Romans & histoires Mated In The Shadow Of My Sister

I yelled, but she was gone in the blink of an eye, merging with the shadows right under my car. “Fuck!” It hadn't even been two days since I discovered he was a mate and they were already going after him? First, a Succubus, now a goddess of mischief- Great! If it boiled down to a fight, my sister had more experience than I. I'd lose right on my face and it would suck to have my pride hurt and my game taken. I couldn't do this. I'd never engage in a losing battle— the conflict tore through me and I could almost smell him again.

I shouted. “Are you so obsessed with finding your sister that you'd claim me as her? I have my own identity and I am no princess. Just a maid.” “When we first met, you called me mate. That connection we have, it wasn't a mate connection. We're siblings. That is why we are attached.” Whatever, I can't take anymore of this, I turned on my heels and fled

He was losing control, and I could feel it in the way his body trembled with rage. “I didn’t do anything!” I shot back, my voice shaking with both fear and anger. “You think I wanted this? You think I wanted to be mated to you?” I spat bitterly. I would never have wanted to be mated to Nathan, of all people. He was practically in love with my sister and saw me as nothing more than a shadow of her. Why would I want a man like that as my mate?

It’s been two weeks since the fire tore through the manor, two weeks of quiet peace that feels almost misplaced. I’m not sure how to feel about the death of my sister. We weren’t close nor loving. She was just… there, in my life, a shadow that occasionally followed me around in Red River. I let her lead, let her try to teach me how to be the perfect, submissive vampire wife, the perfect princess, the easiest, most trusting target.

Originally, my straightforward admission didn't mean much, but Alexander's question changed everything. His eyes were pitch-black, as if probing into the depths of my soul, unraveling all the unknown secrets. My heart raced, as if something long ignored was now sprouting. Startled, I averted my eyes. My fluttering eyelashes failed to conceal my unease. My mouth opened and closed several times before I finally blurted out, "You're my ex-husband's brother..."

I turned away from him and moved toward the windows, looking out at the gardens that were bathed in the orange light of sunset, the trees casting long shadows across the grass, and my chest ached because I knew what he had almost said, knew the word he had swallowed back. Mate. Not sister. I was his mate and he was mine and we were both pretending we could live with other people, marry other people, build lives that did not include each other, and it was killing us both slowly. "I need to get back to the clinic," I said, not turning around. "I have to check on Rhia again and make sure—"

That didn’t make it the same. That didn’t make it right. I ran a hand through my hair, jaw tight. My boots crunched against the gravel as I walked faster, deeper into the woods far away from the mansion. I needed space. I needed air. I needed to get the hell away from her. I hated that I let myself feel anything. Even for a second. Maybe it wasn’t a mate bond. Or weakness. Maybe I just couldn't move on from Elena and somewhere along the way, I used her sister as a stand-in. A rebound. Someone to fill the emptiness.

Rejected. The late afternoon sun slanted weakly through the budding trees near the old greenhouse, casting long, distorted shadows that felt like grasping fingers. I couldn’t stay here forever. Skipping class… the thought sent a fresh wave of panicked dizziness through me. What would Mr. Henderson say? What would my father say? Would they even notice? The pack hierarchy dictated consequences, and omegas who stepped out of line… well, we felt the repercussions most keenly. My legs trembled as I pushed myself up from the bench, the damp patch on my skirt a visible badge of my misery. I smoothed it uselessly, another futile gesture.

My beast grimaced instantly at the stench of sweat, alcohol, perfume, lust it clung to the air. But beneath it, faint and fading, lingered my sister’s scent. It anchored me. It was the only reason I endured this place. I heard the humans whisper. “S Group’s heir…” “He’s even more handsome in person…” “His sister was here…” “If only she was well behaved like him…” I ignored it. “Find my sister,” I ordered. Hedrick gave a curt nod and slipped into the crowd, tracking her trail. I went to the spot where the fight had been recorded. The stink of pain and fear still lingered. I reached for the bond now that I was closer but nothing.