Chapter 11
1525 Words
Romona’s POV
The rain had softened into a steady, freezing drizzle by the time I stepped out of the packhouse study, the heavy oak doors clicking shut behind me.
My heart was hammering violently against my ribs as I walked down the stone steps toward the small, isolated border cottage they had assigned to me—the one set further back into the quiet treeline, away from the main packhouse.
What just happened in there?
I wrapped my cloak tighter around my shoulders, my jaw clenching in sheer frustration at myself. Why did I let him touch me? Why didn't I pull away the second his hand brushed my cheek?
I knew better. Renner had rejected me. He had chosen Cassandra, chosen his duties as Alpha, and abandoned everything we had built. I couldn't afford to get soft around him now. It was dangerous, wrong, and stupid. I needed to put a hard, unyielding wall back up between us and make it crystal clear that he was never to cross that line with me again.
Pushing open the heavy wooden door of my cottage, I stepped inside, shaking the cold rainwater from my cloak—and froze.
Gideon was sitting in the wooden chair by the hearth.
Sitting across from him on the settee was Tony, holding a half-empty glass of amber liquor, her silver-streaked dark hair slightly unkempt. And on her lap sat Noah, giggling quietly as she patted his small back.
Beside Tony sat a young woman.
My breath caught in my throat. I stood rooted to the spot, my eyes widening in complete shock.
She was breathtaking—wearing a fine dark travelling suit, her long, platinum white-blonde hair falling over her shoulders in flawless waves. But it wasn't just her hair. It was her face. The high cheekbones, the almond shape of her eyes, the sharp arch of her brow—she looked identical to me. It was like standing in front of a living mirror, except her posture was sharp, poised, and utterly self-contained.
"Who is that?" I asked, my voice dropping into a tense whisper as my eyes darted between Tony and the stranger.
Tony looked up, taking a slow sip from her glass with a heavy, dramatic sigh. "Still mannerless, I see. Have you no shame, Romona? Don't you know you're supposed to greet us and welcome us into your home?"
"I am not going to welcome you, Tony," I replied coldly, taking a step further into the room. "I didn't expect you to be here, and I certainly didn't invite you."
I turned my sharp gaze toward Gideon, my chest tightening with confusion and frustration. "Why did you bring her here, Gideon? And who is that lady?"
The moment Noah saw me, he slid off Tony’s lap and ran across the floor, burying his face into the folds of my skirt. I picked him up instantly, holding him securely on my hip as I sat down on the edge of the wooden bench.
Tony set her glass down, her sharp eyes softening just a fraction as she looked at me. "It's nice to see you, Romona. You are doing very well for yourself... and your son is extremely smart and well-mannered."
I swallowed the lump in my throat, keeping my guard up. "Thank you. It's... nice to see you too, Tony."
Tony gestured smoothly with her manicured hand toward the young woman sitting beside her. "Romona... this is your twin sister, Rheyna."
"Twin sister?" The word sounded completely alien coming out of my mouth.
Tony nodded calmly, explaining how our biological parents had given us up, and how after I left at sixteen, she had tracked down the older couple who adopted Rheyna after they passed away, bringing Rheyna under her roof to keep the remaining lineage safe.
I sat in stunned silence, processing the weight of her words, before turning back to Gideon. "So why did you bring them here, Gideon?"
Gideon stood up from his chair, his expression soft and deeply sincere as he walked over to stand near me.
"I didn't tell them about the things that are happening to you, Mona," Gideon said quietly, his voice low and protective. "I just felt... it would be good for you to know you have a twin sister. To see her, to meet her. You are in a place where people took your love for granted. I just wanted you to be around your true family right now. You deserve all the love you can get."
A wave of warmth flooded my chest. Tears prickled at the back of my eyes, but I swallowed them down.
I stood up, setting Noah gently on his feet, and threw my arms around Gideon’s neck, hugging him tightly.
How is this man Renner's brother? I thought to myself, leaning into his solid, comforting warmth. He is so sweet, so unbelievably kind to me. It's almost hard to believe they share the same blood.
Pulling back from the embrace, I offered him a small, grateful smile. "Thank you, Gideon. Thank you."
Gideon gave my hand a gentle squeeze. "I'll leave you three alone to spend some time together and catch up."
As he turned to head toward the doorway, panic flared in my chest. "Gideon!"
He paused, turning his head back to look at me.
"I don't want anyone in this pack knowing that Tony or Rheyna are here," I said firmly, my voice dropping into a strict, tactical tone. "We have to keep them inside. Locked in."
Gideon nodded in immediate agreement. "Of course. It isn't safe to let anyone in the pack know—especially with Rheyna looking the way she does."
"Especially Rheyna," I agreed softly.
With a final, reassuring nod, Gideon stepped out into the night and clicked the cottage door firmly shut.
Silence fell over the room for a long moment. Tony broke it, leaning back against the cushion as she gestured toward the door.
"He is a very kind gentleman," Tony remarked, her sharp eyes studying me carefully. "Is he the father of your child?"
"No," I replied flatly, taking a seat opposite them. "He is the brother of the father of my child."
Rheyna, who had been sitting quietly while inspecting her manicured nails, slowly lifted her head. Her strike was immediate, her tone cool, analytical, and completely unbothered.
"Wow," Rheyna murmured, tilting her head as her striking eyes locked onto mine. "Well... he seems to be extremely fond of you. He is clearly in love with you."
"He is not in love with me," I snapped back defensively. "He's just nice."
Rheyna let out a soft, amused hum, crossing her ankles. "Fascinating. I thought twins were supposed to share similar traits. Why aren't you smart like me?"
I blinked, taking a sharp breath. "Excuse me?"
"Okay, enough! Both of you," Tony interjected firmly, setting her glass aside as she sat up straight. "I have always dreamt that a day like this would come—where you two would finally meet."
Tony reached out, grasping my right hand in her warm palm, and then reached across to take Rheyna’s hand with her other, bringing our two hands together until my fingers brushed against my sister's cold, smooth skin.
"You two are sisters," Tony said, her voice dropping into a rare, serious tone as she looked back and forth between us. "You are twins. You are each other's strength, okay? You are different, yet so similar when it comes to your goals—you just go about achieving them in different ways. I just want us to spend time together as a family so you can get to know each other."
I looked down at our joined hands, then up into Rheyna's identical face. Her expression remained sharp and self-involved, but her grip didn't pull away.
"Okay," I murmured softly.
"Of course, Mother," Rheyna added, her tone smooth and reasonable.
Tony let out a contented sigh, resting her hands over ours.
As the quiet crackle of the fireplace filled the room, my mind raced in a thousand different directions.
A twin sister.
After all these years of feeling isolated, abnormal, and completely alone in my power, I actually had an identical twin. But as I looked at Rheyna's pristine, unbothered posture, the heavy weight of reality settled back into my chest.
Could I actually trust Tony after everything we had been through? Could I trust this sharp, self-absorbed sister who had appeared out of nowhere? Did Rheyna possess the same terrifying, evolving hybrid magic sleeping inside her blood, or was I the only one carrying this burden?
I squeezed my eyes shut for a brief second, holding Noah closer to my side, knowing that whatever secrets lay hidden in our bloodline, the storm brewing outside was only just beginning.
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