The Elevator

A Twin's Deception

"That is a complicated story." Jakob replied.

"Again. We appear to have a lot of time. I can't see this elevator moving soon." I explained, as much as I wished I could throw myself off the building. My forehead was thumping, a thick sweat covered me. I hated enclosed spaces for long periods and surprising the only thing that was comforting and keeping me calm was the voice of my mate. Stupid mate bond.

"Well, I had my suspicions when Louise left our pa- I mean town." He stated. There was no further explanation. A part of me knew it was difficult for an Alpha to admit his failings. I wondered whether it was guilt or his bruised ego that stopped him from speaking. But I didn't care. I was determined to keep him talking. He would admit his sins.

"Explain." I gestured with my hands to tell him to keep going.

"Well, I am quite integral in our community. I know everyone and everyone knows me. A week after Louise left, many people had approached me and asked where Leanne was. It was mostly people at the hospital or at the day care centre. It wasn't until an old lady at the homeless shelter approached me and asked me why she hadn't seen Louise in the soup kitchen." He sighed as he pinched the bridge of his nose.

"I remember laughing at the old lady when she said Louise was volunteering at the homeless shelter. I remember being rather rude to her, saying that she must have meant Leanne because that bitch wouldn't do something for anyone else but herself." He groaned at the memory.

"That little old lady slapped me and cursed me out. Told me I was an idiot if I thought Leanne volunteered. She told me I was too far up Leanne's ass to see her true face. The old lady mocked me, that Leanne was too stuck up to be seen at a homeless shelter. I wanted to refute her, only for her to tell me, "Leanne is nothing but a manipulative bitch who takes credit for her sister's achievements." I laughed at her, which resulted in her telling me she was ashamed to call me Al- a leader in the community and that I was just like everyone else. The old lady said I was superficial and couldn't look past the surface." Jacob's somber voice explained.

"At first I dismissed what she said. I believed the old lady was senile. Feeling confused, I spoke with Leanne and Louise's parents. I asked their advice on what she said, only for them to scoff at her words. They explicitly explained they knew their daughters. They told me that Louise's room smelt of sex. Her parents wanted to inform me, but they were afraid she would face consequences. Both cried as they never thought their daughter would disappoint them so much." He sighed, tracing his hand down his face.

"It wasn't until we had lost my son. Leanne she was erratic, she was screaming and crying for her son. She was acting baffling. We didn't know at this point that her soulmate had taken our son. Leanne, she knew, she knew he had taken her. She said nothing until it was too late. Rocking herself back and forward, she whispered she was being punished. When we asked what she was being punished for, she muttered out every sin she committed against her sister. Her parents' eyes widened with shock. They didn't believe it at first. Leanne was so caught up in grief that she didn't realise what she said, but her father wouldn't let it go." He admitted.

"Her mother tried to soothe her and told her to stop speaking such nonsense. She told her they were proud of their princess. Her mother kept repeating that she was everything in a daughter they wanted, while her father stood to the side. His eyes were empty, but the tears kept slipping past. Leanne curled up in a ball, saying her parents hated her. That they wouldn't forgive her for sleeping around or associating with rouges. Her mother tried to get her to stop talking, but she didn't. It was like she was hallucinating." Jacob's tears broke through his hardened gaze. I just couldn't work out why he was crying? Was he crying because of Leanne, or was he crying because of how he treated me?

"What happened next? What did her parents say?" I asked. My heart thumped against my chest, desperately wanting to hear what he had to say.

"I remember it like it was yesterday." He whispered. "Their eyes were wide with shock and their mouths just gaped. Leanne's mother just shook her head and said no and told her to stop being silly, but Leanne just laid on the floor at sobbed. Her father fell to the floor. He kept looking at his hands, which were shaking. He was a broken man, whereas her mother didn't believe what Leanne admitted. Her mother fainted at the sight of her daughter and husband. She didn't wake for a few days, but when she did, she acted as if nothing had changed."

My thoughts wondered into the land of what ifs? Would any of this would have had happened if I had left? Would I finally receive the love after all these years of neglect and abuse? I couldn't find it in myself to believe that Leanne's mask broke so soon after I left. There was a part of me that blamed myself for her behaviour. If I had been more resolute in standing up for myself, would things pan out differently? I shook my head, darkly chuckled at my thought process. It was too late for regrets.

"Why are you laughing?" He growled.

"You don't know what you have until you lose it, I suppose." I cryptically responded. There was nothing but a questioning tone behind my voice. There was pain in what I had said, but selfishly there was an overwhelming sense of satisfaction that harboured in my heart. The wolf in me wanted to admit who I was, the human in me wanted to revel in his pain. However, I didn't elaborate for fear he would see my true self behind the mask.

I said. I knew I was being cryptic as hell, but I could not reveal my satisfaction because I knew he would work out who I was. That my words would show what was behind the mask.

"You... You have no idea." He closed his head and leaned back against the elevator, his head thrown back against the wall as he looked towards the ceiling.

"What happened when you found out?" I asked, intrigued by his answer. I knew he would hear my heart pounding with his wolf senses.

"My heart broke. A small voice inside me told me I was making a mistake. From the beginning, that voice told me I was making a mistake. But my ego didn't let me admit I had failed. That I knew better. I decided not to listen to it, I decided not to listen to the voice of reason." I knew he was talking about his wolf. A small part of me knew that his wolf would have encouraged him to think logically, to not believe what everyone was telling him. My wolf had told me she had spoken to his wolf, but the human in Jacob ignored me. His wolf couldn't save me, save us from the pain.

"I felt more pain than I had ever felt in my life. My son dying killed me. But the truth about Leanne and Louise destroyed me. The woman of my dreams, all along, was the woman who was my soulmate. I had thrown away the pearl and treasured the fish eyes. I have never been the same since that day. Even I don't even recognise the man in the mirror. All I can do is hope Louise is safe and happy until I can fall at her feet and apologise and beg for another chance. To give her everything that she deserves." His voice didn't waver, the determination in his voice was resounding.

My heart soared, and my tummy did a somersault. For the first time, I couldn't blame the wolf inside. She was trying to lead me to an oasis that would finally give me the family I always desired. But all I did was push further and further away from her. I wasn't thinking about my wolf. My thoughts lingered on my parents, wondering, did they all cover up my sister's actions?

"What happened after that? Did anyone else find out about Leanne's deception?" I asked. My voice was barely a whisper.

Edited 08/08/2023