CHAPTER 5

FREYA'S POV

The wolves were massive.

Bigger than any animal I had ever seen. Their eyes glowed yellow in the darkness. Teeth flashed white. They moved fast. Too fast.

"Get behind me." Adrian shoved me backward. His voice did not sound right anymore. Deeper. Rougher.

"What are those things?"

"Just stay behind me."

Three of them circled us. Growling. Snarling. Muscles rippling under dark fur. They looked like they wanted to tear us apart.

One lunged.

Adrian moved faster than should be possible. He caught the wolf mid air and threw it. Actually threw it. The animal hit a tree twenty feet away with a sickening crack.

"Run to the car." Adrian did not look at me. His eyes were locked on the other two wolves. "Now Freya."

"I am not leaving you."

"I said run."

The second wolf attacked. Adrian grabbed it by the throat. His hands looked different. Bigger. His nails were longer. Sharper. He squeezed and the wolf made a choking sound.

The third one went for me.

I screamed and stumbled backward. Hit the ground hard. The wolf was on top of me in seconds. Hot breath on my face. Saliva dripping. Yellow eyes staring into mine.

Then Adrian was there. He ripped the wolf off me and slammed it into the ground. Bones crunched. The animal went limp.

Adrian turned to face me. His eyes were glowing blue. Actual glowing. His body was bigger. Muscles straining against his shirt. His teeth were pointed when he opened his mouth.

"What are you?" The words came out as a whisper.

He did not answer. Just grabbed my hand and pulled me up. Started dragging me toward the parking lot.

The first wolf was getting back up. Shaking its head. Blood dripped from its mouth but it was not dead. It started moving toward us again.

"Get in the car." Adrian shoved me toward the Bentley. "Lock the doors. Do not open them for anyone but me."

"What are you going to do?"

"What I should have done the moment we got here."

His body started changing. I watched in horror as his bones shifted. His skin rippled. Fur sprouted along his arms. His face elongated. His hands became claws.

Within seconds Adrian was gone.

In his place stood a wolf. Bigger than the others. Black fur. Blue eyes that still glowed.

The wolf looked at me once. Then turned and ran straight at the three attackers.

I scrambled into the car and locked the doors with shaking hands. Through the window I watched Adrian fight. Watched him tear into the other wolves with teeth and claws. Blood splattered across the grass. Snarling filled the air.

This was not real. Could not be real. People did not turn into wolves. Wolves did not attack weddings. None of this made sense.

One of the attacking wolves went down. Did not get back up.

Another ran. Disappeared into the trees.

The third one kept fighting. It was smaller than Adrian but fast. It dodged his attacks and went for his throat.

Adrian caught it. Bit down. The wolf yelped and went still.

Silence.

Adrian stood over the bodies. Blood on his muzzle. His chest heaving. Then he started changing again. Bones cracking. Fur receding. Within seconds he was human again.

Naked.

He walked to the car and knocked on the window. "Open the door Freya."

My hands would not move. I just stared at him through the glass.

"Freya. Open. The. Door."

Slowly I unlocked it. He got in. There was blood on his hands. On his chest. He smelled like copper and something wild.

"Drive." He reached into the back seat and pulled out a bag I had not noticed before. Started pulling on clothes. "We need to leave before more show up."

"More?"

"Yes more. Now drive."

"I cannot drive this car. I can barely drive my own car."

He cursed under his breath and climbed over me into the driver's seat. I scrambled into the passenger side. He started the engine and we peeled out of the parking lot.

Neither of us spoke for several minutes. I watched the city lights blur past the window. Tried to process what I just saw. Failed completely.

"You turned into a wolf." My voice sounded distant. Like it belonged to someone else.

"Yes."

"That is not possible."

"Clearly it is."

"What are you?" I turned to look at him. "What were those things?"

"Werewolves." He said it simply. Like he was telling me the weather. "They are werewolves. I am a werewolf. This world has a lot more in it than you thought."

Werewolves. The word sounded insane even in my head. "That is not real. Werewolves are not real."

"You just watched me shift and kill three of them. Still think they are not real?"

I did not have an answer for that.

We pulled into the underground garage of his building. Adrian parked and got out. Came around to my side and opened the door. I did not move.

"Come on. We need to get inside."

"I want to go home."

"Your home is not safe. Neither is anywhere else right now except with me." He held out his hand. "Please Freya. Trust me."

"Trust you? You just turned into a wolf. You lied to me about everything."

"I did not lie. I just did not tell you the whole truth yet." His hand stayed extended. "But I will tell you now. Everything. Just come inside."

I did not want to go with him. Wanted to run. Wanted to wake up from whatever nightmare this was. But the memory of those wolves chasing us was too fresh. The fear was too real.

I took his hand.

We rode the elevator up in silence. My mind was racing. Werewolves existed. Adrian was one. Those things at the wedding were trying to kill us. Kill me. And somehow this all connected to what I overheard. To my mother.

The elevator opened into his penthouse. Adrian led me to the living room and pointed at the couch. "Sit."

I sat. Watched him move to the bar and pour two drinks. He came back and handed me one. Whiskey. I downed it in one gulp. The burn felt good. Real.

"Start talking." I set the glass down hard. "Tell me everything."

Adrian sat across from me. Leaned forward with his elbows on his knees. "Werewolves are real. We have been around for thousands of years. Living alongside humans. Hiding what we are."

"Why?"

"Because humans fear what they do not understand. And fear makes them dangerous." He ran a hand through his hair. "There are packs all over the world. Families. Hierarchies. Laws. We have our own society hidden inside yours."

"And you are one of them."

"Yes. I am an Alpha. Leader of one of the largest packs in this region."

