Chapter 5

Isabella’s POV

As Luca's eyes hardened, my fear turned into a panic I had never known before. His face contorted, his eyes darkening, and a weird, animal-like growl erupted from the depth of his chest. I stepped back, my heart pounding so loudly that I seemed to hear it in my ears.

‘Do you really think you can run from me?’ he snarled with an undertone of something wild, almost primal in his voice.

I pressed against the cold stone wall, breathing shallowly. I wanted to look away, to close my eyes, but there was something in Luca's expression that kept me unwillingly unable to look away. 

His eyes shone with an extraordinary light and his whole frame seemed to quiver with rage barely controlled.

And then, right before me, his body started to change: his muscles rippled and stretched, his frame growing larger than any human should; his hands twisted and elongated, nails extending into claws that shimmered in the torch's dim light. 

A thick fur erupted along his arms, shoulders, and face. His eyes became a bright glowing gold and his teeth sharpened to fangs that shone with a chilling menace.

A scream rose in my throat but could not escape. I stood frozen as my mind circled not knowing what lay before me. 

“This isn't real,” I told myself, clinging to every rational thought that passed through her mind. “This has to be some sort of nightmare.”

But the creature in front of me was all too real, towering over me and intimidating, his growl resonating through my bones. A part of my brain screamed to turn and run, but my legs didn't seem to want to listen. 

They were just locked in pure horror.

And last, of course, the darkness that I instilled in me and overcame me so that I was not able to see anything. And the last thing I clearly saw was the horrible figure of Luca then everything went black and I fell to the floor.

As soon as I opened her eyes, I felt something soft and heat wrapping around me. My head throbbed as I blinked to make sense of what lay before me.

 A bed-Iwas in a bed, beneath fresh, crisp sheets with a faint morning light pouring through a nearby window. My mind whirled pieces of the past memories-the horrific figure looming over her, Luca's eyes shining with that strange, inhuman light.

I tried to get up, but my head arched sharply and I was forced back down. A soft hand came to rest on my shoulder, persuading me to remain lying.

"Easy," whispered Luca's voice, softly but with an edge of something unrecognizable beneath. "You fainted. Just rest."

My heart raced at the glance of his eyes, partly expecting to see those golden eyes with pupils that had sent fear running through her veins. But he looked… normal. Human...

 I scrutinized his face for a sign of anything, any remnant of what I'd seen in that dungeon, and found nothing more peculiar than his usual quiet.

“Luca", I whispered,my voice barely audible “I…. I had a dream. You were a…..” I stopped to catch my breath.

" You were….. you aren't…… I saw you…… Human…. You…..You turned to a…” my voice trailed off 

He raised his brows, a faint smile on his lips. " A werewolf” he finished for me.

My heart skipped a beat. He was serious" You’re not….. denying it?" I asked, my voice trembling.

Luca took a deep breath, his gaze fixed on my face “Isabella, there's,a part of this world you don't understand, a part that most humans don't see, what you witnessed last night__ it my reality" 

My stomach twisted, the reality of him being a werewolf settled in me. " So, you are really a? Still doubting his words

“Yes," he said quietly. “I'm a werewolf. An alpha for that". 

“I don't understand," I whispered. “Why did you reveal yourself to me?" my voice choked with fear.

" You are not just anyone Isabella” 

I waited, watching him carefully, feeling as though I was on a brink of revelation I didn't want to hear. " What do you mean?” 

He hesitated, the muscles in his jaw tensing. His gaze flickered, as though he were listening to some inner voice. In that silent moment, something strange seemed to pass over him, his expression shifting subtly. It was as though he were wrestling with something he didn’t want to admit, even to himself.

*She’s our mate,* a voice growled in his mind, the voice of his wolf.

 *You know it. That’s why we can’t let her go.*

Luca clenched his fists, his expression hardening as he forced the thought aside. 

*No,* he told himself.

 *She’s human. She’ll never understand. I don't want her as a mate, she's weak and not from a lineage of werewolf* 

“Luca,” I said softly, pulling his attention back to me. “What aren’t you telling me?”

His gaze softened, the mask slipping just for a moment, and I saw a glimpse of something raw, something vulnerable. But then, just as quickly, he shut it away, his expression returning to its usual guardedness.

“You wouldn’t understand,” he said finally, his tone distant. “You couldn’t.”

My chest tightened with frustration, a mix of fear and anger bubbling within me. “Then make me understand,” I pleaded, my voice filled with a desperation I couldn’t contain. “I don’t want to be afraid of you, Luca. But I can't be with a werewolf” 

He looked at her, his eyes filled with a sadness I hadn’t seen before, and for a brief moment, I thought he might tell her that he might finally let me in. But then he looked away, shaking his head.

“You’re safer not knowing,” he murmured, as if convincing himself. “I’ve protected you this far. That should be enough.”

I felt my heart sink, a hollow ache filling her chest. I had thought, for a moment, that there might be some hope, some way to bridge the gap between them. But Luca was determined to keep his secrets, to hide behind the walls he had built around himself.

“You can't be the one for me Isabella, I would see it to break the arrangement with us" he said coldly 

I don't understand. Yesterday, he put me in a dungeon because I tried to escape but now he wants to break our contract. 

“You want me to leave," I said, unsure of what I just heard.

“Yes, Isabella after I am done with the ritual" 

I knew something about werewolves and I immediately knew what he was talking about.

“You are my mate" my voice shakes.

He looked at me with a hopeless gaze.

No,no,no, impossible. How? Why? What? Never.