Chapter 2
When I wake up late, Kaden’s gone. A chill weaves through my bones at his absence, leaving me shivering. Wrapping the sheet around me, I pad downstairs, searching for him. A note lies on the table and my hope dies as I open it.
The monarch requires your presence at 11 am.
Dread kicks me into action. With no time for a shower, I change into an elegant cream knee-length dress and matching flats, then sweep my hair into a low ponytail and hurry out the door as the car pulls into the driveway.
I rub my sweat-slicked palms on my thighs and breathe in and out to calm my frayed nerves. The driver parks and opens the passenger door for me. With my pulse pounding a deafening beat, I climb inside.
A bout of dizziness hits me, but I push forward. I have to.
The drive up the hill is silent and passes in an instant before Thomas is leading me down a long hallway, my steps echoing––an ominous sound.
In her office, Grandmother sits in a silver and black velvet armchair like it’s her throne. “You have a choice to make. Kaden, or the Family.”
I sink back against the door, shaking my head. This can’t be happening.
“Your loyalty must be to me,” Grandmother says.
“But I am loyal.”
She waves me off. “Yes or no.”
Remembering Kaden’s request, I say, “No.”
Her harsh features emphasize the glint of malice in her eyes. “Stupid girl. He chose me.”
My heart flatlines in my chest, life draining out of me, leaving me barren.
No, I won’t believe that. He wouldn’t do that to me.
On unsteady feet, I stumble outside.
Rain pelts down my skin, freezing my insides, but I don’t return to the car. Instead, I run to Kaden’s house and pound on his door. There must be a logical explanation for this. I refuse to believe differently.
He opens it, revealing his face set in an unsettling mask of impenetrability.
“Kaden?” With my gaze, I beg him to make me understand.
“I made my choice.”
A plethora of emotions strangle my neck with their unyielding tentacles. Any second now, my lungs will seize, and I won’t be able to breathe. That would be more merciful than facing his betrayal.
“Why?”
A bout of anger jolts me from my comatose state, and I slam my fists on his chest. He grabs them, and for a moment, I believe he will wrap me in his arms, and I’ll wake from this nightmare.
“Don’t come back,” he says, then pushes me out the door before closing it in front of me.
A cry leaves my mouth, piercing the heavy silence. Paralyzed by shock and disbelief, I couldn’t move if I wanted to. I don’t know how long I remain there, shivering in the pouring rain before a car stops behind me.
Our childhood friend and heiress of the Voss family, Abigail, steps out while her driver holds an umbrella for her. Her blond hair is tied in a low ponytail. Always so put together. I wish I could be more like her.
“Abi, do you know what’s happening here?”
She takes my hand and squeezes it, but no warmth seeps through the coldness owning every fiber of my being.
A small smile grazes her lips. “You’re free. You should be happy about that.”
I watch her go inside Kaden’s place and close the door, leaving me on the outside. That shakes me out of my stupor, and I walk away. With the very air I breathe carrying a note of finality, despair tears me apart. I trudge toward my house, feeling dead, empty, and confused.
When I arrive, Kaden’s father, Felix—the right hand of the matriarch—is standing in front of my door. He heads the financial sector, which is comprised of various companies that involve money management and credit unions. He is the most influential among the elders of the Family.
“I’m here to take you away.”
“But this is my home.” My voice is lifeless, devoid of emotion. I sound like a broken record. “Where am I going?”
“Far away from here.”
Unaware of my own movements, I find my feet carrying me upstairs, functioning on autopilot and misery. I grab the picture of my parents and pat the necklace hanging around my neck, a reminder of the vow he shattered not even a few days later.
Kaden’s not here to say goodbye, to say it’s a ruse. He’s not coming.
***
The drive to the airport passes in a blur. I didn’t even say goodbye to our other two friends, Bailey and Blake. Still, the Family’s private plane traverses the Atlantic and descends seven hours later at Heathrow Airport.
