Chapter 67

Zirah POV

It's daylight by the time he returns. The sun filters in through the windows, its warm light casting a

golden hue on the bedroom. The light is gentle but intense, and it makes my body sting as it

touches the cuts lacing my skin. My arms ache furiously, my shoulders feel dislocated, and I lost the

feeling in my hands hours ago. I squint my eyes at the brightness of the room as it illuminates the

back of my eyelids. Blood is caked to my legs and backside. I don't bother lifting my head when I

hear the door open, and Zeke stumbles back into the room.

He reeks of alcohol and mutters to himself when he stubs his toe on the corner of the chaise. He

curses before kicking it and breaking the wooden leg off. This causes me to wince when a splintered

piece flakes off and hits my thigh. Hearing him muttering to himself, he moves past me and picks up

the piece of broken wood at my feet, bottle clutched in the crook of his arm.

Fear makes me glance in his direction, his entire body tenses. He then lifts his head slightly, his eyes

moving to mine, and a look of confusion sweeps over him. He blinks at me and rubs his eyes

quickly, almost like he is dazed, as he jumps, standing upright.

"Zirah?" he asks, and I realize he used my name instead of calling me human. His eyes trail over my

bloodied body, and his hands grab me. He drops the bottle tucked in the crook of his arm, and it

shatters on the floor, sending shards of glass flying and spilling the amber liquid over the floor. The

moment his hands touch me, I cry out when pain courses through me. He trips over his own feet as

he lets go in panic and lands on his ass.

“Nol...Nol...What have I done?" he chokes with wide eyes as he stares at me dangling from the

canopy beam on his bed.

“Ill.... I'll get help..... Someone will—" he looks on the verge of a panic attack as he scrambles to his

feet, grabbing my legs.

Does he not remember what he did? Why does he seem so shocked when he did this to me? He

clutches his hair, eyes following the chain to see where it is attached to the hook.

He rips it off, and I scream when the chain suddenly drops under my weight, my limbs like putty

from hanging all night, and I crash toward the ground. I clench my eyes shut, waiting for the pain.

Zeke grabs me before I hit the floor, which makes me scream when my legs and backside, slick with

my trickling blood, slide through his arms. I feel like I've been skinned alive. He drops me in panic

before stumbling into the doorframe. He rips the door open and screams for his brothers while I lay

on the ground, unable to move as I cringe in pain.

“They'll come... they'll help youl... I'm sorry... I..." He stutters, reaching for me while I whimper. The

more he touches me, the more it hurts. I just want him to leave when he picks me up. He rushes to

the bathroom screaming for help. However, help does not come. He twists the taps to the shower

while I lean limply against him. It's all I can do, unable to support my own weight. My body trembles

from the pain, and I can feel his grip tightening around me. I try to push off him feebly, but my

hands still have no feeling.

Zeke finally sets me down in the shower, the water pouring over my body. I close my eyes, trying to

escape the pain and find some kind of comfort. However, Zeke is almost frantic, his hand tugging

and pulling at my shirt, which jostles me. At first, I wonder what he is doing until I realize he is

undressing me. He tears my shirt down the middle, and I cry out, the motion dragging me a bit

across the tiled floor.

"No..No..Zeke. Leave me alone!" I scream, and he jerks away from me, landing on his ass, looking at

me bewildered. "Don't touch me," I breathe, collapsing in a heap on the floor.

"Zirah, please. I will make it better. I can make the pain stop,” he begs while leaning forward, his

hand outstretched toward me. "LEAVE ME!" I scream so loud it renders me breathless when a guard

from the hall bursts into the room. I don't move much because I barely have the strength to. Every

inch of me aches. No part of me isn't hurting.

When the guard steps in further, Zeke clutches his hair leaning back against the shower wall. "My

King....What have you done?" the man breathes, and he crouches beside me. All I can do is stare at

Zeke, who rocks back and forth, muttering to himself like he, too, can't believe what he did. The

guard sweeps my hair out of my face, and I know I should be embarrassed that he can see me

naked, but all my dignity went out the window. The guard gasps, turning his head to look over his

shoulder.

"Elias, go find and get the kings."

"Is she alright?” I hear the other guard question but can't see him.

"Find them now!" the guard orders, and the man hurries off.

"I didn't mean it; I don't remember,” Zeke whimpers, banging his fists on the side of his head

"He'll kill me...I deserve it... I deserve it." Zeke whacks his head, then rips at his hair.

"Elias warned you last night... we knew you were in no state to be with her. You are such a glutton!"

the guard screams at him. I wait with bated breath for Zeke to lose his temper and kill the guard for

the way he spoke to him. Any other time he would have. However, Zeke just rocks back and forth,

muttering to himself.

"Glutton, I'm the glutton,” Zeke mutters, making my brows pinch when I hear them running toward

us in the corridor. Moments later, Regan and Lyon burst into the room.

Regan’s eyes are drawn straight to Zeke, and the guard, then to me. Lyon runs into his back when he

stops abruptly too.

The grow! that leaves Regan promises violence when Lyon speaks. “Zeke...” he gasps, staggering

into the room while Regan's eyes are on Zeke.

“I don’t remember... I just... you have to help her!” Zeke screams at them, Lyon pushes past him, and

the guard leaps away from me. But I rather stay with the guard. He seems kind and has not hurt me.

Lyon stops just inside the shower door. His gasp is audible as he stares down at the blood-soaked

floor and my broken body on the floor.

“Clean her up!” Regan snarls at Lyon, who runs towards me, shoving the guard out of the way. I cry

out the moment he grabs me, pulling me into his lap. He bites his wrist, but I slap his hand away.

"Zirah!" Lyon growls at me.

"I don't want you. I don't want any of you!" I scream, thrashing despite the agony that rips me to

pieces when I do. Regan roars, punching the wall, the force splitting the tile when he moves toward

me, gripping my face.

"You will not fight him!" he orders, and I feel his command roll over me like I am being smashed

under a tidal wave. My body falls slack, and my thrashing stops. He runs his thumb across my lips,

his eyes softening.

"I never should have left you alone with him,” Regan murmurs before letting me go and rising to his

feet.

"Regan?" Lyon worries.

"Watch her!"

"Regan! You can't..You know it's not his fault,” Lyon murmurs, his head turning in Zeke's direction.

"He shouldn't have touched her!” Regan growls, stalking toward Zeke.

“Regan, I swear to you... I—" Zeke pleads when Regan growls, the sound so threatening it makes me

whimper as his impressive aura rips out of him, crushing me. The guard drops to the floor, his body

hitting the ground so hard and fast it knocks the wind out of him

Regan grabs him by the front of his shirt, throwing him out the door. "Regan!" Lyon shouts.

"No! Now he'll know why I am called Wrath!" Regan snarls.