Painful past

 (Chapter 29:Mira's POV) 

 The heavy silence that had settled after my uncle's revelation was suffocating. My mind swirled with the weight of everything I had just learned. My true parents, my brothers, and the tragic ending that seemed to haunt my every step. But amidst the shock, there was a question, a burning ache that refused to be quieted.

 "Why didn't you come for me sooner?" I asked, my voice barely a whisper.

 My uncle's gaze softened, but there was no easy answer. "It wasn't safe for anyone to come. Your stepmother's connection to the dark forces made it impossible to find you without drawing attention. We kept our distance, hoping you would be able to survive long enough to reclaim your heritage. It wasn't until we learned you had survived the poison and were reborn that we were able to make contact."

 I nodded slowly, trying to digest it all. But something lingered in the back of my mind, a question that had plagued me for years.

 "Why didn't Selene warn me?" The name burned in my throat.

 My uncle's expression darkened, his eyes flashing with something between anger and regret. "Selene... was never your friend."

 The words hit me like a blow. The betrayal, the lies, everything felt like it was unraveling before me.

 "What do you mean?" I asked, my voice trembling. "She was my closest friend. I trusted her more than anyone."

 My uncle leaned forward, his voice lowering, as if speaking of something too painful. "Selene's mother was a powerful witch, but her father was something far darker—a vampire lord who allied himself with your enemies. Selene's bloodline had its own stake in the power struggle that tore this world apart."

 I felt the ground shift beneath me. I had spent years believing that Selene was the one person I could rely on. The thought of her standing alongside those who had killed my parents felt like a knife twisting in my chest.

 "You're telling me... she knew?" I could barely choke the words out. "She knew everything?"

 My uncle's face grew grim. "Selene was raised to believe in the superiority of the vampires, and her loyalty to her bloodline ran deeper than any friendship she ever offered you. Her father knew about your destiny long before you did."

 A cold fury bubbled up inside me, mixing with the grief and confusion. How could I have been so blind? Selene had been at my side, offering comfort and companionship, all the while feeding me lies and manipulating my every move.

 "You were never meant to be here, Mira," my uncle continued. "Selene's betrayal is the reason you were abandoned. She led you astray, feeding you false hope. She was part of the plan to keep you weak and isolated."

 I could feel my heart breaking with every word. The anger was there, raw and burning, but it was overshadowed by the pain of losing someone I had thought was my ally.

 The betrayal stung deeper than anything else.

 I stood, my legs shaky beneath me, and turned toward the window. The full moon cast its light over the landscape, the same moon I had looked up at countless times before, never knowing the truth of my bloodline.

 "She set me up," I whispered, my voice thick with grief. "She was the one who made me believe I was alone."

 My uncle didn't respond, but the weight of the truth settled between us like a thick fog.

 I had been so naive.

 "Now you know," my uncle said, his voice heavy with regret. "But you are not alone anymore, Mira. You have your real family. And your brothers... they will want to see you."

 I turned to face him, my gaze hardened. "And what about Selene? What happens to her?"

 "She will pay for her treachery," he said softly, but there was no warmth in his tone. "She is a part of the darkness you must destroy."

 A shudder ran down my spine as I thought of Selene—once a friend, now nothing more than an enemy. The path ahead was becoming clearer, but that clarity only deepened the weight of the task ahead.

 I had to face my past, but the betrayal of the one person I had trusted the most was not something I could just forget.

 And with that betrayal came the realization that I was no longer fighting only for myself.