Chapter 41 Chapter 41

Chapter 41 Chapter 41
Chapter 41: Truths Unraveled

Noah’s

I opened my eyes slowly, my head pounding fiercely, as if I had been hit hard with a brick. I was back safely in my room at the mansion, the familiar walls grounding me, but my heart was racing uncontrollably inside my chest.

Enzo sat beside me on the bed, his face tight with visible worry, his intense eyes searching mine for a reaction. He leaned closer to me, his hand gently brushing my arm in a comforting motion. “Noah, are you okay?” he asked, his voice low and urgent with concern. “You’re extremely pale. Please talk to me now.”

I nodded once, my throat completely dry, my body feeling heavy and exhausted. “I’m fine now,” I said, my voice shaky and weak. “Just… dizzy. My head is spinning badly.”

He frowned, his hand instantly tightening its grip on my arm. “You’re absolutely safe now,” he said firmly. “Stan is not coming near you ever again. Not after everything that happened to you.”

My eyes widened in sudden realization, the entire terrifying memory crashing back quickly—Stan’s cruel sneer, Eric’s dark smirk, the cold basement, my hand on Stan’s arm.

“Stan tried to kill me down there,” I said, my voice trembling with fear. “Your brother’s mate, Enzo. He and Eric actively ambushed me. If you hadn’t shown up when you did…”

Enzo immediately pulled me into his arms, his strong grip secure, his voice fierce with promise. “It’s truly okay,” he said soothingly. “Stan is not going to touch you or harm you again. Not for a very long time. I promise you that with my life.”

I clung tightly to him, my heart still racing fast, but he slowly started to pull away, standing up from the bed. Panic immediately hit me hard, and I instinctively grabbed his hand, my fingers tight around his. “Where are you going now?” I said, my voice high-pitched and strained. “Don’t leave me, Enzo. Please, just stay right here with me.”

He smiled slightly, soft and warm, sitting back down quickly. “Alright, I will stay,” he said, his hand gently brushing my hair away from my face. “I was just going to get you some water, but I’ll stay. I’m right here, Noah.”

I nodded, my breath finally slowing, but the silence between us felt extremely heavy, loaded with pressing questions I couldn’t hold back anymore. I looked straight at him, my voice quiet but firm.

“Enzo, is there something huge you are not telling me about myself?” I asked. “You’ve been acting very weird and distant since I told you about my strange dreams. What is actually going on with me?”

He froze instantly, his eyes narrowing in suspicion. “What exactly do you mean by that?” he said, his voice cautious and guarded. “What are you getting at, Noah?”

I turned my whole body to face him fully, my heart pounding hard against my ribs. “What is a Vengas?” I said, my voice firm and demanding. “Stan explicitly called me that word in the basement earlier. He said I’m one of them, that I’m incredibly dangerous to wolves. What exactly does it mean, Enzo?”

His face instantly changed, his jaw tightening severely, his eyes flickering with something unreadable—perhaps doubt, or maybe even fear. “Where did you hear that specific word?” he said, his voice low and dangerous. “Stan really said that to you? Down in the basement?”

“Yeah, he did,” I said, my voice instantly rising with anger. “He said I’m a Vengas, that I’m not even human at all. What is he talking about, Enzo? Why is everyone suddenly acting like I’m something I am not supposed to be?”

Enzo was completely silent for a long moment, his eyes searching mine deeply, his hands clenched tightly on his knees. “I honestly didn’t want to believe it was true,” he said, his voice quiet and heavy with resignation. “But after what happened today, what you did to Stan… I truly can’t ignore the truth anymore.”

“What?” I said, my voice trembling with confusion. “What did I do in the basement? I just simply grabbed him, Enzo. He was trying to kill me with that knife!”

