Chapter One

ZO: Beautifully Scarred, Book 1

Paige Evans

This is a mature adult spin off story to SCAR: Born Like This. THIS IS A BOY LOVE (BL NOVEL).

COPYRIGHT

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination.

Copyright © Paige Evans 2022

All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced or used in any manner without written permission of the copyright owner except for the use of quotations in a book review.

Self-published by Paige Evans

CHAPTER ONE

Alarms were blaring in the distance and I could not help but snarl in response.

I could not believe that my morning was being rudely interrupted already. I knew one thing for sure.. I could already feel a slight hangover hitting me.

‘Lorenzo!? What the hell was that noise!?’. An uncomfortable masculine gasp erupted from the naked man beside me.

I winced at my headache and my stupid slip-up; this human that I had spent the night with now seemed afraid of me.. of course he was. I had just let out an animal like snarl in front of him.

I scratched the side of my head and then I chuckled lightly, in an attempt to distract him.

‘Do not tell me that you are still high from last nights antics’. I snickered and then began to sit up.

I peeled my damp skin from the covers and began to throw last nights suit back on.

I knew there were many risks in sleeping with humans.. especially if I made one aware of what I was. And I really did not need issues with the local Hunters right now.

Another factor was that I am a male and I had just spent the night with somebody of the same sex as myself. And sadly people talk.

I sighed deeply, overthinking the very situation.

I often slept with women when I was at home with my Clan. I only ever slept with human men that did not know me.

I am the current Leader of The Storm Clan; a clan of Werecats. WereLeopards to be exact.. we have many enemies.. and my desires simply did not help matters.

The human grabbed a hold of my arm and I had to stifle a snarl in reaction to his aggression.

‘Why are you leaving so soon?’. He grumbled, in a slightly possessive tone.

I raised my eyebrow and cocked my head to the side; I could not help but feel curious about his possessiveness.

I gripped a hold of his chin hard and then brought my lips seductively to his ear; he flinched in pain in reaction, but then groaned deeply as he felt my breath against his earlobe.

‘I am leaving because you bore me’. I smirked cruelly at him.

I forced myself to leave his run-down Apartment and grimaced at the elderly couple a few paces away, who were now staring at me with deep disgust.

It was obvious they had negative views upon same sex relations.

‘Freak’. The old man spat at the ground.

Oh how I wanted to beat the smile off his face, but I knew better than to do that.

His wife’s eyes bulged, as she took in the tattoo on the right side of my neck and tugged on his arm so that they could quickly make their retreat.

It was not that they knew me, the older generation of humans here associated people with tattoos to be criminals.. I mean I was not one, but I could have been one.

My tattoo signified The Storm Clan Bloodline; it was of a leopard with brightly blue shaded eyes, that signified my own. It was standing around overgrown trees and wind was obvious around it.

My younger siblings; Leonard and Allison have similar ones but have them more hidden and without blue eyes on their skin.

I felt a loud continued vibration begin to buzz rapidly on my mobile, which revealed a unknown call. I muted it immediately but it just kept ringing.

I growled in annoyance.

‘What!?’.

‘Lorenzo Storm, we need to talk about-’. The voice stopped, as I hung up immediately.

This voice was not one that I knew; if it was to do with my Clan then they would simply have to leave a message.

I liked to at least have a hot shower and eat breakfast before I dealt with business.

I was often seen as rude and a complete and utter asshole, but when I have not even done anything to somebody it did still bother me. Like with those elderly humans..

I sighed and began to walk away; I pulled my long blonde hair into a loose bun and then planted a confident smile on my face, as I began to walk to where I had parked my motorbike.

My motorbike is a royal blue shade with black stripes running down the bodywork.

It always made me feel much more confident. Most of the confidence that others saw, was not really how I was.. but ever since my parents had died, I closed the softer, more gentle me off away from others.. even from my younger siblings.

There were many questionable things that I had to do in order to keep a roof over my siblings’ heads.. things that no teenager should ever have to experience. I was forced into maturing quickly as result of this. And I could not help but feel annoyed at my past, now that I was a lot older.

I got onto my motorbike and kicked it to a start, making my way back to My Clan House.

When I eventually got home, Leonard was practically doing my job; this actually pissed me off more than it should have.

I raised an eyebrow, as he put a finger up to stop me from talking and interrupting his phone call.

He then walked into the Kitchen; his curly blonde hair swayed as he walked away.

Leo was wearing a white tee shirt and black denim shorts. He was always dressed casually on weekends.

I felt such a deep anger erupting in me, just by watching the way he simply took over my job.

