. "Still moping?" a voice teased in my head. I sighed. Jasmine. Jasmine huffed in my mind. "You’re too soft on him, Mara. Griffin deserved it. After everything he did to you? Leaving you? Rejecting you because of that vile uncle of his?" I pushed Jasmine’s growl aside. "It wasn’t that simple," I thought back stubbornly. She snorted. "It’s always simple. People either choose you... or they don’t." My heart squeezed painfully. Jasmine wasn’t wrong, but we had no choice about the matter now. It’s either he was by my side or the world would fall to darkness. Freeing Griffin hadn’t gone the way I planned either. FLASHBACK Earlier today, the moment I got back home, I pulled him out of my handbag, staring at the tiny glass prison that had kept him contained. It hadn’t been my proudest moment, locking him away like that, but I hadn’t known what else to do. Things had been too messy, too dangerous. Inside the glass box, Griffin couldn’t hear or see me, but I knew he could sense the passing of time. He was aware that he’d been trapped for far longer than twenty minutes. "Hold on," I had whispered, even though he couldn’t hear me. I pressed the glass between both hands, power flaring fierce and alive within me. "Let me fix this first." The magic cracked and groaned. Griffin closed his eyes as the prison shattered into shimmering dust. And then he stood before me—normal-sized again, his brown hair tousled, his clothes wrinkled, and his gray eyes burning into mine, like he could see everything I was too afraid to say. He was angry. And hurt. Mostly hurt. I swallowed the lump in my throat. "Hey," I said quietly. He stiffened. His fists curled slightly at his sides. "Hey?" he echoed, voice ragged. "That’s all you have to say after trapping me in there for hours?" I winced. "I know I said twenty minutes..." My voice cracked a little. "It’s been way longer." "No shit," he snapped, then immediately closed his eyes and breathed out slowly. "Sorry. I just—" His hands trembled slightly. "It wasn’t exactly a spa retreat, Natalie." I hugged my arms around myself. "I didn’t want to leave you. Everything just... got complicated." His mouth tightened into a line. "Complicated, huh?" I nodded miserably. I couldn’t even tell him the full truth. Not when everything felt like it was teetering on the edge of collapse. "I’m sorry, Griffin," I murmured again, feeling the guilt pile higher. He straightened slowly, brushing the glass dust off his jeans. His jaw ticked, but he didn’t lash out. Didn’t yell. "I’m not happy about it," he muttered under his breath. "But...thanks for letting me out." I smiled sadly. "You’re stuck with me, remember?" He snorted quietly, but the sound didn’t carry much humor before he turned and walked away towards his room. BACK TO NOW Jasmine, paced restlessly inside me. "We should tell Zane. Now. Before it gets worse." "I know, I know," I whispered aloud, dropping my head back against the couch. As if summoned by my anxious thoughts, the front door swung open and Fox strolled in, his usual cocky swagger muted tonight. His red hair caught the firelight, and his bright fiery eyes pinned me immediately. "You’re back already," he said, tossing his jacket onto the hook. "As you can see, dear brother." I mumbled. Fox kicked off his boots and plopped down next to me, stealing the cushion I was nervously abusing. He stretched out like a lazy cat, arms over the back of the couch, and then turned serious. "How’d it go with Zane?" he asked, voice low. I sagged against the couch, feeling like the air had been punched out of me. "Not good," I admitted, my words heavy with frustration. "It got... complicated. I didn’t get a single word out of what I actually went there to say." Fox gave me that look — the one that said he loved me but also wouldn’t let me get away with any of my usual avoidance tactics. "Little Moon," he said, tone firm but kind, "you need to tell Zane about Griffin." I winced so hard I was pretty sure my soul physically recoiled inside my body. "I know," I muttered, picking at a loose thread on the couch. "It’s just... the timing sucked. Everything went sideways." Fox shifted closer, his voice softening. "What happened?" I sighed, scrubbing a hand over my face. "It’s about my earth parents... how they died. It all came rushing back, and... I don’t want to get into it right now. It just makes me—" My throat closed up. "Angry. Too angry. I’ll tell you when I don’t feel like setting something on fire, just... not tonight." Fox’s face softened even more, if that was possible. He rested a hand lightly on my shoulder — steady, grounding. "Whenever you’re ready, sweetheart," he said gently. "I’m here. Always." The warmth of his words settled over me like a worn blanket, comforting but not heavy. I offered him a grateful half-smile. Still, Fox wasn’t one to let important things slide for long. He sat up a little straighter, his eyes back to sharp focus. "But listen," he said, voice dropping into something more serious, "you really have to tell Zane about Griffin. Rip off the bandage. Trust me. The longer you wait, the worse it’ll bleed." I blew out a shaky breath, my heart hammering like a drum inside my chest. He wasn’t wrong. Deep inside me, Jasmine — the wild spirit tangled into my soul — howled her agreement. "But how the hell do I even start that conversation?" I groaned, flopping sideways across the couch with dramatic flair. "’Hey babe, fun fact — Griffin’s currently crashing at your place. Hope you’re cool with that!’" Fox barked a laugh. "Maybe lead with less sarcasm." I groaned louder, yanking a pillow over my face like it could shield me from reality. "Just do it," he urged gently. "Zane loves you, Nat. Really loves you. He’ll listen." Those words cracked something tender and terrified inside me at the same time. I sat up, tossing the pillow aside and squaring my shoulders like a soldier going to battle. "Fine. I’ll call him. I’ll... I’ll mind-link him." I closed my eyes, reaching through the invisible thread that always tethered me to Zane. Except... before I could even touch the bond, he beat me to it. Zane’s voice to crash into me first, like he’d been waiting. He thought I was still angry — and to be fair, I kind of was. He apologized for his father, said the king didn’t know who I was or what I meant to Zane. But all I could think about was the way the king had humiliated me in front of everyone, calling me cursed like I was something to be feared. Zane swore he would fix it — that he’d make his father apologize, even if he had to drag it out of him publicly. It helped, a little. The anger between us cooled, replaced by something quieter, heavier. He asked me to come back to the palace — said he needed to hold me — and for a moment, I almost forgot everything else. I almost let the whole Griffin thing slip my mind — but the way Fox was staring daggers into my skull snapped me back fast. I parted my lips, ready to rip the bandage off and just say it — but Zane cut me off, desperate to see me, and before I could push, the palace intercom blared, summoning him to an emergency meeting with the king. Just like that, the moment was gone. I didn’t get to tell him why I’d really reached out. ********** The next morning after breakfast with everybody, still clutching my half-empty coffee mug, I dialed Zane through the bond again, my nerves jangling. Today, I was going to tell him about Griffin. No more excuses. No more delays. Zane answered almost instantly, his voice warm but tired. "Morning, gorgeous," he said. "Hey," I breathed out, trying to keep the anxiety from choking me. "I... I need to tell you something about—" But he cut me off, voice low and urgent. "Hold up, Nat. We’ll talk later — face-to-face. I need to tell you something first. About the meeting yesterday." My gut tightened. "What happened?" "I think..." he hesitated. "I think my father’s up to something. I snuck out of the palace and I’m almost at Vereth alreadyto figure it out." My heart kicked against my ribs like it was trying to escape. My mouth fell open, words slipping out in a shocked whisper. "You’re what? Your where?"

Chapter 160: Rip off the Bandage

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