Chapter 3 3. Her Hidden Identity

Nina

I'm standing in the middle of the bedroom, stuffing clothes into a suitcase like my life depends on it. My hands are moving fast, almost too fast, but I can't stop. I don't want to stop. If I stop, I'll have to think. And thinking means I'll have to look at the bed in the corner. The bed Jaxon has never once slept in with me.

Three years of marriage, and not once did he even bother to stay in the same bed. What kind of fucking marriage is that? A fake one. That's what.

I grab another handful of clothes and toss them into the suitcase, my movements jerky and frantic. I can hear Callie in the hallway, pacing. She wants to come in, I know she does, but she's giving me space. I appreciate it, but it's not enough. Nothing is.

My phone buzzes on the dresser, and I glance at it, half-expecting another bullshit text from Jaxon, telling me he's "stuck at a meeting" or some crap like that. But it's not him. It's Dominic.

Shit.

I stare at the screen for a second, my heart racing. I hadn't planned to tell my brothers. Not yet. Not like this. But there's no avoiding it now. They're going to find out, and I'm going to have to face the music.

I take a deep breath and swipe to answer the call. "Dom."

"Nina," his voice is gruff, direct. "What the fuck is going on?"

"Nothing," I say, too quickly. "Everything's fine."

"Bullshit. Callie told Lucas you're in trouble. Is it work? You know none of us wanted you to go work for whoever mystery boss you are working for..."

I squeeze my eyes shut, leaning against the dresser. "Yeah, well, shit is going down so I might as well tell you. It was Davenport. I was working as Jaxon Davenport's assistant?"

There's a pause on the other end. "Is it Jaxon? Because if that bastard's done anything to hurt you-"

"It's not like that." I cut him off, my voice wavering. "Or maybe it is. I don't know."

"Nina." Dom's voice softens, but there's still an edge of command. "Talk to me. What's happening?"

I open my eyes, staring at the stupid bed. "I'm leaving."

"What? The job? You aren't making any damn sense right now sweetie." There's genuine surprise in his voice. "Are you freaking out because you are quitting your job? You know you never needed to work for that family. Why didn't you just call and tell me you wanted a job?"

"Since I realized he doesn't give a shit about me," I snap, the words coming out sharper than I intended. "Since I lost a baby and he didn't even care enough to stay."

Silence. I can practically feel Dominic's anger through the phone. When he speaks again, his voice is low, dangerous. "You were pregnant?"

"Yeah." I swallow hard, trying to keep my voice steady. "Was."

"Jesus, Nina." His voice cracks, just for a second. "Why the fuck didn't you tell me? Or Lucas? Or Griffin? We're your brothers."

"I know." I rub a hand over my face, the weight of it all pressing down on me. "I was trying to fix it. I thought... I thought I could handle it on my own."

"Well, you can't," Dom says, blunt as ever. "You're my sister, Nina. You're not alone."

I want to argue, but I don't have the energy. I sit down on the edge of the bed, staring at the half-packed suitcase in front of me. "There's something else," I say quietly. "Something I didn't tell you."

"What?" Dominic asks, suspicion clear in his tone.

"I... I wasn't just working for Jaxon," I admit, my heart pounding in my chest. "I was married to him."

Dead silence.

I wait, bracing myself for the explosion. It doesn't take long.

"What the fuck?" Dominic roars, loud enough that I flinch. "You married that asshole? And you didn't tell any of us?"

"I didn't want you to freak out-"

"Well, too fucking late for that!" Dom's voice is booming now. "Jesus Christ, Nina, how could you hide something like that? You married him?"

"I didn't want it to be like this," I whisper, feeling the tears burn in the back of my eyes. "It just... happened. And then it was too late, and I was stuck."

"Stuck?" He sounds like he's pacing, his heavy breathing filling the silence. "No, Nina, you're not stuck. You never were. You could've come to me, to any of us. We would've-"

"Would've what? Flown in like some fucking cavalry and saved the day?" I stand up, pacing now too. "You don't get it, Dom. I thought I could fix it. I thought if I stayed long enough, he'd realize... that he'd love me."

"And does he?"

"No," I say, the word bitter on my tongue. "He never did."

There's a pause, and when Dominic speaks again, his voice is calmer, but still filled with that simmering anger. "I'm coming to get you."

"Dom, no-"

"I'm coming," he says firmly. "I'll be there in an hour. Get your shit together. We're taking you home."

"Dom, please-"

But he's already hung up.

