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“It wasn’t. It was … more or less … Ayden and you.”
Silence descends on us for a several seconds, then Noah looks at me as if I’ve lost my mind. “Is that supposed to make sense to me?”
“The Tempes have been using you both since you were small children. There’s this ritual called a soul link. The Council used it to find out if you were still alive. And … it worked. You and Ayden are twins. And because of that, you have a special bond. Through Ayden, the Council can basically see whatever you’re seeing.”
A look of horror spreads across his face, but then he shakes his and looks confused. So I tell him everything, recounting what I saw in that creepy room, what they were doing to Ayden, and the result.
“That’s how the hunters were able to predict your movements all those times. And they took advantage of the fact that you were raised by Assembly members.”
“Who aren’t my biological parents and who killed my real mother and father.” Noah’s face pales even more. For a while, he just stands there, and then I feel some kind of energy surrounding us. I feel it in my bones, and it’s so powerful that it makes the air pulsate. Dark wisps of smoke swirl around Noah. Rain emerges from the darkness and growls menacingly.
“Noah,” I murmur, reaching out to touch him. But he turns away and punches a wall with ferocious strength.
“No way! This can’t be true!”
His fist is still resting against the wall, which is crumbling where he punched it. His body is heaving. I know I can’t do anything to ease his pain. But I have to say something.
“It’s horrific what they did to you and Ayden.”
“So they really aren’t my parents. They killed my mother and father, abducted me …” I can hear his heavy breathing.
The tongues of dark fire grow larger. Rain slowly transforms into this gigantic, imposing wolf, like something out of a nightmare. His fur burns with black flames, and I can feel the heat coming off him from where I’m standing. A cold shiver runs up my spine.
“How many deaths has my side suffered because they used me to spy on my own people?” he asks quietly. “How could I not be aware of it? All these years …”
I approach him and cautiously place my hand on his back. When I touch him, he flinches like he’s been burned.
“You know it’s not your fault,” I say quietly.
He spins around to face me – so fast and so violently that I stagger back.
“Tell that to the people who lost their lives. I’m nothing but a pawn. Can you imagine what that’s like? Right from the start. Everyone’s just been using me and lying to me.”
“You can’t think like that. I don’t know why the Noctu abducted you. But surely you parents still mean something to you. They never made you feel like you weren’t their child. They even raised you to be their successor in the Assembly. Noah, I know how awful this must be for you, but …”
“Oh really? You figure you know?” he snaps at me. “I don’t even know what to think or feel.”
“I’m sorry if I brought your world crashing down around your ears,” I concede. “But you and Ayden – you deserve to know the truth after all this time.”
“I’m glad you told me,” he replies immediately. “At least now I know where I stand.” He scrutinizes me and then asks, “Is Ayden going to keep playing along with this shit? Will he leave the Tempes?”
I was expecting this question. But I don’t need to answer it. My face says it all.
Noah nods. “That’s what I figured. Despite everything, he would never turn his back on his people. They’re his family. You don’t just abandon your family. And anyway, he’s been nothing but a boon to the Tempes.”
“Ayden’s not okay with this. And he was worried about you. He wanted me to come and talk to you.”
“Well, now he can ease his guilty conscience.”
I get why Noah’s lashing out in anger. But … I hate hearing him talk like this.
“You can tell him from me that if he dares to get inside my head again, I’ll come for him, and I swear to you, I’ll find him.” His eyes are as dark as the night.
The realization that I’ve only increased the rift between them makes my heart ache. They’ve both suffered such terrible injustices. It should have brought them closer together.
“He won’t let them use the soul link again. He made that really clear. It was one of his conditions for staying with the Tempes, and apparently they accepted it. So you definitely don’t need to worry about that anymore.”
“Hmm, I guess I just have to hope that’s true, right? If they change their minds at some point, I’ll have no way of knowing. That puts me in a fantastic position.”
