Chapter 0002

CHAPTER 2

I didn’t even realize how warm his hands felt until I tried to pretend they didn’t matter. My apartment smelled faintly of incense and cheap candles, the kind you buy to feel like your life is sophisticated and controlled. He kissed me like I was the only thing in the world that mattered, but I couldn’t stop the hollow ache twisting in my chest.

Because I wasn’t thinking about him. Not really.

I had chosen this life. Chosen him. Chosen college, chosen independence, chosen to shove the past into a box and pretend it didn’t hurt. But some nights, when it was quiet and I was alone, I could feel it…the pull of him, my Alpha, the one I was meant to be with.

Tywin rolled on top of me, his lips brushing my neck, whispering my name. “You’re mine, Solyn,” he murmured.

And I wanted to believe it. I wanted to close my eyes and let myself feel it. But the truth was sharper than his kisses. I didn’t feel it the way he did. I didn’t feel alive the way I remembered.

“I… I love you,” I said anyway

“I love you ",I repeated again. Maybe I could force myself to believe it. I swallowed the lump in my throat. It was a lie. Or maybe it wasn’t entirely. I did love the idea of him. I loved the comfort, the distraction, the life I’d built here. But I didn’t love like my heart had loved him.

My phone vibrated against the nightstand, loud enough that it startled me. I groaned and rolled over, reaching for it, but my stomach twisted when I saw the name on the screen.

Mother.

It was the middle of the night. She never called. Not ever. Not for birthdays, not for grades, not for anything I’d done. I ignored it, shoving the phone under the pillow, pretending I didn’t care. My boyfriend groaned from behind me, tugging at my hair playfully. He nipped at my nipples playfully. He raised his head to look at me.

“Solyn… what’s wrong?” he asked, breath hot against my shoulder.

“Nothing,” I muttered, curling into him, but my mind was racing. Why now? Why is she calling now?

Minutes later, the phone buzzed again. I froze. Twice. Mother called me twice. No, I couldn’t ignore her again. Not when she never called. My hand shook as I swiped it open.

“Solyn,” her voice was sharp, clipped, and I felt a strange chill run down my spine. “I need you to come home. Now.”

“What?” My voice cracked, and I could feel Tywin’s eyes on me, worried. “Mom… it’s three in the morning. Can this wait?”

“No,” she snapped. “This is about your sister.”

“I don't care. Just leave me alone"

“She was kidnapped", my mother said. The words hit me like ice water. My heart stuttered. “W-What do you mean? Who…how…”

“I don’t know all the details,” she said, voice tight. “All I know is that she’s been taken by the Silverlings. You have to come home. Now. You are the only one who can…”

I felt like the world had tipped upside down. I tried to breathe, tried to steady myself, but my mind was screaming. My twin. Sailyn. The one who had taken everything from me—the one who had taken him. She was… gone.

I sank back onto the bed, pulling the blankets around me. My boyfriend reached for me, concerned. “What’s wrong?”

I shook my head, trying to push him away gently. “I… I have to go home.” My voice was tight, hollow. “It’s… family.”

He frowned, pulling me closer. “Do you… want me to come with you?”

“I don’t think… this is something you can help with,” I muttered. I wanted him to feel safe. I really wanted to believe he could help. But no. This was bigger than both of us. And it was about her. My sister. My shadow.

I couldn’t stop thinking about the irony. Sailyn, the one who had stolen everything from me, the one who had ruined my bond with my Alpha, was now vulnerable. And somehow… part of me wanted to hate her less, even as every scar she’d left burned in my chest.

I slid out of the apartment, grabbing my bag, fumbling with the lock on the door. My phone buzzed again. Mother. I ignored it. No words could prepare me for what she would say next.

The drive home was a blur of rain-slick streets and streetlights casting long shadows. My thoughts refused to stop. I kept picturing Sailyn, terrified, trapped, maybe hurt. And I couldn’t shake the pang of guilt. She had tormented me, manipulated me, lied to me, but she was still my sister. My twin. And now… she was in danger.

The front doors of the mansion loomed ahead like a warning. My hands shook as I stepped inside, the familiar scent of polished wood and expensive perfume washing over me, the scent of my mother.

Mother was waiting in the grand foyer, her posture perfect, her pearl-white gown immaculate. Sailyn’s absence hadn’t dulled her precision; if anything, it made her sharper.

Her eyes flicked up when I entered, cold and calculating.

“You’re here,” she said, voice smooth but edged with steel. “Good. We need to talk.”

I clenched my bag strap, my throat tight. “What is going on?”

Mother’s gaze sharpened. “The Luna is missing. The council knows, the Alpha knows, but the pack cannot. Not yet.”

“What do you mean?” I dropped my bag as I took a seat" They are going to find out anyway"

“Not if you do what we ask you to do"

I blinked. “Wait…what?”

“You’re going to be her,” she said simply, as if it were the most natural thing in the world. “You will act as the Luna until Sailyn is found. The pack cannot know she is missing.”

I laughed, harsh and bitter. “You want me to… what? Pretend to be her? Play the perfect little Luna while my sister’s probably screaming somewhere?”

Mother’s eyes narrowed. “It’s been discussed. Council members, the Alpha… all agree. This is the only way.”

I shook my head, voice rising. “And you think I’ll just… say yes? Act as her? Be her? You’ve lost it. I’m not her. I’m not…”

“Solyn.” Her voice dropped, dangerous now. “You will. The pack’s survival depends on this. If the council finds out Luna is missing, the rivals will see weakness. Chaos will follow.”

I felt my chest tighten. My fingers curled into fists. “I don’t care what anyone expects. I’m not playing her part.”

Footsteps echoed behind me, slow, deliberate. My heart stuttered. I didn’t need to turn to know who it was.

He stepped into the foyer, tall, imposing, eyes dark with a mix of resentment and something I couldn’t name. My Alpha. My mate. My anchor and my torment.

“Hello, Solyn”