Chapter 45: Leaving and Realizations

Chapter 45: Leaving and Realizations Natalie~ I blinked. Then I laughed. I mean, really laughed. A full, belly-aching, tear-inducing laugh because surely—surely—Jacob was joking. "We’re going to Paris," he had said, like he was inviting me out for coffee. Like it was normal. Like it wasn’t the most absurd thing I had heard in my entire life. When my laughter finally subsided, I wiped a stray tear from my eye and looked at Jacob. He wasn’t laughing. The amusement died in my throat. "Wait." I straightened in my seat, my heart starting to pound. "You’re serious?" Jacob rolled his eyes. "Would I joke about something like this?" "You would, actually," I shot back. "And you just did. So excuse me for not believing that you’re actually planning to whisk me away to Paris of all places." He shrugged, as if we were discussing the weather. "Believe what you want, princess, but the plane leaves in a few hours." I stared at him, utterly dumbfounded. Then I threw my hands up. "This is ridiculous! You can’t just decide to go to another country on a whim!" "Sure I can." "No, you can’t!" I exhaled sharply. "People don’t just pick up and fly across the world like it’s a casual trip to the grocery store. There are things like... I don’t know, plans, for starters! You need money, lodging, paperwork—" Jacob hummed, tapping his fingers on the steering wheel. "Money? Check. Lodging? Check. Paperwork—" "Exactly!" I interrupted, crossing my arms. "I don’t have a passport! Or a visa. Or a—" Jacob reached over to the glove compartment, popped it open, and casually pulled out a small stack of documents. Without a word, he handed them to me. I hesitated before snatching them from his hands, flipping through them quickly. My eyes immediately landed on the first passport. Jacob Bartholomew. It was official-looking, complete with a business-class plane ticket tucked inside. Then I flipped to the next passport. And froze. Because staring back at me was my face. My name. A fully documented passport with an attached ticket. My stomach twisted as I looked up at him. "How?" My voice came out small, barely above a whisper. "How did you get this? How did you even get my picture?" My grip tightened on the documents. "Did you forge this?!" Jacob smirked. "Don’t concern yourself with the how, princess. Just trust me." "Trust you?" I let out a sharp, incredulous laugh. "Trust you?" I waved the passport in front of him. "You expect me to blindly follow you, a man I barely know—No offense—" "None taken." "To another country with fake documents?!" I yelled. He exhaled, rubbing his temples. "They’re not fake." "Oh, so you’re telling me you somehow obtained an official passport for me in a matter of hours?" Jacob shrugged. "I know people." That did not make me feel better. "No," I said firmly, shoving the documents back at him. "No way. I’m not doing this. I can take care of myself. I’ll be fine on my own." Jacob groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose. "You’re not fine, Natalie. That’s the problem." "I will be," I insisted. "I don’t need you risking your neck for me. You’ve done enough already." His jaw clenched as he pulled out his phone. I frowned. "What are you doing?" He ignored me, his fingers moving swiftly across the screen. "Jacob?" Still, no response. I was about to reach over and snatch the phone when he turned it towards me. A video played. I hesitated, my gut churning with unease as I took the phone. My eyes flicked to the screen, and instantly, my blood ran cold. It was security footage—from the hotel we had stayed in. In the grainy black-and-white video, a group of men stormed through the lobby. Griffin was leading them. My breath hitched as I watched him bark orders at the receptionist, his face contorted in rage. The footage cut to another camera angle, showing the men searching rooms, tearing apart hallways, shoving guests aside. Then, Griffin turned to the others and spoke. "Search every inch of this damn city," he snapped. "Hotels, motels, homeless shelters—I don’t care where. Do not return until you find them." I barely registered the gasp that escaped me. Jacob silently took the phone from my trembling hands. "They won’t stop," he said evenly. "If you go on your own, I guarantee you won’t last the night. Darius and Griffin will find you, and when they do..." He didn’t finish the sentence. He didn’t have to. I pressed a hand over my mouth, my entire body shaking. This couldn’t be happening. Darius had thrown me away like trash, banished me from his pack, marked me against my