Ignite | ✔

51

51 - Ashes To Ashes

ZARA

           Greyson didn't waste any time, stepping forward with his fists clenched with rage and landing a punch squarely on Drake's face, eliciting a spurt of blood.

Drake's lips twitched with a smirk as he spat out the blood and quipped, "Missed me, did you?"

"Go to hell," Greyson shot back, barely containing his own anger.

Drake, seemingly unfazed, widened his smirk. "Whenever you're ready, dear."

Before the tension could escalate further, Haden intervened, stepping forward from my side and glaring at the two men. "What the hell do you want?"

Drake's gaze shifted from Greyson to Haden as he responded, "World peace."

I could see the irritation on Haden's face so before he gave any remarks, I stepped forward and eyed Drake. "Quit playing your games, we're not interested in this tit-for-tat you seem to enjoy. Now tell us what you want."

After a tense standoff, Drake finally sighed and said, "Though I enjoy my games, blondie, this one isn't one of mine. What I'm trying to do... what I'm hoping to do is protect you lot from the Rogue King."

I tensed and the silence behind me spoke volumes. No one responded to what he revealed, not knowing what to say. My eyes narrowed as I tried to think of a response but Greyson beat me to it.

"He's lying," he sneered, cursing as he spun back to where he stood and ran a hand through his hair. "Whatever the bastard says is a fucking lie. He can't help himself."

"Contrary to popular belief," Drake started, his voice calm despite Greyson's outburst, "I do have a vested interest in keeping the peace, albeit for my own reasons."

His words hung heavy in the air, leaving us all to ponder their meaning. It was hard to trust someone like Drake, a master manipulator with his own agenda, but I could sense the sincerity in his tone and his eyes showed how serious he was. There was a glimmer of truth in his words, buried beneath layers of deception.

Haden narrowed his eyes at Drake. "And what exactly are these reasons?"

Drake chuckled, a sly smile playing on his lips. "Ah, my dear Alpha, that is a secret I'll keep for now. But rest assured, it aligns with your interests as well."

My brows furrowed and I exchanged a glance with Haden, uncertainty flickering in his eyes. Could we trust Drake, even a little? Or was this just another ploy in his elaborate game?

"How?" I questioned him.

Rolling his eyes, he slowly paced to the left as his hands waved in the air. "Noticed any glowing blue lines lately? Courtesy of yours truly – you're welcome for that by the way. Do you know how hard it was to draw a protection spell across this annoyingly large pack?"

"Wait, the blue glowing line was you?" Conner's voice rang from behind me.

Halting in his pace, he glanced at Conner and asked, "Did you think the garden gnomes did it? The protection spell was put on the pack after what happened in Mount Luna."

"Why?" I pressed, still not understanding his angle. He was so against the pack when I first met him, why was he trying to protect it now?

"Let's just stick to the line of it being in both our best interests, shall we? It was all necessary, much like my role in helping you escape that night."