An Imposter

GINA

“Mama! Papa!”

I cried out to my parents, but I was quickly yanked away by the pack beta, who was told to take me to safety. All the other women were escorted away, but they left me behind. I wanted to stay on the battlefield and fight, yet my dad wouldn't permit it.

“Take her away now!” he shouted in his commanding tone.

“No! I don't want to go!” I screamed at the top of my lungs, yet there was nothing I could do. He had blocked off my meridians to stop me from using my abilities, so I wouldn't rush back into the fight.

How could I just stand there and observe my parents battle the enemies without doing anything to help?

How can I bear to watch my people be slaughtered by adversaries that I have never even met?

I thrashed and clawed at Andrew, but he wouldn't release me. Tears streamed down my cheeks as my nightmare became a reality. For five years, since I was 18, I've been dreaming of the destruction of my pack.

Andrew only let me go after he took me to the cave where the women and children were sheltered.

“Gina, you must listen to me,” he said. 

“You are the only hope of the mirror moon pack. We can't lose you, either. Please keep in mind what the Alpha commanded you.”

“Andrew, I must go to war. You know I can fight. You know I can protect our people. Please don't keep me here, I beg you.”

Tears streamed down Andrew's face. He was my father's beta; he had taken over his position after his disappearance. Andrew wasn't just my father's beta, but also my best friend.

“I'm so sorry, Gina. I wish a day like this never came. I wish we could go back to the way things were before, but that is no longer possible. You are our only hope, you must stay alive no matter what,” he said as he pushed me into the cave and sealed it shut with his powers.

“No, no! Please don't do this to me!” I screamed after him, but it was too late. Andrew had already run off to the battle.

“Please…no!” I cried and curled up into a ball on the floor of the cave. Closing my eyes, I quivered as I called out to the moon goddess to save my pack. It was the first time I had ever called out to her, and although she had never answered me before, I pleaded with her to bring my family back to me.”

"Moon goddess, please hear the prayers of our leader,” I heard the cries of the women behind me and turned around to see them all kneeling on the ground.

Suddenly, I spotted Diane, cowering in the shadows, shuddering in fright. She was my half-sibling, born of a woman my father had gotten pregnant before he found my mother.

Just then, I heard an earth-shaking roar and felt a jolt of pain in my chest. Without a word being said, I knew my parents were no more.

“No, please no,” I wailed, tears streaming down my face. It appeared all my prayers to the moon goddess had gone unanswered. She had failed to hear them, and my parents had been killed by some unknown assailants.

“The Alpha is gone!” A woman among them shouted. This is why our pack is different from the other packs. Whenever one of us passes away, we all experience a horrible surge in the atmosphere and fall silent for a moment. The pain was especially intense, now that my parents were gone.

I shook my head in disbelief. I couldn't remain under Andrew's spell when my parents had just died. I battled against the blockade he had constructed, yet my vital energy points were still blocked.

“I can't be in here!” I yelled, again and again, but it was no use.

“What are you doing?!”

Diane screeched at me, but I was too determined to listen.

“Father is dead! Do you want the enemy to find us? We have to wait for the Lycans, they'll be here soon.”

I glanced over at Kate, and saw that tears had filled my eyes.

“I won't wait for the Lycans. I'm going to save them, regardless.”

“At the cost of our lives? Diane, you're so cruel!” Diane shouted out in despair, but I didn't stop. I kept pushing against the boundary until my strength drained away, and I collapsed onto the floor and lost consciousness.

I jolted awake as I sneezed, and when I opened my eyes, I immediately felt lightheaded.

I shut them down again, trying to clear my vision. What had happened before I lost consciousness?

My foggy brain remembered something important.

“Mom! Dad!”

The sudden movement made me nauseous, and my head pulsated in pain. It was more than an ordinary headache. Bracing myself against the agony, I got up from the bed, but before I could take a step in the unfamiliar surroundings, someone came into the room.

“Where do you think you're going, Gina?”

I lifted my head to see who it was, and it was my sister, Diane.

"S...sister, where am I? Where are we?”

“Oh, we're in the Lycan's pack now,” she replied.

I felt a chill go down my spine as the reality of our situation sunk in. We had left our pack to join with the Lycans.

“No, no, no. I need to go back, we must save our people,” I tried to move past Diane, but my legs collapsed beneath me, leaving me helplessly kneeling on the ground. Why is my body failing me? What is happening?

“Are you an imbecile? Where do you think you're going?!” Diane shouted at me.

I looked at my sister with contempt. 

“Diane, wouldn't you like to save our pack? Assist me, I must contact the king, and tell him what's happening with our pack.”

“How naive, sis. Do you actually want to visit the King? Sadly, someone of your status can't meet him whenever they wish.”

I gazed at my sister, confused. She seemed to be behaving oddly, and I only just realized.

“What do you mean by that?”

“Well, if you must know, I am Gina, the daughter of Alpha Zane Arnold and the destined mate of the Lycan Alpha.”

“What on earth are you saying, Diane?”

“Do you not understand it? I'm the Scarlet Witch fated to the Lycan, what more do you need to hear?!” Diane yelled at me, causing me to gasp in surprise.

“You aren't the Scarlet Witch! What are you talking about?”

“Hahaha, how clueless of you, sis. Come on, stand up to me, let's see who matches!” Though I was lost for words, I got on my feet only to fall back.

Why am I so weak? It shouldn't be like this if my father simply sealed my meridians.

As far as I can recall, I could still walk unhindered the day misfortune struck. Or could it be because I tried to use my power to rid myself of the seal that wouldn't break?

“Take a good look at me, Gina, then you'll realize why I'm the Scarlet Witch!”

I slowly took my eyes up to my sister, who appeared to be wearing a smirk.

Then, unexpectedly, she unzipped her top and right on her chest was the mark of a Scarlet Witch that I had too. I shook my head in disbelief.

“No way!” I gasped. “Since when did you have that mark?!” Diane's eyes glinted.

“Why don't you check for yours,” she suggested.

I frantically yanked open my dress, desperately searching for the mark that had always been there before. But my mark and my powers were nowhere to be seen!

“What have you done to me? What did you do, Diane?”

“Don't blame me,” she said innocently. 

“You're just not lucky, that's all.”

My anger was boiling. I'm not going to let her get away with stealing my mark.

“You're a liar.”

At that moment, the door flew open, and a mysterious woman stepped in.

“What's going on here?”

I didn't know who she was, so I had no way of voicing my grievances.