Chapter 27 CHAPTER 27
The morning air bit against her cheeks as Cindy hurried down the cracked pavement, Isabel half-jogging beside her. Her bag bounced against her shoulder, and her breath came out in uneven gasps. She was late - painfully, embarrassingly late. Every step she took sent a dull ache through her body, a leftover echo from the morning’s ordeal. Her arms still stung where the faint burn marks remained, hidden beneath her sleeves.
“Slow down, Cindy!” Isabel panted, clutching her schoolbooks. “You’re going to trip!”
“I’m already late,” Cindy said between breaths. “If I trip, at least I’ll fall closer to the café.”
Isabel laughed, the sound bright and warm, and Cindy couldn’t help but smile despite herself. That girl always had a way of making the world feel lighter, even when Cindy’s insides still felt as though they were on fire. They reached the corner where the café stood, its old sign creaking gently in the wind.
Isabel adjusted her backpack and gave her a playful salute. “Good luck, Chef Hale! Don’t burn down the kitchen today.”
Cindy chuckled, brushing a loose strand of hair from her face. “Go on, troublemaker. You’ll be late for school.”
They parted with a wave, and Cindy turned toward the café door. The bell above the frame jingled as she pushed it open, and the comforting scent of coffee and baked bread wrapped around her like a hug she didn’t deserve.
“Good morning!” she called, her voice slightly breathless. “Pauline, I’m so sorry I’m late. Something happened this morning, but I promise it won’t….”
Her apology died on her lips.
Pauline, who was arranging some pastries behind the counter, looked up with her usual kind eyes. “It’s fine, dear. You’re here now.” But as she spoke, her gaze flickered briefly to the side - toward the private room at the back of the café.
“Actually, there are some gentlemen who came early to see you.”
Cindy followed her glance instinctively, noticing the faint silhouette of someone standing near the doorway. Her heartbeat quickened. The air shifted, a strange current rolling through her chest. The smell of roasted beans and warm bread suddenly faded beneath something deeper, wilder… familiar in a way that made her knees weak.
And then she heard her.
He’s here.
Lisa’s voice trembled through her mind, soft but electric. Cindy, he’s here. My brother… I can feel him!
Cindy froze. Brother? she whispered inwardly, confusion flooding her senses. But before she could ask more, her chest tightened, her breath hitched, and her entire body trembled. Something vast and ancient pulsed through her veins, almost too strong to contain.
From the private room, the door opened.
Ethan Ashvale the Lycan king stepped into the light.
He was tall, dressed in a dark coat that carried the faint scent of pine and night air. His eyes - those piercing grey eyes, locked on her instantly. The sound of the café, the clinking cups and distant chatter, seemed to vanish between one heartbeat and the next.
And then the world stilled.
Lisa gasped within her. Brother…
The name wasn’t spoken aloud, but Cindy’s lips trembled as though it was.
Ethan took a slow step forward, disbelief written across his face. His wolf Rex, stirred inside him, howling recognition through his veins. The moment his eyes met Cindy’s, something ancient unfurled between them. His chest rose sharply, emotion tightening his features.
Celia…? My pup sister, you’re all grown.
Without another word, he crossed the room. Cindy didn’t move - couldn’t. Every instinct screamed at her to step back, but the pull was magnetic, unstoppable. Her heart thudded painfully as Lisa’s emotions bled into hers - shock, joy, love, loss -too many things to bear at once.
When he reached her, neither of them hesitated.
Their arms wrapped around each other at the same moment - his grip desperate, hers trembling. Cindy felt herself crumble against him, tears welling unbidden. She didn’t understand why she was crying, only that it felt right. Safe. Familiar in a way she hadn’t known since… ever.
From behind the counter, Pauline’s jaw dropped. Alina, who had just arrived with a tray of clean cups, stopped dead in her tracks. Liam stood at the doorway, frozen, eyes wide with realization.
Ethan buried his face against Cindy’s hair, inhaling deeply like a man breathing for the first time. “Lisa… my baby sister” His voice cracked. “You’re alive.”
Cindy’s lips parted, and another voice, Lisa’s, spoke softly through her. “Rex… my brother… Is that you?”
The air in the café thickened, shimmering faintly as though the world itself was holding its breath. Cindy’s tears fell freely now, hot against her skin. She didn’t know what to say, didn’t even know what she felt, only that something inside her had shifted, realigned.
When Ethan finally pulled back, his hands still held her shoulders as though he feared she’d disappear again. His eyes glistened with unshed tears. “I looked for you,” he whispered, his voice breaking. “All these years… I never stopped.”
Cindy shook her head slightly, still catching her breath. “I… I don’t understand. Lisa...she said…”
He smiled faintly, though it trembled at the edges. “Lisa? No her name is Celia – your wolf. She has been with you all this time.” He glanced down, his thumb brushing away a tear from her cheek. “You’ve carried her. Protected her.”
Cindy swallowed hard. “Celia?” she said softly. “I don’t understand. Then why did you call her Lisa?”
Ethan’s eyes softened with something between gratitude and grief. “You are Lisa – my sister. I know it’s confusing to you but that’s the truth.”
Pauline, finally finding her voice, cleared her throat gently. “Should I… um… bring some tea, maybe?” She looked between them, bewildered but sensing the sacredness of what she’d just witnessed.
Ethan let out a shaky laugh, wiping his eyes. “That would be nice, thank you.”
He guided Cindy toward the private room. Liam moved aside silently, his usual sternness softened by the awe in his expression. The moment they sat, the tension in the café eased, though the air still felt charged, almost holy.
Cindy’s hands wouldn’t stop trembling. She kept glancing at Ethan, half-afraid he’d vanish if she looked away too long. He sat across from her, studying her face as though trying to memorize every line, every freckle.
For a long moment, neither spoke. The quiet stretched, filled only by the faint hum of the refrigerator and the low murmur of Pauline and Alina whispering outside.
Then Ethan broke the silence. His voice was soft but steady, carrying years of longing.
“You have no idea how long I’ve been looking for you.”
Cindy met his gaze. The warmth in his eyes made something ache deep inside her. “No,” she whispered. “There’s a lot I don’t understand.”
Her voice trembled, and as she spoke, a faint golden light flickered behind her eyes, Lisa’s quiet confirmation of what neither of them needed to say aloud.
Brother and sister, reunited by fate.
Ethan exhaled slowly, a small, relieved smile curving his lips. “Welcome back, Lisa,” he murmured.
And though Cindy didn’t fully understand what that meant, she felt it too, that strange, overwhelming sense of belonging, as if she’d finally stepped into a story that had been waiting for her all along.