CHAPTER 1

HANNI POV

The one day I needed to look perfect was, of course, the day my twin decided to declare war.

My bedroom door flew open without a courtesy of a knock “Look at your dress,” Wanni sneered, her voice dripping with a familiar venom. “It’s hideous. You look like a witch. Thank the moon goddess we are not identical, for I would have denied you as my sister, you pig.”

I sighed, the sound heavy with a weariness she had built in me over a lifetime. “Wanni, please. It’s too early for this. What are you doing here? Are you not supposed to be getting ready for Lucas’s coronation?”

She ignored me, her eyes scanning my dressing table before it rested on my favorite hair ribbon. Then she snatched it up.

“No! Not that,” I said in annoyance. “You took my favorite bag, my pink shoes. You can not have this too!”

“And what are you going to do about it, little sis?” She mocked. With a final, wicked smile, she swept her arm across the table, which sent my expensive porcelain jar crashing to the floor as she waltzed out.

The sharp sound of shattering ceramic took me back to my eighteenth birthday. “Mama, Papa….she has no wolf. She is an empty shell, a weak human!” Wanni’s shrill voice had tainted me in front of everyone.

“Now…now Wanni darling, stop bullying your sister, she has had enough already,” my dad had stepped in, his kind eyes pinned on mine. “Do no mind her, Hanni. You are beautiful, and soon your wolf will surface, maybe when you finally see your mate.”

“Tch,” Wanni had scoffed and rolled her eyes. “Like that will ever happen.”

“Wanni, stop it! You are beginning to scare me!” My dad had thundered, and Wanni, finally shaken, had bolted.

I missed my papa. He was the only one who ever stood up for me. Now, I was alone. I looked at the shattered mess on the floor. This was more than a broken jar, it was a warning. If she was this cruel over a ribbon, what would she do if I ever had something she truly wanted?

A cold sweat trickled down my spine. My only safety was in being invisible.

The air buzzed with excitement, as it is coronation day at the high mountain pack.

Lucas Wesley, the son of the late Alpha is going to be coronated today and most importantly, he is going to find his mate, today.

This has been the tradition for years. The coronation day is also the day a new Alpha will be mated with his Luna and ofcourse, everyone knows who that will be;

I rolled my eyes at the thought…..

It is my sister, my twin, Wanni Severus, my beautiful sister.

We are twins, yes, but not identical.

She is tall, slender, has a sleek chocolate brown hair with blue eyes, while I am……I looked at my reflection in the mirror and sighed.

My reflection staring back at me with it’s blue eyes….I guess that is the only feature the moon goddess blessed me with, for I am mid-size, some (if not many) will call me short, very curvy with a long blonde hair that I always put up in a bun.

My sister on the other hand, had been blessed all round by the moon goddess, beautiful face, beautiful figure, outgoing personality and a boyfriend that from today, will be an Alpha.

Lucky her, I sighed.

Wanni and Lucas have been sweethearts since teenage years, a perfect couple. My father was Lucas father’s Beta, so we were close to him…..more like, she has been close to him, while I as usual, non existent.

I was brought back to earth by a knock on my door.

“Hanni, are you ready? It’s almost time” Josh, my friend called out from behind the closed door “I am coming in, ready or not” he snickered.

“Gimme a min, I am almost done.”

I quickly straightened my dress - a plain long red gown with fur designs on both hands. I did not want to dress extravagantly and also didn’t want to be under dressed, so this was the only outfit I could think of.

Sparing myself a quick glance at the mirror, I rushed to open the door to see him resting on it’s hinges, with his left hand in his suit pocket, looking exceptionally dashing…..

“Someone is looking handsome today” I jeered.

“And someone is looking beautiful” he replied.

We both took a minute to appreciate each other’s appearance. He is good looking with brown eyes, his brown hair permed backwards giving it a sleek appearance, making the outlines of his face visible. He looked sharp in his grey colored suit, which sat well on his body. He is chubby and a head taller than me, one can easily mistake us as siblings, for we look so much alike.

Josh and I have been best friends since our teen years. He is that bubbly kid that lights up the room and has been my safe haven since I lost my parents in a bandit attack two years ago.

“I hope you are ready, we are late, everybody is seated in the hall except us.”

“Where is your mate?” I asked.

“He went ahead. to keep seats for us.”

Josh is gay. He found his mate - Micheal, when we were eighteen.

“Buddy, looks like you will go ahead also.”

“Where are you going?” he asked, his eyes wide “you don’t want to miss it.”

“I won’t. I just need to check on Mr Snape, he broke his leg yesterday night, so I am attending to him” I replied, heading to the clinic.

Been blessed also with a special skill in medicine, like my mum, I spent most of my time at the pack clinic attending to injured wolves that can not heal quickly due to age, like Mr Snape or bedridden with illness like Mrs Potter.

I could hear distant music as the ceremony began. Everyone looking their best and the atmosphere pleasant…….but why then am I feeling uncomfortable?

Something is going to happen today. I can feel it!

*********

“Finally, you are here” Josh greeted me excitedly as I sat down beside him and Micheal “what took you so long?”

“I did? I thought I only stayed out a for few minutes.”

“Yes and it’s up to an hour, but do not worry, they haven’t started the ceremony properly, we have just been drinking and socializing.”

I looked up to see my sister sitting at the head table with Lucas, looking so pretty as usual with a smile never leaving her face. I watched as they both stood up to greet the minister, her hand tucked in his arm, marking her territory.

“Ladies and gentlemen, settle down……settle down, let’s begin the ceremony” the minister said with his drink up in the air. The sound of music and laughter died down as everyone looked up at the minister with expectancy.

“We are all gathered here today to appoint Lucas Weasley as our Alpha. The Weasley family have been at our service for generations and have served us faithfully, giving us years of peace and prosperity. Let us all give a toast to the new Alpha of high mountains pack - Lucas Weasley, may his reign last forever.”

“May his reign last forever” we all said in unison with our glasses raised high.

I found a quiet spot on a window sill at the back of the hall, content to watch the fireworks and stay out of the way with no intention to socialize.

One the podium, my sister reapplied her lipstick, her smile radiant and sure. She was moments away from everything she ever wanted.

It is not a normal practice for us Lycans to choose our mates, it is the responsibility of the moon goddess to tie our destinies together, but the Alpha is an exception. They are given a choice to choose their mates or to relax and let the moon goddess do her job. Some like the late Alpha took the second option, while many were lucky to find love in their younger years and stuck to their partners. Therefore, it did not come as a surprise when Lucas opted to choose his mate as he is in a relationship with my sister.

“Ladies and gentlemen,” the minister’s voice boomed once more, silencing the music. “The time has come for our Alpha to choose his Luna.” He turned to Lucas. “Alpha Lucas Weasley, who will be your Luna?”

The hall held its breath. I took a sip of my drink, waiting for the inevitable.

Nothing!

I mean nothing! Would have prepared me for the word that came out from Lucas’s mouth.

“Hanni Severus.”

The world stopped. My glass slipped from my frozen fingers, shattering on the floor much like my jar had hours before. A thousand eyes swerved to find me in the shadows. The air rushed from my lungs. And across the room, I saw it—the beautiful, perfect smile on my sister’s face froze, twisted, and shattered into a mask of pure, undiluted hatred. In that moment, I knew. My life was over.