All Chapters of My Alpha Family Gave My Twin Everything, So I Left: Chapter 1 - Chapter 8

Sienna ran her fingers along the ceremonial collar, watching the two moonstones catch the light.“Mom, look. They even shaped the setting like the moonflowers I love.”Mother’s face was glowing with pride.“My baby deserves the most beautiful moonstone collar the Blackthorn Pack has ever seen. Every Alpha in the region will be there. We can’t give them a single thing to gossip about.”So Mother understood.She knew even the smallest flaw in Sienna’s collar would draw comments.Yet she expected me to walk into the same ceremony wearing an old collar from the Pack vault, tarnished and missing half its moonstone, while Sienna wore two gleaming moonstones around her neck.She understood exactly how humiliating that would be.She simply didn’t care when I was the daughter being humiliated.Father stepped forward and kissed Sienna on the forehead.“After the Recognition Ceremony, the entire Pack will know exactly who you are. My daughter. Alpha blood.”His expression hardened.“And once you’

Three days before the Recognition Ceremony, Mother caught me off guard by asking me to meet her for afternoon tea at the lakeside lodge.“Just you and me,” she said. “I thought we could talk about what you want to do after Recognition.”I knew better than to make too much of it.Still, something small and hopeful stirred inside me.Maybe this time, she actually wanted to know what I wanted.I booked a table by the windows for two the next afternoon.I made sure to get the table with the best view of Blackthorn Lake. Mother loved watching the mountains reflected on the water, and I wanted everything to be just the way she liked it.I arrived half an hour early.I ordered the wild-berry scones Mother always liked and asked them to bring out her favorite tea when she arrived.Then I waited.Half an hour after our reservation, I texted her.An hour later, I called.Two hours later, a server came by and quietly replaced the pot of tea that had gone cold.By the fourth hour, almost every ta

Recognition morning had the entire Blackthorn pack house moving before sunrise.They were almost ready to leave when Sienna hurried downstairs.“Mom, Aria’s room is empty. I don’t think she came back last night.”Mother turned sharply.“What do you mean, empty?”“Her suitcase is gone.”Rowan glanced at the time.“She probably went straight to the Council Hall.”“Without telling anyone?” Sienna asked.“She’ll be there.” Rowan didn’t sound worried. “Aria always shows up when she’s supposed to.”Mother let herself believe him.I might be upset. I might sulk, argue, even disappear for a night.But I had spent my entire life doing what Blackthorn expected of me.Mother had no reason to believe today would be any different.Less than an hour before Recognition began, Mother finally texted me.Where are you? We’re already at the Council Hall.The message went unanswered.By then, the Council Hall was filling with wolves from Blackthorn and several neighboring Packs.At the front of the hall,

Father had sent only one message.Your new ceremonial collar is ready. Come home.That was Father.As Alpha, he was used to giving orders and having the entire Pack obey them.At home, he wasn’t much different.So I knew what that message meant.He had ordered a new collar because he knew the old one had been wrong.He was fixing it.In Father’s mind, that was probably as close as he would ever come to saying he was sorry.Once, I might have taken it.But I didn’t want it anymore.Two days later, the email arrived.Congratulations. You have been selected for the Moonridge Leadership Program.I read it three times before I believed it.Our first session was the following Monday.When I arrived at the Leadership Center, most of the students were already seated around a long table.For a second, I stayed near the door.Every chair seemed taken except one near the front, and I wasn’t sure whether it was meant for me.Professor Warren looked up.“Aria. Perfect timing.”He gestured to the em