Chapter 44 – Secrets in the Dark
Sam's POV
The blackout came out of nowhere. One second, the dorm’s common area was filled with laughter and the hum of video games. The next, everything snapped into black silence.
“Great,” Mason groaned in the dark. “Whose turn was it to pay the electric bill?”
“Don’t be an idiot,” Connor muttered. “It’s a storm. Power’s out everywhere.”
Declan’s voice rose above the others, calm but amused. “Relax, boys. Sit tight.”
My skin prickled. Storm or not, the dark wrapped too tight around me. Too much silence. Too many shadows.
I felt a hand brush mine, steady and deliberate. Elias.
“Come on,” he murmured near my ear.
I let him guide me through the dark hallway, my heart thumping with every step. We slipped into our room, and Elias shut the door behind us. The faint glow of the storm outside was the only light, flickering shadows across his face.
“Sit,” he said, motioning toward my bed.
I hesitated. “Why?”
“Because,” he said, lowering his voice, “I don’t like the way Declan was looking at you. And because we need to talk.”
The weight in his tone made my stomach twist. I sat anyway.
Elias leaned against the wall, arms folded, watching me in the dim light. “You almost slipped earlier.”
I swallowed. “I didn’t.”
“You did.” His gaze sharpened. “When I called you Sam.”
I flinched. Again. Damn it.
His lips curved, not into a smile, but something closer to grim certainty. “See? You can’t hide it from me. Not anymore.”
My throat tightened. “You’re imagining things.”
“No,” Elias said firmly. “I’m not. And you know it.”
The storm outside cracked, thunder rumbling close, and I jumped slightly. Elias noticed. His voice softened.
“I don’t want to hurt you, Hale. Or Sam. Or whoever you are. But I can’t keep playing blind.”
Something inside me snapped at the way he said that—like he was giving me permission to breathe, to drop my guard just an inch.
“You really want the truth?” I whispered.
“Yes.”
I let out a shaky laugh, rubbing my palms against my knees. “I can’t give it all to you. Not yet. But…” My eyes found his in the dark. “You’re right. I’m hiding something. Something big.”
Elias didn’t move. Didn’t even blink. “Because of Declan.”
The sound of his name made my chest ache. I nodded slowly. “Because of him. And the others.”
Elias’s jaw tightened. “They hurt you?”
My heart lurched. “Not me.”
His eyes narrowed. “Then who?”
I bit my lip so hard it almost bled. “Someone I loved.”
The silence after that was unbearable. Elias stepped closer, until he was standing right in front of me. “That’s why you’re here,” he said quietly. “That’s why you’re lying. That’s why you’re hiding who you really are.”
My breath caught. He wasn’t wrong. Not completely right either, but close enough that it stung.
“Elias…” My voice cracked. “If you knew the whole truth, you’d look at me differently. You’d hate me.”
“I doubt that.” His tone was sharp, absolute.
“You don’t know,” I whispered.
“Then tell me,” he shot back. “Show me.”
I shook my head, tears burning the edges of my eyes. “I can’t. Not yet.”
Elias crouched down so he was eye-level with me. The storm’s glow lit his features, and the intensity in his eyes made my chest squeeze tight.
“Then give me something,” he said softly. “Anything. So I know I’m not crazy for trusting you.”
My lips parted. The words slipped out before I could stop them. “My name. It’s not Hale.”
He blinked. Slowly. “Then what is it?”
I swallowed. “Samantha"
His gaze flicked, searching my face. “Samantha,” he repeated, like he was testing the sound.
The way it rolled off his tongue made my stomach twist.
“It’s short for something,” he guessed.
I stayed silent.
He leaned closer, his voice low and husky in the dark. “I’ll figure it out.”
I looked away, my pulse racing. “You already know too much.”
“And yet,” Elias said, a faint smirk ghosting his lips, “I still don’t feel like it’s enough.”
We sat there, the air between us heavy, electric like the storm outside. His knee brushed mine, whether on purpose or accident, I couldn’t tell. But neither of us moved away.
“Elias,” I whispered.
“Yeah?”
“If you get too close to me, you’ll regret it.”
His eyes darkened. “That’s not how I see it.”
“You don’t understand,” I said, shaking my head. “Declan—he’ll ruin anyone who stands in his way.”
“Then let him try,” Elias said firmly. “I’m not afraid of him.”
Something inside me cracked wide open at that. My chest ached, my throat burned, and the storm outside felt like it was inside me now, loud and wild and unstoppable.
I should’ve pushed him away. Should’ve buried the truth deeper, where it couldn’t hurt him.
But when he reached out, brushing a strand of hair from my face, I didn’t move.
“Sam,” he whispered, softer this time, like a secret.
I closed my eyes, every part of me trembling.
And then—
A sharp knock rattled our door.
“Cross! Hale!” Mason’s voice, loud and mocking. “Declan’s looking for you.”
Elias froze. His hand hovered by my cheek, then fell away.
I opened my eyes, heart slamming in my chest.
The storm outside crashed, shaking the window. The shadows between us stretched too far, too fast.
“We’ll finish this later,” Elias said, voice low, unreadable.
I wasn’t sure if it was a promise or a threat.
But one thing was certain: the darkness we shared tonight wasn’t staying buried.
And the next time we were alone… there’d be no storm to hide behind.