Chapter 31 Vampire or Warewolf?

Chapter 31: Chapter 31 Vampire or Warewolf?

"I don’t want to know? Are you kidding me? What are you now... a vampire? Or a werewolf?"

Noah meant it as a joke. Deep down, he prayed it was nothing more than that. For the sake of his already fragile sanity, he hoped the stranger wasn’t about to confirm either option.

The man, however, remained completely expressionless.

No smile.

No denial.

Nothing that suggested Noah had been joking.

"This is serious!" Noah exclaimed, his eyes widening. "Are you seriously a vampire?"

He stared at the mysterious man for several long seconds before the stranger suddenly burst into laughter.

He laughed so hard that Noah’s annoyance quickly replaced his confusion.

"Do you take me for a joke or something? Because I honestly don’t see what’s so funny."

The man waved a dismissive hand, still chuckling.

"You may not believe it, but that was genuinely hilarious. What am I supposed to be? Some cartoon character?" He shook his head with amusement. "Please don’t compare me to those childish fantasies. I’m not a vampire, and I certainly have no intention of sucking your blood."

Noah folded his arms, still unconvinced.

"So... you’re not some blood-sucking demon?"

The way Noah kept making ridiculous faces every time he mentioned vampires almost made the stranger laugh again.

Noah, on the other hand, was beginning to wonder if ghosts were even capable of laughing this much.

Apparently they were.

"Oh, Noah..." the man said between laughs. "You have no idea how badly I want to hold you right now. You’re absolutely adorable."

Noah frowned.

Adorable?

Since when?

He certainly didn’t think he looked cute. Then again... he couldn’t help remembering how more than one member of the Moonlight Alphas had called him adorable as well.

He had ignored every single one of them.

"Haven’t you already died once?" Noah asked dryly. "How exactly do you plan on dying again?"

The stranger blinked.

For a brief second, he looked genuinely caught off guard before slowly nodding.

"That’s... actually a good one, Noah."

Then his playful expression disappeared.

"But you’re avoiding what I told you. I said you’re in danger. Are you seriously pretending you didn’t hear that?"

Noah’s smile faded.

He didn’t want to think about it.

The stranger’s words had burrowed into his mind like poison.

According to him, countless people would die because of Noah.

How was anyone supposed to live peacefully after hearing something like that?

"Please..." Noah muttered quietly. "Don’t remind me."

He looked away.

"Do you even realize what hearing something like that does to someone? If what you said is true, then everyone around me is in danger."

His voice dropped even lower.

"I can’t put my friends through that."

The moment the word friends left his mouth, the stranger let out a quiet scoff.

"No one here is truly your friend."

His tone had turned frighteningly serious.

"If those creatures attack again and they discover you’re the reason behind it... do you honestly think they’ll protect you?"

His silver eyes bored into Noah’s.

"They’ll throw you into the horde themselves if it buys them even an hour of safety."

Silence.

"So get that into your head."

His voice became almost pleading.

"Trust no one."

"And whatever happens..."

"Never let them discover who you truly are."

There was an urgency in his warning that Noah couldn’t ignore.

The stranger sounded almost desperate to protect him.

It was... strangely intimate.

Almost romantic.

But Noah refused to entertain such ridiculous thoughts.

A ghost had appeared out of nowhere, claiming he wanted to protect him for eternity?

That wasn’t just unbelievable.

It was absurd.

"You know," Noah said, folding his arms again, "coming here just to confuse me isn’t going to work."

His voice hardened.

"I’m my own person."

"The people I choose to trust are none of your concern."

He took another step closer.

"And tell me something... do you even know them?"

The stranger remained silent.

"I didn’t think so."

"So stop speaking about them like they’re all waiting to betray me."

There was no way Noah would blindly follow some mysterious ghost who had invaded his dreams.

That wasn’t happening.

The stranger sighed.

"How am I supposed to prove that all I want is to keep you safe?"

His expression softened.

"It’s because you have no idea what’s coming."

His voice became barely above a whisper.

"If you knew..."

