The Alpha Twins' Fated Luna

Elara's POV:

The slap rang through the room, and pain followed a heartbeat later. My half-sister's blow whipped my head to one side, leaving my cheek burning. Clenching my jaw, I slowly raised my eyes to Vivienne. I knew better than to say anything. Even one wrong word could make things worse. She examined her perfectly manicured nails, then gave me a dazzling smile that made my stomach tighten. She was clearly pleased with herself.

"Why my mother and your father still let you live here is beyond me," she spat, her eyes narrowing in disgust. "The moment I become Luna, you're out of this pack."

I held my tongue. Nothing good ever came from arguing with Vivienne. Her temper had grown unbearable since my father, Edran, the Blood Moon Pack's Beta, had begun discussing her future with Alpha Corvin. Everyone already treated her as though she were the fated mate of his twin sons, Kael and Rowan Dominion. Living with her had always been difficult. Now it was a nightmare.

As far as Vivienne was concerned, the pack was already hers to command. Everyone adored her, yet no one could match her cruelty. Kael and Rowan would turn eighteen in a few days, and she was practically certain she would become their Luna. That certainty had only made her more arrogant.

"I want those dresses ironed perfectly. If I find a single crease, you'll be sorry. Do you understand?" she hissed. "No one is going to outshine me at the twins' eighteenth birthday gala. Their future Luna has a reputation to maintain."

Her gaze swept over me with contempt. Unable to help myself, I lifted a hand to rub my burning cheek.

Keeping my gaze on the floor, I spoke under my breath. "You haven't become Luna yet. They might still find their fated mate."

Every shifter had a mate chosen by fate. Twins were rare, but when they were born, they shared one mate.

A cruel gleam lit Vivienne's eyes. "That won't change anything. They've already decided to reject her for the sake of the pack," she snarled, making me retreat a step. "If she doesn't have Alpha blood, what good is she to them? I have Beta blood." Her voice softened to a purr as her smug smile returned. "Besides, Alpha Corvin and Luna Seraphine are close friends of mine."

Naturally. From the moment my father married her mother, Marisol Ramona, Vivienne had been treated like a princess. I'd been pushed aside, left to haunt a home where people barely tolerated my presence. I was the unwanted daughter, the little girl everyone blamed for her mother's death in a rogue attack.

Swallowing a sigh, I thought of how thoroughly Vivienne had charmed Alpha Corvin and Luna Seraphine with her pale blond hair and wide blue eyes. My black hair and emerald eyes only marked me as someone who didn't belong. Looking so different gave them one more reason to shut me out. She was tall and slim; I was shorter, with fuller curves. Beside her, I always felt small, as though there were less and less room for me. Vivienne knew exactly how I felt and never missed a chance to make it worse.

"Get this through your head, you little bitch," Vivienne snapped, lifting her chin and curling her lip. "No one is taking this future away from me. Do you understand? No one. I won't let some fated mate stand in my way. Besides..."

Her mouth curved into a cruel smile, and she gave a sharp, mocking laugh.

"You don't actually think it could be you, do you, Elara? Neither of them would ever want you. This whole pack can barely stand having you around," she sneered. "Or have you actually convinced yourself you could be Luna?" Shaking her head, she smirked. "Just imagine. A murderer sitting on Luna's throne. What a sight that would be!"

Her laughter went on, but I couldn't move or lift my gaze from the floor. Murderer. To the pack, that was all I'd ever been. My throat tightened as I shook my head.

"That's not what I meant, Vivienne," I whispered. Triumph shone in her eyes.

"Good. So why are you still here?" Her satisfied smile vanished when I failed to move. "Get started on my laundry." She flicked a hand at me. "Don't just stand there looking stupid!" With a contemptuous sniff, she added, "I swear, sometimes I wonder if there's anything going on in that head of yours."

With my head down and tears stinging my eyes, I rushed from the room. Too desperate to get away to watch where I was going, I collided with my stepmother as she returned from grocery shopping.

"Elara!" she snapped. I froze, my heart pounding against my chest. "Slow down and look where you're going." Her voice dropped to a hiss, and she glared at me. "The last thing we need is you barreling into our guests."

Guests? My stomach tightened. I lifted my head and found two identical faces watching us with faint amusement. Both had hazel eyes, tousled dark-brown hair, and broad shoulders. Their powerful frames dwarfed my stepmother, and a chill ran down my spine.

For a moment, I forgot how to breathe. My lips parted, then closed again, but no words came. The twins stared at me in confusion while I stood helplessly before them.

Waving me away, my stepmother turned to Rowan and Kael Dominion with a brilliant smile.

"Do excuse my stepdaughter," she said smoothly, making my face burn. "Apparently, she's forgotten how to behave." The glare she shot me left no doubt about her displeasure.

"I..." The word caught in my throat, leaving me feeling like a complete fool.

What was it about them that always left me tongue-tied? Their overwhelming presence? Or the way they usually acted as though I didn't exist?

The click of footsteps announced Vivienne's arrival behind me. "Kael! Rowan!" she squealed. She all but shoved me against the wall in her rush to fling herself into Kael's arms. Her delight was enough to make my stomach turn. "I wasn't expecting you! What's the occasion?"

Rowan's gaze settled heavily on me as Kael answered her, his tone reserved. "We came to see our mate. With our eighteenth birthday coming up, our parents have started arranging the Alpha and Luna ceremony."

Drawing away from Kael, Vivienne leaned over to kiss Rowan on the cheek. He never looked away from me. Something flickered in his hazel eyes, but I couldn't tell what it meant.

"Why are you still here?" he asked sharply, making it clear I wasn't welcome.

"You heard him, Elara. Get back to your chores," my stepmother interjected, quick to smooth over the sudden tension. Vivienne glanced back at me with a mocking smile. Neither twin bothered to hide much of his contempt as they watched me. "There's plenty you need to finish before dinner," Marisol added, her tone hardening.

Keeping my head down, I edged past the towering twins and hurried toward the stairs. Their stares burned into my back. Halfway up, I heard Vivienne speaking in the hallway below. Her mother had just left the kitchen, probably to give her some privacy with the guests.

"Look at her," Vivienne sneered. "Such a pathetic loser."

"She's still your sister," Kael said mildly.

"So what?" Vivienne retorted, her tone turning cold. "Stepsister. Our parents being mates is the only thing connecting us. Otherwise, I wouldn't give her a second glance. I want nothing to do with a murderer."

"Save your sympathy, Kael," Rowan said as I reached the upstairs landing. "She killed her own mother, remember? Nobody in this pack wants her around." He spoke with an ease that made his contempt all the more painful.

Tears stung my eyes, and I hurried on before I could hear anything else. They could believe what they liked. I'd run out of the strength to defend myself, and I no longer wanted to try. I was tired of telling them I'd only been a child, that I couldn't have prevented my mother's death. They blamed me anyway.

Once I turned eighteen, I'd leave the Blood Moon Pack and never come back. Whatever it cost me, I wouldn't let anyone stop me. Unless they threw me out before then. The thought made me shiver, and I wrapped my arms around myself. Knowing my pack, I had every reason to believe they might.