Chapter 43 Chapter 43

Chapter 43 Chapter 43
Chapter 43: Chasing Bonds

Enzo’s

I woke up the next day with a heavy feeling in my chest, Moses growling low and restlessly in my mind. Noah was gone. He did not show up for school, and when I personally checked his dad’s house, it was completely empty.

The mate bond suddenly felt incredibly faint, as if something was actively pulling him away, intentionally blocking my mental connection to him. I was a complete fool for letting him walk out of the mansion last night, for not stopping him when he was so upset about the Vengas talk. Now I had absolutely no idea where he was hiding, and the anxiety was killing me slowly.

I stood outside the high school, my heavy boots scuffing the pavement restlessly, my eyes scanning the large crowd of students who were around. Moses was agitated, urgently pushing me to move immediately, to find him now. That’s when I suddenly spotted him—James, Noah’s close friend, the tall, lanky kid wearing thick glasses, walking out of the cafeteria. My heart jumped in my chest. If anyone knew where Noah was hiding, it was definitely him.

I marched directly over to him, my jaw tight, my hands clenched into fists. James froze instantly when he saw me approaching him, his eyes going wide with shock, a clear flicker of fear crossing his face quickly. I forced a simple smile, trying desperately to keep my voice calm and non-threatening. “Hey, James,” I said, stopping directly in front of him. “Have you got a minute to talk?”

He adjusted his glasses nervously, his voice coming out shaky and uncertain. “Who exactly are you?” he said, immediately stepping back from me. “What do you possibly want with me, sir?”

I leaned closer to him, my forced smile tight and strained, my eyes locked intensely on his face. “I’m Enzo,” I said, my voice low and quiet. “Noah’s… friend. His boss, you could say to make it simple. I urgently need to know where he is right now.”

James’s eyes darted away nervously, his hands fidgeting with his books. “Noah?” he said, his voice high-pitched and strained. “I haven’t seen him since yesterday. I honestly don’t know where he is at all.”

I chuckled softly, stepping even closer to him, my voice dropping dangerously low. “You’re intentionally lying to me,” I said, my eyes narrowing sharply. “I can clearly tell you’re lying, James. Where is Noah hiding? Don’t make this whole situation harder than it genuinely needs to be right now.”

He swallowed hard, his face turning pale with fear, his voice trembling slightly. “I am not lying to you,” he said firmly. “I truly haven’t seen him, okay? I urgently need to go now. If you don’t have anything else to say to me, please leave me alone.”

I grabbed his arm immediately, my grip firm but carefully not rough. “Hold on one second,” I said, my voice low and sharp. “You’re his closest best friend. You certainly know where he is. Tell me now, James, or this won’t end well for you.”

His eyes widened even more, panic and fear flashing clearly across his face. “Let go of me right now!” he said, his voice rising into a shout. “I don’t know anything about his location! Noah didn’t tell me where he was going. Why are you hassling me like this?”

Ren suddenly appeared silently behind him, completely blocking his escape path, his scarred face blank but his eyes hard and cold. “You heard the Alpha,” Ren said, his voice low and menacing. “Where is Noah now? Don’t try to play any games with us, kid.”

James flinched visibly, his voice shaking badly. “I swear to you, I absolutely don’t know where he is!” he said desperately. “He’s not at school today, and he’s not at his dad’s house either. I haven’t talked to him since yesterday afternoon. Let me go now!”

I studied him carefully for a long moment, my wolf growling impatiently, but I finally nodded to Ren, who immediately stepped back. “Fine,” I said, my voice cold and threatening. “But if I eventually find out you’re actively hiding him from me, you will truly regret it for a long time.”

James bolted instantly, his footsteps quick and panicked as he disappeared into the student crowd. I turned to Ren, my heart pounding with renewed hope. “Follow him now,” I said, my voice sharp and demanding. “Don’t lose sight of him. He definitely knows where Noah is staying.”

Ren nodded, quickly climbing into the driver’s seat of my car. “I have the order, Alpha,” he said, starting the engine immediately. “We’ll find him quickly.”

