Perfect Stand-In: I Became My Dead Sister

The day after my mother, Cordelia Elsher, tore up my recommendation letter, three pack Elders came to my house.

They were the most prestigious wolves in the pack, but they personally came to demand justice for me.

"Sara is the first genius to awaken her wolf ahead of schedule. If she goes to Beloria and becomes a Werewolf Warrior, she'll be the pride of the entire pack!"

When Mom saw the Elders arrive, she became anxious. She went berserk, smashing our things to drive them out of the house.

She then grabbed the back of my neck and shoved me down in front of my sister, Leah Corbet's statue.

She yelled, "On your knees! Did you go crying to the Elders to get their sympathy? How selfish can you be? Is it really so hard for you to live like your sister?"

I bit my lower lip until I bled, but I didn't say a single word.

My father, Josiah Corbet, was so angry that he smashed the table to pieces.

"Sara, you took forbidden drugs to force your awakening, just to spite us! Even with Leah's mediocre talent, she would never have done such a thing!"

Hearing those words made me tremble all over.

When I was little, I was exceptionally gifted. I had managed to kill a fully grown bear all by myself.

I limped home, dragging the carcass behind me, thinking that Mom and Dad would finally praise me.

But when they saw it, they angrily questioned me, "Leah couldn't even catch a rabbit, and you think you can just kill a wild bear all by yourself? You stole someone's prey and won't admit it?"

Over the years, whenever I did anything differently from Leah, they would go ballistic.

Thus, I had no choice but to keep pretending to be useless, always coming in last.

However, awakening my wolf was something I was destined to do. It was something I could never hide.

Now, Mom and Dad wanted me to give up my chance to become a Werewolf Warrior. They even wanted to sentence me to death for allegedly taking forbidden drugs.

"I didn't take anything! Just because Leah is useless doesn't mean I am!" My eyes were red as I yelled at them for the first time.

My parents had never expected me to talk back.

Mom froze as she stared intently at me.

Finally, she cursed and threw me into the abandoned basement. "I'm going to report you right now!"

The door was then locked shut with a click.

Leah's statue was also in the basement, where Mom wanted me to repent before it.

Leah had always been lively and loved frolicking outside. But one day, she was caught in a fire and couldn't escape. And so, she was burned alive.

To make me more like her, Mom threw away all my books and forbade me from staying at home. I couldn't come home until dark.

Even when it came to food, I was only allowed to eat venison, Leah's favorite food.

But I was allergic to that. Every time I ate it, my whole body would itch, and I would scratch my skin raw.

After spending so many years as my sister's replacement, I had long forgotten what I had actually liked.

All I knew was that the more I resembled Leah, the happier Mom and Dad would be.

The basement was dark and cold, filled with the stench of mold.

I had been locked up for three days. Just when I was about to pass out from hunger, the door finally opened.

Dad stood in the doorway, holding some food, his face cold. "Sara, you don't get to eat until you apologize to your mother!"