Chapter 22 CHAPTER 22

Chapter 22 CHAPTER 22
Rafael's POV
I pulled into a parking spot across from the café and cut the engine, frustration still simmering under my skin.

I was late. Too late.

After the whole cafeteria scene, I'd been cornered by what felt like half the student body. Questions. Stares. Phone cameras pointed at my face. Then Coach had pulled me aside, demanding to know what the hell was going on and whether I was going to be a "distraction to the team."

By the time I'd finally escaped and made it to the parking lot, Emma was already gone. Vivienne with her.

So I'd done the only thing I could think of—tracked them by scent.

Strawberries and vanilla. Vivienne's scent had led me straight here to this café on the other side of town.

"You know this is kind of creepy, right?" Mathias said from the passenger seat. "Tracking her by scent."

"I need to make sure she's okay."

"You could have just texted her like a normal person."

I shot him a look. "She's not answering my texts."

"Wonder why." He unbuckled his seatbelt. "Maybe because you kissed her in front of the entire school and then your eyes went full wolf mode."

"Not helping."

"Just saying. Give the girl some space to process."

I was already opening my door. "I just need to see her. Make sure she's safe."

"Safe from what? Bad pastries?"

I ignored him and got out of the car. Mathias sighed but followed.

We were halfway across the street when I spotted Emma coming out of the café. Alone.

My wolf immediately went on alert. Where was Vivienne?

"Em!" I called out.

She turned, and her expression shifted from surprise to something that looked a lot like annoyance.

"Of course you're here," she muttered as we approached.

"Hey, Emma." Mathias gave her his usual charming grin. "Looking good today."

She raised an eyebrow. "Really? You're flirting with me right now?"

"I'm always flirting with you. It's kind of my thing."

"Your thing is being annoying."

"Tomato, tomahto."

I ignored their banter and scanned the area, inhaling deeply. Vivienne’s scent was strong here, recent, but fading. Like she had just left.

"Where is she?" I asked, cutting through their conversation.

Emma crossed her arms. "She's gone."

"Gone where?"

"Home. I just put her in a cab."

My jaw clenched. "Why didn't you stop her? Why didn't you keep her at your place?"

"Oh, I tried." Emma’s voice had an edge to it. "I tried really hard, actually. But she insisted on going back to that piece of shit uncle of hers."

My wolf bristled at the mention of her uncle. The man who had stolen from her. Who made her feel worthless.

"You should have called me," I said. "I would have—"

"You would have what?" Emma stepped closer, her eyes flashing. "Dragged her to your place? Forced her to stay? Because that's exactly the kind of controlling behavior that freaked her out earlier."

Mathias let out a low whistle. "Oof. She's got a point, bro."

I shot him a glare before turning back to Emma. "I wasn't trying to control her. I was trying to protect her."

"By trapping her against a wall and telling her she's yours?" Emma’s voice rose slightly. "Yeah. Vivi told me about that. Real smooth, Rafael."

Damn it. Of course Vivienne had told her.

"It's complicated," I said.

"No shit it's complicated." Emma poked me in the chest. "You broke up with your girlfriend, kissed my best friend in front of three hundred people, and then went full possessive psycho on her. Of course it's complicated!"

"I can explain—"

"Then explain." She folded her arms across her chest, her stance challenging. "Because right now, Vivi is terrified and confused, and you're a big part of why. So start talking, big brother. What the hell is going on with you?"

I glanced at Mathias, who just shrugged like this is your mess, deal with it.

"Not here," I said quietly.

"Then where?" Emma demanded. "Because we're having this conversation whether you like it or not. Vivi is my best friend, and I need to know what your intentions are."

I let out a long, heavy sigh and ran my hand through my hair.

This was going to be complicated.

Emma knew about wolves. She had known since she was a kid. Her family was one of the rare few—Keepers, they were called. Special bloodline humans who had been helping werewolves for generations. They provided safe houses in the human realm, helped with documentation, kept our secrets, made it possible for wolves to blend into human society without raising suspicion.

In return, wolf packs protected Keeper families. Kept them safe from threats both supernatural and human. It was an ancient arrangement that had kept both species alive for centuries.

Emma's parents had been doing it since before she was born. Our pack used their house as a base whenever we needed to be in the human realm for extended periods. School. Business. Anything that required us to blend in.

I had been staying with them since freshman year. Four years of living under their roof, eating dinner at their table, watching movies with Emma on weekends. Somewhere along the way, they had stopped being just our pack's Keeper family and had started being my family.

Emma wasn't my real sister. We didn't share blood. But she felt like one anyway.

Which is why this conversation was going to suck.

"It's my wolf," I said finally, meeting her eyes.

Emma’s expression shifted immediately. The anger faded, replaced by understanding. And concern.

"Your wolf?" Emma’s eyebrows shot up. "But Rafael, your wolf has been dormant for months. The curse has been suppressing it. Why would it suddenly…"

She stopped mid-sentence.

I watched the realization dawn on her face. Her eyes widened, her mouth falling open slightly.

"Wait." Her voice came out quiet. "Your wolf is surfacing? Like, actually surfacing? Strong enough to take control?"

"Yeah."

"But that doesn't make sense. Unless…" She paused, her mind clearly racing. "You came to the human realm to find your mate. That's what the prophecy said, right? That your mate would be the one to break the curse?"

I nodded slowly.

Emma went very still. I could practically see the gears turning in her head as the pieces clicked into place.

"No." She shook her head. "No, don't tell me—"

"Vivienne is my mate," I said quietly.

The words hung in the air between us.

Emma’s face went through about five different emotions in two seconds. Shock. Disbelief. Horror. Then anger.

"Are you serious right now?" Her voice rose. "Vivienne? My best friend Vivienne?"

"I didn't choose this, Em—"

"My best friend who's human?" She was practically shouting now. "Rafael, humans cannot survive the mating bond. You know that. The marking alone would—"

"I know," I cut her off, my voice hard. "You think I don't know that? You think I haven’t been thinking about that every second since I realized what she is to me?"

Emma pressed her hands to her face. "Oh my God. This is bad. This is really bad."

Mathias cleared his throat. "For what it's worth, we're trying to find a solution—"

"A solution?" Emma dropped her hands and stared at me. "There is no solution, Rafael. The mate bond requires marking. Marking requires both people to be wolves. Vivi is human. Do the math."

"I'm working on it," I said through gritted teeth.

"Working on what? How to kill my best friend?"

The words hit like a physical blow. "I would never—"

"But that's what will happen if you try to complete the bond." Emma’s eyes were shiny with tears now. "The second you mark her, her body will start shutting down. She will be dead within hours."

"I know that." My voice came out louder than intended. "I know, Emma. I'm not going to mark her. I'm not going to hurt her."

"Then what are you going to do?" She stepped closer. "Because from where I'm standing, you have two options. Either you reject the mate bond and let the curse kill you, or you try to complete the bond and kill her. Those are your choices, Rafael."

"There has to be another way."

"There isn't. This has happened before. Wolves finding human mates. It never ends well. Ever." Her voice cracked. "I don't want to lose either of you."

My chest tightened. "You won't."

"How can you promise that?" Tears streamed down her face. "How can you possibly promise that when you're running out of time and she's completely clueless about what you are?"

"I'm looking for witches," I said. "Someone who might know a way to make this work. To complete the bond without killing her."

"And what if you can't find one?" Emma demanded. "What if there's no magical solution? What then?"

I was quiet for a long moment. "Then I reject the bond."

"And die."

"And die." I confirmed.