THE HYBRID TWINS CURSE

Anastasia’s POV I grew up in a town where my father, Aire Tau, was once a respected man. He was a Chief major in the pack’s army, loyal as ever. Our life was simple but filled with warmth. Before everything fell apart, I remember how proud I was to be his daughter. People would smile at me, and school was easy. I had friends, teachers liked me, and no one tried to bully me. Everything changed when my Dad was dragged in the town square and executed for treason. One day, he was a hero, the next, he was branded a traitor. The theft of pack resources had been shockingly pinned on him, when he was the most loyal pack member I knew. It was all strange, yet, no one cared to listen to my family’s side of the story. No one even seemed to care if he was innocent. At school, it was like the world turned against me. People whispered behind my back, called me names, and the friends I once had vanished. The bullying started not long after. They’d say my Dad was a traitor, and that I came from a family of criminals and all. At night, I would dream of Dad, I heard his voice telling me that I needed to be strong. I held onto that, but it was hard. It was difficult not to feel the weight of the world pressing down on me, not to feel like I was alone in this world. But as early as it seemed, I tried to move on. … It had been a week since the beheading of my dad in public, for a crime I still couldn’t understand. The news had spread so fast, and whispers trailed me wherever I went at school. I first noticed everyone’s eyes on me as soon as I walked through the school gate. I kept my head down as I walked past the halls, into the classes, trying to block out all the voices. When I settled, every class felt like a prison, the seconds ticking painfully slow to me. Aside from that, everyone looked at me either with an eye of mockery or pity. It felt uncomfortable and I wished they wouldn’t look at me at all. I couldn’t focus on anything in class. The whispers and laughs were everywhere, piercing through my grief. It was like everyone had a new hobby now, which was making me feel even more worthless than before. Later at lunch, the laughter and chatter that usually surrounded me were replaced with just silent stares now. I could feel the weight of everyone’s eyes on me, judging and condemning as I sat alone in a secluded part of the cafeteria. I managed to choke down a few bites of my sandwich before the bell rang. The rest of the day dragged on, each class even more unbearable than the last. Even the teachers seemed unsure how to act around me. They looked at me with awkwardness, their attempts of being kind to me making me feel even worse. The final school bell was a relief. I grabbed my backpack and practically ran out of the school. The walk home was quiet, the usual route feeling longer than ever. When I finally reached the front door, I felt a small sense of relief, like I was now stepping into a safe haven. But that relief was short lived. The smell of Mom’s cooking usually brought joy to me, but today it felt off, just like everything else. Mom met me in the living room, her face carrying a weight of something I thought was exhaustion. “Anastasia, we need to talk.” She said to me, and I realized it wasn’t. I dropped my bag and looked at her, wondering what’s wrong. “What is it, Mom?” “We’re moving,” she said straightly, as if she had rehearsed this a hundred times. “It may be wise to start preparing your things. We’ll leave soon, in the coming days.” “Moving?” The word felt foreign on my lips. “But what about my friends? What about school? Everything I know is here!” She sighed and walked over to me, placing her hands on my shoulders. “I know this is hard, Ana. But we won’t be needing to stay here anymore.” I struggled to find the right words. “But where are we going?” “You’ll find new friends,” she said, trying to sound optimistic. “We’ll start a new life there else. It’ll be fun.” She said, ignoring my question. Fun. The word sounded hollow, almost cruel. “I don’t want to start over. I want to stay here.” I then pulled away and slumped onto a couch. “Fun you say Mom? How can anything be fun after… after Dad?” I spat at her. Mom’s walked towards me. “I understand, but we don’t have a choice. It’s for the best, believe me.” I pulled away, my tears finally spilling over. “This isn’t fair.” Mom’s face tightened, and I saw her swallow hard. “We have to try, Ana. For your father, and for us. We need to keep going.” Tears blurred my vision. “I just… I can’t imagine leaving everything behind. This is all I know.” She knelt down beside me, her eyes meeting with mine. “I know it’s hard. It’s hard for me too. But we have start over again.” I sniffled, wiping my eyes with the back of my hand. “So what about our house? And our stuff? And you still haven’t told me where we’re going!” Mom went silent for a moment, her eyes shifting from mine. The reality of it all crashed over me like a wave. I wanted to argue, to scream at her, but I couldn’t. I stared at her, my mind racing. “But why, Mom? Why now? We just… we just lost Dad.” I said almost screaming. She sighed heavily, her shoulders slumping. “I’m getting married, Anastasia. We’re moving to his house.” My jaw dropped. “Married? To who? How can you even think about that now?” “It’s complicated,” she replied, her voice strained. “But it’s happening, and we need to get ready. We’re meeting your new stepdad and his family tonight.” She said firmly and stood up. I felt anger flow through me. “You can’t just drop this on me and expect me to be okay with it. Who is this guy? Why so soon?” “His name is Silas, and it’s not up for debate. This is happening, and we have to move forward.” She answered blankly. I felt like the ground had been ripped out from under me. “I don’t want to go!” I let out, my voice shaking. “This isn’t fair.” “I know it’s hard, kiddo,” she said, trying to soften her tone. “But this is what’s best for us. You’ll see.” Without another word, I turned and ran upstairs to my room, slamming the door behind me. I locked it, leaning against the door as if it could keep the world out. I slumped on the floor and my tears flowed from my eyes effortlessly now. I was turning eighteen in a few weeks, and I had dreamed of finally finding my place in the world, of maybe even finding my mate. Instead, everything was falling apart. First, Dad’s death, and now this? Mom getting married to some stranger and expecting me to just go along with it? I threw myself onto my bed, burying my face in the pillow. The tears streamed down my face, and I felt utterly helpless. How could she do this to me? How could she expect me to leave everything behind and start over just because she wanted to? The questions raced my mind. I didn’t come out of my room for the rest of the evening. Mom knocked on the door a few times, asking me to come out, to talk, but I ignored her. I just couldn’t. I didn’t want to. I felt betrayed and alone. I felt like my life was being torn apart piece by piece, and there was just nothing I could do to stop it from going on. I remained in my room, staring at the ceiling, feeling the weight of everything upon me. I wished for a way out in my mind, hoped for a miracle, for something to change. But deep down, I knew there was no other choice.