Housebound with the Blackridge Heirs novel Chapter 15

**Change Begins With You — Jayden Collins**
**Chapter 15**

**Maya**

“Tyton! Tylon! Come quickly!” I shouted, bursting through the backdoor and racing into the house, my heart pounding in my chest like a wild drum.

Tylon was already awake, dressed, and making his way down the stairs. His brow furrowed in confusion, and I could see the concern etched on his face.

“What in the goddess’s name is wrong with you, Maya?” he exclaimed, his voice a mix of irritation and worry as I stumbled into his arms, barely managing to keep my balance.

He caught me just in time, his strong hands gripping my shoulders firmly. I looked up into his dark gray eyes, which held a flicker of annoyance but also a hint of concern. They swept over me, assessing my state, before returning to my face, searching for answers.

“Leo,” I gasped, my breath hitching as panic surged through me. “We were running on the path, and this enormous wolf just appeared out of nowhere! Leo told me to run, and I did because I didn’t know what else to do! But I think he stayed behind with that wolf, and I don’t know if he can stop it! He could be dead, Tylon!”

“Hey! Maya!” Tylon interrupted, his grip on my cheeks tightening as he forced me to meet his gaze. His voice was surprisingly calm—too calm for the chaos swirling in my mind. That unnerving tranquility only intensified my fear.

How could he remain so composed when I had just revealed that Leo might have been mauled or worse by a monstrous wolf?

“He was on the path back to campus, I think,” I stammered, my eyes welling up with tears as the weight of my actions crashed down on me. “The wolf was already blocking the way, and he told me to run! Oh my God, I left him out there all alone! I ran like a coward, and now he’s probably dead!”

A sob escaped my lips, and I noticed Tylon’s jaw clench, as if my words were an annoyance rather than a cause for concern.

What an insufferable prick! I had just told him that his friend could be dead, and here he was, looking at me as if I had sprouted another head.

“It’s okay,” he finally said, his hands falling away from my face, but his tone was devoid of any compassion. “Leo’s fine. He can take care of himself.”

I stared at him in disbelief, my mouth agape.

“Fine? Against a freaking five-foot wolf?”

He brushed aside my concern with a wave of his hand. “Stay here,” he commanded, and without another word, he lifted me aside as if I weighed nothing, stepping past me with determination.

“Are you seriously going out there unarmed?” I shouted, my frustration boiling over as I followed him. “Do you even have a plan, or are you just going to glare the thing to death?”

He remained silent, his focus unwavering.

“Hello!” I called after him, my voice rising in exasperation. “Did you not hear what I just said?”

“And I said stay here, Maya,” he replied, irritation creeping into his voice.

I groaned, dismissing his order as I continued to trail behind him, my heart racing with anxiety.

“Are you planning to go die too? I told you to call someone! The authorities or anyone trained to handle these situations!”

Again, he ignored me as he broke through the treeline, leaving me standing on the porch, my heart racing with dread.

“Tylon!” I yelled from the back steps, my voice tinged with urgency.

He shrugged, as if it were the most casual thing in the world. “Wasn’t taking any chances.”

A snort came from behind us, and I turned to see Caden, his sly smirk and warm blue eyes indicating he was back to his usual self.

But that didn’t excuse his behavior. “What’s so funny?” I snapped, my irritation bubbling to the surface. Instantly, his smirk faded, and I could see the guilt flicker in his eyes.

“Maya, I—”

“I need a bath,” I interjected, cutting him off before he could say anything more. I turned to Leo, forcing a smile despite the turmoil inside. “I’m really glad you’re safe. But please, don’t scare me like that again.”

He nodded, a small smile breaking through his earlier seriousness.

I shot a glance at Caden and Tylon, both of whom seemed to share the same guilty look, before I slipped into the house.

Once inside, I pressed my back against the bathroom door and squeezed my eyes shut, replaying the morning’s events in my mind. There was no way that wolf was just a normal creature.

And there was no way it simply ‘left’ after that. Not that I thought Leo was lying, but the fury I had seen in that wolf’s eyes when it charged at us was a death glare—one that promised violence. I couldn’t believe Leo had simply talked it down.

Tylon’s unnerving calm, the kind that comes from knowing exactly what lurks in the shadows, lingered in my thoughts, weighing heavily on my mind.

Something strange was happening here, and I had sensed it from the very first day I arrived.

For the sake of my sanity—and my safety—I needed to uncover the truth.