will, and now—now—he was hunting me? I looked at Jacob, my mind spinning. "You’re telling me," I said slowly, "that the only way to be safe is to leave the country?" Jacob nodded. "They won’t expect it. They think you’ll stay hidden, not that you’ll disappear entirely." I swallowed hard. My brain screamed at me to say no. To run. To fight. But my heart... My heart knew there was no choice. Jacob wasn’t wrong. If I stayed, I was as good as caught. I closed my eyes, inhaled sharply, and whispered, "Okay." Jacob’s face lit up. "Good girl." I shot him a glare. "Shut up." He grinned. "You won’t regret it, princess. And besides," he added with a smirk, "I’m positive my siblings will love you." I blinked. "Siblings?" Jacob laughed. "Oh, yeah. They’re a crazy, unhinged bunch. But, you know, good for the earth." I gave him a look. "That means absolutely nothing to me." He snorted. "Don’t worry, you’ll meet them soon enough. Now, come on," he said, unbuckling his seatbelt. "We need to check in before takeoff." I sat there, stunned, my mind still struggling to catch up. In less than an hour, my entire world had flipped upside down. I was leaving the country. With Jacob Bartholomew. And there was no turning back. ********* Griffin~ The grand Silvercrest Royale Hotel stood tall and imposing, its glass exterior reflecting the city lights like a beacon of wealth and power. It was the kind of place where only the elite dined, where secrecy was valued, and where deals were made in hushed voices behind closed doors. Tonight, it was the stage for something far more important than just another business transaction—Alpha Darius had tasked me with organizing a private meeting for the pack’s most trusted elders. For months now, my uncle had been facing unrelenting attacks. His businesses were suffering, our pack was being raided by an unknown enemy, and no matter how hard we tried, we couldn’t pinpoint the source of these problems. It was like fighting a shadow—invisible, untouchable, yet deadly. The elders believed the answer lay within their sacred traditions, and tonight, they would discuss the matter in secret. I arrived at Silvercrest Royale with Lisa and Marissa in tow. Lisa was my best friend turned girlfriend, and Marissa was the pack’s most trusted secretary. My uncle trusted her work ethic, and frankly, so did I. Lisa nudged me as we stepped into the luxurious lobby, her piercing green eyes scanning the space with interest. "You know, if you really wanted to impress me, you could’ve just taken me out for dinner, not dragged me to a secret elder meeting." I rolled my eyes. "This isn’t about impressing you, Lisa. It’s about making sure my uncle’s empire doesn’t crumble." Lisa smirked. "I was just joking, Griff. You need to relax." Marissa, ever the professional, ignored our banter and checked her tablet. "I’ve already secured the private lounge on the top floor. The security is tight, and no one unauthorized will be able to eavesdrop." "Good," I muttered. "This has to be airtight." "And also, the men who went looking for her would be giving a briefing at the meeting," Marissa added and then crossed her arms. "I still don’t get why the Alpha is so obsessed with finding her again." I stiffened, knowing exactly who she was referring to. Natalie. I had spent months trying to convince myself that rejecting her was the right choice. A wolfless werewolf had no place in my family, especially one claimed by my uncle. And yet, the more I tried to move on, the more I felt the sting of our severed bond. Lisa had been my rock during that time, helping me through the pain. But deep down, even I couldn’t explain why my uncle wanted Natalie back so desperately. "She’s not our problem, she’s theirs," I said, forcing my voice to be neutral. Marissa sighed looking at me concerned. "Yeah? Then why do you look like you’re still thinking about her?" "Who are you guys talking about?" Lisa asked looking confused. I ignored the question. We had work to do. The night was going smoothly—until it wasn’t. Marissa had excused herself to go check on other details, so I went to get Lisa a seat at the waiting area. As we approached the seating area, my gaze inadvertently swept across the room, and there she was—Natalie. She sat hunched, as if trying to make herself invisible, her eyes were wide with what seemed like fear. Our eyes met for the briefest moment, a fraction of a second that felt like an eternity. A sharp pang shot through my chest, the remnants of our severed bond making my heart ache. But she didn’t seem to feel anything; her expression remained