CHAPTER 386: TAKE A LEAP

Nicholas~

I bolted out of the breakfast hall, the heavy double doors slamming shut behind me like a thunderclap that rattled the quiet palace corridors. The sound echoed off the marble walls, sharp and unforgiving—just like the words I’d thrown at her moments ago. My heart was hammering in my chest, not in rhythm but in chaos, a wild and uneven beat that mirrored the storm raging in my head. Winter—my Winter—had walked out on me. Shoulders stiff. Chin high. But her eyes... gods, those blue eyes had betrayed her. Tears had shimmered there, catching the light like broken glass. And I had been the one to put them there.

I tore down the corridor, vampire speed snapping through me like a whip, the world blurring at the edges as I ran. The polished marble floors gleamed beneath my boots, ancient tapestries fluttered as I passed, and the soft golden light from the chandeliers streaked across my vision. None of it mattered. All I could see was her. All I could think about was the way she’d flinched—just barely—when I hesitated. When I made her feel like she wasn’t enough.

She was just ahead, moving fast, her pace sharp and deliberate. The side door to the gardens was still swinging on its hinges, letting in a rush of crisp morning air. I caught sight of her silhouette framed against the sunlit courtyard—her blonde hair whipped by the breeze, loose strands glowing like threads of gold. She moved like someone running from ghosts, from whispers, from the weight of a thousand watching eyes. From me.

"Winter!" The word ripped out of my throat, raw and desperate, echoing across the garden path.

She didn’t stop. If anything, her pace quickened, her boots crunching against the gravel path that wound through the rose bushes. Tears streaked her cheeks now, visible even from a distance, and it hit me like a punch to the gut. I’d done this. My hesitation at the table, my stupid, careful words—they’d wounded her deeper than any blade could.

I caught up in a blur, my hand gently but firmly grabbing her arm. "Winter, please—wait!"

She tried to yank away, her body twisting with a mix of anger and hurt. "Let go, Nick! I just... I need to be alone. I need to clear my head."

"No," I said, pulling her toward me, wrapping my arms around her before she could slip away. She stiffened at first, resisting, but I held on, my chin resting on the top of her head. Her scent—dark vanilla and something shadowy, like midnight rain—filled my senses, grounding me even as my own guilt threatened to drown me. "I’m sorry, gods, Winter, I’m so sorry. I should have stood up for you. For Vincent. I shouldn’t have let them talk like that without saying something."

She pushed against my chest, but there was no real force in it, just trembling frustration. Tears soaked into my shirt as she finally sagged against me, her voice muffled and broken. "Why didn’t you, then? If you really trust me... if you don’t think I’d ever hurt you or anyone here... why hesitate?"

I pulled back just enough to look into her eyes, those deep pools of blue that always seemed to hold secrets I couldn’t quite reach. My thumbs brushed away the tears on her cheeks, my heart aching at the pain I’d caused. "No, Winter, listen to me—I know you wouldn’t hurt me. I know it in my bones. You’re not like that. You’re... you’re everything good in this messed-up world. I was just... caught off guard. Stupid. Please, come with me to my chambers. I have something I need to say to you. It’s important. I beg you."

She searched my face, her lips parting in hesitation. The garden around us felt alive with tension—the roses swaying in the wind, thorns glinting like tiny warnings, the distant hum of bees adding an underscore to the silence between us. Finally, she nodded, reluctant, her voice barely a whisper. "Fine. But this better be good, Nick. I’m not in the mood for more excuses."

We walked back inside in silence. My arm rested around her shoulders, steady but careful, guiding her through the palace’s labyrinth of corridors.

By the time we reached my chambers, the air had shifted. This room—my room—had always felt like a refuge, a place where the weight of the world couldn’t follow. Heavy velvet curtains in deep shades of midnight blue framed the tall windows, their edges brushing against the polished floor. A massive four-poster bed stood at the center, draped in dark furs. Books were scattered across every surface—open, dog-eared, stacked haphazardly from the endless nights I’d spent chasing distractions instead of sleep.

It wasn’t so different from the room back at my father’s estate. I’d lived between two homes since I was three, ever since my father uprooted our lives to the Golden City to stay close to his best friend—Uncle Zane. Two places. Two versions of home. And somehow, I’d never felt like they were different places .

