Chapter 1: Cursed Twin

“Didn’t I tell you I wanted my drink with two pumps of vanilla?! This is clearly just one!” My sister, Heather, berated me after I passed her the drink. 

I was still gasping for air as I had just ran for half an hour when she asked me to get her a drink all the way from Coffee Bucks which was quite a long distance from our house. She didn’t even let me take a break before beginning to shout at me. 

“I– I could have sworn I told them two pumps, Heather. Are you sure it’s not the right drink?” I reasoned out, but I should have known that doing so was a terrible mistake on my end because the next thing I knew, she had stood up, stopped her hair and makeup artists from doing their jobs, and walked over to me. 

She towered over me with her four inch heels and she stared me down with her hands on her hips. “Are you telling me that I don’t know what my own fucking drink tastes like? Who the hell do you think you are?” 

I swallowed nervously. Goddess, I’ve awoken the kraken again. All I wanted was to have one peaceful day, on my own birthday, but I guess I can’t have that either. What else did I even expect?

Seventeen years of being tortured by my own family and I really thought that this one day would be different? Pathetic. I was pathetic. 

I shook my head as I forced a smile on my face and started to beg for Heather’s forgiveness. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it that way, Heather. I promise. I– I can take it back. Please just wait and I’ll get them to fix your drink.” I pleaded as I held my hand out for her to pass me back the cup.

“Look at that, ladies. Look at how pathetic my twin sister begs. I can’t believe we came from the same womb.” I heard a series of laughter as Heather ganged up on me with the other girls in the room. 

I kept my mouth shut and my head down because it was all that I knew to do. I know it’s pathetic. I know that better than anyone, but what am I supposed to do when I was born and raised into this type of family? Just run away? And go where? And live how? 

The first time it occurred to me that everyone preferred my sister was when I was about three years old. We were just little kids, playing around a playpen. Our older brother, Colton, who was around five or six at that time came home with a new car toy. 

It was colorful and shiny and as a kid, that was all you needed to find something amusing. I vividly remember Colton sharing his toy with me and I was so happy, smiling and laughing with him as we made car noises. 

All of a sudden, Heather had grabbed the toy car from my hand and claimed it as hers. I had asked her nicely for her to share, but instead of doing so, she shoved me to the ground and walked away. 

I began to cry as Colton tried to comfort me. Our parents came in and Colton explained what had happened and just when I thought they were going to teach Heather that sharing was important, they took me out of the playpen and locked me inside the room by myself. 

Me. They had punished me for wanting to share like that was some kind of sin. Throughout the years, I never understood why they always kept separating me away from Colton and Heather. When we would go out, they always made me wear a cap as if they were covering me up, and during special events and celebrations in the Pack, I was never introduced to the guests. 

They treated me like I was an outsider. 

As I got older, I came to learn the reason. 

In my Pack, the Lunar Eclipse, being born a twin wasn’t considered a blessing, but a curse. They believe that the one born after the other was inferior, and if you couldn’t prove your worth then you would be considered and treated as nothing. 

The very moment I was born, my life had already been deemed a mistake. 

I heard Heather’s heels clacking on the floor as she walked closer and closer towards me. With every step she took, my heart beat louder and louder. 

“Alright, little sis.” She says as if she was not only born a minute earlier. 

“Change my drink.” 

Just as I was raising my head up to get it from her, I heard the sound of plastic being moved and the next thing I knew, Heather had flipped open the lid and emptied its contents all over me. 

“Oops, sorry not sorry.” She giggled. 

“Ah!” I yelped at the sudden feeling of coolness all over my body as the sticky liquid continued to pour all over me. 

My hair, my face, my dress. I had spent a lot of my savings for all of this. Today was our– my birthday and I was desperately looking forward to it because it was the day I could find my mate. 

I had saved up diligently for the best dress I could afford and to get my hair and makeup done at a nice salon, but in one blink of an eye, it was all gone, destroyed by coffee my monster of a sister didn’t want. 

I fucking hate my life. 

“Ugh, she got a small stain on my favorite top. What a loser.” I heard Heather complain before the other girls gasped in disappointment. 

A small stain?! She got a small stain on her clothes that wasn’t even her birthday dress, meanwhile I would have to change my entire outfit?! 

I couldn’t take it anymore. I was on the verge of tears and at the same time I was stopping myself from going to her and punching her lights out. I hate her. I hate her so much!

“What the hell are you standing there for? Get my drink, stupid, or I’m telling mom that you don’t listen to me.” Heather ordered. 

I grit my teeth and clenched my fists tightly so as not to act on my intrusive thoughts. I let out an internal sigh before turning around and walking out of her room. 

