Bullied Mate Of The Lycan Kings
Chapter 75

Lily's pov

They were right there, the banes of my existence. The five terrible friends that had terrorized me since middle school.

"I want to get something from the convenience store. Will you wait in the car?" Zac asked, coal black eyes like magnets brought my gaze back to him momentarily stopping my panic attack.

Something was wrong with him. I wanted to argue with him and stand my ground that I knew something was going on with him but I realized that for some reason, even though he looked like he wanted to actually tell me what was wrong, he had somehow stopped himself which made me suspect that perhaps it had something to do with me.

I immediately deflated at the idea. Of course, I looked like the girl that had ruined his life. Having me in his space must be hard on him. But still, I didn't want to sit in the car alone knowing that Gold crest students were around the store.

I decided on a better option.

"I'm going in with you. i want to use the bathroom anyway."

At least until he was ready to go, I was going to be safe in the bathroom. I was not even certain if any of them had noticed me, but I would rather not wait for them to see me in Zac's car.

As I walked into the convenience store and headed straight for the bathroom, I couldn't help but look over my shoulder for signs of them, remembering the horror that I had experienced right after Cade broke up with me.

A part of me still re-lived all of the terrible things that had been done to me and as i stared at my reflection in the mirror, i could swear that my heart started racing again as those memories tried to engulf me and pull me under and I bent low into the sink, splashing water on my face and trying to take a deep breath.

I'm fine. I'm safe. I've moved on from them.

My hands wouldn't stop trembling as the memories... memories that I thought I had kept under lock and key and buried, started sprouting up again.

I held my head in my hand, shaking my head.

I'm doing better. I've been doing so much better. It's been two years since I left Gold Crest and I'm over everything. I'm happier than ever with my scholarship in Shadow Cove. I have friends. Real friends. I'm happy, I'm happy, I'm happy- Why am I crying? Why won't I stop crying?

I stared at my broken reflection in the mirror, tears streaming down my cheeks, my hair sticking to my damp face. I'm such a mess.

My phone suddenly pinged a text and I immediately fished it out, wiping my tears desperately, thinking it was Ren.

It wasn't. It was a telemarketer, advertising a new product.

I've been trying to explain things to him that the thing going on with me and Zac is not what he thinks but he has been radio silent since I left him at school. He wasn't even reading it.

If I didn't know better, I'd assume he had blocked me... but he couldn't have. He's not like that. He's not petty or vindictive and I just have to give it time.

Yes, time. That's what he needs. What we both need. W- we'll go back to being friends again and Rhea won't hate me for hurting him... and Chelsea won't be mad at me because Rhea hates me.

I heard the door to the bathroom open without even knocking and I immediately splashed more water on my face, assuming it was Zac. I didn't want him to see me so distraught, especially because he was more perceptive than I had originally given him credit for. It wasn't far-fetched to think it was him because he had barged in in a similar fashion, first at that party and then when he placed a bandage on my neck.

I glared at him through the mirror, ready to give him a piece of my mind about respecting my privacy even though a part of me was thrilled that he had come to look for me but the anticipation died in my throat when my eyes met the newcomer and saw that it was not Zac that had entered the bathroom with me.

No.

"Why, hello, Lily," that wicked grin. "Missed me?"

No.

Tate Reeves.

He proceeded to swiftly lock the door after him, not taking his leering eyes off of me.

"Such a pleasure to see you here and in that perky new uniform by the way, so pretty," he drawled and fear enveloped my entire body at the smirk on his lips. "You disappeared on us. Dropped right off the universe. We miss you very much, Lil." No.

Back when I was still attending Gold crest, Tate was in the same clique as Lana, Kyrie, Violet and Rhodes. The terrible five as I liked to call them.

They were the terrible people that had spearheaded and facilitated all the hurt that I had gone through in Gold Crest, almost like they had a personal vendetta against me. Tate Reeves was at the front and center of the entire movement.

While others in the academy knew where to draw the line, they had never been afraid to do me the most harm, especially physically and usually brought me to times when I wished I was dead and motivated me to go as far as attempting to take my life. They were the reason I had cut my wrists in the girl's bathroom. Tate had given me the blade himself and put those words into my head.

Nobody wants you, Lily.

