015: I CAN’T FORGET

ARYA

Several Hours Ago,

“Who's there?" I demanded, pushing the door to my room open. A flash of movement caught my eye, and I lunged forward, grabbing the clothes of the person by my door. Then I pinned them to the wall, bringing the edge of my knife to their neck. The scarf on their head fell off to reveal a pair of innocent-looking deep brown eyes and light brown hair. A young woman. Her eyes were wide with fear, her breathing strained.

"Who are you?" I growled, and she slowly lifted her hands in surrender, her gaze fixed on me.

"I mean no harm," she croaked, and I narrowed my eyes at her. Her voice was high-pitched, and she was much smaller than average. She looked like she couldn't hurt a fly. Still, I couldn't bring myself to underestimate her.

"You left poison in my room," I hissed in a low voice. "That makes you a liar. And a threat."

Her face turned pale, her gaze lingering on the knife.

"It wasn't me! I just...I stayed because I wanted to tell you who the culprit was. I saw them," she told me.

"Then why did you run?" I pressed the blade closer to her neck, causing her to inhale sharply.

"I panicked, okay?! I was afraid you wouldn't believe anything I say!" She whispered, her body trembling with fear.

"Fine. Talk," I said, and she heaved a sigh.

"I saw Diana. She snuck into your room. She must've sensed my presence. She panicked and left without turning off the lights."

I stiffened, slowly pulling away from her. Between her and Diana, someone was lying.

I needed to figure it out on my own. But, until then...it was best if I kept my enemies close.

"What's your name?" I asked her, and she gave me a smile, her eyes shimmering with delight.

"I'm Elena. I'm your biggest fan."

She held out a shaky hand, still smiling like this was some kind of dream come true.

"Does this mean you believe me?" She asked and I scoffed. "Not—"

Before I could complete my statement, she embraced me. "I've always wanted a sister, Arya. Can we be friends?"

Rolling my eyes, I peeled her off me like a wet shirt. "No."

Turning away from her, I stormed into my room, slamming the door shut.

That night, I dreamt of my mother and sister. And by the next morning, I knew I needed to complete my mission soon. As usual, Aunt Sally asked me to bring my master's tea to him. At this point, I was curious about what the tea was for. I had a feeling it wasn't ordinary. But if it was something he took everyday, perhaps it contributed to his overwhelming power.

When I encountered Diana in his office, I'd failed to hide my distrust towards her. And when I'd gone after her, she'd fled, refusing to speak to me.

Eventually, I retired to my room. I'd just stepped in when I noticed the photo on my bed. I recognized it immediately.

My breath caught in my throat.

It was the picture from my college graduation. My mother, Maya, and I. Our arms were locked around each other, and we smiled as if the world was ours.

My fingers traced my mother's face. Her bright blue eyes gleamed with pride, her warmth almost tangible.

A tear escaped. Then another.

"I'm sorry, Mum," I whispered. My legs gave out, and I sank to the floor, pulling the picture to my chest.

Grief hit me like a tidal wave, leaving me gasping for air. I broke down into sobs, drowning in my misery.

I needed a drink. Anything to numb this pain inside of me.

So I snuck out of my room and went downstairs to the minibar. I grabbed a bottle of martini, the first one that caught my eye. Then I returned upstairs, drinking as I went.

Alpha Daxton would probably scold me for what I'd just done. But at the moment, I didn't care.

When I finally arrived upstairs, I placed the bottle on the floor and gazed at the ceiling with tears now streaming down my cheeks.

Closing my eyes, I held my arms wide apart, the memory of my mother's smile replaying in my head. I missed her so much, it hurt.

I could hear her singing to me with her sweet voice, and slowly, I began to sing as well. My emotions swelled inside of me like a violent tide, and I clutched at my chest, letting out a pained sob.