Alpha. The word stirred something in my chest. Something that felt like recognition. "What does that mean?"

"It means I am in charge. I make the rules. I protect my pack." His eyes met mine. "And I protect what is mine."

"I am not yours."

"Yes Freya. You are." He said it with such certainty. Such finality. "You are my mate."

The word hit me like cold water. "Your what?"

"My mate. My destined partner. The one person in the world meant for me." He leaned closer. "I have been searching for you for years. And three weeks ago when you turned nineteen I finally found you."

"That is insane."

"It is the truth. Werewolves have fated mates. We can smell them. Feel them. The bond pulls us together." His hand reached out and touched my face. I flinched but did not pull away. "I knew the moment your scent reached me. You are mine. And I am yours."

"Stop saying that." I stood up fast. Started pacing. "I am not a werewolf. I am human. This is crazy."

"You are not human Freya."

I stopped. Turned to stare at him. "What?"

"You are not human. You are a werewolf. Like me." He stood and moved toward me. "Your mother bound your wolf when you were born. Hid it with magic so no one would know what you were. But the binding is breaking. You are awakening."

No. No no no. "You are lying."

"I am not. Think about it. The dreams you have been having. Running through forests. Hunting. The way your senses have been sharper this week. The way you can hear things you should not hear. Smell things you should not smell." He was right in front of me now. "That is your wolf trying to break free."

I shook my head. Backed away. "My mother was human. She died in a car accident. She was just a regular person."

"Your mother was human yes. But your father was not. He was an Alpha. A powerful one. And when you were born their enemies came for you. So your mother used ancient magic to bind your wolf. To hide you." His voice went soft. "And then those same enemies killed her to keep their secret safe."

The room spun. I grabbed the back of the couch to steady myself. "Kelvin."

"Yes. Kelvin killed your mother under his father's orders." Adrian's jaw clenched. "Asher Brooks wanted your bloodline erased. Your father created laws that Asher hated. Laws against humans and werewolves mating. When your mother had you despite those laws Asher saw it as the ultimate betrayal."

"So he killed her." The words came out flat. Empty. "And he wants to kill me too."

"Yes. But he will not succeed. Because you are mine and I protect what is mine."

"Stop saying that." I wanted to scream. Wanted to cry. Wanted to break something. "I am not yours. I am not a werewolf. This is not real."

"Freya—"

"No." I moved toward the elevator. "I need to leave. I need to think. I need—"

"You cannot leave. It is not safe."

"I do not care." I hit the elevator button. "Let me go."

"No."

"Adrian I swear if you do not let me leave right now—"

"What? What will you do?" He moved in front of the elevator. Blocked my path. "Run back to your apartment where Asher's people are probably waiting? Run to Clara who has been reporting your every move to me for two years? Where exactly do you think you can go?"

Clara. The betrayal hit fresh. "She works for you?"

"She is part of my pack. I asked her to watch over you. To keep you safe until you awakened." His expression softened. "She cares about you Freya. That part was real. But yes she reports to me."

Everyone had lied. Everyone had used me. "Get out of my way."

"No."

"Move Adrian."

"Make me."

We stared at each other. The air between us felt electric. Dangerous. Part of me wanted to hit him. Part of me wanted to kiss him. I did not understand any of it.

"Please." My voice cracked. "Please just let me go. I cannot breathe in here. I cannot think. I need space."

Something flickered in his eyes. Pain maybe. He stepped aside. "Fine. But you are not going alone."

"I do not want you with me."

"Too bad. You are my mate and my responsibility. If you leave you leave with protection." He pulled out his phone and sent a text. "Marcus will meet you downstairs. He will take you wherever you want to go and keep you safe."

"I do not want your protection."

"You have it anyway." He moved to the elevator and held the door open. "Go. But Freya. You cannot run from what you are. And you cannot run from me. Not forever."

I stepped into the elevator. Watched him standing there looking like everything I wanted and everything I feared. The doors started closing.

"I will find you." His voice was quiet. "When you are ready. I will be there."

The doors closed.

I rode down alone. My chest was tight. My hands were shaking. My whole world had exploded in the span of an hour.

Werewolves. Mates. Murder. Magic.

None of it made sense.

But the worst part was that some deep part of me believed him. Believed all of it. Because it explained the dreams. The strange feelings. The way I felt pulled toward Adrian like gravity.

The elevator opened. A man stood in the garage. Tall. Dark hair. Eyes that glowed slightly in the dim light.

"Miss Reed. I am Marcus." His voice was gentle. "Where would you like to go?"

I did not answer. Just walked past him toward the exit. Toward the street. Toward anywhere that was not here.

"Miss Reed wait. It is not safe."

I did not wait. Did not stop. Just kept walking.

Behind me I heard him curse and follow. Heard him calling someone. Probably Adrian.

I did not care.

I turned the corner and started running.

Away from the werewolves. Away from the lies. Away from the man who claimed I belonged to him.

I ran until my lungs burned. Until my feet ached in the stupid expensive heels. Until I could not run anymore.

Then I collapsed on a bench in some park I did not recognize and let myself finally break.

Tears came hot and fast. Sobs tore through my chest. Everything hurt. Everything was wrong.

My mother was murdered. I was not human. Adrian was a werewolf who thought I was his destined mate. And somewhere in the city people were hunting me.

I did not know what to do. Did not know where to go. Did not know anything anymore.

All I knew was that I could not go back. Not to Adrian. Not to that penthouse. Not to the life I thought I had.

So I sat on that bench in my expensive dress and cried until there was nothing left.

And tried very hard not to think about the blue eyed wolf who promised he would find me.