I ran as fast as I could. I kept running and running until I opened the back door and the scent of the forest invaded my sense of smell and I felt the soft soil under my shoes. There I began to cry. I broke down behind a tree, sliding down on the ground as my tears and the coffee began to mix. 

I felt disgusting, physically and figuratively. 

I thought for sure that this day was going to be different. I thought that at least on the day of our most important birthday as a wolf, they would be nicer. They were family, after all. They were supposed to be nice. 

Isn’t that what family was all about or was I just wrong?

“Hailey Young!” A loud mindlink from my mother shook me to my core. 

I didn’t want to answer, but I knew I had no choice so I sucked in a lungful of air and pushed back the tears. 

“Yes, mother?” I responded as I kept my eyes closed and my head against the tree. 

“What is this your sister just told me about you disobeying her? She asked for coffee and you threw it at her? Are you crazy?!” After hearing her words, I was completely aghast. 

Did Heather seriously just lie and say that I did what she did to me? What the fuck? She was seriously pure evil! 

“Mother, I didn’t do such a thing. I–” Before I could finish explaining myself, my mother, the Luna, cut me off. 

“So you’re saying that your sister is lying? You’re calling your sister a liar now?” I could sense the sarcasm and impatience in her tone without even really hearing her. 

“No, no, of course not, mother. I was just–”

“Stop making up excuses and just please your sister, for Goddess’ sake! You are a pathetic excuse for a daughter! This is your only purpose, to take care of our beloved Heather, yet you still fail. What the hell is your use in this family then besides embarrassing us? Goddess, you are stressing me out! I need to relax before our guests arrive!” 

She cut off our mindlink before I could say anything else, but it was not like I even could. Her words had just pierced the dagger in my heart even deeper and all I could do was just sit there, tears streaming down my face as more shit was thrown at me. 

I looked up at the sky that was beginning to darken as night befell us. 

“Moon Goddess… is this really all my life is worth? Will I forever just be a punching bag to everyone in my family? To anyone in my Pack?” I started to cry harder, pulling my knees to my chest and lowering my face to my arms. 

I couldn’t even care about the fact that I was just getting my face and body even dirtier with my position. I couldn’t care about anything else. 

I don’t know how much time passed since I started crying, but at one point it felt like I had no more tears left to cry. It was then that I realized that I had stayed out far too long and I still hadn’t gotten Heather’s coffee. 

F u c k. I was totally going to get even more harassed by her. 

I hurriedly scrambled up to my feet, dusting myself off as if the dried up coffee all over my body would get cleaned. I don’t know who I was kidding. I was standing in a coffee-stained yellow dress and the party–that was supposedly for me too–had probably already started without me. 

There was no way I would make it in time if I still got Heather’s coffee which she probably doesn’t even need anymore and just ordered me so she could get all the spotlight. Not that she needed more of it, anyway. 

Literally our entire lives it was always all her. 

In the Academy, she was the popular girl while I was just the stupid outcast. She got all the achievements while the teachers only knew me as ‘Heather’s less fortunate twin’. 

She was perfect in every way – long and soft gorgeous blonde locks with the most beautiful light blue eyes, whilst my features – hazel brown hair and eyes, were considered simple and plain. 

Everyone gave Heather a second look to admire her beauty while I got a second look to get laughed at. 

I let out a frustrated sigh. I guess that’s enough wallowing in my self pity for the day. I still have to shower and get dressed in whatever decent enough outfit I could find. 

I started running back to the house as fast as I could as the forest began to get darker. For some reason, tonight the moonlight wasn’t shining as bright. It was like the Moon Goddess was hiding from us. 

I don’t think we learned this in class, but I’m pretty sure this wasn’t a good sign especially not on your eighteenth birthday. 

I shrugged it off as I continued running. 

When I saw one last gigantic tree blocking my way from the door, I decided to run through it to test my strength for a little fun. 

I quickly realized that was a mistake when the supposed tree turned around just as I had accelerated my speed. 

Oh, shit. It turns out it wasn’t a tree. 

It was a freaking person!!!

I tried to reduce my speed, but it was too late and the impact was astronomical. I had hit the hard body before tumbling down the ground, then we started rolling, rolling, and rolling. 

Warm and firm hands held on to my arms as it felt like minutes until we finally stopped. 

I was panting, trying to gasp for air, and when I opened my eyes, I was met with the most striking and mesmerizing gray colored eyes. It was like sucking me in the longer I looked, hypnotizing me more, and more… and m o  r e. 

And though it was hard to make out anything else from his face because it was far too dark, I knew that whoever this man was, he was way too out of my league.

I only snapped out of it when he cleared his throat and said with a deep and manly voice, “I’m sorry to disturb your staring, but your knee is putting too much weight on my… crotch.” 

The embarrassment was too real as my face flushed red. 

Oh my goddess. Please bury me now. 

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