But then I resumed singing, my voice floating around the space. I was barely aware of my surroundings at this point. My body swayed dangerously towards the railings, and before I could tip over, a strong hand gripped my waist. I turned around with sluggish movements and came face to face with him.

My worst enemy. The bane of my existence.

My master. My mate.

How ironic.

"Master," I rasped, my lips curling into a smile.

He held me closer to him, his eyes shimmering with a mix of emotions I couldn’t read.

"What is it?"

The smile on my face faded as I was gripped with the urgency to confront him.

It didn't make sense that he lived and breathed while my mother had been stripped of her life because of him.

"Why did you kill my mother?" I demanded, and he blinked.

"What did you just say?"

Bastard.

"You killed her!" I yelled, grabbing the front of his shirt. His eyes widened, and all of a sudden, they turned an icy blue. Something was glowing from his chest.

I blinked in confusion, yanking at the buttons of his shirt. He didn't try to stop me, and when I ripped his shirt open, I was greeted by the sight of a stone dangling from the necklace around his neck. It was an icy blue stone. It shimmered dangerously, pulsing with tremendous power.

My eyes widened.

Was this it?

Was this the moonstone? The price for my mother's death?

I reached out for it, and he grabbed my hand to stop me. Baring my fangs at him, I attempted to twist out of his hold, but I was too drunk and too unstable.

With a direct hit to the back of my neck, my body went lax, and I fell forward into his arms. He brought a trembling hand to the back of my head and stroked my hair.

"Go to sleep. Forget that you saw the moonstone," he whispered, and I panicked.

But his power... it was weaker this time. Something was off. I felt the pull of his compulsion, but I also felt the resistance in my blood. It was as though something inside me was fighting back.

I can't forget.

No, not like this...

Slowly, my body relaxed in his arms, and I lost consciousness.

...

I awoke with a gasp the next morning. Sitting up in bed, I looked around my room, unsure of how I'd gotten there. The last thing I remembered was...

My body tensed as the memory of the previous night's events slammed into me, hard.

My eyes went wide. The moonstone!

No, wait...

Alpha Daxton had compelled me to forget what I'd seen last night. Why do I still remember?

Before now, he'd once compelled me never to reject him, and it had worked.

Why didn't it work this time?

I rose to my feet, surprised to find that I had no hangover. I frowned.

Was this also an effect of the blood he'd given me?

Whatever it was, I was grateful. Now that I knew exactly where the moonstone was, I intended to take it.

After cleaning myself up, I left my room and headed towards the kitchen. I'd taken the poison vial with me. It was now or never.

I was walking down the passageway when someone caught my eye downstairs.

It was Beta Mason. He was pushing a wheelchair. The person who sat in the wheelchair had her hair in a fishtail braid, and there was a familiar hair clip in her hair. Alarms went off in my head. This was the same hair clip I'd given to Maya.

My sister was crippled.

Could it be that the person in the wheelchair was she?

Panic-stricken, I rushed down the stairs. Then I saw her face. Her familiar delicate features and her bright blue eyes that looked just like our mum's.

A gasp slipped from my lips, my heart thundering madly against my rib cage.

Maya?

How could she be here?

I quickened my pace, my mind reeling.

"Maya!" I called out, and Beta Mason turned to look at me, his brows creased with what seemed to be confusion.

"Maya!" I called out again and this time, she turned to look at me. If she recognized me, she didn't show it. When I finally got to her, I sank to my knees. Tears welled up my eyes as my gaze roamed over her immobile legs, my heart slowly breaking apart.

"Maya...why are you here?" I croaked, reaching out for her hand. She pulled away from me before I could touch her, and I stared at her, wide-eyed.

"What are you—" I started to say. But then she spoke, her voice cold and unfriendly.

"You've got the wrong person. I'm Brianna," she stated, and I froze, my blood running cold in my veins.

No, it's impossible.

There was no way I couldn't recognize my own twin sister. What the hell happened to her? And why was she here in the tribrid alpha's property?