Mated To The Hybrid Prince - Chapter 117: Chapter 117

(Zion’s POV)
My jaw clenched so tight I thought it might snap. My fists curled at my sides, but I made no move. Not yet.
Dev.
Of all the names and faces I expected Zelda to introduce as her mate, he was at the bottom of the list, buried somewhere beneath the earth and forgotten. But there he was, standing tall, wearing a smug smile that twitched the wrong way when his eyes met mine.
There was something in the way he looked at me… like he knew I was Zelda's brother. Like he’d known long before now and had kept it to himself, laughing behind his teeth like it was some sick joke.
Well… two can play.
I extended my hand, my smile as cool and sharp as a blade. “Dev. Nice to see you.”
He accepted it with forced civility, but when our hands met, I squeezed—tight. I could feel the tendons in his wrist strain as he gasped and snatched his hand back.
Zelda’s brows furrowed. “Are you okay, babe?”
“Yeah,” Dev forced out a cough, waving her concern away. “Just a… nerve twitch.”
Before she could ask again, I moved. “Let’s eat, I’m famished.”
“Right this way!” Zelda beamed, clearly proud and excited.
She led us to the back of the house, where she’d prepared the most serene outdoor setting I’d ever seen. A round dining table sat in the middle of our small, ivy-laced courtyard. Candles flickered inside polished lanterns, and the warm golden glow from the hanging lights made everything feel enchanted. She had even set up delicate rose petals around the table’s edge.
She had outdone herself.
My chest warmed despite everything.
The maids came out one after the other, placing trays of food on the table with subtle movements and bows. Zelda sat at the head of the table, glowing with joy. Dev sat to her right, Lucien to her left, and I opposite them both.
Lucien and I didn’t move for our plates. We waited.
We waited as Dev took a spoon. We wanted to see if he would frown or hesitate... anything to suggest that Zelda’s cooking was a disaster.
But he didn’t.
Dev dug in like he hadn’t eaten in weeks. His face lit up after the first bite. “Mmm,” he said, swallowing. “This is incredible. I swear, if this is what I get to enjoy everyday… I just might take her today.”
He looked at me when he said that. I saw the glint in his eyes; the challenge. The audacity.
Zelda blushed and giggled, “Stop…”
Lucien gave me a side glance. He knew, and felt the same tension I did. So, I smiled back... A slow, amused smile that didn’t reach my eyes.
“Careful now,” I said smoothly. “Don’t be faster than your own shadows, Dev. You haven’t impressed me yet, and I’m just the brother. The King, however, adores his only daughter. If you can’t win me over, how will you win him?”
Dev froze mid-bite.
He gulped hardly.
Lucien joined in, saying, “The King isn’t easily pleased. He once made the royal jeweler eat only raw fish for three days because he brought Zelda a seeming fake pendant.”
Zelda rolled her eyes. “You two are terrible.” then she slapped Lucien’s arm. “Daddy did not!”
“Oh, he did,” I confirmed, sipping my wine with calm satisfaction.
Dev chuckled, but I saw the way his fingers clenched beneath the table.
The tension spiked again when I set my cup down. “I guess your mate didn’t tell you… Dev and I have worked together.”
Dev’s brows twitched. “We have?”
Even Lucien raised a brow.
“Oh yes,” I said, smiling wide. “The experience was… enlightening.”
Dev gripped his fork like he might bend it in half. His eyes darkened.
And then he stood. “Zion. Let’s talk.”
I stood too. “Gladly.”
We stepped away from the table, away from Zelda’s worried eyes and Lucien’s barely concealed amusement. Down the hallway and into one of the side parlors. The air shifted the moment the doors closed behind us.
Dev turned to me, jaw tight. “Look, I’ll go straight to the point.”
“Please do.”
“I know we started off wrong. I was… a jerk.”
“That’s putting it mildly.”
He sighed, running a hand through his hair. “But I really love your sister. She's my fated mate, and she’s everything to me. So I’m trying to make things right, for her... Not because I suddenly like you. I still don’t.”
My brows lifted. “And here I was thinking your manners had improved.”
“I’m serious,” he said, stepping closer. “I don’t like you. But I respect you, and I’m asking… let’s not ruin this for her.”
I stared at him for a long moment. “When I first met you, Dev, I thought you were decent. Thought maybe you were someone who had morals. But then you showed me your petty colors, that you were bitter and hateful for no good reason.”
Dev looked like he wanted to speak, but I raised a hand.
“I don’t care what you heard about me. I don’t even care that you don’t like me. But Zelda? She’s gold. And I will not let anyone break her. So here’s the deal.”
I stepped closer, my voice low. “You ever hurt her emotionally, physically, even spiritually—and you won’t live to see another sunrise.”
His face went pale. But he didn’t back down. He nodded slowly. “Thank you.”
I didn’t reply.
I turned and walked away.
By the time I got back, Lucien and Zelda were laughing about something. Lucien turned when he saw me.
“Well?” he asked, eyes twinkling.
“We’re fine,” I said, and sat.
Dev returned seconds later, his composure fixed. He didn’t look at me.
The rest of the dinner passed without any more games. Zelda was radiant, chatting about how they met, and how she suspected early on that he was her mate. Dev held her hand gently, his eyes softer now. And I hated to admit it, but maybe… just maybe… he did care about her.