Chapter 286: Might Have Been a Bad Choice
Jacob~
I just stood there, frozen, staring back at Natalie as her gaze burned into me. She looked so small in the darkness, with her tangled hair catching bits of moonlight, but her eyes—those eyes—were blazing with a fury so raw it made my chest ache. Behind that anger, though, I saw it: heartbreak. Deep and jagged.
My words hovered between us like a curse I couldn’t take back. I’d told her about wiping Easter’s memories. Now it felt like the world was holding its breath, waiting for her reaction to shatter everything.
"You did what?" Her voice echoed in the quiet around us, ringing out into the empty night. She took a step toward me, her fists clenched so hard I thought she might draw blood. Under the silvery glow of the moon, her knuckles gleamed like polished bone.
I could feel her aura swirling around her like a living thing, thrumming with Jasmine’s power. It buzzed in the air between us, itching at my skin, and I knew she was barely holding it back. Any second now, it could burst free and tear me apart.
"Jacob, how could you?" Her voice cracked, and her whole body trembled with rage and fear. "Mirabel? Seriously? Mirabel?" She laughed bitterly, the sound sharp and broken. "That Dream Weaver is out of her mind, and you know it! She’s just as likely to trap Easter in an endless nightmare as she is to actually help her!".
I flinched, the heaviness of her words sinking into me like claws. My throat tightened, and I rubbed the back of my neck, my fingers tangling in my already tousled hair from earlier when Easter’s hand ran through it. "You don’t understand, Nat," I said, my voice low, raw with desperation. "Easter was suffering. Night after night, she was screaming, trapped in those nightmares. The blood, the bodies—she saw it all. Zane’s estate..." I trailed off, my chest aching as the memories flooded back. The barrier I’d woven around the estate, a shimmering cage of ancient magic meant to stop my sister from running wild, had trapped Easter inside with the carnage. I’d forgotten her, left her there, drowning in terror while I raced to Natalie’s side. "It was my fault," I whispered, my voice breaking. "I put up that barrier. I didn’t think... I didn’t remember her until it was too late."
Natalie’s eyes softened for a moment, but the fire in them didn’t fade. She took a step closer, her bare feet scuffing against the stone path. "Jacob, you’re not the only one carrying that guilt," she said, her voice trembling now, thick with unshed tears. "I’m the one who brought that chaos to Zane’s estate. All those people... died because of me. Because I couldn’t control my emotions and couldn’t control the situation with the king." She swallowed hard, her gaze dropping to the ground, where a stray rose petal lay crushed under her foot. "Easter was caught in the crossfire, and I’ll never forgive myself for that. But wiping her memories? That’s not fixing it, Jacob. That’s running away."
I opened my mouth to argue, but the words died on my tongue. She was right, and the truth of it burned like wolfsbane in my veins. I’d been so consumed with protecting Natalie, with being the big brother who never failed, that I’d left Easter alone in my house, her heart bruised and her mind fractured. The memory of her face—those emerald-green eyes wide with confusion and sadness, her freckled cheeks stained with tears—haunted me. I’d kissed her, felt the warmth of her beneath me, her breath mingling with mine in a moment that had felt like salvation. And then the vision had struck, a bolt of lightning through my soul, showing me Natalie, Zane, and Alex in danger. I’d bolted without a word, teleporting to Alex’s side, leaving Easter behind like she was nothing.
"I didn’t know what else to do," I admitted, my voice voice came out small. I met Natalie’s gaze, my eyes pleading for her to understand. "The nightmares were killing her, Nat. And the baby..." My voice cracked at the thought of Easter’s unborn child, so small, so fragile, caught in the crossfire of her trauma. "Every scream, every tear... it was hurting them both. Mirabel was my only option. She wove a new reality for Easter—one where she’s safe, where she doesn’t remember the blood or the bodies. Where she can sleep without fear."
Natalie’s expression softened, but her eyes still blazed with concern. She crossed her arms, her red hair catching the starlight like a halo. "Jacob, you can’t just rewrite someone’s life like that. Easter deserves to know the truth, to face it with you. And leaving her like that? Without a word? That’s not you. That’s not my brother." She stepped closer, her voice dropping to a fierce whisper. "You’re the Wolf Spirit, the father of us all. You’re supposed to be better than this."
Her words hit me like a punch to the stomach, and I staggered back, my back brushing against the ivy-covered trellis. "I know I messed up," I said, my voice hoarse. "I was so focused on you, on making sure you were safe, that I... I lost sight of her. But you’re okay now, Nat. You’re strong, you’ve got Zane and Alex, and Jasmine’s power is unstoppable. You don’t need me hovering anymore."