Chapter 18
-Maya’s POV-
The silence after the bikers stumbled out was like a physical thing, thick and suffocating. My heart
hammered, the adrenaline slowly fading away, leaving behind a cold dread. The primal satisfaction
of defending the bar, fueled by my wolf, warted with a creeping foar.
“I, uh….” I stammered, my mouth suddenly dry. I took a tentative step towards Riley, then another,
needing to exin, needing something. But before could get close, she recoiled, her hand shooting
up to ward me ofl.
Her eyes, wide and fearful, flicked from me to the retreating figures of the bikers, then back to me. I
nced around and relief washed over me momentarily at least the others hadn’t seen my wolf
lunge to the surface.
But the relief was short-lived, reced by a sinking feeling in my gut as I met Riley’s gaze again.
“Riley, please.”Twhispered, my voice barely above a croak. “We need to talk, but not here, I promise
I won’t hurt you,”
Her lips moved silently for a moment, her expression a mask of confusion and dawning horror.
Then, in a voice barely audible, she rasped, “The back.”
She spun on her heel and headed towards a swinging door at the rear of the bar. I followed her
quietly, the weight of her unspoken questions hanging heavy in the air.
The backroom was small dominated by a battered metal counter and stacks of empty crates. Riley
moved straight for the counter, her back to me, her hands gripping the worn wood as if seeking
sce in its solidity. Honestly, I couldn’t me her.
The silence stretched again, broken only by the ragged breaths escaping my own lungs.
Then came the question, the one I’d dreaded, “What… what are you? How did you… Your eyes.
What are you?”
There were a million ways I could answer. I could lie, tell her she’d imagined the whole thing, the
adrenaline messing with her mind. But the thought of it left a bitter taste in my mouth. The past four
years had been a living hell, broken by someone else’s actions and I wouldn’t subject anyone else
to that.
I knew how this story ended. The suspicion, the doubt, the slow erosion of sanity as she tried to
convince herself it wasn’t real. It would break her differently, not like I was.
Taking a deep breath, I braced myself. “I’m a werewolf,” I said, the words tumbling out in a rush.
The silence that followed was deafening. She stared at me, her face’a canvas of disbelief. “A
werewolf? But… they don’t exist.”
Then, a sudden, unexpected sound filled the airughter, Sharp, disbelievingughter that echoed
strangely in the small room. A hysterical edge crept into it, and for a horrifying moment, I thought
she was going to crack.
“Alright,” she gasped, wiping at her eyes with the back of her hand. “Where are the cameras?
Because I’m definitely being punked right now.”
Her voice trailed off, and she looked around the room frantically, searching for some hidden device,
some sign that this was all an borate joke.
My heart sank, I hadn’t expectedughter, but the terror in her eyes was worse. “Riley,” I said gently,
reaching out a hand towards her, but she flinched
away.
“You’re serious?” she whispered.
I nodded slowly, the weight of her fear pressing down on me.
“Holy shit! Holy shit!” she scrambled backwards, her voice rising in panic. “How are you…? How are
werewolves real? Werewolves only exist in stories and this is definitely not one!”
Chapter 19
“Riley, please, calm down,” I pleaded. “I won’t hurt you I promise” But the words seemed to have the
opposite effect, fueling her panic
“How can you promise that?” she shrieked, her voice cracking with fear. “You’re a monster! A
creature out of nightmarest”
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“No, Riley, please,” I pleaded, my voice dropping to a low, soothing murmur. Every instinct in meN?velDrama.Org owns this text.
screamed to hug her, to offer physicalfort, but! knew it would only terrify her further. “I
understand why you’re scared. Believe me, I do.”
She took a shuddering breath, her eyes wide and frantic. “You… you can turn into a wolf?”
“Yes. But that doesn’t mean I’m a monster. Look at me.” I gestured to myself, hoping the normalcy
of my human form would offer some reassurance. “I’m Amaya. The same Amaya who you just
poured a drink and listened to vent about her day. The wolf is a part of me, yes, but it doesn’t define
me?
Tears continued to stream down her face, carving clean tracks through the grime of the bar. “But…
but how? Why? And how did you…” she trailed off, her
voice thick with confusion.
“It’s a long story. And right now, I think it’s more important that you calm down. Can you take a deep
breath with me?”
She hesitated for a moment, her eyes darting nervously between me and the doorway. Finally, with
a shaky hand, she wiped her tears away and took a deep, ragged breath, I followed suit, the slow
rise and fall of my chest mirroring hers.
“See? You’re alright. And I’m alright. We can talk about this, but first, you need to breathe.”
Another shaky breath escaped her lips, followed by a long, shuddering sigh. The raw fear in her
eyes began to subside, reced by a cautious curiosity.
“Alright,” she mumbled, her voice barely audible. “But where do we even begin?”
My phone vibrated in my pocket, shattering the fragile calm that had begun to settle. I pulled it out,
my heart sinking as I saw the message. It wasn’t a call, but a single, curt text from my father: “Come
home.”
I nced back at Riley, her fear slowly giving way to a hesitant curiosity. This wasn’t how I’d
nned this conversation. This wasn’t the time, not with her eyes still wide and her voice shaky. But
there was no choice.
“I’m so sorry, but I have to go. Something just came up, something I can’t ignore.”
Her brow furrowed, “Is everything okay?”
“…I’ll exinter. There’s a lot to unpack, about me, about what just happened. But right now, I
have to deal with this other thing.”
Panic flickered across her face. “Wait, you’re not leaving, are you? Not after all this?”
“No, no,” I assured her, reaching out a hand, then quickly retracting it when I saw her flinch. “I’ll
come back. I promise. But I need you to understand, what I told you… it’s a secret. A big one.
Humans aren’t supposed to know about us.”
The gravity of my words hung heavy in the air. Riley’s eyes darted around the room as if searching
for hidden cameras, for any sign that this wasn’t real. But slowly, a flicker of understanding reced
the initial fear.
“A secret. Like a… werewolf secret?”
“Yes,” I confirmed, relief washing over me at her tentative eptance. “There’s a whole side to this
world you don’t know about, different factions, different rules. But I can’t exin it all right now.”
“Okay,” she nodded slowly, “But you’lle back and tell me?”
“I promise. This isn’t over. But please, Riley, I’m begging you, don’t tell anyone what you’ve learned,
Not a single soul.”
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Chapter 18
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i in danger,” the mumbled, the fear returning, but a different kind this time,
She met niy gaze, her eyes searching mine. “… I wouldn’t want to put you i edged with concern.
“Thank you,” i breathed, a wave of gratitude washing over me. Then, with a firial squeeze of her
hand, I turned and hurried out of the backroom.
Daniel was always angry, at what? I have never discovered but I was always at the receiving end of
his anger. Most times, it was unprecedented. Not this
time.
I knew, without a doubt, that this time, there would be hell to pay.