The Monster in My Blood

Chapter Three – Zara's POV

The Monster in My Blood

Pain wrapped around my body like chains, holding me down. My skin burned from the lashes, my wrists raw from the iron cuffs. Every breath felt like swallowing broken glass.

But none of it compared to the ache in my chest as I looked at her.

Cora.

My sister.

She stood before me, arms crossed, her expression unreadable. No guilt in her eyes. No regret. No hesitation.

Just cold, unwavering certainty.

I swallowed, my throat dry. "Why?" My voice barely made it past my lips, weak and broken. "Why did you do it?"

Cora's lips curled—not into a smile, but something crueler. Something twisted.

"Why?" she echoed, almost amused. "Because our mother loved you more than me. Because to her you are the special child and me am just Cora"

I flinched.

"What?" I whispered.

Cora's blue eyes darkened, filled with something ugly, something bitter.

"Even knowing you were cursed, she still looked at you like you were special," she spat. "Even after you were born under the Blood Moon, even when the Elders whispered that you would bring ruin, she still chose you."

I shook my head. No. This wasn't real.

"She loved both of us," I argued. "She was our mother."

Cora let out a sharp, humorless laugh. "No, Zara. She was your mother. I was just the other daughter—the one she kept in the shadows while you were her little miracle. Her little cute baby."

Her words cut deep. But it wasn't just what she said—it was how she said it. Like she had spent years nursing this hatred, letting it rot inside her until it became something monstrous.

My hands clenched into weak fists. "So you killed her?" My voice shook, not from fear, but from rage.

Cora's gaze flickered, but then she lifted her chin.

"Yes."

I sucked in a sharp breath.

The ground beneath me felt unsteady, like the world was breaking apart, like I was falling into a void with no end.

"I walked into the room, and she was already dead," I whispered, barely able to speak. "I thought—I thought I did it. I thought my curse—"

Cora smirked. "That's exactly what I wanted."

The breath left my lungs.

"You—" My voice cracked. "You wanted me to take the blame. How could you?"

She stepped closer, crouching until we were eye level. Her fingers brushed my

cheek, the way my mother used to when I was a child—but there was no warmth in her touch.

"Of course I did," she murmured. "You were the cursed child, the outcast, the perfect scapegoat. Who would believe you over me? Even if you tell father you are the one with the curses."

Tears burned my eyes, but I refused to let them fall.

"You let them beat me," I whispered. "You let Father—" My voice broke.

Cora shrugged. "He needed someone to blame. And if it meant finally being seen, finally being chosen—then so be it."

A sob built in my throat, but I swallowed it down.

I had spent years fighting against the belief that I was a monster.

And all along, the real monster had been standing beside me. My sister.

I didn't recognize her anymore.

This wasn't my sister.

This was someone else.

Someone dangerous.

Someone cruel.

Cora sighed dramatically. "Don't look at me like that, Zara." She tilted her head, her eyes gleaming with something wicked. "This was always meant to happen. I am the blessed child, the one who was supposed to be loved, to be praised. Not you."

My wolf stirred violently inside me.

"Kill her."

The words were sharp, venomous, wrapping around my thoughts like a noose.

"She deserves it. Snap her neck."

My breath came out ragged, my hands shaking as I slowly pushed myself onto my feet. My legs wobbled beneath me, but I stayed standing.

Cora watched me with mild amusement.

"You're pathetic," she muttered. "You can barely stand."

Maybe I was weak. Maybe my body was broken.

But my rage was stronger than the pain.

"You killed our mother," I said, my voice low, trembling with fury. "And because of you, I suffered. I was beaten, exiled, hunted—and for what? Because you were jealous?"

Cora smiled.

My vision blurred with red.

Before I knew what I was doing, my hand shot out, wrapping around her throat.

Cora's eyes widened slightly, but she didn't struggle. Not at first.

"Let me out," my wolf snarled.

Her voice pulsed inside my skull, filling every crack, every fracture.

"I will finish this. I will tear her apart."

Cora's smirk returned, even as her breath hitched. "What are you waiting for?" she taunted. "You've already killed once."

I tightened my grip, feeling her pulse beneath my fingers.

One quick snap.

One move.

And it will be over.

"DO IT!" my wolf roared. " DO IT AND MAKE THEM SEE YOU AREN'T WEAK"

My fingers twitched. Also losing focus for a second.

And then—

A memory.

My mother's smile, soft and warm.

"No matter what happens, promise me one thing, my love. Take care of your sister. And also remember it is not your fault."

A choked sob escaped my lips.

My grip faltered.

Cora saw it.

She laughed. "Even now, you're still so weak."

She tried to jerk free, but before she could—

A force slammed into me, knocking me backward.

I hit the ground hard, pain jolting through my battered body.

Dazed, I looked up.

And my breath caught in my throat.

A man stood between me and Cora, his stance rigid, his shoulders broad. His presence was overwhelming, swallowing the air in the room.

His scent hit me first—so intoxicating.

Dark, piercing eyes locked onto mine, filled with something fierce and unrelenting.

I barely had the strength to stand up as i stare at him.

My heart slammed against my ribs.

I couldn't breathe.

One word escaped my lips, barely a whisper.

"…James."

And just like that—

Everything changed.