Mated to Two Bad Boy Alphas (Lia zane Blake) novel Chapter 218

Chapter 218 – Bend

–WARNER’S POV–

I hadn’t stopped thinking about the burger joint.

About the way Lia had told Zane ‘no‘ and he’d immediately

listened.

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The way he didn’t even argue. Or try to reason with her. Like he had to do what she said. Like he didn’t have another choice.

For a second I had thought I was imagining it.

But then I’d observed some more.

Back in school, I’d seen how uneasy Zane was when those girls approached him.

The way he immediately tried to calm Lia down, like he was afraid she’d explode.

Was something going on that he hadn’t shared with us? What if

he couldn’t?

I wasn’t being dramatic. There was something off about everything that was happening.

Lia had power. More than any of us, really. And sometimes I wondered if she even knew when she was using it. Or if she did

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know—was she doing it on purpose? Maybe not to control him exactly, but to influence the situation.

What bothered me the most was that Zane didn’t say anything.

He had to have noticed it. He had to have realised how he was agreeing to things he didn’t wanna do.

Did he not think this was dangerous?

If Lia could bend people’s decisions, did that mean our whole pack was at risk?

No.

She had only used her power to protect us.

But what if she was doing it again without even realising it?

There were too many uncertainties. Too many confusions.

Holes.

And it seemed like no one else had realised any of it.

My eyes scanned the Hounds.

We were in the pack house, on our usual spot where we lounged. In the past, Zane used to be with us. But now he was in his bedroom, maybe with Lia or alone. Ajax was being his usual self, throwing fries into his mouth while flicking channels on the tv.

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Chapter 218- Bend

He ate way too much, even for a werewolf. Sometimes I wondered how he moved around at all.

Sheila and Aaron sat on one couch, tangled in each other.

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“You’re quiet,” Ajax said, catching my eye. “And stop staring at my food.”

“I’m always quiet,” I muttered, rolling my eyes.

“Yeah, but you’re quiet–quiet,” Aaron said. “Like there’s something going on. Something that’s keeping you up at night.”

I scoffed. “I sleep like a baby everyday.”

“Hmm. Maybe he’s just thinking about Sapphire,” Sheila teased, mischief glinting in her eye. “You miss her, don’t you?”

I gave her a dry look. “You guys are idiots.”

“That’s a yes,” Ajax grinned.

“Have you figured out if she’s your mate yet?” Aaron asked.

No.

And there was no way to know for sure until I did meet my

actual mate.

But before I could open my mouth to try and explain it, my

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phone buzzed. A message from a number I didn’t recognize—but I knew exactly who it was.

Meet me. Now.

Just that. No owl–delivered note. No weird flower that would

burst into blue flames. Not even a letter randomly flying into my

face, lathered in her scent.

Just a regular text.

Somehow, that was even weirder.

I shoved my phone back in my pocket and stood up.

“Where you going?” Sheila asked, raising a brow.

“Out.”

“To see your witchy girlfriend?” Ajax sang.

I didn’t answer. Mostly because yeah—that’s exactly where I was

going.

Her room was the same as always—dim, silent, strange. No windows, no doors, just that shifting sense of space and time

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that made me feel like I wasn’t fully awake. The bed was soft, her skin even softer, and I didn’t remember how we got here exactly, but Sapphire was curled up in my arms like we belonged there.

And the worst part?

It felt like we did.

I used to hate her. Couldn’t stand her smug little smirk, the way she always spoke like she knew everything. But now… I couldn’t get enough. I kept wanting to see her. To hear her voice. Smell that delicious scent she wore.

To feel her near me.

“You’re thinking too much, Warner,” she said lazily. “Stop it.”

I blinked. “Are you reading my mind?”

She laughed, amused. “I’m not reading it. You’re broadcasting it.”

“Okay, that’s worse. Quit reading my aura or whatever it is you do.”

She shifted to look at me, pushing herself up with one hand. I stared back at her, trying not to lose myself in her eyes. She smiled, although there was accusation in her gaze. “You still don’t trust me, do you?”

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I didn’t answer right away. I wasn’t sure how to.

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“I saved your life, Warner. I think I’ve earned a little trust.”

“I know. I just–” I looked away, jaw clenching. “Sometimes it feels like you’re playing me. Like I’m under a spell or something.”

Her eyes narrowed, but not angrily. Just… disappointed. “You’re

not.”

“How do I know that?”

“Because if I could manipulate you, I would’ve done it months ago,” she said. “I want you, Warner. And I’d do anything to make you mine. Completely. Hopelessly. Until you’d lose all sense of your surroundings and yourself. Until I was the only one you could think about night and day.”

A shiver crawled through me, but I clenched my jaw harder, refusing to let it show.

“But I can’t,” she added softly, tracing her hand down the side of my face. “Not the way you think. Witches can’t force emotions. That’s a werewolf thing—you guys use bonds, scent, instincts. You mess with each other’s heads all the time and call it fate.”

I frowned. “So you’re saying this is real? You and me?”

“I’m saying I don’t have the power to make you feel anything

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that isn’t already there,” she said simply. “If you think I’m tricking you, maybe it’s because you’re the one pretending.”

She leaned in, and pressed a lingering kiss to my lips.

Before I could react, the space shimmered.

Sapphire faded away like mist—and suddenly I was outside her cottage again, the sun just starting to droop behind the trees. The smell of cinnamon and smoke clung to my clothes.

My hand glittered where she’d held it.

She was gone.

But as usual, her words and her marks stayed.

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