Heroes Cry

EVE

The world is cruel to those who try to be heroes.

When you play the heroe and take the fall for someone, they walk right over you and grab what could have been yours.

I was the unfortunate heroic daughter who constantly had reasons to sneak away to be alone while my sister always had attention.

Tonight, I was in my personal training ground. One last time before I was taken by Alpha Kolton.

I was striking at a training dummy.

The wooden practice sword shattered against the training dummy, sending heavy splinters flying across the dark clearing.

I didn't stop. I threw the broken hilt aside, drove my fist straight into the wooden post, and hit it again and again until my knuckles were red and my lungs burned.

I collapsed into the dirt, chest heaving, tears finally breaking past my eyes in the dark.

"If I were you—”

I flinched, wiping my face hastily as I stood up.

Leora stepped out from the shadowy edge of the woods, wrapping her silk robe tightly around herself.

“—the place where my defectiveness was first seen would not be the place I decide to go the night before I'm bundled off to a villain as his seventh wife, sister.”

That mocking smile that only I got to see played on her lips.

"I am not defective, Leora, and I didn't invite you." I said, my voice raw. It was a warning.

"Oh, please," Leora laughed softly, taking a slow step forward.

"You can smash all the wooden posts you want, Eve, you can work harder than ten men, but it won't change what I witnessed right on this spot four years ago."

"My wolf was unstable for one single moment!" I snapped, clenching my raw fists.

"I was twenty years old! I lost control for a second, and you know it hasn't happened since."

"And that one time, you were thrown against that tree like a ragdoll," Leora drawled, her tone dripping with fake sympathy.

"A werewolf who can't control her own shift? A future Luna who loses her mind during a transformation? It was such a pathetic sight, sister. You were unconscious for hours."

“Have you come here to gloat?”

“No,” she responded simply. “I just happen to be recalling what happened here four years ago.”

"It was an accident," I insisted, my throat tight. "I have worked every single day since then to make sure I am strong. I earned my place."

"You didn't earn anything," Leora countered

her smile widening.

"You just hid behind your sweat and your swords, terrified that I would go tell Father that his precious eldest daughter has a broken wolf."

"I let you hold that secret over me because I wanted to protect this pack!" I stepped toward her, rage burning through my pain.

"I let you push me around, I took the fall for your mistakes—"

"Like when you took the blame for Grandmother's death?" Leora interjected, letting out a cruel giggle.

"Mother will always hate you for that, you know. She looks at you and sees a murderer, while I love to sit in her lap like an innocent angel that I really am. You really are so stupid, Eve."

The sheer vileness in her voice made my blood run cold.

"I'm stupid because I was trying to protect a filthy little bastard like you."

"And look where that got you," she taunted, tilting her head.

"Traded off to a tyrant while I get everything you built. Things can't get better than this for me, sister.”

She exhaled

“Jon is mine now, finally. The Luna title is also mine. Can you believe I didn't work a day to earn it? Talk about favors."

"You don't deserve to rule even a fly," I whispered.

"You don't care about the people. You can't even stand up for yourself."

"I don't need to stand up for myself," Leora smirked, stepping right into my space.

"I don't need to shift, I don't need to train, and I certainly don't need to bleed in the dirt like you. Have you learned nothing?

Effort doesn't matter, sister. I am going to rule the Winter Pack from a soft bed, while you probably get r*ped night by night by Alpha Kolton."

I swallowed hard, her words striking me deeply.

“I've never seen anyone as vile as you, Leora. You gloat in my face —”

“Because you have a secret!”

She giggled loudly.

Before I could fire back, the sound of heavy boots crunching on dry leaves echoed down the trail.

"Leora? Are you out here?" Jon's voice called softly through the trees.

The cruel, malicious expression vanished from Leora's face instantly, replaced by her gentle, fragile mask. She took a step back into the shadows, looking at me with a triumphant stare.

"I'll kiss you farewell tomorrow.” Leora whispered sarcastically.

"I am going to rule this pack wonderfully... right beside the only man you have ever loved.”