CHAPTER 117: CHAPTER 117: SCARS

Xavier’s laughter echoed in Lily’s mind. The same familiar cackle he had. The one that made her stomach turn, the one that gave her nightmares.

“Look at you! A smart little mutt,” His voice was sharp and mocking. “Do it, Lily. End it all. Do us all a favor and end your pathetic life.”

Lily’s hand trembled. One quick slash and the pain would end. She’d be free.”

“Once a coward, always a coward,” He continued to taunt, circling her like a predator, “You never change.”

Lily’s body shook violently. She could feel the cold blade pressed against her neck. Despite the taunts, the shadows she could not fight, Lily didn’t want to die.

She remembered the promise she made to Martha.

Zayn was stunned by the scene before him. Lily had one hand on the dagger, and the other was desperately trying to pull it away. She gripped the blade tightly, desperate to get it away.

Blood began to trickle between her fingers as the blade cut into her palm.

“Lily!” Zayn called out to her.

He lunged forward, grabbing her wrist. Her strength shocked him. Despite her small frame, desperation made her powerful. He struggled to pry the dagger out of her hands.

“Lily,” he said firmly, trying to break through her trance. “It’s not real. Whatever you’re seeing, it’s not real!”

Still, she was too strong for him. No matter how much strength he used, he was still unable to pry the dagger out of her hands. She was using more force than she had before. The blade cut deeper into her palm and fingers.

The scent of her blood made Zayn wince. It had once brought him a sense of calm in his time of need. But now, it was being spilled for the wrong reasons.

Unable to bear seeing her bleed, Zayn did the unthinkable. Mustering all of his strength, he pried her fingers carefully off the blade. He replaced it with his own.

The cold metal bit into his palm, but he didn’t flinch. A fresh wound formed quickly. His blood trickled down the blade, mixing with Lily’s.

With his other free hand, he cupped Lily’s cheek, hoping physical touch would bring her back to him.

“Listen to me,” he said, his voice steady despite the pain. “No one’s going to hurt you anymore. Not your father, not your brother. Not me.”

Something flickered in her eyes. His plan was working!

“You’re stronger than them, Lily,” he continued, maintaining eye contact. “I’ve seen it. You’ve survived everything they did to you. Everything I did to you.”

The confession made his stomach twist, but Zayn persisted. Blood dripped from his hand onto the floor, but he hardly noticed. All that mattered was reaching her.

“You’ve grown so much stronger since we met,” Zayn said softly. “Don’t let them win now. Don’t let them take that away from you.”

He saw her eyes shifting. When her eyes landed on him again, she wasn’t seeing through him anymore. She was looking at him. The hallucinations of Xavier began to waver. His laughter faded into the background.

She could hear his words now, overpowering anything Xavier was taunting her with.

Zayn held her gaze as he continued to speak, “I understand pain. I wanted to end it all, too.”

She saw him now. Xavier vanished from her mind, replaced with Zayn’s concerned face. His eyes were filled with a sense of warmth she had not seen in him before.

‘Zayn?’ She mouthed his name, a single tear rolled down her cheek as her vision refocused.

He nodded with a small smile, continuing to speak, “Death is an escape, not salvation.”

Lily pressed her trembling lips together, shaking her head slowly.

He gripped her free hand tightly, pressing it against his own heart. She could feel his heartbeat against her skin. It was pounding fast.

“It hurts. I know it hurts to live. But we must. One step at a time. For those who’ve come to love us. Who we hold close.”

‘You cannot possibly know how useless I feel.’ Lily mouthed the words.

Zayn didn’t need to hear them to know what she was saying.

The blade fell to the ground with a clang. Her body sagged against the wall. The fight had drained her, leaving her exhausted.

“I know exactly how you feel,” He insisted, kicking the blood-stained blade aside, far from them.

“To be treated like nothing, worthless.”

Blood continued to seep from the cut on his palm, but he paid it no mind. His focus remained entirely on Lily. Her breathing finally began to steady. He sat down next to her, legs stretched out.

He leaned his head against the wall, looking up at the ceiling for a moment to recollect his thoughts.

“For years, they treated me like I was dirt. Nothing more than an object to be used and discarded,” He continued, voice low and raw, “At first, I had hope. Hope that things would change. All I had to do was find an opportunity to turn the tide.”

He continued looking up at the ceiling as he continued, “But time crushed me. Eventually, I gave up hope. We all did. Despair and humiliation can destroy a wolf. Every day, I wondered if it would be easier to just end it all.”

Lily’s eyes widened slightly at his confession.

“Do you know what kept me going?” He turned to ask her.

Lily shook her head.

“I didn’t want to give them that satisfaction, “He said with great strength, “I cannot let them win.”

“If I did, all the suffering. All those deaths... would be for nothing. I cannot let that happen.”

He reached out slowly, giving her time to pull away if she wanted to. When she didn’t, he gently wiped a tear from her cheek with his uninjured hand.

“Your brother wanted you to give up,” Zayn said. “That’s why you saw him telling you to do it. He wanted to break you completely.”

Lily’s shoulders slumped. She nodded slightly, acknowledging the truth in his words. Zayn wasn’t surprised by the accuracy of his prediction. He had an inkling this was the case.

“But you’re still here,” he continued. “You survived. That’s not weakness, Lily. That’s strength. Strength they could never understand. Strength they could never have.”

Lily shook her head. She didn’t believe she had the strength or was ever strong.

‘They broke me a long time ago. I am not strong. I’m weak,’ Lily signed.

She lifted her dress to show him the scars that littered her back. She lifted her sleeves. Permanent reminders of years of abuse marked her skin.

Zayn looked at each of them, nodding.

“You’re not the only one with scars and stories to tell, Lily,” He said, voice soft.

He removed his shirt, revealing his own collection of scars. Some were from battles, others from torture endured during his enslavement.

“We all carry our burdens, Lily. Some are just more visible than others.”