Did you hear the prophecy about you? I heard it's becoming a big deal with the council. They're probably going to try and take you out before you turn eighteen. Executed, just like your father.

You're nothing but bad luck. Why wait until then before you're killed off like a f*****g animal? Just do us all a favour and d i e already.

That had been two years ago. I had done it. I had tried to end my life... but Cade... Cade had found me, taken care of me, nursed me back to health. Only to break my heart all over again.

I didn't know what I was expecting but he looked pretty much the same with bronze colored hair and brown eyes, only bigger than I remember. He was still built very strong and muscular thanks to being on both the football and wrestling team. He was wearing the letterman jacket that the football team usually wore and I hated how that jacket reminded me of Cade and how I used to wear his jacket all the time when I was dating him. "What do you want, Tate?" I managed to get out even though I was shaking like a leaf and he clucked his tongue and pouted.

"What? It's been a long time and you don't even want to know how I'm doing? Or how Cade is doing? Surely if you didn't care about me, you should care about your ex boyfriend, right?" He said the ex-boyfriend like it was an inside joke and I guess for them that was what it was since it had all been a game to Cade even though it had been real to me.

When I didn't answer, he pulled out his phone and pointed it at me. I froze, my eyes watering as I looked at the risque pictures of myself that I had stupidly sent to Cade. One of my fake girlfriends at that time had suggested I try it. That it was one of the ways to spice up my relationship and since Cade was definitely a big shot, I had to do what I can to keep him.

She had orchestrated everything, buying me swimsuits, lingerie and doing my hair and makeup. She had even shown me how to pose correctly, how to pout my lips and arch my back to create more of an effect. I had foolishly gone along with it, thinking nothing of it since other girls seemed to do it all the time. How foolish and naive I was.

"Don't you want to know where I got it? You know, let me just spill since you seem to have lost your sense of speech. It was so hard getting it, I tell you, almost hell in-fact, because Cade guards it with his life but I happen to know people that will break their own necks to see you suffer, so here we are."

I hated that out of everything he said, it was the part about Cade not being the one to give him the pictures that caught my attention and I hated myself for the tiny kernel of hope that lit up my heart. I immediately clamped down on it because clearly, I'm yet to learn my lesson that nobody gave a rat's a*s about me.

I was also so worried about the last part of his statement because just how many people had I wronged in my life by just existing?

He took a step forward and I realized that I was getting lost in what was no longer relevant. I need to leave now!

I tried to push past him and that was when I finally caught a glimpse of the monster that had made my life a living hell back at Gold crest.

Grabbing my wrist, he shoved me against the wall and when I screamed, he grabbed my hair in a vice clamp and banged my head against the wall so hard, I could feel blood start dripping from the cut that the impact had made.

He covered my mouth with his large hand, muffling my screams and bent me over, flipping my skirt up.

"I had forgotten what a b***h you are. Thanks for refreshing my memory." He groped me hard, causing me to cry out in pain. "You always did have such a nice looking a*s. Too bad Cade claimed you before I got to have a taste."

Maybe i should have struggled harder against him as he palmed my a*s and I felt his hard d**k rubbing against me from his pants but all i could think about, all my mind could go to was when Aiden had made me give him a blow job and how I had not been able to fight back, even back then. How I had liked it and how I felt so sick for liking it. Something must be broken in my head.

But this. This felt different. Somehow, this similar occurrence felt a hundred times worse. I liked nothing about this and I felt like flaying my own skin to burn his prints off my body.

Mental fists were punching me in the gut, trapping me in a cage.

I hated Aiden. I hated Tate. But most of all, I hated myself.

Self loathing, dark, disgusting and heavy settled in my heart, pumping into my veins.

I hated myself for being so weak. I wanted to throw up. To scrub myself raw until I can no longer feel his handprints on my skin.

I let tears trickle down my cheeks and shut my eyes tight, taking a deep breath and letting out a toe curling scream, one name on my tongue.

Zac.

I wasn't sure if he'd hear me. If he'd care. He was my last resort, my only resort actually and just as I was ready to resign to my fate, the door flew open and Tate was torn away from me.

Zac...

My shaky legs gave way and I fell to the floor, trembling and holding my head that was throbbing from where i had been slammed against the wall and all i could do was watch as Zac picked Tate up like he weighed nothing and flung him across the room.

