𝐓𝐰𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐅𝐚𝐭𝐞 ⸙

1.44𓆩ᥫ᭡𓆪

Zayn got out of the car, keeping his eyes on the front entrance. He could see his aunt Thea and his Uncle Brandon greeting people as they entered.

Zayn quickly pulled Liam from the car and stood with his mother, Niall and Baela. Zayn was nervous and felt his heart twist in his chest. His face was as hard as the brick walls, and as blank as the snow covering the field.

Nobody would tell that he wasn't feeling confident, apart from Liam. Zayn looked down to him, seeing the way Liam stared at Zayn's expression and worrying too.

Already, Zayn felt eyes on his mate, and himself. By now, everyone, even his enemies, knew about how Zayn's father died and what Zayn did to stir such an attack. It should've been me, Zayn thought. No, shut the fuck up.

Zayn put a hand on Liam's back, between his shoulder blades. Zayn had to turn all his attention to Liam. I must not get angry. I must not storm off.

Liam reeked of fear. Zayn under no circumstances, could leave him alone. If he got angry and wanted to storm off, he would take Liam with him.

"Zayn," Liam said when it was their turn to enter. Brandon and Thea stared at Liam, not curiously, and not kindly.

Mortified might have been the right word to describe the way their faces changed.

"Can you smell my emotions right now?"

Zayn could smell his fear hanging over the top of other werewolves, but he didn't want Liam to worry about that, so he leaned down and whispered, "Not really. There's lot of other scents here."

Zayn then looked to his aunt and uncle watching him from the doorway. Their stares angered him. He wanted to march up to them and slap their frowns away.

Instead, Zayn turned Liam's face towards him and kissed his lips, claiming him in front of everyone. The satisfaction from his relatives' tight faces was almost as sweet as Liam's scent.

"Come on," Zayn mumbled to Liam who looked a little calmer. "Let's get this over and done with."

Zayn and Liam walked ahead of Solana, Niall, and Baela.

Thea and Brandon masked their judgement with ugly fake smiles.

"Zayn, I doubted you'd come tonight," Thea said, almost matching Zayn's height. Her green eyes pierced him with authority. Liam felt them clashing. Zayn gripped his shoulder a little tighter. Zayn didn't do well around other Alphas and his hostility showed. "Brave of you to show your face."

Thea pushed past them to get to Solana. She hugged Zayn's mum, mumbling about how sorry she was for her loss and how hard the past few months would have been for her.

"It's been hard for Zayn too," Solana said, stiffly patting her back.

"Zayn," Brandon said. His cold stare made Liam shiver.

"You've brought a human."

"I've brought my mate, Liam Payne."

"A human." Brandon looked Liam up and down with mild disgust, then to Zayn. "That's what you deserve." Brandon stepped through them too, making them stand apart.

Zayn knew they would blame him for his father's death. He didn't think they'd be so cold face to face. At his father's funeral, they barely spoke two Words, but at least Thea had smiled his way. Now that Zayn thought about it, she was most likely smiling at Solana who didn't leave Zayn's side that day to publicly show everyone that she didn't blame him.

Now, Thea looked through Zayn as though he was a ghost, most likely wishing he was the one who died that night. She has every right to be angry. I'm the reason her brother is dead.