Chapter 5 - Identity

.........

Tory

.........

"Are you okay?" I ask Evaki seeing her staring at her phone, but she doesn’t hear me, making me worry even more. "Hey, Eva?" I call her again, and she looks up at me, apologizing, saying she didn’t get what I was saying. I ask again if she’s okay, and she says she is.

"I don’t think I’m going to be able to go in tomorrow," she says, causing me to look at her again and ask her why not. "I’m not feeling well," she replies, looking away from me, and I ask what’s wrong and if she would like me to take her to the doctor, even though I know she’s going to decline. I know she’s not sick. I heard how fast her heart beat when she said that, and I think I know the real reason she doesn’t want to go. She’s scared she might bump into Paris.

Eva hasn’t heard from Paris since their encounter, and it’s stressing her out, but she doesn’t want to say it because she doesn't understand the feelings she's caught. So she’s fighting them, thinking they make her seem desperate since she doesn’t know they are mates, and the bond makes her behave as she is.

I, on the other hand, know what’s happening. Anton told me this morning that Paris ended things with Stefania and is going to marry Eva. I was so happy, I almost told her and got myself into another pickle. I expected him to have shown up already by now, but he hasn’t, and I’m praying he doesn’t change his mind.

I know his family won’t take this lying down, but there’s always a first time for everything. Plus, who are they to stand in the way of the gods? There’s a reason Eva had to come here now, just ten months before Paris married Stefania. The gods didn’t want it to happen. Plus, Anton always said he didn’t trust Luna’s father. They obviously don’t trust him, either. I hope Paris gets here soon.

It’s been two days since she's been pretending to be happy, and I hate seeing her like this. Plus, I don’t trust how long I’ll be able to keep everything to myself if he doesn’t get here soon. I am worried about her finding out what he is as that will lead to her finding out about me too. I don’t know how she will take it, especially with our history.

Eva and I grew up in the same village, but my family had to leave after my father half-shifted in front of someone who broke into our home. My dad didn’t mean to. He freaked out because he found him inside my room, staring at me while I was sleeping, and instead of running away when he got caught, he took out a gun.

He told everyone what he saw, and no matter how unconvincing my parents tried to make it seem, thinking nobody would believe him since the story was unbelievable to someone who doesn’t know about our existence, it didn’t work. Somehow, people believed him, and threats were made, which made us feel unsafe, so we ended up relating.

Now I’m scared of how she will react when she finds out they were telling the truth all along, that we were beasts. Eva and her family stood by us, supporting us. She and her brother believed the Smiths were lying and hated them for it. But it was different for her mother. Her mother knew who we were. She knew about werewolves because Eva’s father is a wolf, but Eva never inherited the wolf gene, and she doesn’t know who and what her father is. The truth about who I am is not the only thing I’m keeping from her; I’m also keeping the truth about her identity, and guilt hits me hard every time I think about it. But this is not the right time for her to know.

Eva’s mother went to the city after she left high school to work during the holidays, and she was going to study at a college there. There, she met a man and fell in love with him. One night, she found the man with another woman, and they fought. The man had found his mate, but she didn’t know that because she didn’t know about wolves. She fell ill the same night she found out her boyfriend was cheating—or so it seemed until she gave birth. Her boyfriend, who went to check on her, found her passed out with a screaming baby next to her.

When she woke, there was a woman she'd never seen before holding a baby she said was hers. The woman assisted her, and her boyfriend gave her some blood to heal her. Mom believes he never took her to the hospital because he knew she would freak out if she woke up to a baby, raising questions. Wolves did this to avoid arousing suspicions when they impregnated someone who didn't know what they were.

She didn’t understand how she gave birth when they had only been dating for three and a half months, and that’s when the man told her what he was and who the woman she found him with was. Eva’s mom freaked out when she was told. She never even wanted to hold the baby. She refused to accept it was her baby—she refused to accept any of it. Eva’s dad and the woman ended up taking the baby with them when she made it clear she didn’t want it.

