CHAPTER 2: DESCENT

SELENE'S POV

I screamed. 

Not again. 

Selena couldn't win again. 

She always took everything. It had always been like this. From childhood to adulthood, Selena had owned every good thing that came our way. 

Good health, people's love and admiration, she owned them all. 

Even our parents never stopped singing her praises. She was the stronger one, sweeter, curvier, and even the most loved. 

Sometimes, I hated myself for resenting Selena. She never asked to be better. She just was. Every time I saw her smile, a pang of guilt hit my heart for wishing it would fade. 

We looked identical. Every way the same; our faces, our body shape, our voice, and even the way we spoke. Still, she was always the bright sun.

When the Alphas looked at her, it was as if she were the only one that mattered, and the rest of me stayed in that cold, spreading shadow. 

Why were things this way?

All I ever wanted was to be recognized. I wanted to be loved, too, appreciated, and praised. 

Even my first love didn't spare me the heartbreak. He chose Selena in a breath, turned his back on me, and never looked at me again. 

Besides Selena, my light remained dim, and the world chose to forget me. 

Selena was my sister!

Our fates were supposed to be linked, so why? 

Why was she always the perfect one while I remained flawed?

I thought things would be alright when I overheard our parents arguing about selling Selena away to pay for their debt and prevent their company from bankruptcy. 

I could already imagine a life without her... bright and unhindered. 

Everyone would love and adore me. 

They would show me all the love they once showed her. And even my weak health would no longer matter. 

However, I was wrong. She wasn't sold alone, and she didn't disappear from my life. 

When they dragged me away, too, something in me twisted. The guilt clawed at me even as I told myself it wasn't my fault. 

She continuously stole my light. 

She was the one who grew... I never did. She owned a wolf, among the endless love of others, but I owned nothing. 

Neither a wolf nor a life. 

I watched silently, invisible to everyone in the camp, as Selena became the darling of the slaves. The slaves approached her first, became friends with her, and helped all along the way. 

To them, I was nothing but Selena's burden, a sister that shouldn't have existed. 

Selena was the one they wanted, and they showed her all their care. 

The two years were hell. I spent every moment causing trouble, from breaking things to resisting the lessons of the guards... hoping they would hit me so I could finally leave this cruel world. 

I still vividly remember the guard's glare when I broke the watch. Cold and biting. He could have killed me for it. 

I was exhausted. No one wanted me, and I no longer wanted to fight so hard to stay. 

However, Selena continuously sheltered me. She took over all the punishments, but she wouldn't die.

Seeing her take the blows for me pushed me toward the cliff of fury and gratitude. I hated myself for needing her so much. For being so weak. 

The same punishments that could have ended my life seemed like nothing to Selena as she braced herself and took them all. 

Everyone praised her even more. 

They believed she was the best sister in the world... but who needed her help?

She had never asked me if I needed it. She would never ask for my opinion before she stood before me like a shield. 

I never asked for it...

God, I loved Selena. She was my sister and I loved her. But it was too difficult for me. Being forgotten, neglected, and overlooked, I hated it. 

It hurts. Terribly. 

That guard... even that damn guard I thought fell for me at first glance wouldn't stop ranting about how beautiful Selena was. His gaze whenever he saw her left nothing untold. 

A tear rolled down my face as I watched Selena staring intently at the triplet Alphas. Their gazes held hers, and their steps faltered. 

The oldest one's look lasted longer than indifference required... a tilt of his head and a flash of interest that could only be for her. That small motion felt like a heavy blow. 

Everyone could feel the connection between them, and everyone was awed... like always. 

"Selena is indeed a lucky star."

"She's fated to the triplet Alphas, the most powerful Alphas in our kingdom?!"

"Moon Goddess, don't be so partial." 

"I'm envious!" 

"Look, Alpha Jared is staring at her!"

The silent murmur of the slaves reached my ears, piercing through my bones painfully, and my veins pulsed. 

I wanted to be happy for her. I used to be. But the envy rising in me was poisonous, choking out every drop of love I had left.

Every word bit my skin coldly. Beneath their endless praise was the unsaid ridicule toward me. 'They are twins. Why are they so different?' 

'Selene is bad luck for Selena.'

'She should die.'

I clenched my fist breathlessly. My chest heaved in despair, and my eyes watered even more. 

I stared blankly, watching as the guards fearfully dropped the whip in their hands and fell on their knees. Their heads hit the ground. 

Fear palpable in their usually fierce eyes. "We are sorry!" They begged. 

"We, we had no idea." 

They frantically tried to rinse themselves of hitting their future Luna. The fear of losing their heads melted their arrogant hearts into submission, and they pleaded desperately. 

My heart lurched. 

I could no longer stop my tears as they blurred my vision. 

Why? Why did Selena gain so much prestige again? 

When would I ever rise?

My eyes wandered aimlessly and settled on the triplet Alphas. Each was tall and stunningly handsome. 

Pairs of golden, blue, and ocean eyes that usually held indifference toward everyone, like they were beneath their notice, looked at Selena with a strange glow at the moment, and my heart seemed to break into a million pieces. 

Behind the Alphas, a head full of slightly messy hair stood up, and my eyes widened... it was my boyfriend, one of the guards. 

I stared intently at him, and my fingers slowly clenched. 

A small voice within me whispered: 'This isn't right, Selene. None of this is her fault.'

But that voice had been ignored for too long, and by the time I noticed it, it was already drowned by the sound of my heartbeat. 

If Selena won't give me a chance, then I'd take away all her chances.