the same. Determined to maintain my composure, I tore my gaze away, focusing on the task at hand. I guided Lisa to a seat directly across from Natalie, murmuring a quick excuse about finalizing our booking arrangements. As I walked away, I couldn’t help but glance back, the sight of Natalie stirring a tempest of emotions I thought I’d buried. I knew my uncle, was searching for her, but I had resolved not to get involved. Ignoring her was the safest path—for both of us. After completing the necessary arrangements, I returned to the lobby, only to be met with a scene of chaos. Marissa was on the floor, clutching her side, tears streaming down her face, while Lisa stood nearby, looking shaken. And there, standing amidst the turmoil, was Natalie. A surge of anger flared within me. "NATALIE!" I bellowed, the lobby falling silent as all eyes turned toward us. I stomped toward her, fury blazing inside me. "What the hell do you think you’re doing?" I snarled, my voice venomous. It was all a blur from there onwards until that strange man arrived and interjected himself into the situation. At first I had thought he was one of the numerous people Natalie seemed to be sleeping with, anybody would have thought the same thing, she had come to a hotel with him. But when Marissa clutched her throat, eyes wide with panic, unable to make a sound. That was when I was sure that the man—Natalie’s companion—wasn’t normal. I had never felt rage like that before—burning, relentless, consuming. The way he spoke to me, the threat in his voice, and what he did to Marissa... all for someone like Natalie? It was almost too much to take. I stepped forward, ready to confront him, but before I could make my move, they were already walking away. By the time I got my emotions in control, I chased after them, desperate for answers. I finally found them in front of a room door and I was just about to call out when I heard something that made my blood run cold. "Fine. My real name is Mist, the wolf spirit, son of the first moon and guardian of the second moon." Mist. The Wolf Spirit. I could not believe my ears. Growing up, my grandfather, the pack’s seer, used to tell me stories of Mist, the Wolf Spirit. According to legend, Mist was the first son of the Moon Goddess. He was the one who gifted every werewolf their inner wolf consciousness, allowing us to think like humans instead of beasts. But the most important part of the legend? Mist had a sister—the Second Moon. She was born with the power of prosperity, longevity, and peace. She was so precious that the Goddess never let her go to Earth without Mist acting as her protector. And now, Mist was standing right in front of me? No. It couldn’t be real. But then... He appeared. Like a ghost. One moment, he was watching Natalie enter her room. The next, he was standing directly in front of me. I stumbled back. "What the—" His eyes which were brown earlier were now golden and they gleamed with amusement. "Why are you spying on me, mortal?" I opened my mouth but no words came out. Was this really happening? I forced myself to speak. "You—what are you? Are you a wizard?" The man sighed as if I were the dumbest creature he had ever encountered. "I swear, mortals have grown more foolish over the centuries." He took a slow step closer, and my entire body locked up. "The Goddess blessed you with a beautiful diamond, and you threw it away for a plain rock," he said. I frowned. "What?" He tilted his head, as if studying me. "You rejected your fated mate. The one chosen by the Moon Goddess herself. Do you have any idea what you did?" I didn’t understand. None of it made sense. I wanted to ask him more, but he suddenly vanished—like smoke dissolving into thin air. I staggered back, feeling like my entire world had tilted off its axis. Natalie... a diamond? What did that mean? I walked blindly into a quiet corner of the hotel, my mind racing. The man’s words haunted me. The Goddess blessed you with a diamond, and you threw it away. I had rejected Natalie because she was wolfless. Because she was claimed by my uncle. Because she was weak. But what if...? No. I ran a hand through my hair, my frustration mounting. My mind link came to life. I barely had time to register my father’s voice before asking. "What is it?" "Griffin," his voice was urgent. "Do you have any leads on the whereabouts of Princess Katrina? I hope you haven’t forgotten why you were sent to Silverfang?" I blinked. Princess Katrina. Suddenly, realization struck me like lightning. I shot to my feet so fast that my chair nearly toppled over. No.