He moved closer to me, his hands gently cupping my face, his eyes suddenly intense and focused. “A Vengas is not like a typical werewolf,” he said, his voice low and serious. “They can’t physically shift into a wolf form, but they can steal a wolf’s power and strength with just a single touch. That’s exactly what you did to Stan, Noah. You touched Stan, and he instantly collapsed to the floor. You successfully took his strength and power.”

I laughed, a short, sharp, disbelieving sound, immediately pulling back from his touch. “You’re truly not serious right now,” I said, my voice trembling uncontrollably. “That’s completely crazy, Enzo. I’m human. I’ve always been human my whole life. This is simply impossible, right?”

He leaned even closer, his breath warm and close on my face. “I’m incredibly confused by all of this too,” he said, his voice soft but completely serious. “Ever since you told me about your strange dreams—the mysterious lady, the wolves, the specific name Nickolas—I’ve been constantly wondering about the connection. What if you are actually the one I’ve been searching for all these years?”

I stared at him, my heart racing wildly with disbelief and fear. “What exactly do you mean by that statement?” I said, my voice low and strained. “What does Nickolas have to do with any of this mess?”

Enzo’s eyes softened, his voice becoming quieter and more gentle. “You said that in your dreams, a lady constantly calls you Nickolas, right?” he said. I nodded, confirming the memory, and he continued. “When I was just a child, I had a very close friend named Nickolas. He was my first real love. He was… different, special and unique. I promised him under a bright full moon that I’d make him my mate as soon as I was old enough to do so. But my father found out he was a Vengas. My father brutally killed him, Noah, him and his entire family. I thought he was completely gone forever. But now, with your mysterious dreams, with what tragically happened today… I’m seriously starting to think that maybe you are actually him somehow.”

I laughed again, my voice shaking violently, quickly pushing his hands away from me. “You’re crazy right now,” I said, suddenly standing up, my entire body trembling with fear and denial. “You’re all completely crazy in this house! I’m not some Vengas, and I am not your dead childhood friend! This is simply insane, Enzo!”

“Noah, wait, please,” he said, standing up quickly, his voice urgent and pleading. “Just listen to me for one minute. I know it sounds absolutely wild and impossible, but just think about the facts. The vivid dreams, the way you easily stopped Stan—it’s truly not a normal human thing to do. What if you are Nickolas? What if you miraculously survived the attack?”

“Stop talking about this right now!” I shouted, my voice breaking with emotion. “I am not him! I am just me, okay? I am not some dangerous power-stealing monster, and I am not your lost love! Just leave me completely alone!”

I turned sharply, storming quickly out of the room, his voice loudly calling after me. “Noah!” he shouted, but I didn’t stop my escape, and I didn’t look back at him. I walked straight out of the huge house, my heart pounding uncontrollably, my head a complete mess of confusion and fear. The cool night air hit my face, but it didn’t manage to calm me down at all. Vengas? Nickolas? It was far too much for me to handle, far too crazy to believe. I desperately needed to get away from this house, to find a place where I could actually think clearly.

I walked quickly to James’s house, my legs feeling heavy and mechanical, my mind racing through the night. I knocked hard on his front door, my hands shaking uncontrollably. He opened the door almost immediately, his eyes widening in shock when he saw my distressed face. “Noah?” he said, his voice soft and worried for me. “What is wrong with you? You honestly look like pure hell right now.”

“Can I please stay here tonight with you?” I asked him, my voice quiet and desperate, my eyes burning with unshed tears. “I just… I genuinely can’t go back to that house right now. Please, James, let me stay.”

He frowned slightly, stepping quickly aside to let me enter. “Yeah, of course you can stay,” he said warmly. “But what truly happened? Are you okay? Did that guy Enzo actually do something bad to you?”

I shook my head immediately, my throat feeling tight and painful. “I just urgently need to crash here for the night,” I said faintly. “I will explain everything to you later in the morning. Can I just… stay here quietly?”

“Sure, man,” he said, his voice gentle and accepting. “Come in now. You’re definitely safe right here with me.”