Helen's POV
The piece of chocolate sat on my bedside table, the gold foil shining like a cruel joke under the dim light of my room. I hadn't eaten it. I couldn't bring myself to swallow something given by a man who looked at me like I was dirt under his boot.
Caleb's eyes had been so cold in the hallway. They were like two chips of ice, sharp enough to cut through the tiny bit of hope I had left.
I lay on my thin mattress, my heart feeling like a heavy stone in my chest. I thought about the way Cassian had healed me, and then I thought about how Caleb had insulted me in front of Kevin. It felt like I was being pulled apart by two different currents in a dark river.
Just as I was about to close my eyes and try to sleep away the shame, a small pebble hit my window. Then another. I sat up, my breath hitching. I crept to the window and looked out. A tall, hooded figure was standing near the edge of the shadows, beckoning me toward the glass-walled greenhouse that sat on the edge of the pack gardens.
My heart hammered against my ribs.
I knew I should stay inside. I knew it was dangerous. But the pull of the bond was like a physical leash, dragging me toward the door.
I slipped out of the pack house, moving like a ghost through the silent corridors. The night air was chilly, making the silk ribbon around my thigh feel cool against my skin.
I reached the greenhouse, the glass panes reflecting the fake, silver light of the satellite moon.
Inside, the air was thick and humid, smelling of damp soil, blooming jasmine, and something else. Something electric.
He was waiting for me near the ferns. He looked magnificent in the moonlight, his shoulders broad and his stance powerful.
As soon as he saw me, his face softened into a look of such pure devotion that I felt my knees go weak. He reached out and took my hand, drawing me into the center of the greenery.
"You came," he whispered. His voice was like velvet, smooth and deep.
He didn't waste a moment. He began to speak, but it wasn't the harsh commands of an Alpha. He started reciting ancient pack poetry, words about the moon and the stars, and how two souls could be forged in the same fire.
He spoke of a love that was written in the stars long before the first wolf ever shifted. It was beautiful. It was the kind of romance I had only read about in old, tattered books.
"I know the day was hard," he said, stepping closer until our chests were almost touching. "I know the world outside is cruel, Helen. But in here, in the dark, you are my sun. You are the only thing that matters."
He reached out to brush a strand of hair behind my ear. I watched his movement, my eyes following the line of his arm. That's when I saw it. He used his left hand to reach for me. He moved with a grace that was slightly different than the man from the night before.
I remembered Cassian tending to my wounds. Cassian had been very deliberate, using his right hand for everything, his left arm hanging with a slight stiffness from an old war injury.
This man moved his left arm with perfect ease.
I stood very still, my mind starting to race. I leaned in, pretending to rest my head on his chest, but really, I was sniffing the air.
The scent hit me. It was familiar, yes, but it wasn't the deep forest pine that had filled my room last night. This scent was sharper, more like the smell of the air right before a lightning strike. It was burnt ozone and cold stone.
He wrapped his arms around me, holding me tight. It felt wonderful, but the doubt was growing like a weed in my mind. I thought about the hallway. I thought about the chocolate. I thought about the way the twins looked so much alike that even their own father sometimes struggled to tell them apart. But a mate was supposed to know. A mate was supposed to feel the soul, not just see the face.
"You're so quiet tonight," he murmured, his breath warm against my temple. "Are you still thinking about the stones those children threw? I promise you, they will be punished. Every tear you cry is a drop of blood I will take from them."
His words were protective, almost possessive, but they felt a little too rehearsed. It was as if he was playing a part in a play. I pulled back just an inch, looking up into his golden eyes. They were beautiful, but were they the same eyes that had looked at me with ice in the hallway? Or were they the eyes that had wept for my pain in the basement?
If they were switching places, why? Was it to protect me, as Cassian said? Or was it a game? Were they testing me to see if a wolf-less Omega was smart enough to tell her own masters apart?
My heart began to ache with a new kind of pain. The idea that I was being shared, that I was a prize being passed back and forth between two brothers, made me feel sick. I needed to know. I needed to hear him say it.
He leaned down, his lips ghosting over mine, waiting for me to close the gap. He was so handsome, and the bond was screaming at me to just surrender, to forget the questions and enjoy the warmth. But I couldn't. I couldn't love a shadow.
I reached up and placed my hand over his heart. I could feel it beating fast, just like mine. I looked him straight in the eyes, my voice steady even though my soul was trembling.
"I love the poetry," I whispered, my fingers gripping his tunic. "And I love the way you look at me when the doors are locked. But I need to know which one of you is standing here right now."
He froze. The romantic smile didn't leave his face, but his eyes changed. The warmth stayed, but a flicker of something else, something like surprise or calculation, flashed through the gold. He didn't pull away, but the air in the greenhouse suddenly felt much heavier, as if the humidity had turned to lead.
He squeezed my waist, his thumb brushing against my hip in a way that felt like a claim. He waited for a heartbeat, his gaze searching mine as if he were trying to see how much I truly knew.
The silence stretched between us, filled only by the sound of the crickets outside and the hum of the laboratory sensors hidden in the greenhouse frame.
"Tell me," I pushed, my voice cracking just a little. "Please. Just tell me your name."
He hesitated. It was only for a second, a tiny pause that a normal person might not have noticed. But to a mate whose entire life depended on the truth, it felt like an eternity.
He took a slow breath, his chest expanding against my hand, and finally, he gave me an answer.
"Caleb," he said.