The Alpha's Secret Legacy

Chapter 16

Zayn's Pov

Having Niall in my life feels... perfect. Like I don't need anything else.

Well—except hair products. That's non-negotiable.

Hair products are forever. Just like Niall.

Liam and Danielle had gone out for a date tonight, even with everything going on. Honestly, I respect it. We're all just trying to live normally while everything around us is anything but.

Tim is in the kitchen thinking deeply. Niall is upstairs sleeping.

Harry and Louis? No idea where they are.

And Clifford... well, he's out feeding.

Which is something I really don't want to think about.

I turned on the TV, scrolling through channels.

Comedy—too old.
Cartoons—nope.
Horror—definitely not alone for that.
Romance—maybe later.
Sports—absolutely not.

Then I paused.

News.

"Breaking headlines: Ross Lynch has called off his engagement to Angel Summer."

I frowned.

Something about that felt... off.

Before I could even think further—

"TIM! NIALL! LOUIS! HARRY! GET IN HERE—THERE'S NEWS ABOUT CHRISSY!"

Within seconds, chaos erupted as everyone rushed into the living room.

Some nearly fell down the stairs in the process.

The reporter continued:

"Ross Lynch has stated: 'I can't marry Angel. She loves someone else, and I love someone else. I'm letting her go.'"

The screen switched to weather forecasts like nothing happened.

Just like that.

No explanation. No context.

Nothing.

"...That's it?" I muttered.

Niall suddenly cheered. "OH MY GOD!"

But I wasn't convinced.

Something about it felt staged. Too clean. Too convenient.

Tim narrowed his eyes. "Something isn't right."

We all turned to him.

"What do you mean?" we asked in unison.

He shook his head. "There's always a reason behind things like this. But for now..."

He hesitated.

"Let's just be happy."

And for a moment... we were.

Gemma suddenly burst into the house without knocking.

"Why is this place a mess?!"

Liam and Danielle came in right after.

"We're celebrating!" Niall said happily.

Danielle smiled brightly. "So are we."

We all paused.

"What?" Harry asked.

Danielle looked at Liam.

"I'm pregnant."

Silence.

Then—

"MINI LIAM!" Harry and Louis shouted at the same time.

And just like that, the room filled with laughter again.

For a moment... it felt normal.

Safe.

Happy.

Then—

DING DONG. DING DONG. DING DONG.

The doorbell rang repeatedly.

Too fast. Too aggressive.

We froze.

"Who is that?" Louis whispered.

The atmosphere shifted instantly. Heavy. Tight.

DING DONG. DING DONG. DING DONG.

Knock. Knock. Knock.

"This is not good," Tim muttered.

Gemma nodded slowly. "Not good at all."

Harry frowned. "What do you mean?"

Before anyone could answer—

Clifford suddenly appeared outside the window.

Covered in blood.

"GUYS—RUN! NOW! IT'S THE DEMON!"

Panic exploded.

We ran upstairs immediately.

"What is happening?!" I shouted.

Niall's face was pale. "They're going to kill us... one by one."

Silence fell hard.

Then—

Footsteps.

Slow.

Heavy.

Outside the door.

"Did anyone lock it?" Louis whispered.

"No," we all said at once.

Of course not.

Because why would anything ever be easy?

But then something didn't make sense.

If the demon was here...

Why was he knocking?

Not breaking in.

Not attacking.

Just... waiting.

"Guys," Gemma said suddenly. "There's a secret exit."

We all turned to her.

"I built it years ago with the agents. I knew something like this would happen."

She pulled back a hidden panel under the bed.

A small door.

We didn't argue.

We went in one by one.

But as I followed them down—

I couldn't stop thinking.

Clifford was covered in blood.

The demon was outside.

And something about this entire situation...

didn't feel like the real attack had even started yet.

Something was still missing.

Something important.

And I had a bad feeling...

we were about to find out what it was.