Chapter 240
Elle’s POV
I stared at the video screen, my mind reeling as all the pieces finally fell into place. The truth hit me like a physical blow, one revelation after another
crashing over me.
So Dakota never loved Raymond. She loved Peter Hamilton all along.
So Dakota only agreed to Raymond’s pursuit because of that damn contract.
So the person Dakota was thinking about when she died wasn’t Raymond–it was Peter.
My hands trembled as I processed each devastating truth. Dakota had sacrificed her own happiness for the family’s contract. She’d given up the man she
loved most in the world.
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“Dakota,” I whispered, my voice breaking. “You gave up Peter for the family contract. Did you ever regret it? When you got engaged to Raymond, did your
heart really find peace?”
The weight of her sacrifice pressed down on me. She’d been so young, so strong, yet she’d carried this burden alone. My eyes burned with unshed tears–for myself, for Dakota, for the Blair family’s twisted legacy.
But I couldn’t cry. Not yet. I still had too many questions.
‘Dakota… did she ever love Raymond?” I asked directly, staring at my biological parents through the screen.
Stella shook her head, tears streaming down her face. “She never showed her feelings to anyone. Nobody knew what she was really thinking. She only said once that she wanted to live two more years, so her sister wouldn’t have to suffer. She said being the older sister meant taking responsibility.”
My chest tightened. Sister. Even when she was dying, Dakota had been thinking of me.
“At the time, we thought she was delirious from fever,” Stella continued. “We never imagined she knew…”
Knew what? That I existed? My mind raced. Did Dakota somehow sense our twin connection? Did she know I was out there, that I’d eventually face this choice?
The thought terrified me. Dakota’s intuition had been eerily accurate.
Was that why she died so young? Because she was too perceptive, too aware?
I took a shaky breath. “If Dakota died and I came back, the contract would fall to me, wouldn’t it? Regardless of whether I’m already mated to a werewolf, regardless of whether I’m carrying an Alpha’s child–I’d still have to leave Brad and marry Raymond?”
Martin nodded solemnly.
A bitter laugh escaped me. “Wonderful. Just fucking wonderful.‘
“Elle…” Martin began, then stopped. His face showed the strain of what he was about to say. “If you don’t come back, Susan…”
He couldn’t finish the sentence.
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Chapter 240
“I need time to think,” I said coldly. “I’m sorry, but I’m not in a good headspace right now. I’ll contact you when I’ve processed all this.”
1 gestured to Alex, and he cut the video connection.
The silence that followed was deafening.
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I could feel Brad behind me. I turned slowly and saw him standing with his back to me, every line of his body tense with barely controlled fury.
I walked over and gently wrapped my arms around his waist from behind. His body went rigid at my touch.
‘How long have you known about this?” I asked quietly.
Brad didn’t answer. Instead, he covered my hands with his and turned around, his amber eyes blazing with dangerous intensity. “What are you thinking?”
I couldn’t answer. How could I choose? If I didn’t return to the Blair family, what would happen to Stella? But if I did return… what about Brad? What about
our child?
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When I remained silent, Brad’s eyes darkened with something feral and threatening.
“Elle,” he said, his voice low and dangerous as he pulled me against him. “Listen to me very carefully. I am not someone you can just take and discard when it’s convenient. You stole my heart, became my mate–and now you think you can just walk away? Don’t even think about it.”
His grip tightened. “Don’t push me, Elle. Because I don’t know what I’ll do if you try to leave me.”
“Brad- I started, but he silenced me with a fierce, possessive kiss.
When he pulled back, his eyes were cold as winter. “Anyone who tries to threaten our bond will pay the price. Anyone.”
He released me and turned to Alex. “Have the staff take care of Elle. She needs to rest.”
I opened my mouth to speak, but Brad’s Alpha authority slammed into me, making the words die in my throat. The look in his eyes was one I’d never seen before–distant, ruthless, terrifying.
‘Brad, wait-
But he was already walking away, Alex at his side.
Through the window, I saw Brad getting into his car, his expression carved from stone. Alex looked like he was mentally preparing for war.
The Blair family is done for, I realized with a chill. Brad’s going to destroy them.
My heart sank. This was exactly what I’d been afraid of. The Blair family had pushed too hard, threatened what Brad considered his, and now they would pay the price.
The human staff guided me to my room. I stared out the window at the gathering storm clouds, feeling like I was standing at the center of a tornado.
Brad wasn’t just my boyfriend. He was my mate, the father of my child. How could I abandon him and our baby?
And yet… how could I let Susan die?
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Chapter 240
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“What should Mommy do, little one?” I whispered. “How can I choose between your father and your grandmother? I love your daddy so much, and I don’t want to leave you both. But Susan… she raised me. If I don’t go back, what happens to her?”
The baby gave a particularly strong kick, then settled into stillness.
“You don’t know either, do you?” I said with a weak smile. “Of course you don’t. You’re just a baby.”
Exhaustion suddenly overwhelmed me. The emotional weight of the day, combined with my pregnancy, left me feeling drained. My eyelids grew heavy, and
despite my racing thoughts, sleep began to claim me.
As I drifted off, my last conscious thought was of Dakota–the sister I’d never known, who’d sacrificed everything for a family contract, and who’d died thinking of a love she could never have.
In my dream, I found myself standing in the most beautiful place I’d ever seen. Rolling green hills stretched endlessly in every direction, dotted with wildflowers in every color imaginable. The air smelled of jasmine and roses, and a gentle breeze carried the sound of distant birdsong.
Where am I? I wondered, looking around in amazement. Why would I dream of a place like this?
“Sister,” came a soft voice behind me. “I’ve been waiting to meet you.”
I spun around and gasped. Standing before me was a woman who looked exactly like me–same face, same build, same hair. But her skin was paler than mine, almost translucent, and there was a strength in her eyes that I recognized as my own.
It’s like looking in a mirror.
“You’re Dakota,” I breathed.
She smiled, and it was like watching sunlight break through clouds. “Hello, Elle. My dear little sister.”
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Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.
