Page 27 of Nick (The Moonstone Pack #4)

SARAH WOKE TO THE soft light of dawn filtering through the curtains, casting a warm glow over Nick’s sleeping form beside her.

His long sandy brown hair fanned across the pillow, a few strands lazily caressing his closed eyelids.

The steady rise and fall of his chest hypnotized her as she allowed herself a moment of quiet contemplation. She traced the curve of his jaw with her gaze, lingering on the familiar stubble.

As she watched him, Sarah’s heart ached with a love so profound, so fraught with regret, that it was nearly suffocating.

Nick’s eyes opened, his gaze turning on her. Without a word, he reached out, his hand gently cradling the side of her face, thumb brushing her cheekbone.

The moment his lips met hers, the connection sparked a wildfire that raced through her veins.

Sarah responded with a kiss fueled by years of longing. She tangled her fingers in his hair that flowed around them like a wild mane, drawing him deeper into the passion that had simmered inside her, unspoken, for far too long.

Finally, reluctantly, she pulled away from their kiss, her chest heaving with the effort to regain control over her racing heart. She studied Nick’s face, and her throat tightened as she grappled with her next confession.

“There’s something I need to tell you,” she began. “I need to tell you—well, everything about that night, when I…when I convinced you to run.”

The shifting light from the rising sun cast patterns upon his face, but it did nothing to hide the tension that creased his brow. He nodded slowly, his Adam’s apple bobbing as he swallowed.

“Okay,” he said, his voice steady despite the underlying edge of anxiety Sarah knew all too well. “Tell me.”

Sarah took in a deep breath, feeling the dry New Mexico air fill her lungs as she prepared to unearth the past.

Her fingers traced the lines of the rumpled bedcovers, a restless energy coursing through her.

She could sense Nick’s protectiveness radiating like heat from his body, even as his own fears lurked right beneath the surface.

“Back then,” she started, “I made choices…terrible choices. And you deserve to know why.” Her gaze flickered to his, searching for a sign of kindness.

Nick reached for her hand, his touch promising that he was willing to listen. The corners of his mouth lifted in a faint reassuring smile. It was enough to nudge Sarah forward.

“Four years ago,” she said, her voice steady despite the fear lacing each word, “I began feeling ill. Nothing made sense, and my body… It was changing.” Her hands trembled as she folded them in her lap, the memory so vivid she could almost feel the nausea that had gripped her back then.

“I went to the pack doctor,” she continued, the image of the sterile office floating before her eyes, the scent of antiseptic mingling with the earthy aroma of herbs used for healing.

“He told me I was pregnant.” There had been elation in that moment, a surge of love so powerful it had threatened to overwhelm her.

“I was ecstatic. All I wanted was to tell you, to see your face light up with the news that we were going to be parents.”

The room seemed to contract, the past swirling like dust devils around them.

Nick remained silent, his thumb caressing the back of her hand in a soothing rhythm.

“I—” Sarah’s voice broke. But no, she couldn’t falter now. Not when there was so much at stake, not when she was so close to laying her soul bare before him.

With a deep breath, she steadied herself. “I never got to tell you because Karla… Karla knew. She was the receptionist at the doctor’s office back then.”

Nick’s brow furrowed. The soft light played against his features, accentuating the lines of tension in his face.

“She must have told Vincent. There’s no other way he could’ve found out about the baby.”

Sarah watched Nick closely. Each second stretched out. Her hands trembled slightly, and his skin was warm under her touch, a stark contrast to the chill of dread that threatened to envelop her.

“You have to believe me. I never wanted any of this to happen.”

“Tell me the rest.” Nick’s voice was quiet, reserving judgment, and Sarah clung to the belief that love—forgiveness—could still bloom from the scorched earth of their past.

“Vincent came to me,” she blurted out, the words tumbling from her lips before she could lose her nerve.

Nick propped himself up on one elbow, his gaze searching hers.

“He stood there,” Sarah continued, the memory flooding back with vivid intensity, “right outside my door.” Her voice wavered as she recalled the cold menace in Vincent’s eyes. “He said I had to make you leave, or he would…he would have you killed.”