His girlfriend Elissa, shrugged her shoulders at me.

‘He is always doing this. He has taken being the Sub-Leader way too far’. She chimed in.

Elissa has platinum plaited blonde hair that reached past the middle of her back; she was wearing a forest green dress that that reached halfway above her knees.

A Sub-Leader was a member of the Clan who could handle tasks in my absence; he was simply doing his job.. but maybe it angered me because he was much better at leading than I am.

‘Who asked you to speak?’. I spat angrily at Elissa.

She simply stared at the floor and shut up instantly.

Ah yes, an utter asshole I could be.

‘You are such an ass’. Allie growled, disapprovingly.

I chuckled and ruffled her short choppy blonde hair.

Allie was wearing a bright blue flowy silk dress, hanging loosely off her shoulders.

‘So what is our darling brother dealing with today? More lost children that the Police cannot seem to locate?’. I questioned, mockingly.

She simply stared at the floor uncomfortably.

I frowned deeply; this was something I would not like. They may not know the real me but I knew them, as a father would have.

I knew my siblings better than most could. I brought them up like they were my own children, being a teenager myself at the time.

‘Do I really need to storm into the Kitchen?’. I sighed, in annoyance.

‘It is a Werewolf’. Elissa chimed in excitedly.

My chest felt tight, my nasal passage swelled and I felt rage echo throughout my body.

‘Fucking Werewolves!? We do not communicate with their kind!’. I snarled.

‘LEONARD MARCUS STORM, GET YOUR ASS IN HERE RIGHT NOW!’. I bellowed from the top of my lungs.

Allie stared at Elissa in shock and gave her a look of deep distain and disapproval.

I was her Clan Leader and she knew better than not telling me the truth, my siblings however, had some leeway, being my family.

Leo swore loudly and I tilted my head in annoyance once more, as I heard him mumble excuses down the phone line.

He walked into the room frowning at me.. he then cleared his throat and awkwardly met my gaze.

Leo looked extremely uncomfortable and his curly side swept hair bounced slightly in the breeze that was coming through the window.

‘Lets go for a little walk, little brother’. I muttered in anger.

He gulped and then nodded; he soon followed me out of the front door.

Allie eyed us worriedly.

‘Good luck Leo’. She whispered.

We kept walking in silence until we got to the treeline.

I grabbed him by the shoulders and shoved him hard against the large oak tree.

His eyes glistened at my challenge but he simply stared down at the grass.

‘Zo please, calm down’. He panicked.

My siblings rarely called me Lorenzo, they had shortened my name since they were children.. and it simply stuck.

No matter how I was with others, I always let them get away with a hell of a lot.

‘CALM DOWN!?’. I snarled, digging my nails into his shoulder.

He hissed out in pain but tolerated it.

‘Leo you know what they did to our original Clan, to mother and father!’. I cried.

‘The Bayou Pack is not like that Zo! I promise you!’. He protested.

I held my nose and took a deep breath, trying my best to calm myself down.

Closing my eyes, I remembered our mother’s face before she died;

She looked petrified, having heard of our father’s and our fighter member’s demise.

Whilst tears streamed down her face and she swept her long blonde hair out of her eyes.

She then begged me to take my siblings and to run away. To survive.

Leo and Allie would have been too young to remember how she shoved them both into my vacant arms at the age of thirteen, hurriedly, before the intruders made it into our home.

Mother then jumped out of the window as her WereLeopard and gave herself to them, so that we could escape.. and that was just what I did.

Even at such a young age, I knew my responsibility to my Clan. If we three had died that day, so would have our bloodline.

Werewolves did that.

They wiped out our whole Clan, all except me and my siblings. I was forced to grow up and fight to give us a life where we could rebuild. And now Leo wanted me to trust the same type of Shapeshifter that ruined our lives.

‘Zo, you are hurting me’. Leo winced in pain.

I shook my head and gasped at the blood oozing through his shirt. I drew my nails back and grimaced at him in apology.

‘We do not make alliances with Werewolves, no matter what. Are we clear?’. I growled.

Leo simply nodded and stared at the injury that I had just inflicted to his shoulder.

‘Next time, maybe you should get home earlier and deal with these issues yourself, if you do not like how I deal with them’. He grumbled.

I sighed deeply in response.

‘Please tell me there is food left’. I smirked at him.

Leo chuckled at that; he then punched me lightly on the shoulder.

His face then went serious and he eyed me awkwardly.

‘What is it?’. I sighed.

‘Drinks, later tonight. I need to go through some things with you’. He grumbled.

I laughed in response, nodded and then ruffled my little brother’s messy hair.