The air inside carried a familiar scent—a mix of old leather, parchment, and the faint, metallic tang of blood from the hidden stash I kept tucked away. It wrapped around me like a second skin, grounding me even as everything else threatened to spin out of control.

I closed the door behind us with a soft, deliberate click. The sound echoed through the quiet room, final and sharp, sealing us in from the rest of the world.

"Here, sit," I said, leading her to the edge of the bed. She perched there, her hands clasped in her lap, eyes downcast. I paced for a moment, gathering my thoughts, before dropping to one knee in front of her, taking her hands in mine. They were cold, trembling slightly, and I squeezed them gently. "Winter, I’m sorry. Again. I know it looks like I’m on the fence about us, like I can’t decide where my loyalties lie. But that’s not it. The truth is... I love you. So damn much it scares me sometimes. You’re in my blood, in my thoughts, every waking moment. But I’ve been careful—too careful—because of what happened with my parents. The experience my father had when he first met my mother... it’s made me wary."

She tilted her head, curiosity flickering through the hurt in her eyes. Her blonde lashes were still damp, catching the light from the window like dew on spiderwebs. "What experience?

I took a deep breath, the memories flooding back—not mine, but the ones drilled into me since childhood, tales of caution wrapped in romance. "Okay, here it is. When my father, Sebastian, first met my mother, Cassandra... it wasn’t some fairy-tale meet-cute. She came to kill him. Yeah, you heard that right. She was under the orders of this horrible woman—a manipulator, someone who wanted my father’s blood for her own twisted reasons. Mom was a rogue werewolf back then, fierce and unbreakable, but she was coerced, controlled by this bitch’s schemes. Dad could have been seriously hurt—hell, he almost was. There were ambushes and fights in the shadows."

Winter’s eyes widened, her fingers tightening around mine. The room felt smaller, the air thicker, as if the weight of the past was pressing down on us. Outside, a distant roll of thunder echoed, mirroring the storm in my chest. "But... she didn’t go through with it?"

"No," I said, a small, wry smile tugging at my lips despite the gravity. "Love won out in the end. Mom never truly wanted to hurt him—she fought against the control every step of the way. They clashed, they bled, but somewhere in the chaos, they saw each other. Really saw. Dad’s charm, Mom’s strength... it broke through. They built something unbreakable from the ruins. But if Dad hadn’t been careful at first, if he hadn’t questioned her motives... who knows? He might not be here today. And neither would I."

She nodded slowly, processing, her breath hitching. The vulnerability in her face made my heart twist—I wanted to shield her from all this, but I knew we had to face it head-on. "I’m sorry for being suspicious, Winter. Truly. But I have no idea who you are—not fully. What was your life like before you and Vincent ended up on the streets? How did you two wind up in that dingy alley the day you met Katrina? I feel like there’s this wall between us, made of secrets, and it’s killing me."

I leaned closer, my voice dropping to a pleading whisper, my eyes locking onto hers. "Please, tell me everything about yourself. I’ll tell you everything about me too—the good, the bad, the ugly. No secrets. I swear on my life, I’ll never hide anything from you. You’ll be an extension of me, Winter. One mind, one heart, full of love and nothing else. I know it’s a lot to ask, but it’s the only way we can move past this suspicion crap. Trust me like I want to trust you—completely."

She shook her head, pulling her hands away gently, her voice cracking like fragile glass. "No, Nick. You... you wouldn’t love me anymore if you really knew who I was. What I am. It’s too much. It would break everything."

The words hit me like a werewolf’s claw to the chest, raw and ripping. I couldn’t let that stand. In one fluid motion, I knelt fully beside her, my hands cupping her face, forcing her to meet my gaze. The carpet was rough under my knees, the room spinning with the intensity of the moment—her tears, my desperation, the faint scent of fear mingling with love. "Winter, look at me. I swear to you—on my blood, on my wolf’s howl, on every star in the damn sky—my love for you will never break. No matter what. Secrets, shadows, whatever demons you’re hiding... they won’t change a thing. You’re mine. And I’m yours. Tell me, or don’t—but know this: nothing you say could make me walk away."

She searched my eyes, her breath shallow, the tension hanging between us like a live wire. The thunder outside rumbled again, closer this time, as if the heavens themselves were holding their breath. And in that suspended moment, I waited, my heart laid bare, praying she’d take the leap with me.