We tailed James carefully, keeping a considerable distance, my eyes locked intently on his lanky figure as he hurried quickly down the residential street. After just a few minutes, he stopped abruptly at a small, unassuming house, quickly glancing around nervously before slipping inside. I felt it then—the faint mate bond, weak but definitely present, tugging urgently at my chest. Noah was inside that house. My heart jumped wildly, Moses howling softly in relief in my head. “He’s here now,” I said, my voice low and certain. “Noah’s hiding in that specific house.”

Ren parked the car a block away, his voice calm and professional. “Are you absolutely sure, Alpha?” he said. “Do you want me to go in there with you for backup?”

“No, I don’t need you,” I said, my voice firm and final. “Stay right here. I’m handling this situation myself.”

I got out of the car, my heavy boots hitting the pavement, and marched directly to the front door. I knocked on it hard and forcefully, my heart racing with anticipation. The door opened slowly, and James stood there, his eyes wide and filled with fear. “You’re here again?” he said, his voice shaking badly. “What are you doing here now? You can’t just—”

I pushed quickly past him into the house, my eyes instantly scanning the living room. Noah was sitting quietly on the couch, his face pale, his eyes looking tired and drawn. He stood up quickly when he saw me, his voice sharp with anger and shock. “Enzo?” he said, his tone a confusing mix of anger and shock. “What the hell are you doing here in James’s house? How did you possibly find me so fast?”

I didn’t take time to think, I just moved instantly, closing the distance between us and aggressively kissing him hard, my hands cupping his face, my heart wildly pounding. He froze completely, his body stiffened instantly, then he pushed me strongly away, his voice loud with fury. “What exactly are you doing to me?” he shouted, his eyes flashing brightly. “You can’t just aggressively barge in here and kiss me without permission! What is seriously wrong with you?”

I grabbed his hands firmly, my voice soft and desperate for him to understand. “Noah, I’m truly sorry for everything,” I said, my eyes locked intensely on his. “I was a complete fool to let you walk out last night so easily. Come back to the mansion, please. I genuinely don’t want to lose you now.”

He pulled his hands free quickly, stepping back and away from me, his voice trembling with emotion. “Why are you even here now, Enzo?” he said. “You think you can just show up here and make everything okay and perfect again? You openly called me a Vengas monster! You said I might actually be some dead guy you deeply loved in the past! How am I supposed to just suddenly deal with all of that terrifying information?”

I stepped closer to him, my voice low and apologetic. “I know I seriously messed up my delivery,” I said honestly. “I shouldn’t have thrown all that massive information at you at once. But I’m right here now, Noah. I’m not lying to you about anything anymore. I just want you to be completely safe and protected.”

James stepped forward nervously, his voice filled with worry. “Noah, are you okay with him?” he said. “Do you want me to call someone for help? This guy is seriously freaking me out a lot.”

“I’m perfectly fine, James,” Noah said, his voice sharp and dismissive, his eyes still firmly locked on mine. “Just… give us one minute alone, okay?”

James hesitated for a moment, then nodded and stepped back into the hallway. “Alright,” he said. “But I’m staying right here if you suddenly need me to step in.”

Noah and I sat silently in the car, Ren patiently waiting outside the vehicle, the silence heavy and tense between us. I looked over at him, his face turned away from me, his hands tightly clenched in his lap. “Are you incredibly angry with me?” I asked him, my voice soft and concerned. “Noah, please talk to me now.”

He did not answer me at all, his jaw tight and rigid. I reached out slowly, gently turning his face to look at mine. “I truly am sorry for all the pain,” I said, my voice breaking slightly. “I didn’t mean to scare you that badly. I just… I desperately needed to find you safe.”

He looked back at me, his eyes searching mine deeply, his voice quiet with resignation. “Am I really truly a Vengas?” he said finally. “Is that what I truly am, Enzo? Some kind of dangerous monster destined to hurt people?”

I smiled slightly at him, my heart aching with his pain, and softly nodded. “Yes,” I said, my voice steady and honest. “You are a Vengas, Noah. But you are definitely not a monster at all. You are simply my mate, and I love you.”