EP:2
1668 Words
HOPE’S POV
I went straight to my room, took a quick shower, and got dressed.
Outside, thunder roared and wind rattled the windows. Perfect weather for chaos.
I bent down to slide another knife into my boot when the door creaked open.
“Hope?”
I didn’t turn. I already knew that voice.
“Do you have a minute?” Dawn asked softly.
I sighed and stood up. “Make it quick. I’m heading back out soon.”
She stepped inside, looking as flawless as ever — not a trace of guilt for what she’d done.
“It’s been four weeks, Hope,” she said, wrapping her arms around herself. “We can’t keep living like this.”
“Like what?” I asked.
“Like strangers,” she said. “You barely speak to me. Mom and Dad feel it. The whole pack feels it. You’re tearing this family apart.”
I raised an eyebrow. “I’m tearing the family apart?”
“That’s not what I meant,” she said quickly. “But your silence and coldness — your refusal to let things go — it’s poisoning everything. I didn’t plan this.”
“No, you didn’t,” I said flatly, slipping another dagger into place. “You’ve said that a thousand times already, Dawn. You didn’t have to come all the way here just to repeat it.”
“That’s not fair!” she snapped. “You make it sound like I stole him or something. Damon approached me, Hope. I thought you were already aware — that’s why I didn’t think to hide anything.”
I faced her calmly, saying nothing.
She pressed her lips together. “Damon didn’t love you, Hope. He never did. You were holding onto something that wasn’t real.”
I kept my face emotionless.
“I’m the one he wants,” she continued quietly. “He chose me, Hope. Maybe it’s time you accept that and move on.”
“I’ve moved on,” I said, strapping a dagger to my thigh. “You’re the one who can’t seem to get any rest.”
Her face tightened. “That’s not true.”
“Isn’t it?” I said. “You already have him, Dawn — just like you wanted. Now I wish you’d stop bringing it up every five seconds.”
Dawn tensed. She knew exactly what I was talking about. Ever since we were kids, Dawn had always wanted anything I had — friends, toys, clothes, grades, and now a mate. And every single time, I let her have it.
Her eyes darkened, her lips twisting into something ugly. “You’ve always liked being the good one, haven’t you, Hope? The selfless one. The twin who sacrifices everything.”
Her bitterness didn’t even surprise me anymore. I’ve grown used to it.
“You pretend you’re better because you walk away, but you love being the victim,” she continued. “It makes you look pure. Perfect little Hope. And now that Damon chose me, you can’t even accept it.”
“I accept it,” I said calmly, tightening my dagger strap. “Damon can have you, Dawn — or maybe it’s you who has him. Either way, I want no part of it. You two were clearly meant for each other. I wouldn’t dare come between you.”
Silence filled the room as thunder rolled outside. Then her tone softened, trying to sound like a victim as usual.
“You think I did this to hurt you,” she said. “But I didn’t. Damon has responsibilities, Hope. You know that more than anyone. The council and his father are always watching. Do you really think they’d accept a Luna who talks to ghosts? Who sees the dead? Everyone is afraid of the royal bloodline getting—”
She caught her tongue before she could say the word.
Her eyes flickered. “You know I didn’t mean to hurt you. But people fear what they don’t understand. You scare them — even the elders. Even him. You could never stand beside him as queen without making everyone question his rule, Hope.”
I didn’t say a word as she continued.
“I did what I had to, Hope,” she said. “You don’t understand the pressure he’s under. Damon’s the heir — he has to protect the bloodline. He can’t afford—”
She hesitated. “He can’t afford risk. The pack’s future, as well as the future of our kind, depends on him.”
“Good for him,” I said, adjusting my dagger. “But I really don’t have time for this right now, Dawn. I’m running late for patrol.”
Her jaw clenched. “You can hate me all you want, Hope, but one day you’ll see I saved you too. They would’ve destroyed you, Hope. The council, the court — they’d have eaten you alive. You know nothing about being queen. You’ll thank me someday.”
