Chapter 35 – Hate me but never leave me

(From Luca's perspective)

I slammed my fist into the bathroom door, shaking the frame. My whole body burned with fury. How had I let Quinn get the upper hand again? That damn cake... I could still feel the humiliation burning through me like wildfire.

"I won't let anyone embarrass me," I muttered quietly, though I was aware it wasn't just about the cake. It revolved around her—Quinn—and her talent for bringing to the surface emotions I had been avoiding for years. Or I was angry because I knew I was losing her.

I hurried down the corridors, searching the whole school area for her. My mind was clouded with anger, but beneath the surface, a knot of guilt gnawed at me. Today was her birthday. I'd known that, and still, I had ruined it. I'd done it because... hell, I didn't even know anymore. Was it to push her away? To stop feeling what I was feeling for her?

But my body didn't care about all that. I needed to find her, even if I didn't know why.

I caught her scent before I saw her, the wind carrying it through the school courtyard, leading me to the forest edge. As I stepped into the woods, my heart rate increased with the awareness that she was nearby. Whenever things became overwhelming, she always appeared to dash away - just like I did.

She stood by the stream, appearing as if she was attempting to block out the world. But she wasn't going to forget me.

"What do you want?" she snapped, spinning around to face me. Her voice was sharp, full of frustration.

I hated how her voice affected me, how it made me want to grab her and make her see how much she drove me crazy. I clenched my fists. "I want you to stay away from me."

You're the one following me, Luca! You're the one who ruined everything, remember?" She mocked.

She delivered a powerful message. However, the anger that had been quietly boiling within me reignited, morphing into something unsightly and unmanageable. "How dare you smash a cake on me in front of everyone! Nobody humiliates an Alp—" I stopped myself before finishing the sentence, but she'd heard enough.

"What were you going to say? Alpha male?" She crossed her arms, glaring at me like I was the villain in her story. "Yeah, you act like one. Stubborn, rude, a total bully."

Her words stung, but I couldn't show her that. "You ruined my birthday, asshole!" she continued, voice breaking. "You deserved what you got!"

That cut deeper than I expected. Before I could stop myself, I grabbed her arm and spun her toward me. "Why do you defy me so much?" My voice was raw, trembling with the emotions I was trying to suppress. "You're driving me insane."

And then I did the one thing I shouldn't have done—I kissed her.

It wasn't soft or romantic. It was messy, full of the frustration and confusion that had been building up inside me for weeks. Her lips were warm, and for a split second, I felt her melt into the kiss. But it didn't last.

 "What the hell, Luca?" she gasped. She pushed me away with a strength that shocked me. The look in her eyes was filled with confusion and hurt.

I could feel the regret clawing at me, even before she spoke. But I wasn't ready to face it. I wasn't ready to admit what I was feeling for her. "I shouldn't have—"

A rustling in the trees caught my attention before I could complete my task. Ethan suddenly appeared, exuding anger like the intense heat of a wildfire. His angry eyes glared at me, and without hesitating, he rushed towards me.

His tackle caused both of us to crash onto the ground. I barely noticed as my head crashed into the ground. The only sensation I experienced was the intense anger flowing within me, while the only thing in my sight was Ethan's furious face right next to mine.

I defended against his punch and then counterattacked with full force. We fell to the ground, trading blows, with each punch stronger than the last. Nevertheless, a problem arose. This dispute went further than just feelings of envy or rage. There existed a deeper essence, a fundamental nature.

After that, I experienced it—the change. My bones shattered and changed shape, muscles swelling during the process of transformation. My wolf desired freedom.

I had hardly enough time to comprehend the situation before Ethan's body also began to transform. His physical appearance disappeared, and in its place emerged something significantly more threatening. In a matter of moments, we transformed from men to wolves, engaging in a fight for survival.

As instinct kicked in, the world around me became a blur. I pounced on Ethan, showing my teeth, bashing into him with all my strength. But he was just as fast, just as vicious. We circled each other, growling, snarling, and our fur bristling in the sunlight.

Even though Quinn's screams were echoing in my mind, I couldn't bring myself to halt my actions. Not at this moment. The dominance of my wolf was in charge, leaving me with only the option to resist.

Each clash, every bite, was driven by the battle within me—my affection for Quinn, my animosity for the connection that bound us, my apprehension of what would occur if I allowed her to enter.

But this wasn't a fight I could win. Not against Ethan. Not against myself.

And deep down, I knew it.

The moment Ethan and I collided in the clearing, claws slashing and teeth bared, nothing else existed. We were all instinct and rage, our snarls echoing through the trees. His movements were wild, uncalculated, but I wasn't thinking either—I just wanted to hurt him. Every swing of my paws felt personal, driven by the searing jealousy that had been eating away at me since Quinn showed up.

