Chapter 10 – A Brother’s Grief
1014 Words
Ethan stood just inside the lighthouse, Mira’s hand still resting lightly on the door behind him. The scent of warm stone and sea hung in the air.
“She’s out back,” Mira said softly. “Been asking about you. I think today’s a good day.”
The sea breeze reached him before he saw her—cool, briny, and threaded with wild rosemary from the cliffs.
She was sitting on the old wooden steps just past the kitchen door, knees drawn up, elbows resting on them lazily.
Ethan nodded once, the worn leather-bound photo album tucked under his arm. He hadn’t slept much, caught in anticipation of finally having some time with his long-lost sister. This wasn’t the first time he’d seen her—but it would be the first time seeing her clear-eyed, not trembling or sedated.
Elena.
Ethan didn’t make a sound, but she turned the moment he stepped onto the deck.
Their eyes met.
A beat passed. Then two.
And then she said, voice firm and unflinching, “You’re my brother.”
Ethan froze.
“I was going to—” he began.
“I saw your eyes the moment you walked in,” she said. “Same as mine. I asked about them the other day. Mira said I had a brother. I guess I already knew.”
He stared at her, stunned silent for a moment. A laugh broke through his chest—a breathy, unbelieving sound.
“You always were quicker than me,” he said.
She stood up, brushing her hands off on her long skirt anxiously. She glanced at the album under his arm. “Is that for me?”
“Yeah,” he said, stepping forward. “I thought maybe… if you wanted to know a little bit more about who you were before… this might help.”
He lifted the album slightly. She tilted her head, intrigued. “Should we go look inside?”
—
Nessa had left a kettle ready on the counter, and Mira had set out two mugs. The table by the window was sunlit and quiet.
Ethan poured the tea with slightly shaking hands. Elena sat across from him, gaze still curious, but calm.
He opened the album.
It began with hospital photos—two wrinkled newborns in identical blankets. A pair of tiny hospital bracelets pressed and preserved beneath a plastic sheet.
Her breath caught.
“Elena Dawn West,” she read quietly, brushing a finger over the label.
“That’s you,” Ethan whispered. “I’m Ethan.”
She didn’t respond right away. The name sat heavy in the air. Foreign. Familiar.
Her lips pressed together in a thoughtful line, and she turned the page.
Birthdays. Cake. Capes. Chaos. Them, covered in finger paint. A long-forgotten world unfolding with each photo.
They turned the pages together while sipping their tea. Childhood memories scattered in time. A Halloween photo where they both wore matching capes. A picture of them completely covered in finger paint, grinning wide and messy.
“That was the last one taken before…”
Ethan stopped, throat tight.
Before the accident. Before everything.
Elena closed the album softly, her hands resting on the cover.
“I don’t know if I’ll ever remember,” she said.
“You don’t have to,” he replied, covering her hands with his over the album. “What matters is that you’re here now. And I’m here. And I’m not going anywhere this time.”
“You hang onto this. I brought it for you.”
She gave a small smile and a loving glance to her brother... her twin.
She kept one hand resting on it like it grounded her.
Ethan gave her head a brotherly tousle over the beanie—Kai’s beanie. The motion released a familiar scent into the air.
Elena paused, her nose twitching slightly as if her instincts stirred without context. She didn’t know yet what she was, but her senses were waking.
“I’ve been thinking about… Kai,” she said after a pause. “I’ve only seen him once through the door. He didn’t say anything. Who is he?”
Ethan’s mouth curved at the corner. Now knowing they shared a fated bond, he had expected Kai might come up.
“He’s… someone important to me. And probably will be to you, too. Without him, I wouldn’t have been able to find you.”
She nodded slowly. “He feels… different.”
“Yeah,” Ethan said. “He is.”
They drank their tea in silence for a moment, the steam swirling gently in the sunlit kitchen.
Then she asked, voice quiet, “When can I come home?”
His chest tightened.
He set his mug down and reached across the table, taking her hands gently. She didn’t pull away.
“Not yet,” he said. “But soon. Just focus on getting better.” He leaned forward and pressed a kiss to her knuckles.
He wanted nothing more than to bring her home, but he knew Kai hadn’t placed her on this island just to heal. It gave them time—time to ease her into the truth about what she was, and what she meant. Bringing her back now was too risky. Only a few even knew she existed. And now that Ethan understood the mate bond, he suspected Kai would want to present their Luna strong, prepared, and sure.
A long breath passed between them. She gave a tiny nod.
“I think that’s enough for today,” Mira said protectively, stepping into the kitchen. Her tone was soft but firm. “We don’t want to overload her.”
Elena looked to Ethan, a bit sheepishly. “Will you come see me again?”
His answering smile was full of warmth. “Nor hell or high seas can keep me away, sis.”
When they stood, she hesitated—just a second—then stepped into him.
He wrapped his arms around her and held her as if she might vanish again.
But she didn’t.
This time, she stayed.
- Writer
