CHAPTER FOUR
1081 Words
The next morning Maya was banging on my door.
"Beth open up! Everyone's talking about what happened with Tyler!"
I opened the door a little. "What are they saying?"
"That he ran out of the woods screaming about monsters and werewolves! He's telling everyone Stephan Nightshade is a werewolf!" Maya laughed. "He must have been so drunk. Or high. Or both."
"Yeah," I said. "Crazy."
But it wasn't crazy. It was real. I saw it.
"Are you okay?" Maya looked worried now. "You look really pale."
"I'm fine. Just tired. I think I'm getting sick."
"Want me to stay with you?"
"No it's okay. I just need to rest."
Maya left and I went back to bed. But I couldn't rest. I kept thinking about last night. About what I saw.
My phone buzzed again. Another text from Stephan.
"I know you're scared. But I would never hurt you. Please Beth. Give me a chance to explain."
I stared at the text for a long time. Part of me wanted to delete it and block his number. Pretend this never happened.
But another part of me wanted answers. I needed to know what he was. What this all meant.
I texted back. "Where?"
"The coffee shop on Main Street. One hour. I promise you'll be safe."
I got dressed in jeans and my biggest hoodie. I felt better covered up. Protected. I fixed my braids and looked in the mirror.
I looked scared. My eyes were red from not sleeping. My hands were shaking.
But I had to do this. I had to know the truth.
The coffee shop was small and quiet. Only a few people were there. Stephan was sitting in the back corner. He stood up when he saw me.
"Thank you for coming," he said.
I sat down across from him. I didn't say anything.
"I ordered you a hot chocolate," he said. "I remember you said you don't like coffee."
When did I tell him that? Then I remembered. At the bar. Our first night together.
"What are you?" I asked. No point in small talk.
He took a deep breath. "I'm a werewolf. Alpha of the Crescent Moon Pack."
"Alpha? Like a leader?"
"Yes. I'm in charge of about two hundred wolves in this territory."
Two hundred. There were two hundred of them.
"How is this real?" I said. "Werewolves aren't real."
"We've been around forever. We just hide from humans. It's safer that way."
"Does everyone know? Maya? The school?"
"No. Only pack members know. And now you."
"Why me?" I asked. "Why did you tell me?"
Stephan looked uncomfortable. "That's complicated."
"Try me."
He was quiet for a minute. Then he said, "You're my mate."
"Your what?"
"My mate. It's like..." He tried to find the words. "Like a soulmate. But stronger. When a wolf finds their mate, they know instantly. The bond is immediate. Unbreakable."
I laughed. I couldn't help it. This was insane. "You're saying I'm your soulmate? We just met!"
"I know how it sounds. But it's true. I felt it the moment I saw you at the bar. The pull toward you. The need to be near you. To protect you."
"That's just attraction," I said.
"It's more than that. The mate bond is sacred. It means we're meant to be together. Forever."
Forever. With a werewolf. This was crazy.
"What if I don't want this?" I asked.
He looked hurt. "Then I'll respect that. The bond can be rejected. It would hurt like hell, but you have that choice. I won't force you."
"But you want me to accept it?"
"More than anything," he said. His eyes were intense. "Beth, I've waited six years for my mate. Most wolves find theirs in their early twenties. I'm twenty-four and I'd given up hope. Then I found you."
"Why didn't you tell me right away?"
"Would you have believed me? Before last night?"
He was right. I would have thought he was crazy.
"There's something else," he said. "Something important."
"What else could there possibly be?"
"You're not fully human."
I stared at him. "What?"
"You have wolf blood in you. Not much. But it's there. I could smell it on you. That's part of why the mate bond is so strong."
"That's impossible. My parents are human. My whole family is human."
"Maybe your grandparents? Great-grandparents? Sometimes the wolf gene skips generations. We call people like you latent wolves."
My head was spinning. This was too much. Too much information. Too many impossible things.
"I need to go," I stood up.
"Beth wait—"
"I just need time to think. This is a lot."
"I understand. Take all the time you need. But please be careful. Now that Tyler knows about me, things might get complicated."
"What do you mean?"
"He might tell people. Even if they don't believe him, it could cause problems. And there are other wolves who might not be happy that I've revealed myself to a human. Even if you are my mate."
Great. So now I was in danger.
I left the coffee shop and walked back to campus. My brain felt like it was going to explode. Werewolves were real. I was part werewolf. Stephan was my soulmate.
None of this made sense. But I couldn't deny what I saw last night. He changed into a wolf right in front of me.
When I got back to my dorm, Maya was waiting.
"Thank god you're back! You need to see this!"
She showed me her phone. It was a video on social media. Tyler was in it, looking crazy. His eyes were wild. He was screaming about werewolves and monsters.
"They're real! I saw one! Stephan Nightshade is a monster!" he yelled in the video.
People in the comments were laughing at him. Saying he was on drugs. Making jokes.
"Poor guy totally lost it," Maya said. "I almost feel bad for him. Almost."
But I didn't feel bad. Because he was telling the truth. And now everyone thought he was insane.
My phone buzzed. Another text from Stephan.
"Tyler's been handled. He won't be a problem anymore."
What did that mean? What did Stephan do?
Before I could ask, there was a knock on the door. Maya opened it.
A tall guy was standing there. He looked exactly like Stephan. Same face. Same height. But his eyes were hazel instead of silver blue. And he was smiling. Stephan never really smiled.
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