Sister's Hate

Selene raced back to the pack house, her mind spinning with everything ghost-Ivy had revealed. Luna Wolf. Shadow world. Elara's dark plans. It was too much to process at once.

The sun had risen fully by the time she reached the edge of the clearing. Pack members were already busy with morning chores—cooking breakfast, training young wolves, patrolling borders. No one paid much attention to Selene as she hurried toward her room.

But when she opened the door, her heart dropped. Ivy's bed was empty.

"Ivy?" she called, checking the bathroom. Nothing. "Ivy, where are you?"

Panic rose in her chest. Had Elara taken her? Was this part of her plan?

A young wolf girl passed in the hallway. "Have you seen my sister?" Selene asked desperately.

The girl nodded. "She went to the garden a few minutes ago. She looked upset."

Selene rushed outside to the pack's vegetable garden, a peaceful spot with rows of plants and fruit trees. Several wolves worked there, but no sign of Ivy.

Then she spotted a small figure at the far end, partially hidden behind the apple trees. Ivy was crouched on the ground, drawing patterns in the dirt with a stick.

"Ivy!" Relief flooded through Selene as she hurried over. "I was so worried! You can't just disappear like that."

Ivy didn't look up. Her shoulders were stiff, her little hands gripping the stick so tightly it might snap.

"Ivy? What's wrong?" Selene knelt beside her sister, reaching out to touch her shoulder.

Ivy flinched away violently. "Don't touch me!"

The hatred in her voice made Selene recoil. "What happened? Did someone hurt you?"

"You did!" Ivy suddenly stood, her face twisted with rage. Her eyes flashed between normal and the eerie glow Selene had seen last night. "You left me to die!"

Selene shook her head, confused. "No, I tried to save you. I jumped in after you."

"LIAR!" Ivy screamed, backing away. "You watched me drown! You didn't even try!"

Several pack members stopped working and turned to stare. Selene saw Lyra among them, her face concerned.

"Ivy, please," Selene begged, keeping her voice low. "Let's talk about this inside."

"NO!" Ivy was screaming now, tears streaming down her face. "I don't want to go anywhere with you! You're the reason I died!"

More wolves gathered, drawn by the commotion. Whispers rippled through the crowd.

"What's she talking about?" "The Alpha's mate killed her own sister?" "I knew we couldn't trust her."

Selene felt cold dread spreading through her body. This wasn't her sister talking—not really. This was Elara's influence, turning Ivy against her just as she'd turned Dante.

"Ivy," she said firmly, "this isn't you. Remember what you told me last night? About the power inside me? About Elara?"

For a second, confusion flickered across Ivy's face. Then her expression hardened again. "I didn't tell you anything! You're making things up!"

Ivy turned to the growing crowd of wolves. "She pushed me into the river when I was eight! Our father banished her from our pack because she killed me!" Her voice broke with sobs. "And now she's pretending to care about me!"

The pack's whispers grew louder, more hostile. Selene felt their stares like physical blows.

"That's not true," she said, trying to keep her voice steady. "I loved you, Ivy. I've carried the guilt of losing you every day for ten years."

"STOP LYING!" Ivy shrieked, running further away.

Selene chased after her. "Ivy, wait! Please!"

But Ivy was surprisingly fast. She darted between pack members, headed for the forest. Selene followed, desperate not to lose her again.

At the forest edge, Ivy suddenly stopped and turned. Her face was different now—colder, older somehow. When she spoke, her voice had changed too.

"She knows you found the pond," Ivy said quietly, so only Selene could hear. "She's using me to turn the pack against you."

Selene froze. "Ivy? Is that really you now?"

A cruel smile spread across the child's face. "Both of us, sister dear. The part that hates you and the part that needs you. We're at war inside this body."

Selene took a cautious step forward. "Fight her, Ivy. Don't let Elara control you."

"Too late." Ivy's eyes flashed silver—Elara's color. "The full moon comes soon. You'll be alone when it rises."

Before Selene could react, Ivy turned and fled into the forest. Selene started to follow, but strong hands grabbed her arms. She turned to find Jace and two other wolves holding her back.

"Let me go!" she demanded. "I need to find her!"

"We'll find her," Jace said, his voice gentle but firm. "But Alpha wants to see you. Now."

The other wolves' faces were grim as they led Selene back through the hostile crowd. Lyra broke away from the group and walked beside her.

"It's not what they think," Selene whispered to her. "Elara is controlling Ivy somehow."

Lyra's eyes were troubled. "I believe you. But the others won't."

At the pack house, they found Dante waiting on the front steps. His face was like stone, but his eyes burned with barely controlled rage. Elara stood beside him, her hand resting possessively on his arm. Her smile was small but victorious.

"What did you do to my sister?" Selene demanded, glaring at Elara.

"Silence!" Dante growled. The power in his voice made everyone flinch. "You will explain why your sister claims you murdered her."

"I didn't murder her!" Selene tried to keep her voice calm. "She fell into the river. I tried to save her. I thought she drowned, but clearly she didn't."

"That's not what Elara says," Dante replied coldly. "She says she found Ivy that day, barely alive. That you pushed her in and walked away."

"And you believe that?" Selene couldn't hide her hurt. "Over your own mate?"

"You are not my mate." His words cut like knives. "The bond means nothing. I've already told you that."

Elara's smile widened slightly. The pack members gathered around, watching the drama unfold with hungry eyes.

Selene took a deep breath, trying a different approach. "Did Elara tell you why she kept Ivy hidden for ten years? Why she didn't return her to our pack? To our father?"

For the first time, doubt flickered in Dante's eyes. He glanced at Elara, who quickly squeezed his arm.

"She was protecting the child," Elara said smoothly. "Your father was devastated, mad with grief. He would have killed you if he'd found you. Ivy needed time to heal, to feel safe again."

"Lies," Selene hissed. "Everything she says is lies!"

"Enough!" Dante's roar silenced everyone. "Search parties will find Ivy. Until then, Selene Blackthorn, you will remain under guard. You are not to leave your room."

"You're imprisoning me?" Selene couldn't believe it. "While Elara stands there plotting against your pack?"

"One more word," he warned, "and I'll have you chained with silver."

Jace and another wolf stepped forward to escort her inside. As they led her away, Selene locked eyes with Elara. The silver-haired woman's eyes glowed with triumph.

But there was something else there too—fear.

She's afraid of me, Selene realized. Afraid of what I might become.

In her room, with guards posted outside, Selene paced like a caged animal. Two days left until the full moon. Two days to convince Dante of the truth, to break Elara's spell, to save Ivy—and herself.

As night fell, she heard commotion outside. The search parties had returned with Ivy. Through her window, Selene watched as Dante carried the exhausted child inside, Elara hovering nearby like a protective shadow.

Later, when the pack house was quiet, Selene sat on her bed and sang the lullaby again. With each verse, the white light around her hands grew stronger.

"Selene." A whisper came from her door. "It's me."

Jace stood in the doorway, his face grim. "I need to show you something."

"What's happened?" Fear clutched at her heart.

"It's Ivy," he said. "Something's wrong with her. Really wrong."

"What do you mean?"

Jace's eyes were haunted. "Her body... it's starting to change. And she keeps saying the same thing, over and over."

"What is she saying?" Selene asked, dread building inside her.

"The door opens at midnight on the full moon," Jace whispered. "And only the Luna's blood can keep it closed."