Before we disembark, Uncle Felix turns to me and says, “You never say no to the Family.”
Heaviness weighs me down. I thought Kaden was my family.
The weather in London hits me with its moodiness. I wrap my coat around me, gripping it tightly. Gray clouds swirl above my head, and flashes of lightning split the sky, fitting my inner world perfectly. On the tarmac, a black town car waits to bring me even farther from my old life and everything and everyone I knew and loved. The knowledge would be jarring if I weren’t numb with sorrow.
We leave the airport and the city behind, and before too long, the driver parks in front of two large iron gates with a gargoyle resting on each brick column. A security guard opens the gate, and we drive down a long cobblestone path.
On the right side, large, faded statues and acres of green land span as far as my eyes can see. A blanket of lush, perfectly mowed grass surrounds a garden with a fountain in the middle. On the left is a Victorian castle. The old stone building towers over the landscape, looking like it came straight from a horror movie. This place gives me the creeps.
“Where are we?” I ask Uncle Felix.
“Preston school. Your new home.”
“How long will I stay here?”
He chuckles in response, sending a shiver down my spine. With that, the driver opens my door, forcing me out. I stand with my small luggage and watch the car depart, taking my past with it.
Stranded.
Rain is pouring down on me.
Nothing. I have nothing left but myself.
Water drips from the tips of my light-brown hair onto my trench coat as a gloomy atmosphere surrounds me. I taste the saltiness of my tears mixed with the rain and wipe them away, only for new ones to soak my lashes. What good have tears brought me anyway? With determination steeling my spine, I swear I won’t cry. Never again.
Through the rain, I see someone approaching. With my shoulders held high, I squint to see him better. He’s dressed in all black, and he’s tall. As he approaches, I crane my neck to see his face. Roughened features, cut jaw. My gaze locks onto steely eyes accentuated by thick lashes. He’s handsome, yet my heart doesn’t even flutter. How could it? It died.
“You’re here,” he says, with a tone of familiarity that has me tilting my head. There’s something warm in his voice, even though his appearance is anything but. “Follow me.”
“What’s your name?” I ask, but he’s already walking away. I grip my luggage and follow to catch up to him. For every step he takes, I take two. That never happened with Kaden. Maybe because he always walked at my speed and not vice versa. Missing him strangles my heart, but I shove my feelings into the furthest corner of my chest.
We climb the stairs leading to solid wood arched doors, then cross the threshold into an open, gray space. Antique furniture fills the entrance, and a murky scent permeates the air. Our steps echo in the hollow space, adding to the dark tone of the building.
“My name is Hunter.” He stops, and I bump into him.
“Sorry. My name is Celine.”
“I know.”
A pause stretches while we look at each other.
“I hope you’re ready,” he says.
Our shoes thud on the marble, leaving a damp trail of prints across the black and white checkered floor. Before I can ask what he is talking about, he opens the door at the end of the hallway.
Two men wait behind a mahogany desk, both dressed in impeccable suits. The one with a thread jacket is seated, but I stare at the one standing with tears in his eyes––the same as mine, dark blue. A myriad of emotions crosses his features.
“Celine.”
He says my name so tenderly that it ignites memories, and my mind blares with recognition.
“Dad?”
He nods, his hands trembling as he cuts the distance between us in three long strides, squeezing me into his embrace. I go limp in his arms. The shock is so great I have trouble discerning if he’s real or a figment of my imagination. Blinking, I take him in. His appearance has changed, and not merely with the passage of time.
He must read my confusion.
“Plastic surgery. I missed you so much,” he says, kissing the top of my head.
“What? How?”
My mouth stays open, but no more words come out.
I thought you were dead. Why are you here? Why didn’t you come for me?
The other man watches and says, “You’re safe. You’re with your family. We’ll give you a minute.”
He leaves the room, and Hunter follows. I lean against the desk, my body too weak to sustain me anymore. Everything feels fuzzy.
