Chapter 7

Ava's POV I wrapped my arms around myself as I walked deeper into the moon-filtered canopy, needing the quietness to clear my head. After everything that happened with Caden...and Elias... my thoughts felt like a raging storm.  Trying to pull me in every direction. I didn't hear it at first, but I felt her-a terrifying chill against the back of my neck, like cold fingers brushing against my skin. Then, her sharp and venomous words sliced through the silence. "Well, well. Look who couldn't stay in the shadows where she belongs."  It was Seraphina. She stepped out from the trees, her figure covered in moonlight, looking far from every bit of the perfect sister I remembered....and yet, something was wrong. Her smile was too silly, her eyes... those once warm hazel eyes...they were now cold. Empty.  "You've been busy," she continued, circling me like a predator stalking its prey. "Throwing yourself at Caden. Trying to make yourself important in front of Elias. Tell me, Sister....are you really that desperate for attention?"  I straightened my posture, forcing calmness into my voice. "Caden rejected me for you remember? He made his choice. What I do with my life after that is none of your business."  Her laughter was sharp and cruel. "Oh, it is." She hissed, stopping inches from my face, her breath cold against my cheek. "Everything about you is my business. We've been the best of sisters since we were kids."  "But now you think you've suddenly grown up and think you can steal what's mine?" My heart pounded. "I'm not trying to steal anything from you, Seraphina."  "Don't you fucking lie to me! She snapped, her voice laced with something more than anger. Hatred-raw, wicked hatred. Before I could try to part my lips to say something, she was already in front of me, her hand gripping my throat.  "Do you think Elias wants you?" She hissed. "Or that Caden has suddenly started developing feelings for you after rejecting you? He's mine, Ava. He always has been."  "You're just a temporary distraction...a pathetic one at that." Darkness immediately began to cool around Seraphina's palm, thick and pulsing like venomous smoke. It lashed out, slamming into my chest like a wrecking ball.   I didn't even get time to catch my breath when the darkness surged again, circling across the ground like living shadows. It coiled around my ankles, dragging me down, hard. My knees slammed on the ground, and I gasped as the cold, cruel energy wrapped itself around my wrists, pinning me in place.  "Look at you," Seraphina hissed, moving towards me like a predator mocking its prey. "You thought that a little training and a few stolen glances would make you strong enough to face me?"  I struggled, every one of my muscles screaming I protested, but it was like being trapped somewhere I can never get out of. The shadows grew even more, biting into my skin, stealing my strength with every second.  "Fight back," she mocked, moving her head, a sly smirk on her face. "Isn't that what you've been doing for ten years? Survive? Pathetic." With a flick of her wrist, the shadows lifted me into the air, choking what little air I had from my lungs.  My body landed helplessly as the forest turned around me. I fought, clawing at the invisible grip crushing my throat, but the darkness only laughed, cold and relentless. She stepped closer, her face covered by the faint glow of her dark power.  Nothing human about the expression on her face. Nothing sisterly. It was just hate, pure unfiltered hate. "You've always been a burden to me. To Dad." She sneered, the tone of her voice filled with malice.  "I should have taken you with me that day I drowned." My vision faded, the shadows growing even more powerful. A surge of raw fear shot through me. I couldn't breathe, I couldn't think of what to do to save myself. My body is screaming for air, for something....anything to save me.  I tried to reach for my wolf, the spark of power buried deep inside me. But her darkness overpowered it, drowning it beneath layers of icy shadows. "Goodbye for good, Ava," she whispered, raising her hand for the final blow. The darkness around me crackles, ready to snap my very soul in half. I thought this was it, I was finally going to die in the hands of my sister.  But then- Something deep inside me snapped awake. A pulse, ancient and wild. My arms began to burn...no, glowed...just like it did the day I tried to end the bond with Caden. Light burst from my palm, throwing Seraphina's hand off my throat.  "What the...,?" she stumbled back, shielding her face. The grounds began to shake under me. Vines shot from the ground, wrapping protectively around me, their thorns sharp and alive. The wind surged, moving through the trees, circling us in a chaotic dance.  I felt the energy flood my veins...warm, powerful, and fearful. My eyes snapped open, and everything began to look different. Brighter, sharper, and alive. Seraphina looked at me, shock flashing across her face for the first time.  Real fear.  "You..." she whispered, her voice shaking. "You shouldn't have that power." I stepped forward, the vibes still shielding me.  "And you..." My voice is coming out louder now, "You aren't my sister." Her eyes widened, her lips parting in a silent gasp. "I don't know what you are," I continued, my heart hammering against my ribs.  "You're not the Seraphina I knew ten years ago. You're just wearing her face." For a second, the mask slipped. Her smile changed into something cruel...something wrong.  And then, like smoke slipping through fingers, she vanished into the shadows, leaving the air thick with something dark and ancient. I stood alone, the forest slowly falling silent again.  But my heart refused to calm down, because deep down I knew. This wasn't just about broken hearts and rivalries.  This was something far darker.  And I had no idea how to fight it.