Bullied Mate Of The Lycan Kings
Chapter 76

Lily's POV

When Savio And Lucas rushed into the bathroom, their eyes wide with fear, I thought for a second that they were worried that something had happened to Zac, the precious prince that they were supposed to protect.

But when they took one look at him, his arms around me, fanged canines peeking out of his lopsided grin, eyes still swimming with echoes of wrath he had spent on Tate, and at Tate with his bleeding wounds and scorch marks, Savio pulled a Glock out of nowhere and pointed it at him.

I froze.

"Step away from her, Zac" Savio said slowly, "I don't want to use this."

"But I-" my words cut short as Zac pushed me away just as Savio and Lucas tackled him, holding him in a deadlock.

W- what's going on?

"I thought I told you guys to get lost?" Zac complained, not even struggling.

"We have clear instructions from the madam. We are not to let you out of our sights. And for good reason," Savio growled, glancing at Tate, then at me. "What were you thinking, Zac?! She's just an omega. She can't protect herself! You said you could handle this!" I suddenly realized why Lucas had been worried about me riding alone with Zac.

It had nothing to do with the fact that they did not trust me with their ward.

Zac didn't need protecting from anybody. Not with those powers he had. It was other people, people like Tate who was bleeding down his face and had burns and bruises all over his body that needed protecting. It was people like me that needed protecting. It was everyone who came in contact with Zac that needed protecting. From him.

"Ugh, you guys are overreacting." Zac drawled but Savio only held on tighter.

"Get out of here, kid!" Savio yelled at Tate and the boy didn't need to be told twice because immediately he heard that, he staggered out of the bathroom, still shaken and terrified.

With Tate gone, the weight of everything that just happened fell hard on my shoulders.

I dropped to the ground, my legs giving way as the knowledge of what I had just experienced hit me as well as terrible exhaustion and horror at what I would have allowed to happen to me if Zac had not come to my rescue.

Tate would have...No, I could not let myself even think about what he would have done and gotten away with. He had never gone that far before. Not when I was in Gold Crest. Not even those few days I remained in school after Cade dumped me.

I touched the nasty bump on my head that was starting to make my head throb painfully. Goosebumps sprouted on my skin as I thought of Tate's handprints on my body.

I barely registered that Savio had left Zac and was kneeling by my side until he gently looked over my body and when I wondered what he was doing, he shook his head and quickly removed his jacket, draping them over my shoulders.

"Are you okay, Lily?" He asked and all I could do was nod slowly, still feeling like words were too heavy to spill.

When he handed me a handkerchief, I touched my cheeks and realized that I had been crying without even knowing, my hands trembling and entire body shaking like I had caught a cold.

"Thanks," I said, dabbing at my tears. His gaze hardened as he took in the bump on my head and the bruises around my arm. And when he glanced at Zac, I finally understood why he had been looking all over my body.

Searching for signs that Zac had hurt me.

"Don't be scared anymore. We have Zac under control. He isn't going to hurt you. Thank God we got here in time before he did something unforgivable." Savio assured me.

He had been looking for any sign of injuries. He had been searching to see if Zac had hurt me and now he must have thought that the reason I was crying had something to do with Zac.

"Zac didn't hurt me," I scowled, offended for no reason. "He was only trying to help me out. He did not do anything." I tried to explain to Savio as he helped me to my feet but in response, his eyes went to the bloodied floor and back at me and I realized that nothing I was going to a would make them believe that Zac was not the bad guy here and I got how it looked even though I did not want to.

Even I had been terrified when I saw Zac's touch turn lethal before my very eyes and I was certain that if I had not stopped him, he might very well have decided to kill Tate.

"You just saw him burn the skin off the skull of your friend and you're still defending him."

"Did you even wonder what my 'friend' was doing that made Zac attack him?"

"Listen to me, Lily. Nobody in this entire community deserves to be hurt by Zac. No one. His abilities are not normal and you don't have to put him in a good light just because you are worried or scared he'd hurt you. We know what he is capable of and you don't." "Are you sure about that? You've been shadowing Zac all these years and you still think he'd hurt someone that doesn't deserve it."

"It's funny how you're so comfortable saying this, when you've been hurt by the very person you're trying to defend."

I froze. Of course I should have suspected that he was talking about today's incident and the misleading bump on my head but something about the way he said it made me go back to that night at the club when Zac had hurt me. Had hurt Bia... Something cold washed over me at the memory I was already starting to forget.