He lunged again, and I caught him midair, throwing him into the ground with a bone-jarring thud. But he was up in an instant, jaws snapping, eyes burning gold. Damn him. Damn everything.

Then, as we clashed once more, something hit me—a sound, faint but clear. A howl. Kimmy. Then another—Nick. Both howls sliced through the frenzy, yanking me out of the fog of fury. They weren't just howling; they were calling for help.

We froze, still locked in a vicious grapple, but both of us heard it. Something was wrong—worse than our stupid fight. Quinn. The Echo.

I shoved Ethan off me, both of us breathing hard, but without a word, we turned in the direction of the howls and bolted. There was no time to think or talk. Just run. Trees blurred as we tore through the forest, the only thing driving me forward was the thought of Quinn. If that monster got to her before we did… no, I couldn't let it happen.

My legs burned, my heart pounded, but I pushed harder, faster. Ethan was right beside me, the tension between us forgotten, at least for now. The only thing that mattered was getting to her before it was too late.

Then I caught their scent—Nick and Kimmy—mixed with something else. Blood. And Quinn's scent was mixed with it, sharp with fear.

Panic surged through me, fueling my speed. I broke through the treeline into the clearing, and the scene that unfolded in front of me hit like a gut punch. The Echo was there, its dark form swirling in the shadows, bearing down on Quinn. Kimmy was crumpled against a tree, barely moving. Nick was on the ground, bleeding out.

And Quinn… she was backed into a corner, her eyes wide with terror.

"LYCAN!" she screamed, but this time, something in her voice cut deeper. She knew. She finally knew.

No time to process. I charged at the Echo with everything I had, crashing into it, feeling the crack of bone and the tear of flesh. Ethan joined the fight a second later, and together we tore into it, but the damn thing was slippery—its form wasn't even solid half the time, just shadow and smoke.

It lashed out, catching me across the side, the pain sharp, but I barely felt it. I couldn't let up. I couldn't stop. Not when Quinn's life was hanging in the balance.

But no matter how hard we fought, the Echo wasn't going down. It twisted, moving unnaturally fast, breaking free from our attacks and slinking back toward Quinn, its eyes glowing with malevolent intent. I lunged for it again, but I was too slow.

"Quinn!" I roared, my voice only came out as a wolf growl, but she didn't move. She was frozen, eyes locked on the Echo, her body trembling.

And then something changed. I felt it before I saw it. A surge of energy, wild and unfamiliar, pulsed through the air. Quinn's hand shot up, and before I could even react, a blinding light erupted from her palm, striking the Echo mid-leap.

The creature screeched, its form flickering, retreating just enough for Ethan and I to regroup. I shot a glance at Quinn, disbelief hitting me hard. What the hell had she just done?

But there wasn't time to ask. The Echo wasn't finished. It growled, low and vicious, and this time its eyes were trained solely on Quinn. It was pissed, and it wasn't leaving without her.

Ethan shifted back into his human form, his voice raw with urgency. "Quinn, you need to move!"

She didn't. She just stood there, staring at the Echo like she was trying to figure out what had just happened. Hell, I was trying to figure it out too, but we didn't have the luxury of time.

"Luca, Ethan, get back!" Quinn's voice was steady, way too steady for someone facing down a nightmare.

We hesitated, but the Echo lunged again, and this time Quinn raised both hands. Another blast of light, even stronger than the first, slammed into the Echo, sending it crashing into the ground. The creature howled, writhing in pain, its shadowy form flickering like it was about to fade.

But not yet. It wasn't done yet.

"Quinn, finish it!" I yelled, my voice rough from the fight, from the panic, from everything but I knew she could understand me through my animal bark.

She looked at me, and for a split second, I saw something new in her eyes. Strength. Determination. And then, with a fierce roar, she stepped forward, hands blazing with light, and unleashed everything she had.

The Echo's form started to shift again, turning into something darker, something even more sinister. It hovered in front of Quinn and I couldn't understand why this thing wasn't exterminated. She had hurt the Echo, but not enough.

"You think you can outrun your fate, girl?" The Echo's voice was a hiss, dripping with venom. Its form flickered, barely holding together. "You are still mine. The curse is too deep, too strong. And soon... it will claim you."

And then, just like that, it was gone.

Silence.

We stood there, panting, bruised, and bloody, but alive. I turned to Quinn, my heart still racing, trying to wrap my head around everything that had just happened. She looked back at me, her face pale, but there was something different about her now. Stronger. Fiercer.

But even as relief washed over me, I knew this wasn't the end. Not by a long shot.

And damn it, I still had to deal with the fact that she now knew who I really was.