Nick’s expression hardened. Anger and hurt clashed in his eyes—mirroring the turmoil swirling in Sarah. “You should’ve come to me. We could’ve faced him together.”

She shook her head, tears brimming at the edges of her vision. “I couldn’t risk it, Nick. You don’t understand—”

“Make me understand,” he pressed, reaching out to cup her face.

“Vincent was clear about his ambitions,” she whispered, leaning into his touch despite the ache in her heart. “He said once he became alpha, he’d ensure your life was miserable. That every day under his rule would be a torment for you. If you even survived.”

Nick pulled away slightly, his gaze distant as if he was visualizing the future Vincent had threatened.

“His need to control everything, everyone…” Sarah’s voice faltered. “It’s why I had to send you away.”

“Because of his threats?” Nick asked, his tone laced with both skepticism and understanding.

“Because I love you,” she said. “More than he could ever comprehend. And Vincent didn’t stop there,” Sarah murmured, her voice trembling as she forced herself to continue, to relive the nightmare that had driven her to the edge.

“He said something else, something so vile I couldn’t—” Her words snagged on a sob, her gaze fixed on Nick’s arm.

“What did he say, Sarah?” Nick’s hand found hers again.

She swallowed hard, pushing through the fear that constricted her throat. “He threatened our baby, Nick. Said he’d cut it right out of me if I didn’t comply.”

A shudder ran through Nick’s body, the bed creaking under the tension. His expression was a mask of horror.

“ Choose , he said,” Sarah whispered, her voice breaking on the word.

“He made me choose between you and our child.” Her heart pounded against her rib cage, wild and erratic as a cornered animal.

“He promised—if I sent you away, if I convinced you to run, he wouldn’t touch me again. He wouldn’t harm the baby.”

Tears brimmed in her eyes as she waited for Nick’s reaction, for the condemnation or the understanding.

“Why did he need me gone so badly?” Nick’s voice cut through the silence, raw and searching. His words hit her like a punch, direct and demanding an answer she wished she didn’t have to give.

Sarah let out a short, bitter laugh, one that held no humor but was laced with the irony of their twisted fate. “Because he knew, Nick,” she said. “Vincent saw in you what I always saw—the strength to challenge him, to rally the pack against his cruelty.”

“Me leading a rebellion,” Nick murmured, almost to himself. “Guess that’s exactly what I did.”

Sarah nodded, her hands still on his face, this man who was the axis of her world, even when she had pushed him away to save him.

“You did,” she said. “And it’s not because of your strength or your ability to lead.

It’s because you care, Nick. You care about this pack more than Vincent ever did.

But he knew exactly what to do to make me betray you. ”

“What was that?”

“Vincent threatened you,” she began, her hands fidgeting with the edge of the sheet. “He said if you weren’t gone by the next day, his friends would hunt you down.”

Nick’s brow furrowed, his lips parting slightly as if to speak, yet no words came forth.

“And if they didn’t kill you,” she continued, her eyes boring into his, pleading for understanding, “he would torture you to death.” She paused.

“So when I told you I chose Vincent as leader over you as my mate…I wasn’t entirely truthful.

But I wasn’t lying either. I did it to save you, to save our baby.

Vincent made me choose, and I couldn’t let him hurt you. I thought if I pushed you away…”

A shudder ran through her body as she recalled the venom in Vincent’s threats.

“By letting Vincent take control, by distancing myself from you, I believed I could protect you both. But every moment since then, I’ve regretted it, even though I was trying to save everyone I loved.”

Nick’s reaction was a flicker of understanding shadowed by pain; his features tightened, not in anger, but in the struggle to comprehend.

Sarah knew she had gambled everything on this confession, laying bare the wounds of their past.

Nick stared into her eyes for a long moment.

And then he pulled her to him, claiming her lips with a kiss.

“That’s over,” he whispered against her mouth. “And we’re together again.”

She swallowed the tears that threatened to overflow.

“And Sarah?” Nick asked.

“Yes?”

“I love you.”