The following day, she left and returned to the village, never telling anyone what had happened. She went to a college in the nearest town, carried on with her life, and tried to forget about the ordeal, but it wasn’t over. Nine months later, she got sick. She had lower back pain that wouldn’t go away, and when her parents took her to the doctor, they discovered she was about to give birth. The doctor said it was a cryptic pregnancy. She gave birth to twins Eva and Everett.

Six months after she gave birth, she went back to town to look for the father of her babies, but never found him. He and the baby she had given birth to twelve months prior were gone, and she never saw them again, which means Eva has a twin brother who’s a werewolf somewhere out there.

I was shocked when my parents told me that after I told them I had pumped into Eva at a conference. I never knew. They said Eva’s mom told them her story after the rumors surfaced that they were beasts. She went to my mother and asked her if it was true.

My mother denied it because she didn’t know she knew about wolves, and that’s when Eva’s mom just sat down and told mom her story. Mom said she cried after telling her the story. It had been eating at her for years because she had no one to talk to. Her parents died, never knowing who the father of their grandchildren was or that they had another grandchild out there. She tried to search for him, but she didn’t even know where to begin.

When I found out, I was dying to give her hope, to tell her she wasn’t alone, but I soon realized I’d only be hurting her more since no one knew where he was. No one even knows if they are identical or if Andro Konstantinos was their father's real name. Their mother never really had any information about the man.

When she returned to where he was staying, no one knew the name. I knew she’d spend her days searching for him if I told her. I was also afraid of her getting rejected. What if she found him, but he didn’t want anything to do with her because she was human? It wouldn’t be the first case. So, I decided to bring her here and be her sister instead, like it was when we were growing up together, and never tell her the truth. But now that she’s mated to Paris, I will tell her.

Once they get married and settle down, I will tell her about her brother and father because no matter what she finds, she won’t be alone. She’ll have her mate to comfort her more than I ever could. Maybe he can also find the disgusting sons of bitches who decapitated Everett and sever their empty heads as they did his.

Eva still hates the Smiths and believes they caused her mother's and brother’s deaths. But, based on what she told me about their deaths, wolves killed them.

What I don't know is who could have done it. All the wolves in our village were good people, and they knew Eva's mom. They would never do such a gruesome act. Eva’s brother was found decapitated, and his head was never found. He was buried without it, and that still haunts Eva to this day. I think it's why she still cries so hard when talking about him, even though it's been two years.

"I shouldn’t have slept with him," she suddenly says, ignoring my question, and I open my mouth but close it again, not knowing what to say.

I get up, head to the kitchen, and grab a tub of ice cream. I want to kill Paris right now for making my girl feel like this. I text Anton while I'm at it and ask if he’s heard from Paris again since it was in the morning when he told me what had happened. I can’t wait for us to get married so we can mark each other and be able to mind link instead of communicating the human way, which is very slow and annoying.

Anton is King Athas’s youngest son, the one Paris’ dad spared, which makes him a prince, except for being adopted by the King. Princes are forbidden from marking or having sex with their mates before their wedding night, which is why we can't mind link yet. The link can only be formed when we mark each other. We found out we were mates two years ago when I started working at the company like Eva and Paris, and it has been the best two years of my life. I can’t wait for my girl to experience this kind of love.

I walk to the cabinet to grab a spoon for her, and just then, my phone rings, and it’s my man. I answer, but just then, I hear someone banging on his door.

"Who’s that?" I ask, and he says Stefania before saying he will call me back and ending the call. What the hell does she want from him? That bitch’s father killed Anton’s father, and unlike him, who only hates the father and doesn’t hold her accountable for her father’s sins, I do, especially now that she’s trying to steal my girl’s mate.

I head back to the front, and Eva smiles, seeing me walk inside the living room with the ice cream.

"Thank you." She takes the spoon, and I open the tub, but just then, there is a knock on the door, and a smile makes its way onto my face, knowing who it is.

"I’ll get it."

.

.

...........

Anton

..........

"Goddess," I mutter as Stefania continues banging against the door.