I could not help the sickening satisfaction that I got from seeing Tate look horrified as he crawled to his knees just as Zac walked up to him and grabbed him by the throat slamming him against the wall and yelling in his face.

"You dare to put your hands on her?" He whispered, his voice so dark and deadly, like jagged pieces of ice, it evoked fear and dread in me. "Are you fucking kidding me?"

For once, it was wonderful to see one of my biggest bullies finally at the mercy of another person and paying for what he did to me.

He flung him against the wall again and I heard Tate's bones crack as he fell to the floor with a thud. Zac stepped on his throat, pressing his full weight down on him, enjoying the way Tate struggled and fought for his life.

He looked like an avenging angel, the look of death and cold hard vengeance in his eyes. "Surely you can take responsibility for this disrespect with your life, right?"

He won't... he won't kill him... would he?

Um... would he?!

He picked him up again, wrapping his hand around his throat and squeezing so hard, Tate's face turned purple in seconds, his eyes bulging out. It was almost comical, I could have laughed.

I promised myself that I would stop Zac from going too far since I didn't want him to be in any scandal where I was concerned or worse, become a murderer.

I realized something was wrong when Tate suddenly moved from whimpering to screaming at the top of his lungs and I didn't care whether he was in pain, my heart was cold to his screams because he deserved it, until I saw something strange start to happen. Where Zac's hand was throttling Tate, it looked like the flesh around Tate's neck started to burn, steam rising from the mere contact like he was being singed by something very hot but when I looked closer, it was just Zac's hand which meant that Zac's touch was somehow doing something to him.

Zac's touch was burning him.

Wait, did that mean Zac had abilities too, like Ren? Of course! That made sense!

The minute Zac's other hand met with Tate's skull, pushing his head deeper into the wall and the same scorching scream left Tate's mouth, the smell of burning flesh hit my nose and I realized that I was right.

Zac's touch was lethal. Literally melting the skin off of Tate.

Deciding that that was enough t*****e for Tate, I tried to reach out to Zac but reared back when he turned to growl at me.

"Not a step closer, duchess." His eyes were glowing red and there was a ferocious sneer on his face, a wild look in his eyes that made me want to run away with my tail between my legs but if I didn't stop him now, something worse would happen and Zac would be in serious trouble.

"Zac, listen to me, put him down. His parents are nobles too and you could get into serious trouble. He's not worth it. Please."

To my surprise, he listened. He huffed and tossed Tate on the ground, snarling at him in a way that made me flinch even though it was not directed at me.

Tate looked like he was about to break into tears, red hot scorch marks on his face, head and neck.

"Now listen to me very carefully," Zac said in a deathly still voice, "if you touch her again, if you even look in her direction, I will peel the skin off your bones and I'm going to enjoy it while doing so. Relay this message to your friends, because if anyone with Gold Crest's logo even hurts a single hair on her head, it's your head on the chopping block. Nod if you understand."

Tate nodded like a good little dog, shaking and sobbing, refusing to look at me.

It was nice to see him subservient and being punished but looking at his bloody face and the scorched bruises on his neck and head, his entire body shaking with terror as he stared up at Zac, I was frightened by Zac's abilities. One thing was certain. They were nowhere as soothing as Ren's.

He turned to me and his entire features did a total one eighty.

His shoulders slumped, his eyebrows creased, his face a mixture of relief and concern.

"God, Lily," he sighed, pulling me into his arms. His heart was racing a mile a minute. His arms were trembling around me. He pressed my head against his chest, stroking my hair. "You're bad for my health, you know that? I nearly had a f*****g heart attack."

I snorted out a weak laugh, too drained to give him a snarky comeback and nuzzled my nose in his shirt, his scent of blood orange and spicy, sweet citrus enveloping my nostrils.

I should be terrified of him, especially after witnessing his lethal strength and obscene powers, but something in me mewled in satisfaction, feeling safe in his arms.

"What are you still doing here?" He snapped with a growl reverberating deep in his chest. My face was buried in his chest but I knew he was talking to Tate. "Get out."

At that moment, Savio and Lucas ran into the bathroom, their eyes wide with fear as they took one look at the situation.

They tackled Zac immediately, tearing him away from me.