the last Nightspire

Secret

I made the decision to tell her the truth about who I really was. The weight of my secret had grown unbearable, and I could no longer keep it from the person who meant the most to me.

The night before, Bonny had apologized for pressuring me to share more about myself. Her sincerity had touched me, but it also kept me awake. The guilt of hiding so much from her weighed heavily, and by the time the first rays of dawn broke, I knew I couldn’t keep it from her any longer. I decided that after breakfast, I would finally tell her the truth.

That morning, I found Bonny in the living room, lounging on the couch and flipping through a magazine. Her golden hair glowed in the sunlight streaming through the windows. The cozy space, with its soft lighting and the faint scent of vanilla from a nearby candle, felt like the safest place to have this conversation.

“Bonny,” I said softly, my voice trembling slightly. She looked up, her blue eyes bright with curiosity.

“What’s up? You look like you’ve got something serious on your mind,” she said, putting the magazine aside.

I took a seat across from her, my hands fidgeting in my lap. The words I needed to say felt like a heavy weight pressing down on my chest.

“There’s something I need to tell you,” I began, my voice shaking. “Something I should have told you a long time ago.”

Her smile faded, concern flickering across her face. “Aneles, you’re scaring me. What is it?”

I took a deep breath, forcing myself to meet her gaze. “My name isn’t really Aneles. It’s Selena Nightspire.”

Bonny blinked, the name clearly registering. Her lips parted as if to say something, but no words came. I pressed on, afraid that if I stopped now, I’d lose my nerve.

“I’m the last survivor of the Nightspire pack,” I said, my voice trembling. “My family, my friends, my entire pack… they’re gone. I’ve been trying to move on, to live a quiet life without anyone knowing who I really am.”

Bonny’s eyes widened, her hand flying to her mouth. “Oh my God,” she whispered. “Selena… I had no idea.”

“I didn’t want you to know," I admitted. "Not because I don’t trust you, but because it’s… hard to talk about. I’ve been living with this for so long, and I was afraid of what might happen if people found out.”

I hesitated, my fingers tightening in my lap. “I can’t tell you everything, Bonny. Not because I’m hiding it from you, but because I want to keep you safe. There are parts of my past that could put you in danger if you knew them. That’s the last thing I want.”

Tears glistened in Bonny’s eyes as she reached across the coffee table to grab my hands. “You should have told me,” she said, her voice trembling. “I could have helped you. I could have…” She trailed off, shaking her head. “I’m so sorry, Selena. I can’t imagine what you’ve been through.”

I squeezed her hands tightly, my own tears threatening to spill over. “I’m sorry for keeping it from you. I didn’t want to put you in a position where you had to carry this with me. But I can’t keep running forever, Bonny. And I can’t keep lying to you. You mean too much to me.”

She nodded, wiping at her cheeks. “You don’t have to apologize. I’m just glad you told me. And I swear, I’ll do whatever it takes to be there for you. We’ll figure this out together, okay?”

“Okay,” I whispered, feeling a weight lift from my chest.

---

The rest of the day passed in a blur. Bonny asked questions, and I answered them as best I could, telling her about my family, my pack, and the life I’d left behind. But I carefully avoided certain details—details that could put her at risk if she knew them. Some secrets were too dangerous to share, even with someone I trusted as much as Bonny. Isaac is one of those secrets. I cannot tell her about him, not when he is the very danger I’m trying to protect her from. The less she knows about him, the safer she will be.

That evening, as we prepared dinner together, I caught her watching me with a new sense of understanding. For the first time, I felt like I wasn’t alone in my fight. She was with me, and together, we would face whatever came next.

*Tomorrow is a new chapter,* I thought, my resolve hardening. *And I won’t let the shadows of my past define me anymore.*