Chapter 138

Jacob~

“A Lie in the Light Feels Like Darkness Still”

The moment Griffin turned and walked off toward the house, the tension in Natalie’s shoulders dropped like a weight she’d been carrying for days. Her fingers curled at her sides, then unclenched. She didn’t look at me right away, just stared out at the line of trees beyond the garden like they held answers she couldn’t yet face.

“I know that look,” I said softly, moving closer to her side. “It’s the one you wear when your soul is twisted into a thousand knots p>

She let out a breath, half a sigh, half a laugh. “You’ve always been annoyingly good at reading me p>

“It’s a sibling thing,” I replied with a gentle smile, brushing a strand of hair away from her face. “Also, I’ve been watching you since the dawn of time. Literally p>

Natalie finally turned to me, her eyes darker than usual—stormy, almost. “I don’t know what to do, Jacob. I feel like I’m walking on glass barefoot and blindfolded p>

I tilted my head, studying her face. “This is about Zane, isn’t it p>

She nodded slowly. “He called me yesterday morning… through the mind link p>

My brows arched. “And p>

“And then again last night,” she added, biting her lip. “We talked the whole night, Jacob. About everything. We told each other how much we missed each other, how things were going. He told me he couldn’t wait to hold me again p>

“But you didn’t mention Griffin p>

Her silence was louder than any answer.

“I couldn’t,” she said at last, eyes shimmering with guilt. “Griffin’s literally sleeping in the next room. In Zane’s house, Jacob. And I just… I told Zane to focus on protecting his father. I told him everything was fine p>

There was a long pause as I let her words hang in the air. The breeze teased the edge of her dress, and even the trees around us seemed to grow still.

“Natalie,” I said quietly, “Zane’s not going to like it. You know that p>

“I know,” she snapped, then immediately softened. “I know, Jacob. But he needs to be focused right now. His father’s life is on the line. If I’d told him, he would’ve flown back here in a heartbeat. He’d leave his duty, his post, everything. Just to rip Griffin’s throat out p>

I frowned, but not in anger—more in understanding. “You’re probably right. But lying to someone like Zane, someone who loves you the way he does… That’s like hammering rusted nails into the walls of a beautiful home. It’ll hold for a while, but eventually, it’ll fall apart p>

Her eyes welled up. “You think I don’t know that? But just because I know doesn’t mean it’s easy. I hate lying to him. I hate the pit in my stomach every time he says something sweet and I just smile like everything’s perfect p>

I stepped forward and pulled her into a hug. She melted against me like she’d been holding herself up for too long.

“Thank you for listening,” she whispered. “I needed to say it out loud. To someone who wouldn’t judge me p>

I kissed the top of her head gently. “That’s what big brothers are for p>

She stepped back, wiping at her face as she took a shaky breath. I watched her for a moment, then exhaled and said what had been weighing on me.

“I should’ve done more,” I admitted quietly. “Fox and I—we should’ve come up with a proper protection cover for Griffin. If we had, maybe he wouldn’t have had to depend on you like this. That’s on us and we will create a protection cover for him soon. Just give us a bit more time p>

Natalie looked up at me, her eyes steady despite the emotion still lingering in them. “Jacob, I understand. Really. But this… this isn’t just about Griffin or you or me. It’s about the world. If having him follow me around is what it takes to keep everyone safe, then I’ll do it. That’s my responsibility, and I accept it p>

I nodded slowly, humbled by her strength. “Still… I’m sorry, Little Moon p>

She gave me a small, tired smile. “I’ll tell him. Tomorrow. No more lies p>

“Good,” I said, meeting her gaze. “Zane deserves the truth. You both do p>

A small smile tugged at her lips. “Alright. Let’s go back inside. I’m tired of pretending we don’t see all the guards spying on us p>

I turned my head sharply and locked eyes with one of the guards standing by the statue near the garden wall. He flinched and quickly looked away, pretending to suddenly find the roses beside him very interesting.

We both burst into laughter.

“Oh goodness,” Natalie said through giggles. “Did you see the way his soul left his body the moment you looked at him p>

“I think he’s trying to merge with the shrubbery,” I replied, wiping a tear from my eye. “Honestly, they’re doing the worst job pretending not to be listening even though they can’t hear a thing p>

“Well, it is their job to eavesdrop. I’ll give them A for effort,” she said with a shrug. “But the funny part is—they all think Zane’s still here p>

I grinned. “Tiger’s illusions are very convincing p>

Natalie looked toward the house with a fond smile. “He really went all out, huh p>

“He had to,” I replied, crossing my arms and glancing around at the serious looking guards. “If he hadn’t cast that spell, those guards would’ve followed Zane into the palace bathroom and asked if he needed help washing his hands p>

She snorted, covering her mouth with her hand.

“I mean it,” I said, voice dry. “Tiger told me that one of them once asked Zane if he wanted a spoon or a fork to eat soup p>

“Oh Moon,” she wheezed, bending over laughing. “I needed this. I really did p>

Her laughter slowly faded into a softer, more thoughtful expression. She reached out and touched my arm. “Thank you, Jacob. For being here. For reminding me who I am even when I forget p>

I reached up and squeezed her hand. “You’re the daughter of the Moon Goddess, Natalie. But more than that… you’re you. Brave. Fierce. A little dramatic p>

“Hey p>

I winked. “And loved. Always p>

She gave a watery smile, then nodded. “Let’s go inside before Bubble decides to actually glitter-bomb Griffin in his sleep p>

“Already warned him,” I said, guiding her toward the house. “But I wouldn’t be surprised if Bubble added sparkly butterflies to Griffin’s shampoo p>

As we walked together across the stone path, the stars were beginning to wink into the deepening sky. The guards did their best to look casual, but their backs were straighter now, and a few more flinched when I passed.

Natalie leaned in, whispering, “Do they think if they stand still enough, you won’t see them p>

“They do. It’s adorable p>

“And tragic p>

We reached the steps of the house, and I pulled open the door for her. She stepped in first, pausing to glance back at me.

“Tomorrow,” she said firmly, “I tell him everything p>

I nodded. “And when you do… I’ll be right here p>