Cold cruel eyes, wicked smiles, lips stained with blood, hurtful mean words.

Do I even know Zac? Do I know his motive for suddenly being on my side?

When Savio did not say anything else, merely leading me out of the store, I decided to give up and accept that I would have to settle for getting answers another time.

"This is not the car that I came with." I said, looking in the direction of where Zac parked his car and Savio nodded.

""This is my ride. You need to get home and we want to make sure that you are safe on your journey back."

I took a step back, suddenly feeling restless and uncomfortable.

"And what about Zac?"I asked Savio who was about to answer when Zac placed a cold hand on the small of my back.

"I'm right here, duchess." He answered smoothly, pressing me to his side.

Something in me settled immediately, losing its restless, anxious energy.

"Sorry, Savio, I'll be taking it from here."

"I can't allow that, Zac. Not after-

Zac took a step forward, forcing Savio to inch backwards. "Are you trying to pick a fight with me?" He asked in a voice that induced frost bites and hailstorms, even though his posture was deceptively relaxed, a charming smile on his face. "Because I'm not about to leave her without a fight."

"I- I'm only trying to do my job."

"You can't do your job if you're dead now, can you?"

Savio choked. I saw his hand reach unconsciously to his gun as he took a step back. There was so much raw fear in his eyes, it was obvious he took Zac's threat seriously.

Zac needs to stop threatening people with death so easily. I'm going to start thinking it's not a threat after all but a promise... something he can actually do... And I don't think I'm ready for that revelation.

"Now, Zac-" Lucas said, placing a hand on his shoulder but Zac glared at him until he removed his hand.

The standoff between all of them was so thick, even a hack saw could not cut through all of that tension so I decided to clear my throat and take one step away from them.

"Thank you Savio, I'll just go with him." I told Savio with a small smile that he did don't return.

Savio frowned but could only eye us warily as Zac took my hand, his own shaking with what I realized was agitation as he led me to the car, away from his bodyguards who I was sure would not let him out of their sight.

Releasing myself from his hold and hating how my body responded to his touch, I stopped and when he spun around to look at me,I decided that whatever I wanted to say was probably not that important. Not when there was an intensity in the way he looked at

me.

He looked like he was about to say something but there was a sudden dark look in his gaze as he stared at me and it took me a moment that was he was frowning at Savio's coat on my back.. "Are you cold?"

I hugged myself tigher. "Kind of. It's more of fright, really-"

I gasped as he tore the coat off my shoulders and dumped it on the ground. He reached into the backseat for his school blazer and placed it on my shoulder. "There."

Before I could even think too much about it he pulled me close, wrapping his arms tightly around my body and nuzzling his face in my hair.

Eyes wide as I relaxed into the hug, which surprised me to no end, I could feel his racing heart in his chest, his entire body trembling and if I was being honest, I did not mind that he was practically crushing me to his chest.

"Z- Zac?"

Pulling me back, he cupped my cheek in a way that made my heart skip as I stared into his charcoal black eyes and saw that he was truly worried about me.

"I don't even want to think about what might have happened if I had not gotten there in time... If I was not here to help you. You're so small and breakable," he frowned at the bump on my head, "Why did the goddess make you so small and breakable?" It felt like he wasn't even talking to me anymore. "If you're going to be my gift, I definitely have my work cut out for me."

"You're not making any sense."

Before I could let his words make my stomach flip upside down, he buried his nose in the crook of my neck and sniffed hard, his nose resting on my racing pulse for a moment before he proceeded to rub his face on my pulse, my cheeks, exhaling heavily into my hair.

My eyes nearly fell from their sockets and I pushed him away, forcing myself away from him. I stared at him, my heart thundering hard in my ribcage. "What the f**k, Zac?" I wheezed, suddenly feeling short of breath. "What was that for?"

He huffed, "you smell like him. My wolf doesn't like it."

H... he had been trying to rub his scent on me.

I rolled my eyes even though my heart was pounding erratically in my chest.

I started for the car, my hands trembling. "Just... just take me home, Zac."

My wolf doesn't like it.

No.

His sudden protectiveness...

It can't be...

The way I feel safe with him...

Could he be-

I slammed down hard on those thoughts with a two hundred pound sledgehammer. No. This doesn't mean anything, Lily. Don't be stupid.