“I already do,” I said calmly. “Can I go now?”
She swallowed and stepped back. “I just wanted to make things right.”
I ignored her, grabbing my jacket.
Thunder crashed outside, shaking the windows.
She sighed. “I didn’t come to fight, Hope. I just want things to be normal again. We’re sisters. We’re supposed to be on the same side. Mom’s worried, Dad can’t sleep. Can’t you just—”
“I have a border to patrol,” I interrupted. “Go home, Dawn. And stay out of the storm.”
I put on my jacket, grabbed a small package I had left on the bed, and headed for the door.
“You can’t hate me forever, Hope!” she yelled. “You’ll have to let it go someday. The world doesn’t revolve around you, you know. I wasn’t going to stop living my life just because you think everything good should end up in your arms. That’s not fair!”
I paused with my hand on the door. I didn’t look back as I spoke. “Goodnight, Dawn.”
Then I stepped into the storm, letting the rain drown her voice. Thunder rolled above me as I walked.
I followed a faint trail deep into the woods — the one place I could finally breathe.
Odette’s cabin stood hidden between two old ash trees, covered in moss and shadows. A soft golden light glowed through the window. She was awake, as always. Odette rarely slept — maybe because her dreams were too heavy when she did.
I knocked once, and the door creaked open.
“Child,” Odette said gently, her sharp eyes scanning me. “You look like you fought a storm and lost.”
“Something like that,” I mumbled, stepping inside. The warmth hit me, carrying the smell of herbs and smoke. “I brought you something.”
I placed a small pie on the table. Odette smiled, wrinkles deepening around her eyes.
“Trying to bribe me now? You know I’ll talk even without gifts.”
“I know,” I said, brushing wet hair from my face. “But I thought you might like something sweet and warm for the weather.”
She nodded. “The world always needs sweetness — especially for girls who carry too much pain.”
That made me pause. Odette always spoke in strange but meaningful ways. She used to be the royal healer before they called her crazy and sent her away. Now she lived here alone.
She watched me quietly. “What happened?” she asked softly. “Your spirit feels tired.”
I looked away. “Dawn came to talk.”
Odette’s expression stayed calm, but her hand stilled. “Ah, the golden twin.”
“She said she wants peace.”
“Peace,” Odette repeated. “People say that when they really mean they want to forget.”
I sighed. “She said she did it for the pack. That Damon’s choice was best for everyone.”
Odette poured tea into two cups. “I’ve heard that excuse before — greed hidden as duty, guilt hidden as sacrifice.”
“She reminded me I was never good enough,” I said quietly. “That my... ability makes me unfit. That the council would never accept someone like me as Luna Queen.”
Odette reached out and touched my hand lightly. “You were born to see truths others fear. That doesn’t make you unfit, Hope. It makes you dangerous to those who’d rather stay blind.”
I swallowed hard. “They think I’ll taint the bloodline.”
She gave a sad smile. “Yet it’s that same bloodline that’s already rotting with secrets from within.”
Silence filled the room as the wind howled outside.
Odette sighed. “You weren’t meant to stand beside power, child. You are power.”
Her words hit deep. For a long moment, the only sounds were the fire crackling and rain tapping the roof.
“You’ll see soon,” she said softly. “The dead you see, the whispers you hear — they’re not curses. They’re guiding you toward something greater. But storms always come before change.”
I didn’t understand her, but I stayed quiet, letting her words sink in, even though they scared me.
When I finally turned to leave, she placed a hand on my shoulder. “Go,” she said. “The border waits. But remember — what they fear in you will one day save us all.”
Her voice echoed in my mind as I stepped out into the cold rain.
“Hope!” she called.
I turned. “Yes?”
She smiled faintly. “Take the longer road, the one near the waterfall.”
I frowned. “That’s too far from my path, Odette. My team’s waiting for me at patrol.”
Her smile didn’t fade. “Take the longer road, child.” And then she shut the door.
- Writer
