Chapter Twenty Four - Insane - Maya's POV

I stare at him, unable to breathe. My heart slams against my ribs as I continue to back against the headboard, though I'm not getting anywhere. My fingers grip the edge of the bed, trying to find anything to bring me back to reality. Damian stands in the middle of the room, his chest rising and falling heavily as he gains his breath again. But he's not just a man anymore. He's something else entirely. I saw him change right before my eyes and now I'm not sure what I'm dealing with. It seems like the rumors I heard had truth to them, but I didn't expect for it to be this. He's a wolf shifter. How can this be? 'You were a wolf just a second ago," I say, breaking the silence. 'Yes." 'And now you're a man," I add. He only nods. 'Yes." 'Your skin rippled as you twisted and contorted into a man. It was so primal and wild with your bones cracking. Just what are you? You can't be like that the books say," I say, my voice becoming squeaky. 'A wolf shifter, Maya. That is what I am." 'A wolf shifter," I repeat, realizing books got it right. 'I'm not sure what to think." The realization of what he is slams into me. Werewolf or wolf shifter, whichever he is, that is what I'm dealing with. I squeeze my eyes shut, willing myself to wake up from this nightmare and find some logical explanation. But when I open them again, all I see is flesh and a very naked man in front of me. 'Maya," he whispers. 'Don't Maya me. You bought me from my father for what reason? You don't need a human, do you? Do you plan to eat me?" When he steps forward, I flinch. That one movement, though tiny, changes everything. His face tightens, and for the first time since I arrived, I see something flicker in his gaze. Guilt. He hates scaring me. But why? 'You weren't supposed to find out like this," he says again. I let out a hearty laugh, though it sounds more deranged than anything. 'Find out what, Damian? That you're not human. That the rumors saying you might not even be a man were true." He sighs as he runs a hand through his messy locks. Honestly, he almost looks frustrated at this entire ordeal. 'You need to understand something, though." When his voice breaks, I let out another laugh. 'Understand what? That I'm living with a man who turns into a wolf?" He doesn't flinch or waver, only stares at me. I guess my reaction doesn't surprise him in the slightest. 'That is what I've always been Maya. Since birth, I have been this and you'll adjust." 'What? Adjust?" He takes another step toward me, which sends me scrambling to find a way out of the room. When he sees me looking around, he stops. 'Maya, I'm a wolf shifter or werewolf, whichever you want to call me. And I'm not just any wolf, either. I'm the alpha of this pack." 'So, you were born this way?" I ask, trying to understand a fraction of what he is telling me. He only nods. The words hit hard and I realize that I'm in way over my head. He's an alpha of his pack. I know nothing about his world, yet I've been thrown into it and now I'm not sure what to do. If I thought I was screwed before, well, I knew nothing. 'This is insane."