I drop the phone on the bed, staring at it for a second before collapsing onto the mattress. I bury my face in my hands, trying to hold it together, but it's impossible. Everything is falling apart, and there's nothing I can do to stop it.

The door creaks open, and Callie steps inside, her face a mix of concern and guilt. "Nina?"

I look up, wiping my eyes quickly. "Yeah?"

"Dominic called me," she says softly, sitting on the edge of the bed. "He asked where we were. Fuck babe. He is pissed and he's coming. He said to make sure you're ready."

I let out a shaky breath, nodding. "Yeah. He's not giving me much of a choice."

"He's your brother. He's worried."

"I know," I whisper, hugging my knees to my chest. "I just... I didn't want it to happen like this."

Callie wraps an arm around my shoulders, pulling me close. "I'm sorry, Nina. I'm so sorry."

"Not your fault," I murmur, resting my head on her shoulder. "It's mine. I shouldn't have married him. I shouldn't have..."

"Hey." Callie pulls back, cupping my face with both hands. "Don't do that. This isn't on you. Jaxon's the asshole. Not you."

I nod, even though I don't really believe her. It is my fault. I chose this. I thought I could make it work. And now...

Now, my brothers are about to storm in here, and everything I've been hiding is about to blow up in my face.

*

It doesn't take long before I hear the rumble of engines outside. Callie and I are in the living room, and my heart skips a beat when I see the line of black SUVs pulling up in front of the building.

"Shit," I mutter, standing up as the first door opens. Dominic steps out, tall and broad, his face set in a hard line. Behind him, Lucas and Griffin follow, both looking just as pissed.

"Here we go," Callie says quietly, squeezing my hand before stepping back.

The elevator dings, and then they're in the penthouse. Dominic walks in first, his eyes scanning the room before landing on me. His expression softens for a second, but then it hardens again.

"Nina."

"Dom."

He doesn't say anything for a moment, just walks over to me and pulls me into a hug. His arms are tight around me, his chest rising and falling quickly, like he's trying to calm himself down.

"You okay?" he asks, his voice low.

"No," I admit, my voice muffled against his chest. "Not really."

"We're getting you out of here," he says, pulling back to look at me. "Pack your shit. We're leaving."

"I'm already packed," I say, glancing at the suitcase by the door.

Lucas steps forward, his arms crossed. "So, you're telling us now? After three years of marriage? You married this prick without saying a word?"

I open my mouth to respond, but the sound of the office door opening stops me cold.

Jaxon steps out, his face a mask of calm, but his eyes flick to Dominic and then back to me. "What's going on?"

Dominic steps in front of me, blocking me from Jaxon's view. "We're leaving."

Jaxon raises an eyebrow, clearly not understanding the situation. "Leaving? What are you talking about?"

"You really don't know, do you?" Dom's voice is full of disgust. "You married my sister, and you don't even know who she is."

Jaxon's eyes flicker with confusion, but he stays quiet, waiting for Dominic to continue.

"Nina Valens," Dom says, his voice low and dangerous. "Heir to the Valens Pack. Alpha heir."

The room goes silent.

Jaxon's face doesn't change at first, but I can see the gears turning in his head. He's piecing it together, slowly realizing what he missed. What he's been blind to this whole time.

"You're..." He turns to me, his voice barely a whisper. "You're Valens?"

I step out from behind Dominic, meeting Jaxon's stunned gaze. "Yeah. I'm Valens."

He looks like he's been hit with a brick. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Because it didn't matter," I snap, the words sharp. "You never cared. You never wanted to know anything about me, Jaxon. You just needed a wife. A placeholder."

His mouth opens, but no words come out. He looks at Dominic, then back at me, like he's searching for something-some kind of explanation that will make this make sense.

Dominic steps forward, his voice full of authority. "You don't deserve her. You never did. We're taking her home."

Jaxon's eyes flash, a hint of anger breaking through his shock. "This isn't your decision to make."

"No," I say quietly, stepping in front of Dominic. "It's mine. And I'm done, Jaxon."

He stares at me, his face unreadable, but I don't waver. I've made my choice. There's no going back now.

Dominic motions to Lucas and Griffin, and they grab my bags, heading for the door. Callie squeezes my arm one last time before following them.

Jaxon doesn't move. He just stands there, watching as my family takes me away. I thought there might be a fight, but there's nothing. Just silence.

When I reach the door, I turn back to look at him one last time. "Goodbye, Jaxon."

And then I leave.