THE TWIN REVELATION

MAYA

"Who the hell are you?"

The words burst out before I could stop them, my heart hammering as I stared at the woman who looked exactly like me.

She smiled, the expression never reaching her ice blue eyes.

"I should be asking you the same question," she said, moving into the study as she owned it, "but Kaden already told me all about you."

I glanced at Kaden, confusion flooding through me.

"You told her?"

"Lyanna is my wife," he said, his voice tight, "I had to explain why there's a stranger at our gates."

Wife.

The word hit me like a slap.

Lyanna circled me slowly, her gaze sweeping over my silver hair, my worn clothes, the bruises on my neck from where Kaden had grabbed me.

"You poor thing," she said softly, "you look exhausted, when's the last time you had a proper meal?"

"I'm fine."

"No, you're not," she turned to Kaden, her expression shifting to concern, "darling, we can't leave her standing here like some criminal; she needs rest, medical attention."

"I already called Dr. Chen," Kaden said."Good," Lyanna looked back at me, "and you'll stay in the guest house, of course, at least

until we figure out who you really are."

Something about the way she said it made my skin crawl.

"I know who I am, my name is Maya."

"Of course," she smiled again, that same cold expression, "but Kaden mentioned you have memory problems, maybe we can help with that."

"How exactly would you help?"

"We have resources, healers, witches, people who specialize in memory magic."

"I don't want anyone messing with my head."

"Even if it means getting your memories back?"

I hesitated, torn between my desperate need for answers and my instinct that this woman was dangerous.

"Lyanna," Kaden said sharply, "give us a moment."

"But darling, I'm just trying to help."

"Now."

Something passed between them, some silent battle of wills.

Finally, Lyanna sighed.

"Fine, but Maya, think about my offer," she moved toward the door, pausing to look back at me, "oh, and I should mention, we might be related, I had a cousin who died a

few years ago, she looked just like me, like us."

My breath caught.

"A cousin?"

"Yes, strange coincidence isn't it," her smile widened, "maybe that's why you look so familiar, maybe we're family."

She left, closing the door softly behind her.

The moment she was gone, I turned on Kaden.

"She looks exactly like me and you didn't think to mention that?"

"I didn't know," he said, running his hands through his hair, "I never met her cousin, Lyanna only mentioned her after we were married."

"This is insane. How can three people look that identical?"

"I don't know."

My head spun with questions I couldn't answer.

"The guest house," Kaden said quietly, "you should rest, we'll figure this out tomorrow."

I wanted to argue, but exhaustion was pulling at me, making it hard to think.

"Fine."

He led me through the compound to a small cottage tucked behind the main house.

One bedroom, a bathroom, a tiny kitchen.

"Dr. Chen will check on you soon," he said, lingering at the door, "lock it behind me, don't let anyone in except her."

"Why, what are you afraid of?"

"Everything," he said, then left.

I locked the door and collapsed onto the bed.

My body ached, my head pounded, and my mind wouldn't stop racing.

I must have dozed off because when I opened my eyes, it was dark outside.

The room felt wrong somehow, too quiet, too still.

I stood up, my body moving without my conscious control.

The door was open.I didn't remember opening it.

My feet carried me outside, into the dark forest, branches scratching at my skin.

I tried to stop, tried to scream, but I was trapped inside my own body.

The moon hung full overhead, casting silver light through the trees.

My wolf surged forward, and pain exploded through me.

Then nothing.

Darkness swallowed me whole.

When I came back to myself, I was standing in a clearing.

My hands were covered in blood.

So much blood.

At my feet lay a body, throat torn out, eyes staring at nothing.

I stumbled backward, horror flooding through me.

"No," I whispered, "what did I do?"

A twig snapped behind me.

I spun around.

Kaden stood at the edge of the clearing, his eyes glowing gold with fury.

His entire body was rigid, shaking with barely controlled rage.

"Step away from the body," he said, his voice deadly calm.

"I didn't mean to, I blacked out, I don't remember."

"I said step

I moved backward, my hands raised.

He stalked toward the corpse, his movements predatory.When he saw the face, his entire body went still.

"No," he breathed, dropping to his knees beside the body.

"Who is it?" I asked, my voice shaking.

He looked up at me, and what I saw in his eyes made my blood run cold.

Grief, rage, and something worse.

Betrayal.

"One of our sentries," he said, his voice tight, "just a kid, nineteen years old."

The words hit me like a blow.

"I'm sorry, I didn't know what I was doing."

"Sorry?" he stood slowly, eyes still glowing, "you're sorry?"

"It was the blackout, I couldn't control it."

"You killed one of my pack," he moved toward me and I backed away, "you tore out his throat like an animal."

"Please, you have to believe me, I

would never."

"How can I believe anything when you're standing over his body covered in his blood?"

Tears streamed down my face.

"I don't know what's wrong with me, I don't know why this keeps happening."

He was right in front of me now, fury and pain warring in his expression.

"The cells," he said, his voice cold, "you're going in the cells until we figure out what you are and how to stop you."

"Kaden, please."

"Guards!" he shouted.Two men appeared from the trees.

"Take her to the holding cells," Kaden ordered, "maximum security, silver chains, no visitors."

The guards grabbed my arms.

I didn't fight as they dragged me away, my eyes locked on Kaden's back as he knelt beside the boy's body.

The last thing I heard before they pulled me into the darkness was his broken sob echoing through the trees.