RECLAIMING HIS ONCE REJECTED MATE

Chapter 007

Chapter 007

Emilia's POV

Startled, my heart pounding, my body covered in sweat woke me up. At first, my surroundings were foggy dark walls, shadows moving like ghosts, an alien scent in the air. The bed felt cold beneath me, and for a moment, I felt as if I remained trapped in that dream.

Then I once more heard the voice.

"Are you waking?"

Jolted, heart thumping in my chest. Though I turned my head slowly to concentrate, everything still felt foggy. Nikolas. He was standing near the window, his broad form like a shadow against the low light coming through the drapes.

"You're not... you're not a dream?" I stammered, trying to get it under control.

He turned to check over his shoulder, that same unreadable expression on his face. "No, beloved. Not a dream. Neither am I here to gently wake you.

The words really stung harder than I anticipated. My throat seized my breath. I blinked rapidly, attempting to make sense of what had happened. The memory of his words—the sharpness, the coldness—rushed back to me in waves.

My heart still raced in my chest, but I managed to sit up slowly. “What do you mean?”

His gaze softened momentarily, but just for a flash. "It’s time you know the truth. on all things. This pertains specifically to your character. My identity.

I pushed myself to sit up straight and gasped hard. The motion didn't feel natural. This cannot be.

Every step carefully, he moved towards me as though he had endless time. When he spoke again, his voice was softer and tinged with a hint of regret. "Emilia, you believe you know all about your family. Concerning Maximilian. But you are not.

I blinked, my pulse picking up speed. "What do you mean?"

Stopping in front of me, Nikolas gazed down with something I couldn't exactly identify. Though it made my stomach turn, it was probably pity. You were not intended to know. The plan was for me to stay dead. I was meant to remain in the shadows.

"Dead?" I took a breath. "What specifically are you referring to? You... are alive.

He nodded slowly, then his eyes dropped to the floor. Yes, I am alive. But I ought not to be.

My skull exploded with ideas colliding like thunder in a hurry. This eluded me as logical sense. Though everything in me shouted for solutions, I wasn't sure whether I could bear the truth.

With a tense voice now, "Emilia, listen to me," he said. "Our mother... she had twins."

I stammered. My breath seized in my throat.

Nikolas said, "One of us was taken," hiding. He had grown up among gamblers. instructed to survive. The Nightwolf Pack has been the driving force for years.

Unable to talk, I stared at him. The words were overwhelming and confusing. overly difficult.

"I had no idea who I was either," he said. Still, I sensed something was off. There was no one I could rely on. And someone who I considered trustworthy betrayed me.

I felt a cold. I felt as though I was falling, as if the ground beneath me was collapsing into nothingness. Nothing came out when I opened my mouth to ask and beg for more. My ideas twisted about each other.

Then he fixed me, eyes colder than I had ever seen them. Maximilian understood. He knew who I was. He wanted me dead.

The words hit me like a stomach punch. My chest contracted. The discomfort travelling up my throat left me unsure of what to do. Like I could not be breathing; I gasped for air.

Maximian had known? my friend. The man I had given everything to. This was the man I considered to be my true love.

He had known all along; nonetheless, he had not told me. He had not given me one clue. Deep in my chest, the sting of treachery sliced across my ribs. I aimed to yell.

"Maximilian knew!" I murmured, my voice barely audible. As I gazed up at Nikolas, my heart turned inside out. Would he ever truly love me? Was all of it a lie?

Nikolas did not respond straight away. Rather, his face contorted as though he were battling the weight of the words. The space felt to me as heavy and oppressive, with tension. The quiet seemed overly loud.

"Maybe," he responded quietly. "But it was not the kind of love you believe it to be."

I trembled. It wasn't clear whether it was the truth, the cold, or something else. But my universe—everything I learnt about love, loyalty, and family—felt as though it was falling apart. I thought I would be drowning.

I turned aside, attempting to flee the weight of his stare. Still, there was nowhere to flee. This situation did not align with reality.

"How long? How long had he known?" With a broken voice, I asked. I refused to glance at Nikolas. I was unable.

He said softly, "Longer than you think." "Longer than I have been alive."

My head would not fit around it. The terms didn't make sense. This is too much.

Though I felt as though I would pass out, I managed to inhale shakily and get back up. Though I pushed through, my legs were weak under me. I was keen to know more. I have to get used to it.

I started towards him, my voice now fierce. "Why are you now telling me this? From me, what do you need?

Nikolas moved forward, and for the first time I could really see how near he was. Our proximity was such. His presence was like a storm—difficult to breathe through, impossible to ignore. Like he was attempting to read me, his eyes fluttered down to my lips then back to my gaze. Alternatively, it could be that he was attempting to control his emotions.

"You deserve to know; hence, I am informing you." Maximilian is not the man you think he is.

I shook my head, pushing back the tears. “I don’t know who I am anymore.”

“Emilia,” he began, his voice so gentle, it caught me off guard. He extended his fingers across mine. The call shocked me raw and electrically.

His touch served as a remembrance of the past—something fractured, something damaged. Still, it also brought about feelings I hadn't experienced in quite some time. I snatched my hand back fast, too terrified to let myself feel anything, too scared of what it may entail.

Nikolas did not distance himself, though. His gaze rested on me, full of something both too familiar and too unusual at once.

With a voice full of promise, he declared, "I'm here now." "And I'm not going anywhere."

My chest felt my hammer. The planet whirled, and I had no idea which way to turn. All I knew was that Maximilian's treachery would not define me. I couldn't let him steal from me any more. I couldn't allow him to take advantage of me at this moment. This will never happen again.

"Maximilian won't win," I said to myself. I wouldn't let him.

Would I, however, be strong enough to resist?

There was thick and heavy quiet between us. I looked at him, at the brother I never knew existed, and felt my whole world turn. The situation transcended mere survival or retribution now. This matter was of great concern to the family. Integrity. The bits of me were snatched, shattered, and buried for far too long.

What would I do going forward?

The solution seemed so far off.

I fixated on Nikolas, waiting for his response. I am still waiting for him to inform me about the next steps.

But none of the responses arrived.

And I realized I had no idea whether I could manage what was about to happen—as the tension hung heavy in the room. They were not alone. They no longer stand alone.

Would the truth shred everything I knew or set me free?

I backed off, my breath erratic, not sure what to do next. The gloom all around felt stifling.

However, the realization arrived too late. The first fracture in the planet I knew had started already. And nothing could ever be the same once more.