Rejected And Reborn As The Alpha King's Luna

Chapter 23: The Twin's Hatred

POV: Thelma

The training ground fell silent as Theo approached me. Every warrior stopped their practice, sensing the tension crackling in the air. My brother, my twin moved like death itself, all grace and controlled violence.

"She doesn't look like much," Theo said to Luna, circling me slowly. "Are you sure this is really her? The great Alpha heir we've been waiting for?"

"I'm standing right here," I snapped. "You can talk to me directly."

"Why would I talk to a ghost?" His golden eyes—our father's eyes—were cold as winter. "My sister died twenty-three years ago in the m******e. Aunt Luna told me so herself."

I turned to Luna, betrayal burning in my chest. "You told him I was dead?"

Luna's expression remained neutral. "I told him what he needed to hear to survive. A child grieving a lost sister is more motivated than one pining for a sibling who might never return."

"So you lied to him." I looked back at Theo. "She lied to both of us."

"Don't try to bond with me," Theo snarled. "I don't believe you're my sister. You're probably just some girl with similar features that Luna found. Maybe you even believe your own lie."

"I'm not lying!" Power flared around my hands, responding to my frustration. "I saw our parents' memories. Our mother singing to me as a baby. Our father is planning to protect us. I saw.."

"Anyone could fake visions," Theo interrupted. "Alpha blood can be manipulated. Memories can be planted. You could be a spy sent by Marcus or Damien to infiltrate our pack."

"Why would I spy for people who want me dead?"

"Why would my sister live with our parents' murderers for twenty-three years?" he countered. "Nothing about you makes sense. Nothing about this makes sense."

Luna stepped between us. "There is one way to prove the truth."

"What?" I asked warily.

"A challenge." Luna's eyes gleamed with something dangerous. "Theo has been trained his entire life to be the perfect weapon. He knows every fighting style, every weakness, every kill point. If you're truly his twin, if you truly carry Alpha blood, you'll be able to match him."

"You want us to fight?" My voice rose. "We just met!"

"Exactly." Luna crossed her arms. "Theo won't believe words. He needs proof. And the only proof that matters to a warrior is strength."

Theo's smile was sharp. "I accept. A challenge to the death."

"To the death?" Horror flooded through me. "He's my brother!"

"If you're really my sister, you won't die easily," Theo said. "And if you're not, then you're an imposter who deserves death." He turned to the gathered warriors. "Witness this challenge! I, Theo, son of James and Catherine, challenge this woman who claims to be Thelma. If she is who she says, let her prove it with blood and strength!"

The warriors roared their approval, forming a circle around us. This was insane. I'd just found my brother, and now I had to fight him to the death to prove I was his sister?

"Luna, please," I tried one more time. "There has to be another way."

"There isn't." Luna's voice was final. "This is pack law. Theo has issued a formal challenge. You must answer it or be declared false."

I looked at my twin brother, seeing nothing but hatred in his eyes. Twenty-three years of believing I was dead. Twenty-three years of being told he was second-best to a ghost. Twenty-three years of training to kill the people who'd taken everything from him.

And now that ghost was standing in front of him, alive and claiming to be family.

"Fine," I said, letting my own anger rise. "If the only way to prove I'm your sister is to beat some sense into you, then let's do this."

Theo's grin was feral. "Good. I was hoping you'd have some fire in you." He stripped off his shirt, revealing a body covered in scars. Training scars. Battle scars. This wasn't just a fighter—this was a killer.

I'd never trained formally. Everything I knew about fighting came from three days of running for my life and a few desperate battles. But I had something Theo didn't have, I'd died before. I'd lived an entire life where I'd been weak and helpless. I'd made a vow to never be that way again.

The fight started without warning. Theo lunged at me with inhuman speed, and I barely dodged. His fist grazed my cheek, and I felt the power behind it. One solid hit like that could break bones.

I rolled away and came up with my claws extended. "I don't want to hurt you!"

"Then you'll die." He swept my legs out from under me, and I hit the ground hard. Before I could recover, he was on top of me, hands around my throat. "My sister was supposed to be strong. Supposed to be special. You're just another weak girl playing at being Alpha."

I couldn't breathe. Couldn't think. Panic clawed at my mind as his grip tightened. Through my fading vision, I saw Luna watching calmly, not intervening. No one was going to save me.

Just like no one had saved me when Yvonne betrayed me. When my adoptive parents poisoned me. When Xavier's father tried to kill me. I was always alone in the end.

But I wasn't the same girl who'd died in that first timeline. I wasn't even the same girl who'd run from Xavier three days ago.

Power exploded from my core, pure and golden. Theo flew backward, hitting the ground hard. I stood up, and I felt different. Stronger. The world seemed sharper, clearer. Every warrior in the circle, I could sense their strength, their weaknesses, their fear.

"I am Thelma," I said, my voice echoing with Alpha command. "Daughter of James and Catherine. Firstborn twin of the Silver Moon bloodline. And I am done being weak."

Theo got to his feet, shock written across his face. "That power.."

"Is the same power you've been told about your whole life." I advanced on him. "The same power our father had. The same power that made them kill our parents. And it's mine."

Something flickered in Theo's eyes. Recognition? Fear? But it was quickly buried under anger. "Power alone doesn't make you my sister. Anyone can have power. My sister would have fought for our family. She would have died rather than live with the enemy!"

"Your sister did die!" I shouted back. "I died, Theo! I died betrayed and poisoned and alone! And the Moon Goddess sent me back because our family's story wasn't finished! Because there was still revenge to take and justice to claim!"