CHAPTER 8

Isla’s POV

I stood at the edge of the gathering with Stefan as my rock, watching from afar as the funeral proceeded. My parents were there, barely holding themselves together. I wanted to be there for them, be their support, but I didn’t dare to approach them. I knew what would follow. The weight of their disappointment, the accusation in their eyes was unbearable. Maybe they wished I was the one dead instead.

“Isla, are you okay?” Stefan asked, concerned about me. His voice was gentle, but it was not him whose comfort I wanted right now.

“They don’t want me here,” I muttered, staring down at the ground, my voice hollow. “They don’t even want to see me. No one loves me.”

Stefan sighed. He got a little closer to encourage me, but I stepped away. “It’s not like that, Isla.” He still leaned closer and tried to reassure me.

I laughed bitterly. “Isn’t it? Look at them, Stefan. Elara will always live on in their hearts as the perfect daughter. I am just the curse they wish never happened.”

“Don’t say that,” he tried, but I shook my head, my chest tightening with every word I forced out. I didn’t want to hear lies to comfort me. No amount of well-meaning words would change the truth.

My eyes drifted across the crowd and settled on Adrian. He was already looking in my direction. His rage, his suspicion, his hatred, everything was directed at me. To him, I was the monster who took away his Elara from him. I sighed, too used to it by now. He didn’t know the truth, and I doubted he cared. He had made his judgment, and no explanation would change his mind.

“Let’s go,” Stefan murmured, tugging my hand gently. "You don’t need to stay here any longer."

I hesitated for a moment, glancing back at my parents, but I knew he was right. The crowd was thinning, and whoever was left clearly ignored me like I was invisible. Even if it was Elara’s funeral, it was still an important day for me - my coming of age, my eighteenth birthday. But no one seemed to even remember it.  I wished I could scream, and tell everyone it’s not fair. That they don’t know me at all… But I knew it would be useless. No one believed me.

Back at home, the tension was even worse. The house felt colder without Elara, and now it was suffocating under the weight of silence and grief. Once everyone left, the family gathered in the common hall, grieving together. I hesitated by the door, feeling like an outsider. But I was here to tell them my decision. The moment they noticed me, their sorrow turned into anger.

Ryan’s voice cut through the tension. He didn't even feel the need to lower his voice. "Where were you that night, Isla? Just tell us if it was you!"

I froze, my eyes widening. We had been through this already, but now his suspicion of me had intensified after hearing everyone's comments. He had always been like that. Too fast to act on others' opinions.

I swallowed it, trying to keep my voice steady. "I told you. I wasn't there. But it doesn’t matter, does it?"

My voice cracked, but this time my mother intervened. “You didn’t even care that she is dead. You have been behaving like this whole thing doesn’t affect you!”

Ryan stepped closer, his fists clenching at his sides. "Everyone knows you and Elara had your issues. You were jealous of her. How can we believe you when you don't tell us your whereabouts?"

My heart clenched painfully. I had expected the question, but it still stung like a fresh wound. I wanted to scream at him, tell him how wrong he was. But what was the point? No one ever listened to me. No one had ever really listened. And not even him.

The truth was, everything got even worse after my twelfth birthday. I just had not shifted. I lost my brother's affection as well.

When we were kids, he was my safe space. I could still remember the way he used to ruffle my hair and give me chocolates. He protected me from the other kids who whispered cruel things about me. No matter what, he was there for me and Elara. We were the same to him. His two little sisters. Always.

But then on my twelfth birthday, I failed.

I will never forget that day. Elara had successfully shifted into her wolf and the entire pack was celebrating her transformation. They even arranged a debut gala for her. And me? I stayed human. A failure. A disappointment. After that incident, Ryan's attitude slowly changed as he believed what others said. He trusted them more than me. His love and protection began to wither, replaced by doubt, suspicion, and eventually… hatred. The way he looked at me now, as if I was cursed, hurt more than anyone else's words ever could.

"Ryan," I whispered, my voice cracking. "Do you really believe I could do this?"

Ryan’s silence was louder than any words could be. He didn’t believe me. I missed the old Ryan deeply today. I needed him.

Maybe if he knew I had a wolf now...

I glanced away, feeling my wolf stir inside me. It was reluctant, unwilling to reveal itself. It said that when they had already branded me as the cursed twin, why would she tell them about her wolf?

My mother’s sobs filled the room, her voice shaking with despair. “Everyone… everyone is saying that the Moon Goddess cursed us. That she cursed you, Isla. And that's why Elara is dead.” She buried her face in her hands, her sobs echoing through the hall. “They pity us, Robert. They pity our family because of her.”

My heart shattered, but I kept my face as blank as possible. The pain tightened my chest, but I ignored the heavy need to reason. There was no point in arguing anymore. No one believed me. No one ever would.

I took a deep breath, and the words came out before I could stop them. “Fine. Blame me. Blame me all you want. But one day, the truth will come out. And on that day, all of you will regret it." I paused, and they didn't even flinch.

"I will leave. Tonight. You don’t need to deal with the curse anymore.”

A heavy silence hung above us. My father’s eyes narrowed as he gritted his teeth, and Ryan’s jaw clenched. I could feel their anger simmering, rising like a tide.

"Isla," my father, Robert, growled, stepping forward as his face twisted in anger. "Just because I am quiet doesn't mean you can say anything. You are irresponsible. Again. After everything! I have already lost one daughter, and now you want to leave? So that they can pity me? Make fun of our family?"

I bit my lip, the weight of his words pressing down on me. "But..."

My mother said nothing. She looked at me with disdain and scoffed as if she had birthed a rebel child who only brought trouble to the family.

Ryan’s eyes widened in disbelief, his voice sharp. "If you leave, Adrian will think you are running because you are guilty. Maybe he will reprimand us too. You will only destroy what’s left of our family’s reputation."

I sighed, feeling the lump in my throat rise, tears threatening to fall. What do I do? Suffer? Is that my fate? Their words were like chains binding me, holding me back.

I wanted to leave. I had wanted to leave for so long. But the irony was that, as much as I wanted to escape, I couldn't when they didn't want me to. I loved them with all my heart, even though they had all turned their backs on me. Even though they believed I was some monster.

My father's face twisted in anger as he looked down on me. "You have to think of us, our family, our Elara, at least once! It is not always about you."

His words stung. But I knew I couldn't defy him. I cursed myself for being too emotional, for caring too much. "Fine," I muttered, to my utter surprise. "I will stay." With that, I ran toward my room, the weight of my decision falling heavy on my chest.

I wondered how long I could survive the storm that was coming my way because of Elara's death.