Mated In The Shadow Of My Sister Novels & Stories

It is in my mind. This almost seems like a dream. But this doesn’t seem right. I can’t rely on this woman, but what can I do? “No,” I say in my head, refusing to act without actually understanding what I’m doing. “Hesitate any longer, and it will be your undoing,” she says. “You are her, aren’t you. You are Lamashtu.” She moves with a confidence that makes the air bend around her, her attention fixed entirely on me, and when she reaches the side of the altar, she leans in slightly. “Lamashtu? No. She is my sister. My shadow. My other half. My twin.”

My sister stepped forward and pointed at our hands before pointing at each of us then back at our hands. "Um, what the hell is this?" She said staring at our attached hands still. I scratched the back of my head and glanced over at Addison waiting to see if she wanted to tell them. She looked at me and most likely understanding my dilemma before she probably announced, "Maddox is my mate!" My sister's mouth hit the floor along with everyone else's in the room. I didn't realize they would be so shocked, it started to make me feel uncomfortable as I shuffled from foot to foot. "What?"

MATE. Fin Shadowclaw heard the word but he already knew. Her scent had been driving him mad for two days in Ashbane. But he hadn't been able to find her. And now, his fated mate was on a platform with her half-brother's hands on her. Every muscle in his body locked. His wolf clawed at the edges of his mind, pushing to be let out. "Riven. I'm your sister." Her voice carried through the hall. Clear. Steady. The kind of statement that should put a stop to whatever madness this was.

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—"

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..."

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.