CHAPTER 4

Isla’s POV

After my family and Adrian had left to attend to the guests, the silence felt welcoming, my breathing coming in ragged gasps. I was overwhelmed to hear the accusations scarring my heart deeper. I stumbled backward to the window, leaning on it, trying to catch my breath.

With the morning light, more and more pack members were swarming outside, gathering to say their goodbyes to Elara. She had been their favorite, their future Luna. Like always, everyone’s attention was focused on the beloved Elara, while I was left behind in the shadows, forgotten. I felt like a ghost in my own home, an unwanted presence. And it felt bitter. I was still alive.

The heavy silence inside the house contrasted sharply with the noise beyond. The guests’ footsteps echoed in the hallway, their voices rising in a chorus of exaggerated grief and adoration. I felt like a ghost in my own home, an invisible presence amid the flurry of activity.

I stared at the gate across the window, remembering the day Ryan, Elara, and I had returned from school after my twelfth birthday. Our parents were waiting at the entrance to greet us. Elara, always the radiant one, was enveloped in their warmth. After all, she had transformed into her flawless, beautiful wolf. Somehow it was confirmed then and there that she was fit to be the future Luna. Ryan, with his easy charm, was the second focus of their attention. But I stood there, small and unnoticed, feeling the cold absence of affection.

Why? Because I was wolfless. I was what the elders had foretold. The curse. The unwanted child who was destined to fall.

“Elara, my baby, you are growing up so fast! You have a wolf now.” Mother had exclaimed, her eyes sparkling with pride. “And Ryan, you are the best boy a mama could ask for.”

I waited for her to tell me something, clutching my school bag. I needed her more after not being able to shift. Everyone was already harsh. She was my last hope. But they walked inside, hand in hand, and I was left alone like I didn't even exist.

"Isla!" My father's voice then lit me up with hope. Perhaps the last time. Because it faded away as quickly as it was built up. "Go help Elara with her debut gala."

At that moment, I learned my place: a shadow to the light of my sister. I was a mere afterthought in the eyes of those who were supposed to love me.

I knew the real reason why everyone showed their hatred so openly. I failed to shift.

I snapped out of my daze as I heard a group of wolves joining the funeral as they entered our house. They were Elara's friends. Not mine, though we went to the same school, and studied in the same class. Everyone was here to bid farewell to their perfect future Luna, their beloved, as if her death was a personal loss for each of them.

I was again pushed back to another bitter moment. The familiar sting of taunts from my peers echoed in my mind. “Why don’t you just stay out of our way? You know you are not wanted here. Or anywhere,” one voice had sneered.

“Look at you, always trying to act tough. You will not be even second best to her.” another had taunted.

The words were like shards of glass, sharp and relentless. “You are the disgrace of the beta family. You couldn't even shift.”

Wiping my tears, I tried to steady myself. I couldn't let myself falter because of anyone. But then my eyes fell on one large photo of her on the wall. Elara and I looked so similar. After all, we were twins. Yet the similarities ended there somehow. She was the epitome of grace and charm, her outfits always feminine, her hairstyles impeccably styled. She had been the pack’s darling, their go-to person, adored and admired by all for her gentle and kind personality. She was ready to help everyone.

A bitter laugh crossed over my face. She forgot to help her own sister. And no one noticed it. She was the worst bully behind closed doors-someone who would tear your soul apart without flinching.

"You are such a disappointment, Isla. Nobody wants you. Just give up already." Her harsh echoed in my mind as gripped the railings.

Even now, I wondered about the pack's reaction if they had ever seen that side of her. But now, with her gone, her true nature was buried along with her. What remained was her perfect image and me.

And then my eyes fell on my reflection in the mirror. I was a sheer contrast to Elara. I was a boisterous child with practical clothes, not fashionable. My hair was always pulled back into a high ponytail. I didn’t fit the mold they wanted in any way. I was born an outcast.

Yet, I wasn’t regretful. The constant judgment, abuse, and bullying had shaped me into the solitary, cold, stubborn figure I was now. But at least, I was real. I didn’t have to put on a mask to gain attention and love.

My smile had long since faded, replaced by a grim determination to escape this life someday. I even have a plan, a way out. I poured all my energy into studying to excel in my academy. I worked part-time trying to save every penny I could. The pack’s disdain had only helped me work harder, strengthening my resolve.

That's when my phone buzzed with a notification. It was Stefan.

"Are you alright?" My heart weighed. He was the first person to ask me that since last night.

Stefan, my best friend, my only friend, was my anchor in my suffocating life. We were like two peas in a pod. Two outcasts, shoved into a corner by society. Our friendship had been forged in the fires of our shared struggles.

Every time I cried, struggled, or was left shattered, he would come to give me comfort. “You are stronger than you think, Isla. They don't define who we are or what we are capable of,” he would say, his voice a comforting reminder. And perhaps those words kept me going.

We were both victims of a society that valued image over substance. I was the unwanted twin. He was an orphan child. Our bond was genuine, and I knew in my heart it wouldn't fall under any circumstance or test of time.

As I stood by the window, the reality of Elara’s death mingled with the bitterness of my existence. The pack’s judgment, my family's accusations, Adrian's threat, the loneliness, and the weight of being the unwanted twin all weighed on me heavily, making me feel claustrophobic.

I had a wolf now. But I had failed back then. The real reason why I was excluded. I was disregarded for all these years. Everyone believed I was cursed, a dark anomaly, by being born five minutes later. Elara, meanwhile, was blessed, her path already set as the future Luna. She was, after all, openly favored by the future Alpha, Adrian. No one wanted to question the truth or wait for our eighteenth birthday to find our true mates. They were content to accept the image they saw. But now none of them knew how to deal with the new truth since she was gone. And I was left. So they were as overwhelmed as I had been my entire life.

The future was uncertain, but it was mine to shape. I would rise from the shadows of my sister’s legacy, finding my own light. I wanted to be more than a shadow.