Just Once

Chapter 25-Sofia/Zayden

Sofia

This was never supposed to be personal.

And yet, here we stood—guns raised, hearts pounding, breaths shallow.

I had been so sure of my plan. So sure that I could control this game, that I could manipulate Zayden the way I manipulated everyone else. That, in the end, he would be just another obstacle removed from my path.

But the problem was him.

Zayden Meadows was not an obstacle. He was an opponent.

He knew.

He had known for longer than I realized. And now, my perfect checkmate had turned into something far messier, far more dangerous.

I could still pull the trigger. I could still end this before it got any worse.

But I hesitated.

And that hesitation might just cost me everything.

His eyes flickered with something unreadable, but his voice was steady when he spoke. "We don't have time for this, Petal. They're here."

The Society.

I heard the footsteps before I saw them—dark figures moving through the abandoned space, shadows slipping between beams of moonlight filtering through the shattered windows.

A dozen of them, maybe more.

We had both known they wouldn't let us walk away unscathed.

But what they didn't know—what Zayden didn't know—was that I had already planned for this, too.

I just hadn't accounted for the way he made me feel.

For the way every part of me screamed that I didn't want this to be the end.

Not like this.

Not with him.

Zayden

The second I heard the movement in the shadows, I knew we were out of time.

Sofia was still pointing that damn gun at me, but her fingers weren't as steady as they should've been.

She was doubting herself.

And I could use that.

"You need to trust me," I said, my voice low. "If we don't work together, we're both dead."

Her laugh was humorless. "Trust you? That's funny, coming from a man who also planned to kill me tonight."

Fair point.

But now wasn't the time for grudges.

"Put the gun down, Petal," I murmured. "Or shoot me now and deal with them on your own. Your choice."

Her jaw was clenched.

She hated being cornered.

But before she could decide, a voice rang through the darkness.

"Well, well. Isn't this interesting?"

Lang.

Sofia's gun snapped toward the sound immediately, and I turned with her.

Marcus Lang stepped into view, flanked by masked men. His expression was calm, almost amused.

"I have to admit," he continued, "I didn't expect the two of you to get this far. But then again, I should've known you'd both be too stubborn to die easily."

I tensed, glancing at Sofia. She was calculating. Searching for a way out.

Lang sighed, shaking his head. "But enough of this. You both know how this ends."

That's when I saw it—the signal he gave to the men beside him.

They were going to fire.

I moved before I could think.

"Sofia—!"

The first shot rang out.

Sofia

Zayden shoved me aside just as the bullet grazed past, hitting the concrete wall behind me.

Chaos erupted.

Gunfire filled the air, the sharp crack of bullets ricocheting off steel and stone.

I rolled, ducking behind a pillar, my heart hammering against my ribs. Zayden had taken cover a few feet away, his back pressed against a stack of crates.

For a brief second, our eyes met.

At that moment, an unspoken decision passed between us.

This wasn't about The Society anymore.

It wasn't even about revenge.

It was about survival.

I exhaled sharply, gripping my gun. Then, without another word, we moved.

Together.

Zayden

Lang's men were good, but Sofia and I were better.

We moved like we had trained for this—like we knew each other's next steps before we even took them.

I covered her when she advanced, she took down the ones I couldn't see. The air smelled like gunpowder and blood, and the warehouse echoed with the sounds of bodies hitting the ground.

One by one, they fell.

Only Lang remained.

He was trying to escape.

Sofia saw it first.

Her gun was raised before I could stop her.

Sofia

"Don't," I said coldly, stepping forward. "Don't run, Marcus. You won't make it."

Lang laughed, breathless. "You think you've won?"

I tilted my head. "Haven't I?"

He smirked, and I didn't like it. "If you think this ends with me, then you don't understand The Society at all."

I fired.

One shot. Clean. Precise.

Lang fell.

And then, silence.

Just me and Zayden.

Still standing.

Still breathing.

Still alive.

I turned, gun still in hand.

Zayden was watching me carefully, his weapon lowered but not holstered. Not yet.

I exhaled. "It's over."

His eyes flickered. "Is it?"

The weight of everything we had done, everything we had been, settled between us.

I could still end it here.

I had planned to end it here.

But I didn't want to.

Not anymore.

I lowered my gun.

Zayden stepped closer, his eyes burning into mine. "So, what now, Petal?"

I swallowed hard. "Now..." I hesitated, then smirked slightly, shaking my head. "Now we rewrite the rules."

His smirk mirrored mine.

And just like that, the game began again.

But this time?

Neither of us planned to lose.

Was this game to be played with each other or against each other? Whatever it was, only the road of fate had the answers.

                                The End