Family Ties
826 Words
“Sister,” she said.
I swallowed hard, keeping my expression calm as I stepped out from behind the chair.
No one ever believed we were twins.
Not at first glance.
Laura looked like she was carved from flame itself—long auburn waves tumbling over her shoulders, amber eyes that shimmered like dragonfire. Even her posture radiated confidence, chin high, every step a deliberate act of power.
Me?
I was softer. Smaller, maybe not in height, but in presence. Golden blonde hair. Blue eyes. Fair skin that flushed too easily when emotions ran high. My parents had always said we were fraternal, not identical, and that was enough explanation for everyone.
But standing across from her now, in front of our entire clan, the contrast felt deeper than genetics.
She looked like a dragon. I looked like doubt in a silk blouse.
“How long are you staying?” I asked, my voice steadier than I felt.
Laura’s gaze flicked across the room—at the stunned guests, at Dylan, at the elders who hadn’t quite decided whether to greet her or guard against her.
“Oh, I don’t know,” she said breezily. “A while. Thought I’d reconnect with the old bloodline. Catch up. Maybe stir up some memories.”
Dylan still hadn’t moved. His jaw was tight, but his golden eyes… they were locked on her.
Not on me.
Her suitcase thudded softly against the polished tile as she moved deeper into the hall like she belonged there, as if six years of silence didn’t weigh a damn thing.
As if she’d never left a hole behind when she vanished.
You’ll stay,” Dylan said.
The words fell like a stone in water—disruptive and heavy. The murmurs in the room grew louder, some in surprise, others in confusion. A few of the elders even exchanged glances. I stood frozen next to him, barely breathing.
Laura raised an elegant brow. “That’s generous of you.”
Dylan moved to the side, hand gesturing toward the chair beside him—my chair.
“You can take Lina’s seat,” he said without hesitation.
The floor didn’t crack open beneath me, but gods, I wished it would’ve.
I stared at him.
At first, I thought I’d misheard. Misread the intent. But then he gave me a look. Not a cruel one. Not even harsh.
Dismissive.
Like I was furniture. Like I was expected to smile and nod and sit somewhere else while he offered my seat to my sister.
I opened my mouth to say something—but nothing came out. Nothing but air and a deep, hollow ache in my chest.
“I don’t want to cause trouble,” Laura said lightly, clearly enjoying the attention. “There’s room farther down the table, I’m sure.”
“No,” Dylan said, stepping behind her chair to pull it out. “You sit here. It’s been too long. You’re family.”
Family.
The word rang in my ears like a curse.
I moved without thinking, mechanically sliding to the empty seat on Dylan’s other side. One place over—one step removed.
One heartbeat too far.
⸻
The rest of the dinner blurred around me.
I smiled when I had to. Nodded when spoken to. Pretended not to notice the way Dylan leaned in to listen to Laura’s every word.
He hadn’t looked at me like that in months. Maybe years. Maybe ever.
But he looked at her now like she hung the moon.
There was fire in his eyes—raw, hungry. The kind of fire I used to hope he’d look at me with. The kind that once made my breath hitch and my stomach flutter.
Now it just made me nauseous.
Because I knew that fire had always been meant for her.
They had history, after all.
⸻
Before she left to “find herself” in Europe, Laura and Dylan had been inseparable. Everyone thought they were fated. That the bond would spark any day. They were beautiful together—two golden heirs of Blackridge, perfectly matched in power and ambition.
But then she left.
No warning. No reason.
She broke Dylan’s heart the way only someone like Laura could—effortlessly.
The whole clan whispered about it for months. When the bond didn’t appear between them, people thought maybe the gods had made a mistake.
And then it sparked.
Between me and Dylan.
No one expected it. Not even me.
Especially not him.
He accepted it, of course. We did what tradition demanded. I became Luna. I devoted myself to the clan, to him, to the role that was suddenly mine.
But I always knew, deep down, that part of him never stopped wondering why it wasn’t Laura. Why the bond hadn’t chosen the woman he’d already given his heart to.
And now she was back.
And he was looking at her like fate had finally corrected itself.
- Writer