"...that carefree attitude would’ve disappeared long ago."

That was enough.

Noah couldn’t listen anymore.

His head already felt like it was going to explode.

"Please..."

He closed his eyes.

"Just leave me alone."

"I’ve heard enough."

For the first time since appearing, the stranger looked genuinely remorseful.

"I’m sorry if I’ve made you uncomfortable."

His voice carried a sadness Noah hadn’t noticed before.

"But remember this."

He stepped backward.

"After tonight..."

"...you’ll realize that what happened last night was only a flicker."

"A tiny glimpse."

"What is about to be unleashed will make it seem insignificant."

He looked directly into Noah’s eyes.

"When that time comes..."

"You know where to find me."

His voice echoed strangely through the empty space.

"Free me..."

"And I’ll remain by your side."

"I’ll protect you."

"For all eternity."

That single sentence answered at least one of Noah’s questions.

The stranger had been trapped for an incredibly long time.

Long enough to speak of eternity as though it meant nothing.

"Thanks..."

Noah forced a smile.

"But I don’t think I’ll be needing your help."

He paused before adding,

"And stop invading my dreams."

"Otherwise, next time..."

"I’ll make you regret it."

Before the stranger could respond, Noah suddenly felt the world spinning.

Everything blurred.

His vision became foggy.

It felt as though an invisible force had grabbed him and violently pulled him away.

His body lurched.

"Gasp!"

Noah shot upright in bed, breathing heavily.

His entire body was drenched in sweat.

The room was silent.

He wiped his forehead while trying to steady his breathing.

The mysterious stranger hadn’t revealed his age.

Nor had he explained why he was so obsessed with protecting Noah.

It simply didn’t make sense.

Nobody crossed the boundary between worlds just to dedicate themselves to protecting a complete stranger.

There had to be another reason.

A hidden motive.

Something connected to Noah that he himself didn’t know.

Looking around, he realized the room was empty.

No one had disturbed him.

That alone was surprising.

Lately, privacy had become almost impossible.

If it wasn’t his roommate barging in, it was one of the Alphas climbing through his window as though doors no longer existed.

Then there were his two closest friends, who rarely let an entire day pass without dragging him somewhere.

At least for now...

He was alone.

Good.

He desperately needed a shower.

He also needed time to prepare himself mentally for whatever punishment—or lecture—the dean planned to give him.

And, more importantly...

He silently prayed that whatever crawled out from beyond the Veil tonight wouldn’t consist entirely of creatures determined to hunt only him.

Stripping down until only a small towel remained around his waist, Noah walked into the bathroom.

Warm water poured over him as countless thoughts raced through his mind.

Nothing had gone according to plan.

He still hadn’t solved Ashton’s murder.

One distraction after another kept pulling him away from the truth.

Now an even bigger mystery had appeared.

Who exactly was he?

Everyone else seemed to know.

The world seemed to know.

Yet somehow...

He remained the only clueless person.

Running his hands across his smooth face, down his hairless chest and over his slender frame, Noah suddenly froze.

An idea exploded inside his head.

"Yes..."

His eyes widened.

"Yes! The book!"

His voice echoed excitedly through the bathroom.

"The magic book!"

If he had found it hidden on Ashton’s desk...

Then maybe Ashton had been searching for answers before he died.

Maybe that book contained everything.

The truth behind his murder.

The truth about Noah.

The possibility alone filled him with excitement.

He hurried through the rest of his shower, quickly wrapping the towel around his waist before rushing back into the room.

His drawer.

The book had to be inside the drawer.

But before he could reach it...

He stopped.

Someone was standing inside the room.

Noah barely had time to recognize the figure before the towel around his waist slipped free.

It landed silently on the floor.

Marcus turned at that exact moment.

His eyes instinctively dropped.

For a long second...

Neither of them moved.

Marcus blinked once.

Then, without meaning to, the words escaped his mouth.

"Oh..."

His eyebrows slowly rose.

"...Wow."

A stunned grin spread across his face.

"Fuck me!! That’s... bigger than I expected."