Chapter 14: A Sacrifice for Love
1163 Words
Nicholas didn’t sleep.
He should have. The storm had finally settled, the North Pole was quiet, and for the first time in weeks, there was no immediate crisis to solve.
But his mind wouldn’t stop.
Wouldn’t stop replaying the way Alina had looked at him before she nodded.
Wouldn’t stop remembering the way his own chest had tightened when she stayed.
Wouldn’t stop whispering the terrifying truth he had been trying to avoid.
He had fallen for her.
Nicholas Claus—cold, impatient, selfish—had fallen for the woman who had walked into his life like a storm of her own, unraveling him thread by thread without even trying.
And now?
Now he had no idea what to do about it.
Alina woke early the next morning, feeling lighter than she had in years.
Not because her problems had disappeared, not because the shadows of her past had been erased.
But because, for the first time, she wasn’t carrying them alone.
Nicholas had asked her to stay.
And she had.
It wasn’t a grand declaration. It wasn’t some romantic fairy tale.
But it was real.
And that was enough.
For now.
But peace never lasted long.
Not in her life.
And certainly not in Nicholas’s.
The letter arrived just after breakfast.
Nicholas was in his office, trying (and failing) to focus on paperwork, when Bernard walked in, his usual easygoing demeanor replaced by something more serious.
“This came for you,” Bernard said, placing the letter on his desk.
Nicholas frowned, glancing at the wax seal. It was the same as the one on Alina’s letter.
His stomach dropped.
Slowly, he broke the seal and unfolded the parchment.
To Nicholas Claus,
We are aware that Alina is in your care.
She is part of our family, and we expect her to return.
We suggest you do not interfere.
This is not your concern.
- The Valen Family
Nicholas’s hands clenched into fists.
His jaw tightened, and for a brief moment, the room felt too small.
Because how dare they?
How dare they demand anything from her? From him?
After everything they had done to her, after years of neglect, of cruelty, of treating her like she was nothing—
Now they thought they could just summon her back like a lost pet?
His vision blurred with rage.
Because Alina wasn’t just anyone.
She was his.
His to protect. His to keep safe.
And he would be damned if he let them take her.
Alina found him pacing, the letter crumpled in his hand.
She frowned. “Nicholas?”
He turned sharply, and she saw it—the fury, the barely contained rage simmering beneath his usually cool exterior.
“Did you tell them where you were?” he demanded.
Alina blinked. “What? No. Of course not.”
Nicholas exhaled, trying to steady himself. “They sent me a letter.”
Alina’s heart stopped.
Slowly, she stepped forward. “What did it say?”
Nicholas hesitated.
He didn’t want to show her.
Didn’t want her to see how they still thought they had power over her.
But Alina wasn’t the girl they had abandoned anymore.
So he handed it to her.
She read it twice.
Then, carefully, she folded the parchment and placed it on the desk.
“They’re trying to scare you,” she said quietly.
Nicholas scoffed. “It’s not working.”
Alina looked up at him, her gaze searching his. “Then why are you so angry?”
He let out a sharp breath, running a hand through his hair. “Because they think they can take you from me.”
The words slipped out before he could stop them.
Alina’s eyes widened.
Nicholas froze.
Neither of them spoke.
The tension between them shifted—changed.
Nicholas clenched his jaw, turning away. “I didn’t mean—”
“Yes, you did.”
Her voice was soft, but certain.
Nicholas inhaled deeply. “It doesn’t matter.”
Alina frowned. “It does to me.”
Nicholas turned back to her, his expression raw in a way she had never seen before.
“I won’t let them take you,” he said.
And then, quieter—
“I can’t.”
Alina felt something c***k open inside her.
For years, she had fought alone. Had told herself she didn’t need anyone.
But now?
Here was Nicholas Claus, standing in front of her, saying he wouldn’t let her fight this battle alone.
And she believed him.
She trusted him.
And trust was terrifying.
But for once, she wasn’t running from it.
Nicholas made a decision that night.
A dangerous one.
He wasn’t going to wait for her family to try something.
He was going to end this himself.
So, just before midnight, he left the North Pole.
Without telling Alina.
Without telling anyone.
And he made his way straight to the Valen family estate.
The Valens had power.
Old money. Prestige. The kind of influence that let them get away with burying their mistakes.
Nicholas had seen families like this before.
They thought they were untouchable.
They thought they could demand whatever they wanted and the world would obey.
Nicholas had every intention of proving them wrong.
When he arrived at the estate, the guards stopped him at the entrance.
Nicholas didn’t wait for an invitation.
With a simple flick of his wrist, a pulse of Christmas magic sent the guards stumbling backward.
He walked through the grand doors without hesitation.
Straight to her father’s office.
The man sitting behind the desk looked older than Nicholas had expected.
Weaker.
But his eyes were still sharp. Still cruel.
Nicholas didn’t give him a chance to speak.
“She’s not coming back,” Nicholas said, voice low.
Mr. Valen leaned back in his chair, unfazed. “That’s not for you to decide.”
Nicholas’s lips curled into a humorless smirk. “That’s where you’re wrong.”
Mr. Valen folded his hands. “She’s our blood.”
Nicholas stepped forward, placing both hands on the desk and leaning in.
“She is not your anything.”
Something flickered in Mr. Valen’s gaze. A hint of something like concern.
Nicholas pressed on.
“You abandoned her. You broke her. And now you want her back? You don’t get that choice.” His voice darkened. “And if you ever try to take her, if you ever send another letter, if you ever so much as think about interfering in her life again—”
He leaned closer, his voice a whisper now.
“—you will regret it.”
For the first time, Mr. Valen looked afraid.
Nicholas straightened, stepping back.
Then, without another word, he turned and walked out.
This time, when he left the estate, he knew—
They would never bother her again.
- Writer
