Housebound with the Blackridge Heirs novel Chapter 38

**Change Begins With You — Jayden Collins**
**Chapter 38**

**Maya**

The revelation hit me like a cold blade pressed against my throat, sharp and unforgiving.

A… pack?

I couldn’t tear my gaze away from Tylon, my heart racing wildly in my chest, each beat echoing in my ears as I struggled to comprehend the implications of his words.

“Are you saying… that this entire place, Blackridge University, is essentially a wolf pack?”

He nodded once, a single, definitive motion. “We coexist with humans, but the land, the institution, even the town itself—it all belongs to us.”

I shook my head vigorously, retreating until the edge of the bed dug into the back of my legs. “No. This can’t be real. Are you telling me there are what? Hundreds of you here? Just roaming around, masquerading as humans?”

Caden’s voice, though soft, carried a weight of certainty. “Thousands.”

The word landed heavily in my stomach, a stone sinking into a deep abyss.

My breath quickened as I glanced between the two of them. Tylon stood with his arms crossed, his posture unyielding, while Caden appeared to be selecting his words with meticulous care, as if each syllable mattered immensely.

“This university was established centuries ago,” Tylon began, his tone clipped and factual. “It was built over pack territory to conceal our existence. For generations, wolves have studied and worked here, blending into the human world, staying close without revealing our true nature. Humans attend too, but only a select few.”

My throat felt constricted, as if the very air around me was growing thin. “So, all this time, I’ve been living in some… supernatural witness protection program?”

He didn’t even flinch at my sarcasm. “In a sense, yes.”

Caden stepped forward, running a hand through his still-damp hair, the movement almost instinctual.

“It’s not just Blackridge. Packs aren’t mere local tribes or secret cults lurking in forests anymore. We are global, organized, and structured.” He paused, his gaze flickering to mine, assessing how much more I could absorb. “The place you just left is my father’s territory. That’s the Nightshade Pack. It’s one of several that comprise this region. Each pack has an Alpha, and every region is governed by a council.”

“Council?” I echoed, my voice trembling slightly. “You mean like some creepy board of werewolves sitting around deciding who gets bitten next?”

Tylon’s expression shifted, a flicker of amusement almost breaking through. “Not quite. The council is the governing body of the Packlands.”

“The what now?”

Caden met my gaze again, his eyes patient yet serious. “Consider it like this: the human world is divided into continents. The wolf world is divided into Packlands. There are six of them. America is the First Packland. Europe is the Second. Then come Asia, Africa, Oceania, and South America.”

I stared at him, caught in a whirlwind of awe and disbelief. “You make it sound like a damn empire.”

“In some respects, it is,” Tylon said, a hint of pride threading through his voice. “Each Packland has its own laws and traditions. However, the Council of the First Packland, which is where we are, oversees anything that could expose our existence to humans. And that includes you.”

The room tilted slightly, and I sank onto the bed, gripping the sheets as if they could anchor me to reality.

“So that’s who wanted me gone? That day when those people came?” I asked, my voice barely above a whisper. “Not the school board. It was the Council.”

Caden nodded solemnly. “They were afraid you’d find out before you were prepared.”

“Before I was prepared?” I repeated, tears pricking at the corners of my eyes. “And who gets to decide that? You? Them?”

For a moment, silence enveloped us, thick and suffocating.

When Tylon finally spoke, his voice was unexpectedly soft and filled with an apologetic tone. “Caden wanted to tell you. I convinced him you weren’t ready.”

Silence enveloped us once more, thick and heavy.

Tylon exhaled quietly, breaking the tension that had settled like a fog.

“You two should have a conversation,” he said, his voice clipped yet not unkind. “I’ve said enough.”

Without waiting for a response, he turned and left, the door clicking softly behind him.

Caden and I stood in the oppressive quiet that followed, the air thick with unspoken words and unresolved emotions.

“So what am I to you, then?” I asked, my voice barely above a whisper. “Destiny? A curse?”

He met my gaze with an intensity that stripped away all pretense. “You’re the one thing that makes sense in a world that doesn’t.”

I wanted to be furious. I wanted to scream at him. But instead, all that escaped me was a shaky breath that felt alarmingly like surrender.

“I still don’t understand how any of this is possible,” I finally said, pressing my palms against my knees to keep myself grounded. “Why me? Why would some… cosmic mistake choose me?”

He moved closer, slow enough that I didn’t flinch this time. His voice was quiet but unwavering. “I don’t think it’s a mistake. I believe there’s something about you, Maya. Something that terrifies some people.”

The sincerity in his tone twisted my stomach into knots.

I searched his face, desperate to believe him, but too much had shattered within me for that to come easily.

I took a small step back, my voice barely a whisper. “Maybe I should be afraid of me too.”