Chapter 54

Nicholas had never met my twin, but I had definitely talked about her when he and I had been dating. I was constantly worried about her, and she would sneak out into my conversations without even meaning to.

Ever since we were kids, she was getting in trouble. Maybe she was too free-spirited. Maybe she was an adrenaline junkie. I’d never been sure. But she chased danger like she was invincible. It was only a matter of time before she caught it.

Or it caught her.

Under the bright moonlight, I watched the shifts in Nicholas’s expression as he thought it through.

That I had left him to be with someone else had been the most obvious answer for my sudden departure. He had convinced himself it was true because it made the most sense.

But I couldn’t help but wonder if deep down, he doubted.

We had been very much in love for all of our time together. We clicked fast and fell hard. For a long time, I thought he might be the one.

He knew that. He felt it too.

He had to question whether I would simply up and leave for such a selfish reason. I was not a good enough actor for everything we shared to be a lie.

Nicholas’s brow pulled together, confused.

Slowly, he seemed to piece it together. My constant worrying. The timing. Elva’s age.

When we broke up, Elva had already been born.

“Your sister,” he said. “Your twin.”

I nodded.

“Elva looks just like you. So she would also look like her.”

“Yes.”

His brow smoothed out. He looked at me as if seeing me for the first time. “Elva is your sister’s daughter.”

Finally, he knew the truth. At least, in part. The rest I could now explain.

“My sister went with the wrong crowd. She became tangled up in a series of bad situations that ultimately left her pregnant and alone. She’d broken contact with me a few times but when she reached out and asked for my help…”

I remembered the desperation in her voice as she had begged me, “Piper, I need you.”

“You never told me,” Nicholas said. “I would have helped.”

“No. I couldn’t involve you in this. You are nobility –”

“To hell with nobility,” Nicholas said, straightening. “I loved you, and you were hurting. I should have been there for you. I would have been.”

“But you also had a really bright future. You’d never been… tarnished with any of the things she was involved in.” I lowered my head, afraid he might see the lingering feelings on my face. “I wanted to keep you safe.”

Nicholas placed his index finger under my chin and gently coaxed me to look at him again. I had thought he’d be angry, but his eyes held only concern. When he spoke, his voice was whisper-soft.

“And who was keeping you safe?”

We both knew the answer: no one.

“Elva was a newborn when the underground organization snatched her away from the hospital. My sister owed them many debts. I offered to pay. I knew I could scrounge up the money somehow. But they laughed at me.”

Nicholas’s hand moved from under my chin to curl around where my neck met my shoulder. His fingers massaged the muscle there, offering silent comfort.

He must have been able to tell how difficult this was for me.

Remembering the past like this, nearly sent me straight back there. His touch was grounding, keeping me here in the present with him.

“They wanted my wolf. I didn’t even hesitate. They had Elva.”

I tried to blink back the tears but they still escaped from under my lashes. Even after three years, everything that happened felt so raw.

“You did what you had to do,” Nicholas said. His understanding surprised me. I searched his face but saw no hint of deception. He meant his words.

Another tear fell. I always thought he’d hate me when he learned the truth. I needed a minute to compose myself enough to speak again.

“What happened to your sister? How did you end up with Elva?”

“Once my wolf was taken from me, she totally disappeared. But they held up their end of the bargain and gave me Elva. I thought my sister would eventually return but… she never has.”

No visits. No phone calls. No birthday or Christmas cards for Elva.

It wasn’t the first time she had gone dark on me, but this time the circumstances were much different. I was caring for her child, the one she had been so desperate to rescue when she’d called me.

Whether the underground organization had gotten to her, or she had only wanted me to remove her responsibility, I wasn’t sure.

She wasn’t dead. I knew that much. As twins, we shared a bond. If she was dead, I was certain that I would feel it. What little comfort I had, was from knowing she was still alive somewhere.

I had lost my wolf and my sister in one day. And my boyfriend soon after. But I had gained Elva, so I would never regret. But my grief remained palpable.

I could see a similar grief now reflected in Nicholas’s eyes. It lasted only a moment before it was replaced with a blazing, righteous fury. Yet his touch remained gentle. His voice was measured.

“All of this. Everything you went through… Everything you lost. And our whole relationship ended, because of your sister.”

I understood his anger. I felt it for myself many times. But at the end of the day, she was family.

“She’s my sister. Even if things ended badly, we’ll always share blood. As twins, our bond is even more profound.”

“She didn’t care about any of that when she set you up to lose everything. Or when she then abandoned you and Elva.”

“It’s not like that.” I stepped back from him, pulling away from his touch. “She’s mixed up with a bad crowd. She didn’t set me up. And she didn’t abandon us, either, she just hasn’t come back yet.”

“Piper.”

“No, Nicholas. We grew up together. Wherever she is, she must have her own reasons. When she comes back, I will sit down with her and hear her out. She deserves a chance –”

“She doesn’t deserve half so much for what she did to you.” Nicholas followed me, inching into my space once again.

He was so tall, I had to look up at him. Yet even with his looming, intimidating, furious presence, I never felt anything but safe.

“You sacrificed everything for her. And she couldn’t even be asked to stick around. Did she at least say thank you?”

She hadn’t. I never saw her again after losing my wolf. I awoke in a dirty alley with a crying baby pressed beside me.

I watched the moment Nicholas’s anger twisted inwards. He seemed to deflate a little.

“If you would have told me…”

“What I did was illegal,” I said. “And I had a baby. I couldn’t stay in school after that.”

“I would have supported you.”

“How? By dropping out alongside me?” I shook my head. “I never would have let you. This was the only way, to protect us both.”

Nicholas reached out and gripped my upper arms. He held me firmly, but not enough to hurt.

“You were my girlfriend, Piper. I would have done anything for you.”

“You think I didn’t know that? That was exactly why I couldn’t tell you! You deserved so much better…”

“So did you! If you would have only –”

“Well, isn’t this a sight,” Linda said from the doorway.

Nicholas and I jumped apart. His arms fell to his sides.

At once, his fury and desperation disappeared under his princely persona, cold and detached. The switch was jarring.

“You should have immediately made your presence known,” Nicholas said, voice flat. “How much did you overhear?”

“Many apologies, Your Royal Highness. I assure you my intentions were pure. I merely wondered where you had wandered off to, and thought to look out here.” Linda tapped a finger to her chin. “As for how much I heard…”

Her gaze slid from Nicholas to me and back again.

“So you two were campus sweethearts, hm?”