Chapter 175: Noah Already Knew It

Chapter 176: Noah Already Knew It
Zephyra's POV

I stared at Noah, my mouth suddenly dry as he held up the note I'd forgotten to hide. The anger in his eyes made my stomach twist into knots.

"Noah, I can explain," I said, quickly pulling on my sleep pants.

"so," Noah repeated, his voice dangerously low. "What the hell is this?"

He stood with his hand on his hip, the note clutched in his other hand, his expression growing darker by the second. My mind went completely blank as I tried to formulate a response. The evening had gone so well with his parents, and now this.

I took a deep breath and moved to sit on the edge of the bed. It was time to come clean.

"I've been receiving them for a few months now," I admitted, looking down at my hands. "At first I didn't think much of it, until I got a second one, then a third, and so on."

Noah's jaw clenched. "And you didn't think to tell anyone? Not me, not security, not anyone?"

The accusation in his voice made me wince. "I didn't want anyone to worry," I explained, though even to my own ears it sounded weak. "Nothing happened, so I figured there was no need to take action."

I'd convinced myself they were just intimidation tactics. The notes never came with any actual threats—just the papers and photos. It seemed harmless enough, if unsettling.

"Are you fucking kidding me?" Noah exploded. "Someone's stalking you, and you didn't think it warranted any action? Do you know how dangerous and stupid that is? What if this has something to do with that red-eyed—wolf?"

My heart skipped a beat. The connection had never occurred to me before. The red-eyed wolf—the killer who'd been on the news. My mind raced as I considered the possibility that the victims might have received similar notes and photos before they were murdered.

A chill ran down my spine. How could I have been so blind?

"I really didn't think of that," I said quietly, feeling stupid. "I should have, though."

Noah ran a hand through his hair, frustration evident in every line of his body. "Where are the rest of them?" he demanded.

I stood up and walked to my closet, moving to the hidden compartment at the back where I'd stashed the notes.

"You have a hidden compartment in our bedroom?" Noah asked, sounding surprised.

"Yeah," I replied simply as I retrieved the stack of papers and photos, bringing them over to him.

Noah took them from my hands, and as he looked through the photos, his eyes widened in shock. "What the fuck is this, Zephyra!" he shouted.

I realized I should have told him about the photos too. Before I could respond, a sharp pain shot through my head. Fiora was hammering against my mental barriers. I'd been so tired from the day that my defenses were weak, and she was taking advantage.

A scream tore from my throat as I doubled over, clutching my head. The pain was excruciating, unlike anything I'd felt before. I curled into a ball, praying that Ophelia hadn't been woken by my scream.

"Let me out, Zephyra, or I will hurt you," Fiora's voice shrieked in my mind.

Noah was instantly at my side, kneeling beside me. "Zephyra, what's happening?" His voice was filled with concern, the notes temporarily forgotten.

Through gritted teeth, I managed to say, "It's... F-Fiora."

Noah pulled me into his arms, holding me tightly as I struggled against the pain and nausea. I could feel Fiora attacking my mental barriers with more purpose than ever before, as if she was deliberately trying to weaken me enough to take control.

Fighting Fiora was like fighting myself. We shared the same body, the same mind in many ways. I tried to remember what Amara had told me—that I needed to understand Fiora, not just fight her. But it was hard when all I could feel was her rage and desperation.

"Fiora... please stop," I begged internally.

"Never!" she screamed back.

I could feel my mental barriers cracking. In that moment of weakness, Fiora partially shifted, and my hand transformed into a claw. Before I could stop her, she lashed out, raking her claws across Noah's chest and leaving three deep gashes.

Noah jumped back, blood seeping through his torn shirt, his expression a mixture of shock and pain.

Seeing his blood, seeing what Fiora had done through me, snapped me back to clarity. With every ounce of strength I had left, I yanked Fiora back and reinforced my mental barriers, temporarily sealing her away.

I collapsed against Noah, trembling uncontrollably, terrified of what had just happened.

"I'm so sorry," I whispered, tears streaming down my face as I stared at the wounds on Noah's chest.

Noah said nothing as he gently laid me on the bed, then went to the bathroom. A few minutes later, he returned, the blood cleaned away and the wounds already beginning to heal. Silently, he lay down beside me, pulling me close.

"I'm really sorry about Fiora," I said through my tears. "I was too tired, and she took advantage of it. She's been getting stronger lately."

Noah stroked my hair, his expression unreadable. "There's more to this than you've been telling me, isn't there? She's not just scared like you've been saying."

I closed my eyes, feeling the weight of the truth I'd been hiding. "No," I admitted. "She's not just scared. She's... mentally unstable. Sometimes she forces a shift and lashes out." The tears came harder now. "It breaks my heart because I know she's suffering, but she's been fighting me ever since she was rescued five years ago."

"Why didn't you tell anyone?" Noah asked, his voice gentle but firm.

I sighed, wiping away my tears. "I was afraid that if the Lycan Council found out, they'd want to put me down. She can be really erratic sometimes. Controlling her has been a constant battle, and it's starting to drain me mentally and physically."

Noah frowned. "That day at Westcliff restaurant?"

"She was trying to force another shift," I explained. "When you came over to help, she just wanted to hurt you for interfering."

I felt my eyelids growing heavy, my body completely drained from the confrontation with Fiora. Noah must have noticed because he tucked a strand of hair behind my ear and looked at me with concern in his eyes.

"We need to get you help," he said softly.

"I'm already talking to my therapist about it," I murmured sleepily. "She says Fiora's mind is slowly breaking down. That's why she's so wild and mentally unstable. We have an appointment scheduled for more tests so she can figure out how to help Fiora."

Noah simply said, "Good," and pulled me closer.

As I drifted toward sleep, I felt Noah place a gentle kiss on my temple. "I promise I won't let anything happen to you or Fiora, my love," he whispered.

I wasn't sure if I heard him correctly, but I fell asleep with a sense of being loved and protected for the first time in a very long time.