Chapter 22: Chapter 22

Chapter 22: Wolf’s Truth

Noah’s

I opened my eyes, my head feeling heavy, like I’d been hit by a truck. The room was dim and familiar—the small bed, the plain walls, the faint, clean smell of cleaning supplies.

I was back in Enzo’s mansion, not that suffocating locked room at Dean’s place. Flashes of last night hit me: the full moon, pain ripping through my body, Enzo’s voice telling me to hold on. But it was all blurry, like a half-remembered, terrifying dream. What happened? Why did it hurt so much?

I tried to sit up, but something stopped me, a dead weight pinning my side down. My heart raced as I turned and saw a large, masculine hand draped over me. Enzo. He was fast asleep beside me, his face soft, almost peaceful in the dim light.

My breath caught in my throat, and I lifted the blanket, slow and careful. My stomach dropped completely—we were both naked. Completely. Panic surged through me, and I screamed, kicking my legs out and shoving Enzo violently off the bed. He hit the floor with a heavy thud, groaning as he sat up, rubbing his head in confusion.

“Noah, what the hell?” Enzo said, his voice rough and thick with sleep. “You okay? What’s wrong?”

I yanked the blanket tight around me, my hands shaking violently, my eyes wide with terror. “What did you do to me?” I yelled, my voice cracking under the strain. “Why are we… like this? What happened last night, Enzo? Tell me the truth!”

He stood, his bare chest catching the dim light, and stepped closer. I saw fear in his eyes, or maybe deep guilt, and it made my skin crawl. “Calm down,” he said, his voice low and soothing. “You’re freaking out, Noah. Just breathe for a second.”

“Calm down?” I shouted, scooting back until my back hit the headboard. “You’re in my bed, we’re naked, and I don’t remember anything! What did you do? Answer me now!”

He sighed, a rough, rumbling sound that sent shivers down my spine, but didn't move closer. “You’re scared,” he said, his voice softening. “I get it. But you’re safe here. I didn’t hurt you.”

“Then what happened?” I asked, my voice still shaking uncontrollably. “Why do I feel… weird? What did you do?” His hand reached out, brushing the skin on my neck, and a sharp jolt hit me—warm, like sudden, unwanted pleasure, pulling me toward him. I gasped, immediately jerking back. “What was that? What’s happening to me?”

Enzo’s eyes softened, but he didn’t pull his hand back completely. “We’re bonded now,” he said, his voice firm and steady. “You and me, Noah. It means we’re tied together completely. We can’t be apart.”

I stared, my head spinning with the shock of his words. “Bonded?” I said, laughing, but the sound came out shaky and hysterical. “Are you insane? What does that even mean? My life’s already hell because of you! Your brother’s trying to kill me, and now you’re saying this? Why can’t you just let me go?”

He sighed again, grabbing a pair of pants from the floor and pulling them on, slow and deliberate. He sat on the bed’s edge, close enough that I could feel the radiated warmth of his body. “It’s not that simple anymore,” he said. “You’re not just… mine, Noah. You’re my mate. My partner. Forever. You’ll stand by me, as my luna, my equal.”

I blinked, my mouth slightly open in disbelief. “Luna?” I said, my voice loud and sharp. “Mate? You’re absolutely crazy, right? First, Dean’s talking about werewolves, and now you’re saying this nonsense? What is fundamentally wrong with you and your family?”

Enzo leaned closer, his eyes intense and challenging. “You don’t believe in werewolves?” he asked, his voice low. “You honestly think I’m making this up to mess with you?”

I laughed again, my heart racing, feeling trapped. “Yeah, I think you’re all nuts,” I said. “Werewolves? That’s not real, Enzo. You and Dean are just… messed up. Stop playing games with me now!”

He stood, his jaw tight, his eyes burning with something I couldn't understand. “I’m not playing,” he said. “And I’m not crazy. I’ll prove it to you right now.”

“Prove it?” I said, clutching the blanket tighter to my chest. “What are you talking about? What are you gonna do? Enzo, stop it!”

He didn’t answer, just moved to the center of the room. His body tensed, and then I heard it—a sickening crack, like bones snapping sharply into new places. My breath caught, and I froze as he dropped to his hands and knees.

His body twisted violently, dark fur sprouting rapidly across his skin, his eyes flashing brilliant red. In mere seconds, a huge wolf stood there, dark fur gleaming, its red eyes locked directly on me.

I screamed, my heart slamming frantically in my chest. “What the hell!” I yelled, scrambling quickly off the bed, the blanket still desperately wrapped around me. “Enzo? Is that… you? This can’t be real!”

“Noah,” a voice said, but it wasn’t out loud—it was in my head, rough and deep, like Enzo’s voice but different, animalistic. “It’s me. I’m not gonna hurt you, I swear.”

I shook my head in denial, tears stinging my eyes. “You’re a monster!” I shouted, my voice breaking completely. “Get away from me! This isn’t happening to me!”

“Listen to me,” the voice said in my mind, calm but absolutely firm. “I’m your mate. This is who I am, and what I am. The bond, the full moon—it’s why you were in so much pain last night. I had to claim you to save your life.”

“Save me?” I yelled, backing quickly toward the bathroom door. “You’re a… a werewolf? You’re all crazy! I don’t want this! I don’t want you!”

“Please, Noah,” the voice said, the huge wolf stepping closer, its eyes soft but intense. “I didn’t want to scare you like this. But you need to know the truth now. You’re part of this world now.”

“No!” I shouted, my hands shaking uncontrollably. “I’m not part of anything! You kidnapped me! You and Dean, you’re both insane! I just want to go home, right now!”

“You can’t go home,” the voice said, softer now, regretful. “You’re my mate. You’re tied to me, to this world. I’ll protect you, I swear I will.”

“Protect me?” I said, tears streaming down my face. “You’re the one scaring me half to death! I don’t want any of this!” I turned, sprinting to the bathroom door, and slammed it shut behind me.

I leaned against the locked door, my breath short and ragged, my heart pounding a terrifying rhythm, as I slid to the floor, the blan

ket still clutched tight. This couldn’t be real. It couldn’t.