“I’ll tell you everything, but first, how are you?”
Brokenhearted, my spirit annihilated.
“Surprised?” I say instead.
“Why did the matriarch send you away?”
“I chose wrong.” I regretted that choice. But now, with my father here, offering me a semblance of the familial connection I never thought I’d experience again, I don’t.
“You chose well. It was the only way for us to reunite without raising suspicion. From changing my physical appearance, family name, and starting over across the ocean, it was a lengthy process.”
I’m shocked to see my father alive. So many questions swirl in my head, but first, I need to know who is at this school and if I can trust them. “Who were those two guys?”
“Cillian Prescott, one of the original families, and his son. Cillian’s grandfather staged his family’s death and he moved to England with his wife and son, starting over with new identities. But for everyone else, he’s Cillian Lockwood, the principal of Preston school.”
As if he’s as overwhelmed as me, he pulls me again into his arms. His love and warmth melt a bit of the glacier that has become my heart.
“Are you tired?”
I shake my head, but a small yawn parts my lips.
“Let me show you to your room.”
My life has shifted so suddenly it tips into surreal territory. I can only nod and follow him while my brain tries to compute my new reality.
We pass another hall and walk up a curved staircase, passing more doors until we stop. The room unfolds into an open living space, with a bedroom on the right, a lounge area on the left, and a desk below the window. The green on the walls contrasts nicely with the hardwood floor. Golden lamps add a touch of sophistication, making the room appear precious. Unlike the rest of the building, it’s warm, with enormous windows and a fireplace, creating a cozy ambiance.
“You’ll stay here until we return to Greenville. I won’t be here all the time, but Cillian will.”
“But I don’t want to go back.” There’s nothing left for me there. Why should I return when here is my father and the chance for me to start over? We should remain here and forget about the Family—move on and heal.
He puts his hands on my shoulders. “Your mother is alive.”
I whip my head to him, blinking in incredulity. “What?”
Another abrupt change that threatens to tear my sanity apart. I pinch myself, and the light sting only proves that this is happening for real.
“They’re keeping her somewhere. I don’t know where.” Frustration and despair mix in his voice. My legs threaten to give out on me, and I drop onto the edge of the bed.
“We have to search for her.”
Both my parents are alive? Maybe I’ve tripped into an alternate reality.
His lips press into a thin line, but then his features relax. “You’re just like your mother. We wanted to leave that day. We didn’t plan a vacation but we were getting away from the Family’s legacy. We should have known better.”
“What happened?”
“Someone cut our brakes, and we crashed.”
I thought it was my fault.
“I had to leave you there, and that has been the most painful thing to do. Knowing I was alive would have put you in danger. I had to start over in a new country, but I was always looking out for you from the shadows. There was no other way for me to enact my vengeance. It needed time, preparation, and a lot of money. But together with Cillian, I know we can. I made a name for myself in business consulting, and while I have been getting as close to them as possible business-wise, it’s not enough. I need inside intel.”
Rage burns in his eyes. Mom always said it was his eyes that she saw her future in. Strange, I thought the same about… No.
“You must go back. Convince her how repentant you are.”
“I will.”
“Cillian will send her reports on you and how well you can follow orders. We want her to believe you’re a good little soldier, ready to do everything she expects. It won’t be easy.”
“I don’t care.” That girl was a burden, a weakness, someone you can toss aside and forget about. I will never be her again. “I’m ready.”
“After we save your mother, we will get our revenge.”
“Good.”
“If you don’t want to rest, dinner will be served shortly.”
After my father leaves, I go into the en suite bathroom and take a long shower. The day’s events crash down on me. Scrambled thoughts make up my mind. I can’t arrange them to make sense.
Exiting my bedroom, I find a petite, brunette girl with the same hypnotizing silver eyes as Hunter’s on the edge of my bed, swinging her legs. She waves at me, a shy smile grazing her lips, putting me at ease.
“Hi, I’m Mia.”
