Chapter 187: I am Noah Deus

Noah’s POV

Aria gasps as she realizes what she has done, and I get over the initial shock of being stabbed. She didn’t stab me in the belly.

The sheet over my body creates the illusion of her blade burying itself in my skin, but it’s my arm. She stabbed my arm instead. I cry out in pain and stumble backwards as the entire room erupts into chaos.

I can hear Elias roar my name, I can hear Siren rapidly calling for help, and I hear Aria’s panicked breathing as she lets go of the knife handle. The metallic weapon clatters to the ground and I start to pant.

"Oh goddess...oh...goddess" I start to chant in panic and the omega woman pulls her knife out. Everything is moving so slowly to me that I see her pull out and raise another knife to stab me. But before she’s pushed out of the way by an angry Elias.

"Baby, baby...are you okay?" he asks and my knees buckle as I drop against the alpha’s body.

Dear goddess...that could have been my baby. That could have taken my pup’s life even before its father is aware of its existence. I stare at Elias’s face in shock.

"Call an ambulance" he yells and I hold on to his arm.

"I’m okay..." I manage to tell him, and he slips his hand under the sheet, frantically searches my body, only slightly slowing when he realizes that there are no wounds on my stomach.

"It’s all his fault! It’s all his fault!" Aria starts to scream and I have no words to say as I lean against Elias. My blood is turning the sheets crimson and my body is barely registering the pain.

"Aria, what the hell were you thinking?" Siren yells. It’s a rare moment of seeing the Luna angry, and I still can’t process any of it. My head is all over the place. Just minutes after accepting my new life and its potential consequences...I am once again faced with a life-threatening moment.

"Elias, take him to the room and get his injury treated, call 911" Siren snaps.

"I’m okay, it’s just...it’s just..." not having words for it, I open the sheet to show them where she hurt me and Elias growls like a rabid animal. I feel the raw anger radiating off him. He’s going to kill her. "It’s only a scratch, I’m fine" I say.

I’m trying to act calm but I can hear my heart pounding in my ear like the music bouncing off the walls of a club...mind you, the only club I’ve ever been to is the ones I see in movies.

"What did I ever do to you?" I manage to ask Aria in an unsteady voice.

"Come on, let’s go" Elias says and as he tries to steer me away, I refuse to move.

"No...I’m not going" I say.

"Now is not the time to fucking tell me no. You’re bleeding and I said come..." Elias barks and I pull myself away from him. I don’t care if I’ll end up needing a blood transfusion. I’m going to a new phase of my life and I can’t keep having people step all over me.

"I’m not going anywhere till I’m done talking with her" I turn my head to Aria who is being held down by Silas, and she laughs angrily. "Oh you have some nerve" she hisses. She doesn’t look remorseful for hurting me, she looks like she’d do it again and again till I’m part of the dead bodies littering the mansion.

I have a pup to protect; I can’t afford to let this slide.

"I need to know what Aria’s problem with me is, and I need to know it now" I say in the voice I’ve been taught to speak with in public; the Winslow Prince voice.

"Oh you don’t know? You don’t know how twenty-five young omegas went missing overnight because of you?" she spits.

She’s blaming me for something I had no control over. All I have is a name attached to me...a name I’m still trying to know if I can trust or not.

"I know you were taken from Winslow as a kid, and I’m sorry, but it has nothing to do with me" I respond and she struggles to break out of Silas’ grip.

"It doesn’t? It doesn’t?! We had to work on farms for days so you can have your house warmed and your food balanced. We were treated like dogs so you could have your fancy outfits when you paraded the street with your monstrous family. We- we were thirteen and alone" her voice breaks and a part of my heart breaks for her.

"I was twelve too. Aria. If you were thirteen and unable to control anything, what did you expect a twelve-year-old who was going through weeks and weeks of mindfuckery to do?" I ask.

The words leave my mouth so easily and so cold that they sound nothing like me. I think I get it now...I get why Siren has to be icy and why Elias has to be emotionless. I don’t blame them. People draw their pictures, stuff you in it, and get mad when you do or don’t do what they like.

It hurts.

"I was also going through my hell. It doesn’t invalidate what you went through, again, I’m sorry Aria. I really am sorry, but I was a child too" I say with more emotion, but the words aren’t getting to her.

"They all love you and it pisses me off. You came in here and charmed them. We were supposed to make you pay but...Elias, Lucas, even Siren...they all fell in" her voice grows smaller and I shake my head.

"They love you too. If they don’t, you wouldn’t be alive right now" I say flatly and her eyes flash blue with omega rage.

"I will kill you!"

"You’re welcome to try again, but I’ll let you know, I won’t stand by and take it like an idiot" I inform her.

"Who do you think you are?" she roars at me.

"Me?" I ask, taking a wobbly step forward.

"I am Noah Deus" I say and someone curses under their breath like they’re impressed. It sounds like Kai, but I can’t be so sure. I’m starting to lose strength.

I turn around to look at Elias.

"I’m ready to go now" I say quietly and he puts his arms around me. My husband takes me out of the room and I hear Silas say something over Aria’s angry screams.

"That one will make a fine Luna one day, don’t you think?"

Me? Luna?...I don’t think so. I still don’t think I’m worth it.