The Lycan King's Second Chance Mate: Rise of the Traitor's Daughter-Chapter 165: Explain

Zane~

Griffin Blackthorn lay crumpled on the marble floor, unconscious and twitching slightly, a pungent stench lingering in the air from the puddle soaking into his pants. I stood over him with clenched fists, my heart pounding like a war drum. My eyes burned with barely restrained fury, Red, snarling inside me like a beast waiting to be let loose.

I turned slowly, the air around me crackling with too many emotions, and locked eyes with Natalie.

"Why the hell," I growled, voice low and razor-sharp, "is he in my house? And more importantly—how the fuck is he alive, Natalie? I saw his corpse with my own eyes. I saw it." My voice broke at the end, a raw edge of disbelief slicing through my rage. "Don’t lie to me."

Natalie flinched but stood her ground, her back straight, her gaze meeting mine—not defiantly, but earnestly, painfully. Her fingers curled at her sides, trembling slightly, but her voice when she finally spoke was clear and deliberate.

"There’s something you need to know, Zane," she said, stepping forward, her tone gentler now, like she was approaching a wounded animal. "Please, just... let me explain."

I crossed my arms over my chest, jaw tight.

She drew in a breath. Then another. Her eyes locked onto mine, and when she spoke, her voice carried a tremor that instantly snapped my attention. "Griffin’s death wasn’t some elaborate trick," she said quietly. "He was gone. Completely. But I brought him back. Not because I wanted to," she added quickly, catching the storm beginning to flicker in my eyes, "but because I had no choice."

I didn’t move. Didn’t blink. I felt the ground shift beneath everything I thought I knew.

"There’s a god," she continued, her voice hushed like she feared even the shadows might be listening. "Not many know about him. He’s ancient, older than most myths. The god of darkness—he calls himself Shadow. And he wants Griffin’s body. Not as a trophy, not even as revenge. He wants to use him as a vessel—to tear through our world like it’s paper. To bring chaos. If he succeeds... the realms will fall. No one will be safe, Zane. Not Alex. Not me. Not even you."

I stood there, frozen. Natalie—my Natalie—had brought a man back from the dead. That alone should’ve blown my mind. But what she said next hit me like a blow to the chest.

"My celestial aura is the only thing shielding Griffin from Shadow," she whispered. "As long as I’m alive, and near him, the darkness can’t touch him. He has to stay close. Jacob and Fox... they tried to create a protective flame to keep him safe. But it failed. Shadow’s magic burned through it like it was nothing. So... they begged me to help."

Right then, a gust of heated wind swirled through the room, rattling the picture frames. And then, with the subtlety of a flame-loving circus act, Fox materialized—crouched upside-down on the ceiling like some smug, overgrown pyro-gremlin. His flaming red hair floated around him like he was underwater, and his golden eyes gleamed with guilt.

"Sup," he mumbled with a sheepish grin, offering a two-fingered wave. "Okay, yeah. This one’s kinda on me."

My eyes narrowed into a glare. "You’ve got five seconds to explain why I shouldn’t burn this whole house down with you still in it."

With a graceful flip, Fox landed soundlessly on the ground, hands raised like he was dealing with a wild animal. "Easy there, firestarter," he said. "We messed up, alright? Jacob and I... we thought we could handle Shadow’s magic. But it’s slippery. Rotten stuff. We couldn’t seal Griffin in time. Natalie stepped in because she had to—not because she wanted to rekindle something weird with her ex. She’s not like that. She’s... better than us."

My voice trembled as I spoke, barely keeping the emotion out. "Don’t test me, Fox." I wasn’t imagining some betrayal. I didn’t think Natalie had fallen for Griffin. I knew she wouldn’t do that to me. But I was still angry—furious. And I didn’t even know where to point it. Fox? Griffin? Natalie? Or myself, for feeling so broken by the one person I trusted most?

I turned to her. "Natalie..." My voice was softer now, cracked down the middle. "You have any idea what it felt like to walk in and find him in my home? Alive, breathing, marking his scent all over the place like this is his territory?" My voice cracked. "You know I love you with all of my heart Nat. You... you shouldn’t have kept something as big as this from me, Nat."

"I know," she said, and the words came out like glass. Her voice wavered, her eyes glistening with tears she hadn’t let fall. "I wanted to tell you, Zane. I swear I did. But I was scared. Of what you’d think. Of how you’d look at me. I didn’t want you to think I still cared about him. I don’t. Not even a little. This wasn’t about him. Or you and me. This was bigger than all of us. It was about saving lives. About keeping the world from falling apart."

I looked away, hands clenched at my sides, my breath coming shallow. "Do you have any idea how it felt, Nat?" I said, voice rough. "To come home and find him here—alive—breathing like this was his house, like he owned the air between us? You know how much I love you. With everything I’ve got. And you still kept this from me."

The silence that followed nearly crushed me. Even Fox looked like he wanted to melt into the floor and vanish.

"I’m sorry," Natalie said, her voice sounding small.

And the worst part was—I believed her. Every syllable.

But my chest was too tight. My thoughts were chaos. I needed air. I needed space. I needed to breathe.

"I need three hours," I said, tugging my hoodie over my head, hiding the storm in my eyes. "I’m going to see Sebastian."

Her face crumbled like glass. "Zane, please—"

"Don’t." I stopped at the door, hand on the knob. "Please, Natalie. Don’t ask me to stay. Not right now."

She bit her bottom lip, nodded slowly, then asked, voice like a ghost, "Will you come back?"

I turned, just enough to see her—her trembling hands, her broken expression, her whole body screaming for me to stay. And gods, did it hurt.

"Of course I’ll come back," I said. "You’re my home. I just need to clear my head."

I moved to leave, but paused with my hand on the doorknob.

"I came back early today because I had something to tell you," I said without looking at her. "My father—he wants you to be present at the royal ball tomorrow."

There was a sharp inhale behind me.

"I’ll give you the details when I’m more level-headed," I added. "Right now, I can’t even think straight."

Then I walked out, slamming the door behind me harder than I meant to.

I didn’t even wait for the engine to warm up. I just drove. Fast. Like if I pushed hard enough on the gas, the feelings clawing inside me would get left behind on the road.

Griffin was alive.

Natalie brought him back.

And I couldn’t tell what scared me more—Shadow, or the thought of Griffin staying beside her every damn day, with no end in sight.