“Celine.”
She pats her purple hair clip. “Oh, we’re already friends. You just don’t know it yet. We have been friends since birth. I mean, that was supposed to happen, anyway.”
The corners of my lips curl up. I like her already.
Her lips purse. “I’m bad at this.”
“Me too,” I say and approach her. Besides my childhood friends, I never had another one. I wouldn’t even know how to initiate a friendship.
She sighs a breath of relief. “I brought your uniform. We wear it all the time, inside and outside of class, except in our rooms at night. The girls wear gray, the boys wear black.”
“Thank you,” I say, taking the uniform with me to the bathroom.
Pulling up the black tights, I change into the pleated skirt and white shirt, buttoning up the vest. I am about to put the jacket on when there’s a knock on the door.
“It must be my brother.”
Walking out of the bathroom, I say, “Come in.”
Hunter steps inside, sweeping his gaze from me to her.
“My sister made her first friend. So cute.”
“Don’t be a dick. I’m still older than you.”
“By thirty bloody seconds.”
A giggle escapes my lips, the first one in the days since my entire world collapsed. I’m starting to think maybe, just maybe, everything will be okay.
***
Present Day
My days are planned down to the minute. I have a role to fulfill, as I am constantly reminded. But dealing with my new reality with my two best friends is easier. And somewhere in the past two years, I came to embrace the strict program at Preston boarding school because I don’t have time to think about anything else, and that’s a blessing.
Aside from homework, my schedule is full of extracurricular activities. Fighting lessons, weaponry, espionage, infiltration, and getting in and out of places undetected.
Every night I crash in bed, beat but resolute. For you, Mom and Dad. So we can reunite and be a family. But it’s more than that. I owe it to myself to become the wolf the Family didn’t see coming.
“Let’s go.” Hunter’s fist flies to my jaw, pulling me out of my reverie. Damn, Celine, focus. I lean back at the last second and drive my foot into his stomach, sending him to the mat.
“Again.” He comes at me, his elbow jabbing my chin. I fly back from the sheer force. “Your defense still needs improvement.”
“Thank you for the encouragement, even though you were the first to drop.” We return to our training until sweat drenches my body, and I am unsteady. “I’m more than ready.”
“It’s not up to us,” he reminds me.
Hunter looks outside the window, always searching for something. He’s lonely if you don’t count the myriad of girls vying for his attention.
“Hey, you’re doing that thing again.”
He snaps out of it and smirks. “I have to get ready for tonight.”
“You know, being a playboy is not sexy anymore.”
He puts his hand on his heart like he’s insulted. He’s also the brother I never had.
“Tell me, you and my sister have a chastity pact going on?”
Mia shuts the romance book she’s been entranced with and pushes herself up from the mat in the gym’s corner. We’re the only ones here, using it only after classes so no one could question why we’re training to fight.
Hunter crosses his arms against his chest, lifting a brow. Their bickering is the highlight of my day.
“Sex takes away from focus,” she replies haughtily.
“I guess you get enough mental sex from all the romance you read.”
“What’s wrong with reading romance?” I ask.
“It sets unrealistic expectations,” Hunter says.
Mia scrunches her nose. “A man would say that, wouldn’t he? It’s still better than subpar expectations leading to disappointment.”
Thinking back, I once had a fairytale romance rivaling even the most beautiful love stories.
“They exist, but sadly, they don’t last in reality. Anyway. Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you’ll land among the stars,” I say.
“Whoever said that had no fucking clue what they were talking about. The moon is closer than any star,” Hunter says. He’s such a smart ass.
Mia tsks. “Someone is afraid he doesn’t have a heart.”
“Better than a guarded one.” He points at Mia and then at me. “And a broken one.”
“Asshole,” both Mia and I chime.
He flips us the bird and leaves.
“Chastity belt, my ass,” Mia says, poorly mimicking his deeper voice.
“He’s right, you know. You’re guarded, and I am broken.”
