Chapter 58
*Jiselle*
The crisp smell of antiseptic still lingered in the air, but the sting of it didn’t hit as hard this time. Maybe because I could finally breathe again. Maybe because the fever was gone, the aches and chills no longer strangling me from the inside out. But I wasn’t fine.
Not even close.
My legs still felt like overcooked noodles, and my arms trembled every time I tried to adjust the sheet over my lap. Still, the nurse had said I’d recovered enough to be discharged.
Discharged.
Like the hell of the last week could be wrapped in a bow and filed away with a single word.
Nate sat beside me, his hand loosely folded over mine, thumb brushing gentle circles against my skin like he needed the contact as much as I did. There was peace between us now–a fragile, tentative peace that felt like it could either bloom into something whole or fracture into a thousand pieces if I breathed the wrong way.
And still, I was grateful.
The door opened, and I didn’t even have to turn my head to know it was Ethan. His presence settled in the room like gravity -familiar, anchoring, but today… heavy.
He stepped in slowly, his dark eyes flicking from Nate to me. His mouth opened, then closed again, like he wasn’t sure where to begin. Nate stood without needing to be asked.
“I’ll give you two a moment,” he murmured, brushing a quick, warm kiss to my temple before walking past Ethan and quietly closing the door behind him.
Ethan dragged the nearest chair across the room and dropped into it with a long sigh. His elbows hit his knees, and he laced his fingers together like he was trying to hold himself steady.
I sat quietly, waiting.
“I’m not mad that you’re mated to him,” he said finally, his voice low, tired. “I’m mad that I didn’t see it. That I couldn’t stop any of this.”
His words made my chest cave in a little.
“You couldn’t have known, Ethan.”
“You’re my sister, Jiselle,” he said, looking at me. “My twin. I was supposed to know,”
“You were protecting me. That’s all you’ve ever tried to do.”
He exhaled through his nose, rubbing a hand over his face. “Doesn’t feel like enough.”
“It is,” I said gently, and reached for his hand. “But I need something from you now.”
His brows lifted slightly.
“I need you to forgive him,” I said softly. “Nate.”
Ethan leaned back. “You serious?”
I nodded. “He made a promise to you when we were kids. That’s why he left. That’s why he didn’t claim me. He told me… he thought he owed you his life.”
Ethan’s head jerked slightly. “What?”
“He wouldn’t tell me what happened exactly. Just that he wouldn’t have survived something without you.”
Ethan sat silently for a long beat, blinking. “I don’t even… I don’t know what that could be. But I’ll ask him.”
We stared at each other for a long moment, twin reflections of pain and guilt and the kind of bond only shared through years of unspoken understanding.
“I almost died, Ethan.”
His jaw clenched.
“I don’t want to ever be in a position where I leathe
Ethan looked away. His voice was thick when I Successfully unlocked!
I stiffened.
The realization ak.
please, talk to him. Not just for me–but for you.”
e fully mated now, aren’t you?”
Chapter 58
“Jiselle.”
“It was… on our birthday.”
Silence.
Then-
“He had sex with you on our birthday!?”
I groaned. “Ethan, please-”
“I’m going to kill him!”
“Ethan!” I grabbed his arm. “No. He didn’t force anything. We were sixteen and stupid and scared and in love. I wanted it as much as he did.”
He yanked his arm away, pacing like a wild animal. “But then he left like a week later! I remember now–he disappeared right after that. You were a mess, and I thought it was something else entirely.”
“It was because of the promise,” I said softly. “He couldn’t stay. He thought he had to let me go.”
Ethan stopped moving. His face collapsed, and something raw passed through his expression. “So all this time, I thought he was the reckless one. I thought he didn’t give a damn about you.”
“He thought he was doing right by you,” I said. “He hurt me to protect your freindship.”
Ethan sank into the chair again, burying his face in his hands. “Moongodess. I was the reason you never had him.”
I touched his knee gently. “You didn’t know.”
He shook his head. “Still. That doesn’t make it okay.”
“No, but I forgive you.”
Tears pricked his eyes, and he wiped them away before I could call him out on it.
A few moments passed, and the door creaked open again. Nate stood in the doorway, hesitant.
Ethan stood too.
Then, to my complete surprise, he walked straight to Nate and pulled him into a hug.
Nate froze for a beat, caught off guard, then slowly wrapped his arms around my brother.
“You’re a dumbass,” Ethan muttered. “A loyal dumbass, but still.”
Nate chuckled under his breath. “I’ll take it.”
Ethan stepped back, wiping his face with his sleeve. “You ever hurt her again-”
“I won’t,” Nate said quickly.
“Good.”
I smiled, a real one this time.
A nurse entered quietly then, holding a clipboard. “Sorry to interrupt. Jiselle, you’re ready to be discharged. But before that… the Council would like to see you.”
She glanced at Nate. “Both of you, actually. It’s about Maximus Laker.”
I swallowed hard.
Nate stiffened beside me.
Ethan’s face darkened.
But all I could do was nod.