"You knew, didn’t you? You knew all along and let him do this?!" she screams, taking long strides inside when I open the door before I can say anything. Judging by the state she’s in, I’d say this is about Paris and Eva, so I don’t ask her what she’s talking about and tell her it wasn’t my place to say or do anything. It’s his mate, and he’s my prince.

"You’re his brother first!" She seethes, stepping up to me and grabbing me by my robe. "Antonis, listen to me. I know you love him and can see this is a mistake. Please, don’t let him do this. Don’t let him turn his back on who he is and ruin his life. This will break his father’s heart, and you know it will be for nothing because it will never be accepted. A human commoner will never sit by his side.

“Please!" she says, still holding on to me, tears threatening to fall, and she’s right. The council will fight against a human queen, but Paris knows that, and yet he’s made his decision. I can not, nor do I wish to stand in his way.

"I’m sorry-"

"I don’t need your sorry! I need you to do the right thing!"

"The right thing is supporting my brother," I tell her gently, removing her hands from me. My wolf is struggling to keep calm with her holding me like this.

"So it doesn’t matter what you’re supporting him in? You'll support him even if he’s heading to a cliff?" she asks, stepping up to me again when I take a step back, and I tell her she’s his mate and immediately regret it as the tears she’s been holding back fall from her eyes.

I don’t want to hurt Stefania. I don’t hold her responsible for her father’s sins. Paris’s father never held me accountable for my father’s, so why would I? But I don’t know what she wants from me. Everyone will stand against Paris when he announces their breakup, and I will not turn my back on him too. I have nothing against her, but I prefer Eva as my queen too. I open my mouth to tell her I’m sorry again, even though she doesn’t want me to, not knowing what else to say, but she turns around and heads out the door, wiping her tears. I sigh, following her to close the door so I can call my mate.

Goddess help Eva.

.

.

.........

Paris

.........

"Hey,’’ Tory says, opening the door and stepping aside to let me in, and I greet her back. I ask how she is, and she says she's okay and asks me. After replying, I ask if Eva is home, even though her scent is strong, which means she's here. But my nerves are frazzled. I don’t know how I will begin telling her what I’ve come to tell her. Tory says she’s in the living area, adding she’s going to excuse us, and I nod. She leaves, and I head to the living room. I enter to find her looking at me as if she is expecting me.

"Hey," I softly say, seeing her eyes get glossy as she gets to her feet, and before I know it, I’m taking long strides toward her, and I hold her. "I’m sorry," I whisper in the hug, holding her tighter, and I hear her sniffling against my chest. I know what these two days have done to her, and I was wrong to leave her hanging like this. But I was overwhelmed by my own demons, and I would have just hurt her instead of comforting her because I was undecided. I’ve decided now, and I get what Anton said when I told him I was coming to her, but I had to.

Anton thought it was better to speak to my father before telling her who I am and what we are to each other. But I knew what the bond was doing to her. I couldn’t let her continue suffering.

"It’s okay," she says, pulling back from the hug and wiping her tears. "You must think I’m the craziest person you’ve ever met," she adds, but I cup her face and wipe her tears.

"No, I don’t. I think you are the most beautiful woman I have ever seen," I tell her, still cupping her face. And it turns red as I lean in, unable to resist her lips. "How are you?" I ask against her lips as we break the kiss, and she says she’s okay before asking how I am. I tell her I’m good before asking if we can go somewhere to talk, my heart rate accelerating as I do. She says we can go to her room, and I ask her to lead the way.

We head upstairs, and sweat trickles down my forehead as we enter the room. She invites me to sit down, but I don't. Instead, I take off my jacket and kick off my shoes, causing her to swallow hard while she can’t help but blush, which I find adorable. She returns my smile when I smile at her, and a growl vibrates across my chest, smelling her arousal; I wish I were about to do what she thinks, but there's something she needs to know first, and I don’t know how to explain without showing her first.

"What I'm about to show you is going to shock and scare you. But please trust that I would never hurt you," I assure her, kicking off my pants, and she nods with the sexiest smile, almost making me not go through with it, but it’s now or never.

“I won't hurt you," I whisper again, shifting into my Lycan, and her blood-curdling scream knocks the air out of my lungs.