“You’re not broken.”
I cock a brow. “Like you’re not guarded?”
We look at each other, and neither of us wants to keep lying. Maybe being a part of this legacy comes with that.
Mia slaps her forehead. “Ah, my father wanted to talk to you.”
If Cillian doesn’t say the wench forgives me, I’ll go crazy. If I have to write her one more ass-kissing letter, I’ll explode.
My father’s quest has always been to find my mother, a mission as elusive as it is enduring. For the past two years, my father has come and gone, continuing to work on his business to keep his image intact and searching for clues. No one knows anything. Grandmother might be cruel, but I doubt she’d actually keep her own daughter hostage.
Inside his office, Cillian shows me the letter from Grandmother. Every week, I send her a letter. It took two years of groveling for her to respond.
He hands me the letter, and I rip it open.
I wrote her a damn novel, and she responds with two sentences.
This is your second chance. Don’t make me regret it.
“And?” his voice rings with nervous excitement.
I show it to him, and his eyes gleam.
Two years of preparation. All the sleepless nights, bruises, muscle aches, and mental warfare has paid off.
He takes my hand in his. “This is the start of the battle, not the end. I’m proud of you.”
Cillian is already on the phone, planning our return to Greenville. I leave him to it, my heart aching for a deeper connection with my father, who is away more than present.
The moon accompanies me back to the dorm, my treasured silent companion.
Mia is dangling a swiped bottle of wine when Hunter crashes into my room.
“Stole this right from under our father’s nose,” Mia says.
“When the student surpasses the master.” Hunter grins at her.
“To us.”
We drain the bottle and fall to our backs on my bed.
A tremor rocks me. It must be the adrenaline crashing, not the thought of returning and… No. I suppressed those thoughts for two years. He has no power over my dead heart, my bruised body, or my tormented mind.
“I thought you were ready,” Hunter says, disappointment thick in his voice.
In a flash, I am on top of him, my elbow pressing into his neck.
“Say that again.”
He rolls us, and now he’s on top of me, his hands on my shoulders, pinning me to the mattress.
“That damn heart of yours.”
He shoves off me and stands at the foot of the bed. We both pant heavily. I pull myself into a sitting position and drop my head. Shame envelops me.
“Guys, quit it. She is ready. Don’t be a dick, Hunter,” Mia says.
“He threw you away like a piece of garbage, and he still has a hold on you,” he sneers, sending me a displeased look.
Rage ignites in me to the point I’m seeing black. I march to him and punch him in his throat. He bends over, crouching, but quickly recovers. “Bloody hell.”
I jab a finger at his chest. “That topic is off limits.”
“Then you won’t have a problem selling us as a couple in love.”
Hunter doesn’t know. I made a vow. I am married spiritually. And even though Kaden discarded me as if we didn’t bind ourselves for life, it doesn’t make it easier. But I must pull this off.
“And you keep it in your pants.”
He storms out, and Mia hugs me. “It’ll all be okay. It’s me. You don’t have to stop yourself from purging the hurt out.”
I hug my best friend back, desperate for comfort, and sink to the floor.
“When will I stop hurting over him? I’m afraid to face him,” I croak, my voice betraying my inner turmoil.
“No. You can do this. Indifference. You know how it looks, so act the part.”
And I will.
After Mia leaves, I flop onto my bed. Nerves chase the sleep away like a horde of hungry hyenas. I toss and turn until I shoot upright and yank open the nightstand.
You’re allowed one moment of weakness.
I open the box. The necklace dangles from my fingers. These letters that once formed words that were my entire world now remind me of my stupidity.
“You and me.”
“Today, tomorrow, always.”
The memory rushes to the front of my mind.
Sarcasm seeps from my lips. “Our today, tomorrow, always, was quite short, huh?”
I snap the box shut. “You didn’t destroy me then. Now you have no chance, Kaden.”
His name––poison on my tongue—stabs my heart for the hundredth time.