BEASTLY INFERNO

CHAPTER FOUR

“No! Let me go!” I thrashed against Tristan’s grip, my nails digging into his arms as I struggled, desperate to break free.

But he was stronger.

So much stronger.

His arms locked around me like steel bands, lifting me off my feet as if I weighed nothing. My kicks landed uselessly against his legs, my fists pounding at his chest, but he didn’t even flinch.

“Stop fighting me,” he growled, his breath hot against my ear. “It’s done.”

No.

This couldn’t be happening.

Ellie’s screams still rang in my head. My chest ached, my lungs burned, but I couldn’t stop fighting. I had to fight.

“Let me go!” My voice was hoarse, raw, filled with something close to desperation. “I don’t belong to you! I don’t belong here!”

Tristan let out a frustrated sigh, adjusting his hold as if I were nothing more than a struggling kitten. His grip tightened, securing me against him, my struggles growing weaker by the second.

I couldn’t breathe. I couldn’t think.

Then a sharp voice cut through the chaos.

“Enough.”

Alpha Demitri.

The tension in the room shifted instantly.

Tristan didn’t release me, but his body stiffened slightly, as if acknowledging the authority in the command.

I twisted my head just enough to see Demitri standing near Ellie’s father, his expression unreadable. He cast a glance at the broken mess of my belongings on the floor before leveling Nicholas with a calm, almost dismissive look.

“We’ll continue this another time,” he said.

Nicholas stiffened, his jaw clenching, but he nodded.

And just like that, the meeting was over.

No protest. No arguments.

Like my entire world hadn’t just been ripped apart.

Like I hadn’t just lost everything.

Tristan shifted his hold on me, turning toward the exit. I tried to scream, to call out, to plead for someone—anyone—to help me, but my voice cracked, swallowed by the heavy silence.

No one stopped him.

No one even looked at me.

And as Tristan carried me out of the house, out of the life I’d known, I realized the truth.

I wasn’t just being taken.

I was being claimed and then everything went blank.

I stirred slowly, groaning as the surface where my head rested became increasingly hot and uncomfortable. Tossing and turning, I tried to find a more comfortable position, but the discomfort only grew. It was then that I heard a low, guttural growl. My eyes snapped open, my brain struggling to piece together where I was. I blinked several times before realizing I was in an unfamiliar place.

I sat up quickly, stretching my arms overhead, and then glanced to my right. My breath caught in my throat when I saw a strange man sitting beside me. My heart pounded in my chest as I leaned back, scrambling away from him. "Who are you? What am I doing here?" I demanded, my voice trembling in panic.

Suddenly, the events from a few moments ago came rushing back. I looked out the window, and the darkness of the night still enveloped the world outside. The headlights weren't on, but the car continued driving smoothly, as though nothing was amiss. I grabbed the door handle, but it was locked.

Suddenly, the events from a few moments ago came rushing back. I looked out the window, and the darkness of the night still enveloped the world outside. The headlights weren't on, but the car continued driving smoothly, as though nothing was amiss. I grabbed the door handle, but it was locked.

Taking a deep breath to calm my racing thoughts, I turned to face the stranger once again.

His gaze met mine, and a chill ran down my spine. Fear—cold, hard fear—gripped me. This was the first time I'd ever been alone with a man I didn't know, and the situation felt wrong. I scanned the space around me but found no sign of my bag or phone. Panic surged again. "H-hi, please, can you pass me my phone? I—I need to call my parents. They must be worried."

He turned his head to face me, and my heartbeat accelerated. "I'll hand your phone to you once we get to my house," he said, his voice calm but carrying an air of finality. "But for now, we need to talk."

My head was throbbing more and more

“This is all too much…I feel like I’m going to pass out again” I said already feeling the black spots in the back of my eyes and then everything was black again.

The warmth surrounding me was unfamiliar, yet strangely comforting. A steady heartbeat echoed against my back, strong and unwavering. My body was cocooned in heat, trapped between soft sheets and the firm wall of someone’s chest.

Slowly, awareness crept in.

This wasn’t my bed.

This wasn’t my house.

And the man holding me was a stranger.

Panic shot through me like ice water, my heart hammering against my ribs. I tensed, my breath hitching as I tried to move, but the arm draped over my waist tightened instinctively, pulling me closer.

Tristan shifted behind me, a deep, satisfied sigh escaping his lips. His breath fanned over the nape of my neck, sending a strange, involuntary shiver down my spine.

My pulse spiked.

I needed to get out of here.

Carefully, I wiggled beneath his hold, my fingers trembling as I tried to pry his arm off me. But just as I managed to lift it slightly, his grip tightened again, pinning me in place.

“You’re not going anywhere,” Tristan murmured, his voice thick with sleep.

I swallowed hard, forcing my voice to stay steady. “I—I need to use the bathroom.”

