apter 9
A twin? Colt had a twin?
She had known Colt since the academy. She could count on one hand how many people truly knew her, and Colt had always been one of them.
And yet, here was a man who looked exactly like him. Same sharp jawline, same piercing blue
gray eyes.
She remembered the day Sadie attacked her, and someone had saved her
“So I wasn’t hallucinating when I heard you say you’re Cal?”
“Guilty as charged,” Cal replied with a lopsided grin, his tone amused as if she’d just uncovered a party trick, “You looked so confused, I almost felt bad.”
“W–What?” Eleanor blinked at him.
It was like reality had decided to twist, sideways,
She was composed on the outside, but inside, she was mentally yelling ‘what the hell is going
on?‘
“Wait, then which one of you saved me months ago?”
Colt cast a sharp look at his twin. “The woods were me. The allergic attack… that was Cal.*
Cal grinned, shrugging, “What can I say? I’m pretty handy with an EpiPen and adrenaline rushes.”
Eleanor blinked between them, overwhelmed–and utterly confused. How could she possibly tell apart two identical, sinfully handsome men who both seemed to know her better than she knew herself?
Colt, the serious one, calm and brooding. Then there was Cal, all relaxed confidence and that sly grin that made her question whether he was her safe harbor or the storm itself.
Cal chuckled, raking a hand through his tousled hair with a lazy grin. “If there were a contest between me and Colt, he’d be winning. He’s been saving you since you were, what–four?”
Eleanor furrowed her brows. “Wait, what? No… I thought that was Amiel.”
Cal laughed out loud. “Amiel? Nah, sweetheart. That guy was just a bystander. I mean, Colt was always so fast, you barely saw him. Of course you’d assume it was the guy who stuck around blinking at the aftermath. Classic Colt–save the day, vanish like smoke.”
Eleanor glanced at Colt, still trying to process it all. So everything she thought she knew… was upside down?
Colt managed a small smile. “Cal was the one who patched you up when you skinned your knees climbing the academy’s west wall. You were seven, bawling like the world ended. He ever brought you that tacky pink bandage you loved.”
Eleanor’s mind went completely blank.
No wonder she had always felt confused about how different Amiel seemed over the years. She thought he had simply changed after discovering that Sadie was his mate. But now it all made
sense.
Amiel was never the one.
DDDD
3:37 am DD
She had mistaken someone else as her savior.
Her eyes welled up as she stared at the two men in front of her. “If it was you… why didn’t you ever tell me?”
Cal’s grin faded slightly. “We didn’t want you to feel like you owe us anything, sweetheart.”
Colt nodded. “We weren’t looking for gratitude. We want the real thing from you, Eleanor.”
So all those feelings she’d poured into Amiel all these years, they weren’t really about him. They were for them.
“So all that love wasn’t meant for him, was it? It was for you two?”
“Double the trouble, sweetheart,” Cal said with a low chuckle. “But hey, if you ever want to figure out who’s better with their hands, I’m open to a little demonstration. For science, of course.”
Eleanor’s cheeks flushed.
Colt noticed her discomfort immediately. His hand hovered protectively at the small of her back and shot his brother a look. “Enough, Cal. Elle needs to rest after that long trip.”
Cal just flashed a grin, hands still in his pockets. “Welcome home, Eleanor. Your real home.”
Those words echoed in her head. What did he mean by real?
Was it because he knew about the arrangement she had with Colt?
Still dazed, Eleanor caught the echo of their mindlink.
[You’re enjoying this. You always manage to say more than necessary], Colt said sharply to his brother.
Cal, already walking away with that easy swagger, didn’t look back. But his voice echoed back in Colt’s head, and she heard it, too.
“Time is running out, brother. Tell her before the full moon.”
Eleanor was still digesting Cal’s final words when Colt gently took her elbow. “Come on. Dinner’s ready. I prepared something special for you.”
She blinked, pulled from her thoughts, and let him guide her down the corridor.
“Is Cal joining us?” she asked, glancing over her shoulder.
Colt shook his head. “He’ll eat later. He’s covering for the pack clinic tonight.”
Eleanor’s brows rose. “Clinic?”
“Cal’s a doctor in the human world,” Colt said simply.
Eleanor blinked again. That made sense. He had been quick with that EpiPen.
“What about you? What’s your job, exactly?”
Colt offered a brief, “Real estate.”
That was it. Nothing more.
She wanted to ask further, but they’d already entered the dining hall.
Colt pulled her chair out and waited for her to sit.
“Wow, you really did a lot, she said, her gaze drifting over the spread of dishes on the table. He sat across from her. “I wanted to.”
Chapter 9
Just then, her phone buzzed.
She pulled it from her pocket, frowning at the screen, then quickly read the message.
Colt’s eyes narrowed slightly as he watched her expression shift.
He noticed the tension in her shoulders and the way her fingers clenched around the phone. “What is it?”
t’s my father. He’s demanding I visit home.”
Colt noticed pain in her green eyes. He’d seen it before, too many times to count.
“And you don’t want to go, right?” he asked gently.
Eleanor nodded, her lips pressing into a thin line.
Colt leaned back slightly. He had done his homework long ago–he knew about her family. About how they always favored the adopted daughter, Sadie, over Eleanor. How they kept Eleanor close enough to use her but never close enough to truly love her.
And of course, he knew about Amiel. About his betrayal.
The thought made Colt’s jaw tighten.
“You’re not going back to your pack,” he said firmly.
Eleanor’s head snapped up. “What do you mean?”
Colt sipped his wine and looked her straight in the eyes. “I mean, you’re not going to do anything. You’re not going back to your family. If they really care, let them come here.”
3:37 am DDDD.
“Useless!”
Amiel slammed the phone onto his desk.
