The Return

Chapter 13: The Return

Aurora’s POV

I left the lab without looking back.

Not because I wanted to seem strong, but because I couldn’t risk turning around and seeing him standing there, that steady gaze pinning me to the floor all over again.

He’d said it simply, with that signature calm that made people forget there was fire beneath it.

“We already have a contract, Aurora. I don’t go back on my word.”

Then, when I told him I’d be flying to France to make arrangements, he’d only nodded.

He didn't protest or say anything. 

“Give me a week,” I’d said and he'd agreed.

Now, hours later, the jet hummed beneath me, slicing through the pre-dawn sky as New York faded into memory. I sat with my arms folded tightly, every muscle wired with exhaustion and something else I couldn’t name. The city lights glimmered below, a web of gold and silver, beautiful and cruel.

I’d spent the night replaying every moment, the sterile light of the lab, the tremor in my hands as I’d opened the envelope, the way Jace had looked at me afterward.

No celebration. No relief. Just quiet confirmation of what I already knew.

I pressed my fingers against my temple, fighting the dull throb behind my eyes. The plane’s cabin was silent except for the low whir of the engines. I’d thought I’d feel relief when I left New York. Instead, all I felt was the ache of something shifting, like I’d set something in motion that couldn’t be undone.

I should’ve been used to that by now.

By the time the jet landed in France, the sun was just beginning to rise, soft and pink, washing the sky in watercolor light. The runway gleamed with dew, and I felt the sting of familiarity hit me square in the chest.

Home.

At least, what was left of it.

The moment I stepped out, I saw my best friend and sister, Kelsey.

She stood just beyond the tarmac, hair pulled into a loose bun, her phone in one hand and a travel cup in the other. Her eyes found mine instantly, and all the miles, all the silence between us vanished in a heartbeat.

“God, Aurora!” she breathed as she hurried forward, setting down her coffee and throwing her arms around me.

I let her. For a long, long moment, I just let myself be held. The warmth of her, the steadiness, the simple humanness of it, it cracked something in me I hadn’t realized was breaking.

When I finally pulled back, I managed a small, tired smile. “You've only been gone a few days but I swear I missed you like someone cut off my liver."

I chuckled. "I missed you too."

“God!" she said, brushing her hair out of her face. “You look like you haven’t slept in days.”

“I haven’t.”

She frowned, studying me. “So it’s true, then. You saw him.”

I hesitated, my chest tightening. “Yes.”

Kelsey didn’t ask for details right away. She knew better. She just picked up one of my bags and started walking toward the waiting car, her shoulder brushing mine. “Come on. Let’s get you home before you collapse on the sidewalk.”

The ride from the airport was quiet at first. Paris was just waking up, shopkeepers rolling up metal shutters, cafés already brewing coffee, the streets stretching awake under a hazy sunrise. I leaned against the window, watching the world slide by, the ache in my chest pulsing with every memory I’d buried here.

Kelsey, ever the observer, didn’t push. She let the silence breathe until we’d merged onto the open road. Then, softly, she said, “So… tell me. What happened?”

I turned to look at her. She had that same expression she used to wear when there were things bothering her...worry laced with the sharpness of someone who wouldn’t accept half-truths.

I took a deep breath. “He agreed.”

Kelsey blinked. “He… agreed? Jace? Carter?" She asked.

“Yes.”

Her brow furrowed. “You mean he’s going to help Alex?”

“He is,” I said quietly. “He was the reason I called you remember? The test confirmed it. He's a match."

Her mouth fell open, and for a moment she just stared. Then she let out a shaky breath and pressed a hand to her chest. “Oh my God, Aurora. That’s..."

“...what we needed,” I finished for her.

Kelsey laughed softly, the sound edged with disbelief. “You actually did it. You got him to take the test, and you got him to agree to help. I shouldn’t be surprised, but I am.”

I smiled faintly. “Don’t give me too much credit. It wasn’t easy.”

She gave me a sidelong glance. “I’m guessing it wasn’t just charm that did it.”

“No,” I said, turning my gaze back to the road. “It wasn’t charm. And besides my charm does not work on men like Jace."

Her eyes narrowed slightly. “I doubt that but if it was not charm, then what was it? What did you offer him?”

I didn’t answer right away. The truth sat heavy on my tongue, thick with everything it meant. I could still feel the pen in my hand, the weight of the signature that sealed more than a contract.

Kelsey must’ve sensed the shift in me because she reached over and touched my hand lightly. “Aurora… what did you do?”

I drew in a breath, the air burning on its way down. “I gave him something he couldn’t refuse.”

“Like what?”

“Something that belonged to us?" I asked her with a wince because while I owned the company, Kelsey owned it too. It wasn't just mine alone.

The car dipped into the quieter streets outside the city, the skyline shrinking behind us. I stared out the window, my reflection staring back, calm, composed, utterly betrayed by the tremor in my voice when I finally said it.

“Biogenix.”

Kelsey’s head snapped toward me. “What?”

“I gave him Biogenix,” I repeated, softer this time, but the words still cut.

For a moment, she said nothing. Just blinked, lips parting as if the air had been stolen from the car. “You… you what?”