Born To Be Your Apocalypse

The Bargaining Chip

Zane’s POV

The sudden silence in the room was so eerie that I had to cough just to make sure she didn't freeze.

Minutes later, Sabrina threw her head back and laughed…just as I expected.

The sound was sharp, humorless, and full of pure disbelief. It scraped across my skin like broken glass and I closed my eyes briefly.

I hadn’t expected her to believe me. Not at first.

But the truth is the truth, and I intended to use that single revelation to keep her chained to my side for as long as it took. Who knew that saving Tyler all those years ago would come in so f*****g handy?

I still remembered the night with perfect, sick clarity. Walking into the arena after Uriel and I sneaked off to the nearest human town just for fun.

I still remember walking in to the scent of my mate mingled with the blood of her family, their bodies already cooling on the ground. Sabrina trembling in the dirt, eyes empty and my father’s voice ordering her death and the disposal of their bodies.

That was when I saw it…the faintest twitch of Tyler’s fingers. Everyone was too distracted to notice, but I did.

I volunteered before anyone else could. Said I needed to do it for closure. My father never suspected a thing.

Uriel and I cleared the area, and the second we were alone I pressed my fingers to Tyler’s neck and realized he had a weak pulse. So f*****g weak. But alive.

I got him out of the pack that same day. Sent him far beyond the realm’s borders where no one would ever look.

Days later when I went to check on him, the caregiver said he lost his memory. Doesn’t know who he is, doesn't remember a single thing, not even about the tragedy. So I gave him a new identity. That was the only thing I could do for Sabrina back then. Keep one piece of her family breathing.

“Do you think I’m stupid?” she laughed again, the sound cracking. “Like I would believe any filth that comes out of your mouth? You must have lost your mind!”

“Sab—”

Her free hand cracked across my face hard enough to snap my head to the side. Heat flared across my cheek, followed by the metallic taste of blood seeping from my split lip. I should have been furious.

Instead, something darker stirred in me.

She is strong. Far stronger than she had any right to be without a wolf, and watching that strength come out in her…unrestrained and furious…sent a thrill through me that had nothing to do with anger. I wanted to see just how much power she was capable of unleashing.

“Alpha,” A mindlink slammed into my head right at that moment before she could speak.

“Your father said to bring the girl out immediately.”

I shut the connection down without answering and turned fully toward her.

“Like k********g me isn’t enough?” she snarled, eyes blazing. “You think you have the right to say my brother’s name? Do you have any idea…”

I pulled my phone from my back pocket with my free hand and she stopped mid-sentence, watching every movement. I scrolled through the gallery until I found the photo I needed, then held the screen up to her face.

“Do you still think I’m lying?” I muttered through gritted teeth.

The color drained from her skin so fast I thought she might collapse. Her lips trembled as she stared intently and then reached for the phone with shaking fingers.

“Impossible. He's…he's alive? Ty… Ty… Tyler—”

The name tore out of her so loudly I clamped my palm over her mouth and shoved the phone back into my pocket in the same motion. Tears spilled over her lashes instantly. But it wasn’t hatred staring back at me anymore. It was hope. Fragile, desperate, devastating hope.

“Still want to reject me, Sab?” I whispered against my own hand.

The tears fell harder and gods I hated myself for it. Hated that I was using her brother like a bargaining chip just to make her stay. Hated the way the hope in her eyes made me look exactly like the monster she already believed I was.

She tried to speak against my palm, but it came out as muffled, frantic words. I didn’t move my hand. No one else could hear this. Not a single f*****g soul.

“If you love your brother,” I said, voice low and deadly calm, “if you ever want to see him again, you will listen carefully. Do you understand?”

Fury still burned in her gaze, but she nodded once.

“One.” I held her stare. “You will not reject me. Two. You will not leave my side. Three. You will behave…and that means you will not resist the reason you were brought back here. And one more thing, Sabrina. You will never, under any circumstances, let anyone else know that Tyler is alive. Do you understand?”

She didn’t react at first. Just kept glaring at me like she was praying to the Moon Goddess for the power to kill me with her eyes alone.

“Do you understand, Sabrina?” I repeated.

She closed her eyes and another tear slipped free as she nodded.

Only then did I remove my hand.

“I hate you,” she spat, voice raw.

I nodded, a slight grin tugging at the corner of my mouth. “I will do the loving, Sabrina…you can do the hating. Now let’s go.”

Her fingers suddenly locked around my forearm before I could turn us towards the door. The grip was desperate and hesitant…as though it took a lot from her to even touch me. When I looked down, the pleading, hesitant look in her eyes nearly undid me.

“Tyler… When can I see my brother? Please? Can I talk to him? Where is he?”

I swallowed hard, masking my worry. How the f**k was I supposed to tell her that the brother she was begging for might not even recognize her face?

I shoved the worry down and replaced it with a teasing grin. My free hand came up, two fingers under her chin, tilting her face up until she had no choice but to meet my eyes.

“I’ll let you see him,” I murmured, my thumb grazing the edge of her jaw. “But only if you’re a good girl and behave.” I tilted my head, letting a teasing smile tug at my mouth. “Think you can manage that?”

Her teeth clenched so hard I heard them grind. She didn’t answer. She didn’t have to. The silent agreement was enough.

I knew she would do anything to see Tyler again. And I plan on using that weakness to my advantage. That is the only way I get to keep her.

I pulled her forward. The chain between our wrists stayed tight as I led her out of the room and toward the people waiting in the hall beyond. Her steps were reluctant, but she followed quietly. Every single one of them matched mine.

Whatever was about to happen in that hall, I already knew one thing with absolute certainty.

I was never letting go of her hand again.

And if anyone…anyone at all…threatened her, I would kill them without hesitation.

Even if that someone was my own father.