CHAPTER 17: THE SISTER.

MAYA.

"You took your sweet time, sister," I greet.

"Oh, you know me," she responds with a flippant attitude. "People to terrorize, Intel to gather, the life of a rogue is so full, you know?"

"No, I wouldn't. I am not a rogue," I say as I raise my hand to signal a waiter. "It pisses me off that you chose this life."

"Hmm, and yet, you do not hesitate to make use of the resources I offer."

"Oh, it can't be helped," I say.

As the waiter arrives and we make our order, my mind goes through the reason as to why we are in this situation.

Tanya is actually my twin sister. We are identical twins.

Both of us were born in the Varon pack. And we were so connected. We did everything together, felt the same things, liked the same things, believed the same things.

The only difference was in our characters.

While I approached life with a sense of discipline and control and then chose to serve faithfully by Damien's side, Tanya chose differently.

She was- is wild. She loved adventure, parties, anything that would set her on an unquenchable high.

Suffice it to say, having a position in the pack, especially one that demanded any iota of discipline, wasn't for her.

We both found our mate the same day.

They too, were brothers but not twins. George and Harry. It was the happiest day of our lives. They were from a different pack but because of us, they chose to move into ours.

They were perfect.

Tanya and I had the same dream, we were going to have our mating ceremonies together, wear the same dresses, and say the same vows.

But then the attack happened.

You see, we had found our mates in what one would assume as a civil war.

The pack had just begun to have our revenge on those who had sided with Tobias and the witch. Anyone that had helped them or had taken advantage of the situation to weaken us even more, was on the list.

We knew it was going to make us enemies of most if not all, but this was a matter of honor. We couldn't continue to let the insult slide.

So, it was at this time, I met George and it was because of these attacks that we were targeted.

On the day of our mating ceremony.

Huh. I really have bad luck with mating ceremonies, don't I?

The border was attacked, and we all stopped what we were doing to defend it.

Unfortunately, while the pack had trained diligently for years and knew how to work well with each other, George and Harry did not have that same training, and so we had to fill the gaps that they inadvertently opened

It soon became quite clear to our attackers that they were the weak links and so, they increased their attacks on them.

Their thinking was that both of them had to be important to the pack, to make us all watch over them like that.

When they were killed, my wail of anguish was only slightly surpassed by Tanya, my sister who was more free with her emotions.

Their deaths were a big mistake on our attackers' path. Between Tanya and I, we were singularly responsible for cutting down their ranks by half.

Both our grief and rage fed each other, egging us on, until all we saw was red and all we wanted was their heads.

After that, well Tanya couldn't stay in the pack. She had confided in me that while she understood Damien's quest for revenge, she couldn't in good conscience continue to help with what had indirectly caused the death of her mate.

She had pleaded with me to help her. She already had everything figured out. She had a vial that contained a liquid that would make her look dead. All she asked was that I prevent her body from being burned.

She wanted to leave.

Up till now, I still wonder if I could have persuaded her to stay. If I had managed to push aside my own grief and convince her, would she have stayed?

"I did as she wanted, I told Damien, I wanted to burn her myself, alone. He understood and agreed. I substituted her ashes, for that of a large wild cat and kept it in my room, while my dear sister became a rogue.

A few years back, she made contact with me and has been the one giving me information and here we are, seeing each other face to face, for the first time in ten years.

"So, how have you been little M," she teases as the waiter leaves.

"Don't call me that," I snap. It is what George used to call me.

She instantly sobers as she remembers that.

"Sorry," she says quietly.

"It is fine. I am sorry I snapped at you.'

"Hmm. You still haven't told me why you are here. I thought by now, the news of you becoming the Luna would have spread across the world."

My mood plummets even lower at hearing that and she notices.

"What happened?" she asks.

"Natalie happened," I grouch.

"Who is Natalie?"

"Damien's mate."

A beat of silence and then a squeal.

"Oh my goddess, that is wonderful news. Truly, wonderful news. I am so happy for him."

"Yeah. Me too," I reply.

It looks like I wasn't convincing because she stops bouncing and stares intensely into my face.

"Maya…"

"What?" I snap "I know I should be happy for him, but he is mine. I love him. He is mine."

"No, Maya. He isn't. He is not your mate. He is not George."

I hiss in shock, as I rear back at the low blow.

"No," I say quietly. "You don't… you don't understand…I wouldn't…"

I wouldn't replace him. Not with Damien.

"I love him," I tell her, desperation ringing in my voice.

"I am sure you do," she replies. "But he is not your mate. And you can't resent Natalie because of that."

"You don't get it, she… she will kill him. She has already started."

"Natalie!"

"Don't Maya me. Because of her…"

"Yes?"

"Damien is on a clock. A death clock!"

"What are you even talking about?"