The abandoned warehouse smelled of dust, mold, and rusted metal. Every breath scraped Aira's throat with a metallic tang. The flickering light bulb overhead cast sickly yellow shadows across the cracked concrete floor, where rats scurried in the corners. Pipes groaned occasionally, the sound hollow and unsettling.
Aira sat slumped against a broken pillar, wrists tied tightly in rough rope. The coarse fibers had rubbed her skin raw, leaving angry welts. Her lip was split, a thin line of blood trailing down to her chin where Liam's madness had struck her.
Her hair, usually neat and soft, hung in tangled strands across her pale face. She wore her white blouse and navy skirt from class, now smeared with dirt and streaked with red at the side where she'd slammed against the floor earlier.
Still, she didn't weep. She didn't beg. Her chest rose and fell slowly, steadily. Her eyes—though empty of warmth—were unbroken.You can hurt my body, Liam… but you'll never touch my soul.
Liam stalked back and forth in front of her like a predator circling its prey. His black hoodie clung to him with sweat, his hair disheveled, sticking to his forehead. His eyes were wide, hollow pits that had once been full of light but now reflected only obsession and despair.
"Why won't you look at me the way you used to?" he demanded, his voice cracking, desperate. "Why do you look at him now? At Zane?"
Aira lifted her head slowly. Her voice, though soft, struck like ice against his ears."Because you're not the boy I loved. You're just a coward who hurts the people he claims to love."
The words cut deeper than any blade.
Liam froze, chest heaving, his hands trembling violently. For a moment, he looked shattered—then rage overtook him.
With a hoarse roar, he lunged forward. His hand fisted in her blouse collar, dragging her up like a ragdoll before hurling her across the floor.
Aira's body slammed into an old metal table. The sharp corner jabbed her ribs, and she gasped, pain shooting up her side. The sound echoed in the emptiness of the warehouse.
But she didn't cry. She didn't scream.
She pushed herself back up slowly, her hands trembling but her gaze steady. She wiped the blood from her mouth with the back of her hand and looked at him with something worse than anger.
Pity.
Her voice was steady, quiet, merciless.You're already dead inside, Liam. Nothing you do can kill me.
Liam's face twisted, the veins in his neck bulging, his madness unraveling further.
And then—
Footsteps.
The sound of heavy boots striking cracked ground.
The sound of a storm approaching.
Zane.
He emerged from the darkness like a shadow pulled from the night itself. His black coat swept behind him with each step, his expression carved from stone, colder than steel. His shirt—dark gray, half unbuttoned from his rush—clung to his broad chest.
Behind him, Kai in his leather jacket, Rei in a fitted black hoodie, and Damian in his dark military-style coat followed closely, their eyes sharp, their movements tight with focus.
But one look at Zane's face, and they all knew:
This wasn't a rescue.
This was a massacre.
The door didn't creak open—it exploded.
Zane's boot slammed into it with such force that the rusted hinges gave way. The metal door crashed against the wall with a deafening bang, dust raining from the ceiling.
Liam spun around, startled, his grip on Aira faltering. His eyes widened when he saw Zane storm in—eyes like death, shoulders broad, fists clenched, every line of his body radiating lethal intent.
And then Zane saw her.
Aira.
On the floor.
Bleeding.
Bruised.
Shivering.
Something inside him snapped so completely it was terrifying.
He didn't shout. He didn't warn.
He simply moved.
Liam barely had time to raise his arms before Zane's fist crashed into his face with a sickening crack. The sound of bone breaking echoed through the warehouse.
Liam staggered back, blood spraying from his nose.
But Zane wasn't done.
Another blow.
And another.
And another.
Zane wasn't fighting to defend.
He was fighting to destroy.
He grabbed Liam by the collar, his knuckles already raw and bleeding, and slammed him against the concrete wall. The impact shook the old plaster, sending a crack spiderwebbing across it.
Zane's voice was low, colder than poison."You touched her? You hurt her?"
Liam whimpered, but his answer was drowned by another punch. His nose shattered completely, blood gushing, his cries muffled against Zane's rage.
Kai, Rei, and Damian surged forward, hauling ropes from their gear. They grabbed Liam's broken body from Zane's grip, tying his wrists and ankles like he was nothing but trash. Liam sagged between them, barely conscious, blood dripping down his ruined face.
But Zane didn't even glance at him.
His whole world was Aira.
He dropped to his knees beside her, his dark coat pooling around them both. His hands—still bloody from beating Liam—shook violently as he touched her wrists, gently unlocking the ropes that had cut so deep into her skin.
"Princess…" His voice broke, cracking like glass. "I'm here. I'm here…"
Aira blinked up at him, her face pale, a faint smile tugging weakly at her lips."I knew you'd come."
Zane pulled her into his arms so carefully, so tenderly, as though she were made of glass that might shatter. He pressed his forehead to hers, his chest rising and falling in ragged breaths.
"I'm sorry," he whispered, voice hoarse. "I'm so sorry…"
Her small hand brushed his jaw, smearing his blood with her touch. Tears slid down her cheeks, not from pain, but from overwhelming relief."You always find me," she whispered.
Zane's grip tightened around her, his lips brushing her temple. His voice was a vow carved into eternity."I'll always find you. Even if the world burns—I'll find you."
Kai called from the door, his tone steady but urgent. "We need to move. Now."
They carried Aira outside into the silver glow of moonlight. The cool night air wrapped around them, sharp and clean after the suffocating warehouse.
Kai slid into the driver's seat of the black SUV, starting the engine with a growl.
Damian and Rei hauled Liam's unconscious, bloodied form into the back, binding him tighter, their faces dark with disgust. "Rot in prison," Rei muttered coldly.
But Zane never once let Aira out of his arms.
He slid into the backseat with her curled against him, his coat wrapped tightly around her small frame. Her head rested against his chest, listening to the steady thud of his heartbeat as her eyes fluttered closed.
For the first time in what felt like forever, she felt safe.
Zane's lips brushed her hair as he whispered, almost to himself, his voice trembling but fierce:
"You're my star, Aira. No one—no one—will ever touch you again."