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48

48 - Burnt By The Past

ZARA

         "You,"

I turned to face the man, someone I hadn't seen in what seemed like ages, watching as he emerged from the shadows. I tensed, my instincts on high alert as my eyes followed every move he made.

"Me," was his response, a bold smirk on his lips and a devilishly playful gleam in his eyes.

Drake.

My eyes narrowed, scanning him warily as memories of our last encounter, where he had kidnapped me, resurfaced.

"The last time we met, you kidnapped me," I growled, my tone filled with distrust.

Drake merely offered a shrug to complement his cryptic smile. "Sometimes, certain things have to be done in a certain way to ensure a reunion with your brother."

"My brother had nothing to do with it," I growled, "you told me that you were helping me escape – something I never said I wanted."

He waved his hand dismissively. "Reunion, escape, what's the difference really?"

I scoffed and his smirk widened.

If I learned anything from that encounter, it was to never let my guard down. Such a simple meeting in a diner turned into nothing but chaos for me. For Haden.

"How do you even know Luca?" I questioned. His mischievous grin widened, revealing nothing. "If you're not here to talk, then leave me the hell alone. I wanted peace after..."

"After your little joyride to the stars? Then again, can you even call it that when he was the one doing all the riding? I must say blondie, you've got a set of lungs on you, quite the screamer," he added, managing to dodge the fist I threw at him.

"You should run before Haden comes and kills you," I cautioned, my eyes narrowing.

He chuckled dismissively. "I'm not worried about Haden right now."

My curiosity piqued, and I pressed for more information. "What did you do?"

"Me?" he feigned concern, "nothing at all. It's the rogues he has to worry about. See, he's got himself into a little death match right as we speak, maybe if you go now you can catch him,"

A surge of realization hit me, and my eyes widened. Without further hesitation, I turned on my heels and sprinted back to where I had left Haden.

Bounding through the forest, the pulse of anxiety quickening my steps, I retraced my path back to the spot where I had left Haden. An unsettling feeling of fear coursed through me, pushing me further in the labyrinth of trees surrounding us.

I tried using the mind-link but my panic was getting in the way of logic; I really needed to get this mind-link thing down.

As I approached, the sounds of the forest gave way to the distant rumble of Haden's voice. Drake's cryptic revelation about a rogue attack echoed in my mind, and I wasn't sure what to expect.

What my eyes landed on was far worse than what I could've possibly imagined.

Emerging from the foliage, I found Haden still near the waterfall, his attention drawn to the dozen of wolves circling him. The raw feelings from our earlier argument lingered, but the urgency of the situation demanded immediate attention.

"Haden!" I called out, my voice cutting through the barks and growls.

His eyes flicked to me, registering a mix of surprise and curiosity. "Zara, leave now."