Beneath the Alpha's Moon
Chapter 86: Cat’s out of the bag

Chapter 86: Cat’s out of the bag

TERESA’S P.OV.

I stood there, clutching my arms to my chest as the night seemed to close in around us. My heart was still racing from Adrian’s sudden disappearance. The way he simply vanished into the woods without a sound—it was unnatural, impossible. But then again, everything about this nightmare was impossible. Vampires, mentions of witches, huge wolves... and now Lucian, looking guilty as sin, standing in front of me like a man with a noose tightening around his neck.

"What did he mean, Lucian?" I asked, my voice trembling but resolute. "When Adrian said those wolves were yours, what was he talking about? Don’t you dare lie to me."

Lucian opened his mouth to speak but hesitated, his usual confidence wavering. His green eyes darted to the trees as if searching for an escape. "Teresa," he started, his tone low, almost pleading. "Let’s not have this conversation here. Please, let’s go back to the house. I’ll explain everything—"

"No!" I cut him off sharply, taking a step back. "We’re not going anywhere until you tell me the truth. Here. Now."

I reached out and took Ollie from his arms, cradling him protectively against me. The simple act seemed to gut him. His jaw tightened, and for a moment, he looked so devastated but I didn’t care. Not after everything. Not after losing one baby already. I clutched Ollie so tightly to my chest that I feared I might hurt him.

"Tell me, Lucian," I pressed, my voice softer now but no less firm. "What aren’t you telling me?"

He exhaled slowly, shoulders slumping as if the weight of the world had finally crushed him. "I was going to tell you everything after I dealt with Adrian," he admitted. "I never wanted it to happen like this."

"Tell me what?" My patience was razor-thin. "What is it, Lucian?"

"Do you remember what I told you the other day?" His voice was cautious now, measured. "When I said I might not be... just a helpless human?"

I stiffened, my mind flashing back to that strange conversation. After thinking about it all night, I had dismissed it to be one of his usual cryptic remarks, some metaphor meant to make him sound mysterious and intriguing. But now, with everything happening, it took on a darker, more foreboding meaning.

"Yes," I said warily. "I remember."

Lucian hesitated again, running a hand through his dark hair. His fingers trembled slightly—an unusual sight for someone who was always so composed. "I’m not human, Teresa," he said finally, the words dragging out like they physically hurt him. "I’m a werewolf."

For a moment, I just stared at him. Then I burst out laughing. "You’re joking." My laugh was bitter, almost hysterical. "A werewolf? Seriously, Lucian? That’s the best excuse you could come up with?"

He didn’t laugh. He didn’t even smile. He just stood there, his gaze steady and unflinching.

"You’re serious," I whispered, my voice barely audible. "You’re actually serious."

"Yes," he said simply.

I shook my head, stepping back as my mind raced. "No. No, that’s ridiculous. Werewolves aren’t real. You’re just trying to distract me. Tell me how you trained those wolves—how you got them to protect me."

"I’m telling you the truth," he insisted, his voice tinged with frustration. "You know that Vampires exists, Adrian is a living proof so why can’t you believe Werewolves exist too?"

"One correct myth doesn’t make all myths true, Lucian!" I said, my tone edging on defiance. "Just explain how you trained those wolves to fight and protect me. That’s all I’m asking, not this nonsense you’re spilling. I don’t have the time or energy for it."

Lucian’s lips pressed into a thin line. "The wolves that protected you aren’t just wolves, Teresa. They’re not pets or trained animals. They’re part of my pack. Juliette, Max and your bodyguards—they’re shifters, like me."

I stared at him, my heart thundering in my chest. "You expect me to believe that Juliette—that elegant, graceful woman—turns into one of those... things?"

"It’s the truth!" he snapped, his voice rising before he caught himself. He exhaled slowly, pinching the bridge of his nose. "I didn’t want you to find out like this."

I shook my head, clutching Ollie tighter. "Prove it," I challenged. "Show me. If you’re really a werewolf, then prove it."

His expression turned conflicted, his hands curling into fists at his sides. "I don’t know if that’s a good idea," he muttered.

"Why not?" I shot back. "Because it’s a lie?"

"No, because..." He paused, looking almost... pained. "Because yesterday, I let a witch perform a ritual on me to give me more strength to face Adrian. It worked, but now my wolf side is getting harder to control by the minute."

I stared at him, dumbfounded. "Do you even hear yourself, Lucian? Witches, rituals, werewolves—none of this makes any sense!"

"Fine! I’ll prove it," he growled, his voice sharp with frustration. But then he froze, hesitation clouding his features. Was that fear in his eyes? Regret? Both? He stepped back slowly, deliberately, like he was trying not to spook a wild animal. His gaze locked on mine, intense and unyielding. "Stay calm," he said, his tone softer now, almost pleading. "For Ollie’s sake."

"Just get on with it," I snapped, though my stomach churned with unease.

He nodded, closing his eyes briefly as if steeling himself. Then, with a deep, guttural growl that sent chills racing down my spine, his body began to change.

It started with his hands—his fingers elongating, claws sprouting from his nails. His muscles rippled and expanded, his skin stretching and then tearing as black and crimson red fur sprouted across his skin. His eyes glowed an eerie, unnatural red, and his face elongated into a terrifying snout. Within seconds, the man I had known was gone, replaced by a massive, hulking creature that loomed over me. The wolf was easily twice the size of the ones that had fought in my room, its black and red fur gleaming in the moonlight.

I screamed, clutching Ollie tighter as I stumbled back. My heart felt like it might explode as terror coursed through me. "Oh my God. Oh my God. What—what is this?!"

The wolf—Lucian—lowered its massive head, whimpering softly as if trying to calm me. But I couldn’t think, couldn’t breathe. My mind raced with one terrifying thought: Is this contagious? Have my babies been infected?

"Stay back!" I shouted, my voice breaking. "Don’t come near me!"

Lucian— or whatever he was—took a hesitant step forward, his glowing eyes filled with something almost human: regret, sorrow... love? But I couldn’t process it. All I could see was the monster before me.

The world spun around me, my knees threatening to give out. This couldn’t be real. It just couldn’t. Yet the massive wolf standing before me said otherwise.