Mated To The Hybrid Prince - Chapter 116: Chapter 116

(Zion’s POV)
It had been days since I saw Tobe walk into Rose’s house, but the image clung to me like thorns under skin.
I couldn't shake it. Something was off, and the more I tried to ignore it, the louder Ragnar got inside me.
Could one of Lily’s friends be betraying her? And if Tobe was, should I stay quiet just because my mate, Lily, didn’t like me?
Maybe it was time I confronted him... or better still, maybe I should go to Lily’s house myself. Now that I knew where it was and just talked to her, so we could reject each other.
Then maybe we could all move on.
But who was I kidding?
I leaned against my dresser, fixing my shirt cuffs while staring at the mirror. The gold glint of my ring caught the light as I straightened my suit. I was supposed to be getting ready for Zelda’s dinner. She had planned it for a week now. An intimate family moment where we’d finally meet her mate. Lucien and I left the office early for it, and she’d been excited ever since.
Still, I couldn’t focus. Ragnar’s voice had been grating in my head all evening.
“I am not sick or mental,” he snapped suddenly. “I just know there are things we don’t know yet. Don’t give up on her, and the kids. Get to the root of it!”
I pinched the bridge of my nose. “That’s why I went to the witch,” I muttered under my breath. “To find answers. Which you didn’t like very much… despite how thoughtful I was of my words to the witch about you, yet you keep acting like I insulted you.”
“Whatever,” Ragnar growled, sulking deep in the corner of my mind.
He hadn’t been the same since we met Rose. Always snappy, quick to bite, and obsessed with Lily and the kids. Lately, he kept forcing images into my mind; visions of two tiny wolf pups tumbling between my legs, their laughter echoing in the woods. Every time I tried to block it, he pushed harder.
“What if those kids were in our realm?” he asked once. “And we scented our blood in them, would you still be pretending?”
I’d told him that this was the human world, and situations like that were rare in our realm... That’s why we were told to be careful—male werewolves were warned not to go around breeding into every woman. Yet deep down, even as I argued, my chest ached with doubt.
I wasn’t sure about anything anymore.
A soft knock sounded behind me, then the door creaked open.
“Zee,” Zelda’s voice called gently.
I turned just as she entered, dressed in an emerald gown that hugged her form like moonlight over waves. She looked radiant, hair pinned back, and her lips glossed with excitement.
I managed a small smile. “You look beautiful.”
She grinned and walked over, hugging me from behind. “I’m nervous.”
“You don’t look it.”
“I just got off the phone with him,” she said quickly, her fingers drumming lightly against my back. “He’s close. I already gave the security team his name and description.”
I nodded. “Lucien’s already out there?”
“Mmhmm.” She pulled back. “Come soon, okay?”
“I will,” I said.
She left with a skip in her steps, and I stood there for a moment, letting out a slow exhale.
Ragnar hummed low, calm for once. Almost like he was... expectant?
I fixed the last of my buttons, put on my shoes, and dabbed a bit of cologne at my wrist. Then I stepped out.
The house felt unusually still, like it was holding its breath. I walked down the hall and turned toward the lounge. Just before the final bend, I heard murmurs— Zelda’s excited voice, Lucien’s amused tone, and another... masculine. It was deep, and familiar.
My steps slowed.
The scent hit me first. It was subtle, but I’d know it anywhere.
Lucien’s voice drifted closer, “This is a surprise. It’s nice to meet you, man.”
I rounded up the corner. Lucien was shaking hands with someone whose back profile I could only just see. The man was clearly tall, broad shoulders, hair cropped low.
Zelda saw me and chirped happily “There’s Zion!”
He turned at Zelda’s call, and I froze.
My stomach twisted.
Dev.
My mate's friend... he had on a knowing smile, and Zelda beamed unaware of the storm swirling behind my eyes.