Chapter 8: Lies Wear Familiar Faces
1389 Words
Tessa stood outside the apartment door, her breath still uneven from the run. Her fingers hovered just above the keypad. She knew Haylee was inside. Knew she was waiting. Knew something big was coming. But part of her still wanted to turn around and never hear it.
Because hearing it would make it real.
She pressed the code and stepped in.
The apartment was dim, quiet except for the soft hum of the fridge. Haylee was on the couch, curled up with her knees tucked against her chest, makeup smudged, hair messy. She looked nothing like the carefree, glossy version of herself she projected to the world.
“Tess,” she said as soon as she saw her.
Tessa shut the door behind her. She didn’t say anything. Just stood there, waiting.
Haylee blinked rapidly like she was fighting tears. “You’re safe, right? He didn’t… hurt you?”
“That’s what you’re opening with?” Tessa asked, voice low. “After all this?”
Haylee winced. “I know. I deserve that.”
Tessa slowly walked over, arms folded tight across her chest. “You said it was just dinner. You told me he was some random poor guy you didn’t want to deal with.”
“I thought you wouldn’t go if I told you who he really was.”
Tessa scoffed. “No kidding.”
“I didn’t think it’d go that far,” Haylee rushed on. “I thought maybe he’d get bored, lose interest after you said no—”
“You knew he was a King Alpha. You knew I wouldn’t be able to stop him if he—if he used his command voice.”
“I didn’t think he would!” Haylee cried, standing now. “Lucien’s known for being cold, sure, but not brutal. I didn’t think he’d… mark you.”
“You didn’t think? Or you didn’t care?”
Haylee’s face crumpled. “Tessa, I swear. I didn’t want you to get hurt. I just…”
“Just what?”
Haylee looked away, guilty and shaken. “I wanted you to stop hiding. You were always locked away like a ghost. You were never living. Just reading books, avoiding people, treating being an Omega like a curse.”
“Because it isn’t safe out there!” Tessa snapped. “Because things like this happen when I lower my guard!”
Haylee’s hands were trembling. “I thought if you had one night out, one chance to see that not all Alphas are monsters—”
Tessa laughed bitterly. “And you chose Lucien Vale for that lesson?”
Haylee’s lip trembled. “He asked for me. He said he’d noticed me at the lounge. I didn’t want to go, but then he started asking questions about you.”
Tessa’s stomach twisted. “What kind of questions?”
“He asked if you were really my twin. If we were both Omegas. If you’d ever been claimed.” Haylee hesitated. “He said he liked rare things. Quiet things. The kind no one else could touch.”
“Like I’m some kind of collectible,” Tessa muttered.
“I got scared,” Haylee whispered. “He kept pushing. I told him you weren’t interested in dating anyone. That you weren’t like me. And I thought that would make him back off. But it didn’t.”
“So your next brilliant idea was to send me in your place?”
Haylee looked down, tears falling now. “He said if I didn’t show up, he’d come find me. And I—I thought maybe if he met you, just once, he’d lose interest in both of us.”
Tessa blinked, trying to keep herself grounded. “You lied to me. Trapped me. You handed me to him.”
“I thought you’d say no.”
“But you knew I wouldn’t,” Tessa whispered. “Because I always help you.”
Haylee didn’t respond. Her silence was loud.
Tessa turned away, needing space before she said something unforgivable.
“I didn’t mean for it to get this bad,” Haylee said softly.
“You didn’t think past yourself. That’s the truth.”
“I panicked,” Haylee said, her voice small. “Lucien Vale doesn’t just ask for things. He takes them. And I thought—if he got bored of you, it would all just blow over.”
Tessa turned back slowly. “But he didn’t get bored, Haylee. He marked me.”
“I know.”
“And now I’m stuck in some twisted bond I never wanted, all because you couldn’t tell the truth.”
“I didn’t think he’d mark you that fast.”
Tessa stepped forward. “You didn’t think he’d mark me at all. You didn’t think he’d touch me. You didn’t think he’d ruin my life.”
Haylee’s tears were falling freely now, but Tessa didn’t move to comfort her.
“I hate myself,” Haylee said. “You don’t have to say it. I already do.”
Tessa shook her head. “You don’t get to hate yourself. That’s too easy. You get to live with it.”
Haylee sniffled, wiping her face. “So what now? Are you gonna tell Mom and Dad? Expose everything?”
Tessa let out a cold laugh. “You still think this is about getting you in trouble?”
Haylee looked genuinely confused.
Tessa stepped even closer, voice razor sharp. “Lucien Vale marked me. Do you know what that means? There’s no undoing it. There’s no pretending it didn’t happen. You didn’t just lie to your sister. You sold her.”
Haylee staggered back like she’d been slapped.
Tessa’s heart was hammering so loud she thought it might crack her ribs.
“Did you know,” she said slowly, “that he showed up at my door tonight? During my heat.”
Haylee went pale.
Tessa leaned in. “Did you know what that could’ve meant if Rowan hadn’t come?”
Haylee shook her head frantically. “No—God, no—I didn’t know your heat was coming. I didn’t know it would trigger like that. I swear I didn’t know.”
Tessa stepped back, exhausted.
Silence fell between them again.
“I didn’t think it would destroy us,” Haylee whispered. “I just wanted… you back. You were slipping away.”
Tessa looked at her, something aching in her chest. “And now?”
Haylee gave a watery smile. “Now I think I might have ruined the only good thing we had.”
Tessa sighed.
The worst part was, Haylee didn’t sound cruel. She just sounded broken. Twisted by fear and selfishness.
And maybe that was even more dangerous.
The doorbell rang.
Both girls froze.
Tessa felt it in her spine before she even turned.
Lucien.
Again.
Haylee whispered, “Don’t open it.”
But Tessa was already walking toward the door.
She looked through the peephole.
Not Lucien.
Her blood ran cold.
It was a woman.
Tall. Blonde. Sharp eyes. High heels. Perfectly pressed pantsuit.
And standing behind her… four Beta guards in black.
Tessa’s gut twisted.
She opened the door slowly.
The woman smiled like a shark. “Miss Greenwood. I’m here on behalf of Alpha Lucien Vale.”
Haylee appeared behind her, panic blooming. “Who is that?”
The woman held up a sleek folder.
“This is a summons. You are expected to appear at the Vale estate within twenty-four hours. The Alpha has invoked Claimant Rights.”
Tessa’s mouth went dry. “What the hell does that mean?”
“It means,” the woman said coolly, “he intends to make your bond permanent. And legal.”
Haylee’s voice broke. “You said he wouldn’t push.”
Tessa didn’t speak.
The woman handed her the document, then turned without another word.
The guards followed.
The door clicked shut.
Tessa stared at the folder in her hand, her heart in her throat.
Haylee whispered, “Tess…”
But she was already backing away.
Because in her chest, her wolf was howling.
And in her mind, Lucien’s voice echoed—
“I want you to stand next to me. Because you choose to.”
Only now, he’d taken that choice away again.
- Writer
