My Twin Sister Became His Second Luna Chapter 01

My Twin Sister Became His Second Luna Chapter 01

I was born one second before my sister, Nerys.

My family believed that one second made me the healthier child and gave me the higher-ranked wolf.

It also cost me twenty years of giving things up for her. Five boxes of “Voluntary Renunciation of Princess Privileges” just to make us look equal in everyone else’s eyes.

Then, just days before my mate ceremony with Crestwood Pack’s Alpha, my parents handed me another declaration:

[I, Nerissa Ravenn, voluntarily accept Nerys Ravenn as Kaelen Ashbourne’s second Luna.]

“That’s not fair!” I slammed the pen onto the table. “Kaelen is my fated mate. I’m the Luna chosen by the Moon Goddess. How can one Pack have two Lunas?”

My father sighed and slid the parchment back toward me.

“Love doesn’t always follow the Moon Goddess’s plans. Nerys may not be his fated mate, but she is his Chosen Luna.”

My mother took my hand. Her eyes were red.

“This is the last time. Nerissa, I know how much you’ve given up over the years.”

My father cut her off with a dismissive look. “She signed every one of those declarations herself. When did we ever force her?”

Betrayal ripped through my soul, yet I couldn’t shed a single tear.

I picked up the pen and signed the last voluntary declaration of my life:

[I, Nerissa Ravenn, voluntarily sever my pack bond permanently.]

They had no idea what they had truly given up.

…

I was born one second before Nerys.

That one second gave me the title of Crown Princess.

Then that same second cost me five boxes of Voluntary Renunciation of Princess Privileges, leaving me without proper training or medical care and forcing me to suppress my golden wolf so my sister and I would look exactly alike.

Now that same second was costing me a declaration accepting a second Luna.

As soon as I sat down, Dad shoved the declaration toward me.

Father Rafe tapped the table.

“Nerissa, sign it.”

I stared at the name on the declaration, too stunned to believe what I was seeing.

“Kaelen is my mate. Our mate ceremony is the day after tomorrow. The invitations have already gone out to every Pack in the North, and Wolf Hall is fully decorated. And now you’re asking me to agree to my sister becoming his second Luna?”

My mother, Luna Sabine, caught my hand. Her eyes were red.

“Three years ago, when Crestwood Pack came for the mate-selection ball, we only planned to let Nerys attend. You’re Stoneveil’s Crown Princess. You were supposed to stay and help your father. But the Moon Goddess made Kaelen recognize you instead. It was a mistake from the very beginning.”

“That has nothing to do with a second Luna. For three years, I’ve handled affairs for both Packs without a single mistake. You both know what I’m capable of.”

A flicker of displeasure crossed my mother’s face. Then she finally said what she really meant.

“Last month, Kaelen met Nerys. They fell in love.”

My wolf’s head snapped up, claws raking through the depths of my mind.

“I’ve been with Kaelen for three years.”

“Nerys was the one who refused to marry into Crestwood. That’s why you let me attend that ball. For three years, I patrolled the borders with Kaelen and joined the moonlight runs. You can’t erase what we had just because they claim they fell in love at first sight.”

“But that’s the truth!” Mother cut in, desperation sharpening her voice. “Nerys went to Crestwood to see you and met Kaelen there. They fell for each other the moment they saw each other.”

She tightened her grip on my hand.

“Nerys isn’t as strong as you, and her wolf can’t bear losing the person she loves. You’re her older sister. Give her this one last chance. This really is the last time.”

Needle-sharp pain tore through my mate bond.

“I won’t sign.” I lifted my chin. “Absolutely not.”

My father slammed his palm onto the table. Alpha pressure swept through the room, fine cracks spreading across the crystal glasses.

“Nerys’s heart could fail at any time. She finally found an Alpha willing to protect her. You have your health, a high-ranked wolf, and your inheritance. Why can’t you give her the only happiness she wants?”

Nerys had been born with a weak heart and didn’t shift for the first time until years after I did. My parents became convinced that I’d stolen her health, her wolf rank, and the Moon Goddess’s blessing that should have been hers.

He stared at me, his voice as cold as a Stoneveil winter.

“If Kaelen had seen Nerys first that night at the ball, they’d have been mates long ago. When you get right down to it, you only took her place for three years.”

The words hit me like a slap.

What had I ever truly had? Whenever Nerys wanted something, my mother brought out another declaration and coaxed me into signing it, whether it was an academy recommendation or a dress for the winter ball.

And now they were using every sacrifice I’d made as proof that I’d already been given too much.

“If Kaelen really wants to choose her,” I said coldly, “let him come tell me himself.”

The moment I finished speaking, the electronic lock at the entryway clicked open.