A low chuckle rumbled through his chest, vibrating against my back. “Liar.”

I stiffened.

He knew.

A mix of frustration and unease swirled inside me, but I refused to give up. “Seriously, I have to pee.”

A pause. Then, with a reluctant sigh, Tristan loosened his hold. “Five minutes.”

I didn’t wait for another word. I scrambled out of bed, nearly tripping over my own feet in my haste. My eyes darted around the dimly lit room before landing on the door. Without looking back, I rushed inside what I assumed was the bathroom and shut the door behind me, pressing my back against it.

My breaths came in quick, shallow pants.

This was insane.

This was absolutely insane.

I was trapped in a stranger’s house—no, not just any stranger, but a werewolf who claimed I was his mate. My best friend had turned into a wolf right in front of me, and now I was being forced into a life I didn’t choose.

I closed my eyes, trying to block out the overwhelming reality, but it was impossible. The moment replayed over and over in my mind—Ellie’s betrayal, Tristan’s unyielding grip, the way my entire world had shifted in a single night.

I had to get out of here.

Shakily, I turned to the sink, splashing cold water onto my face in an attempt to calm myself. My reflection in the mirror stared back at me, wide-eyed and pale.

I looked different.

Not physically, but something in my eyes had changed.

I wasn’t just Neroli anymore.

I was something else now.

A knock on the door made me jump. “Time’s up.” Tristan’s voice was firm but not unkind.

My fingers curled into fists.

I could keep pretending. Keep playing along until I found a way to escape.

Taking a deep breath, I forced a neutral expression onto my face and opened the door.

Tristan stood in the doorway, his dark eyes scanning me intently. His hair was slightly disheveled from sleep, and his toned chest was still bare, the sight making my stomach twist with something I refused to acknowledge.

“You okay?” he asked, tilting his head slightly.

I nodded stiffly. “Yeah.”

A wave of dread washed over me, but I tried to reassure myself—soon, I’ll be out of here.

Don't be afraid," he said, his tone oddly soothing. "I won't hurt you. You're my mate."

His words left me stunned, and I stared at him, blinking in disbelief. "Look, man, today has been insane. First, I find out that the supernatural is real. Then, I'm kidn*pped to some unknown place. My best friend hates me, and now you're calling me your mate. What does that even mean?" I asked, my voice shaky but trying to sound strong. I didn't want to lose my cool and make him angry.

"I'll explain it simply," he replied, his voice soft but serious. "Mate, in human terms, means the one you're supposed to be with for all eternity."

I stared at him, unable to speak, my mind reeling from his words. Eternity. The weight of the reality I was facing hit me all at once. "I can't stay here forever!" I exclaimed, my voice rising. "I have school, my parents. I just came here to spend my holiday. I have a life."

He was silent though all and then sighed.

“Your things are in the wardrobe and this is your room. It's late. You need rest. I'll join you soon."

I didn't want to argue, but I couldn't help the frustration bubbling inside me. "So, what color is your wolf?" I asked nervously, trying to shift the subject.

He stiffened for a moment before laughing—a deep, rich sound that made my heart race. "Let's just say I'm an odd and deathly combination."

He walked out of the room, leaving me with more questions than answers. I stared at the door long after it clicked shut, my mind racing with confusion, fear, and disbelief. I lay back on the bed, my body heavy and tense, trying to make sense of everything that had happened in such a short amount of time. The weight of the situation pressed down on me, suffocating me with the uncertainty of what was to come.

I couldn’t stop thinking about my parents. Where were they now? What had happened to them after everything unfolded so violently? Were they safe? Were they even still alive? My heart clenched at the thought, and a surge of helplessness gripped me. The images of their faces, once so familiar, now felt distant—like memories slipping through my fingers as I tried to hold onto them.

But it wasn’t just my parents. Ellie. I couldn’t shake the thought of her. My best friend—the one person I thought I could trust. How could she have kept such a huge secret from me? How long had she known about all this? I thought we shared everything, that we could tell each other anything, but this… This was something she never mentioned, something she hid from me.

She wasn’t human. She was a white wolf. The realization hit me like a slap across the face, a truth that I could hardly process. Ellie—my best friend, the girl who had been by my side through everything—wasn’t like me. She hadn’t been human all along.

I replayed every moment I’d spent with her. The times she had acted strangely, those little things I had brushed off as quirks. Was it all part of her hiding the truth from me? Every smile, every laugh, every late-night conversation—had it all been a façade, a distraction from the truth she’d been keeping from me?

How had she hidden it? How could she attend a human school, live among us, and not let anything slip? How had she managed to keep her wolf side a secret all these years? The idea of her, in her true form, a powerful creature hiding in plain sight, made my stomach churn.

As I closed my eyes, the last of my fears faded, and I drifted into a peaceful sleep, the tension leaving my body as I succumbed to the calm embrace of the night.