Chapter 2

Karri

Walking into the pack hall to see how the preparation was going for the annual festival, every conversation around me seemed to fade. Anyone would think it's because I was Luna, but no… I wasn't even acknowledged to begin with and Shane never had a problem with that.

Marisa stood at the center of the hall, surrounded by the pack elders and the people responsible for organizing the annual festival. So she had separated from Shane a minute ago to come supervise the work.

The moment someone approached her, they bowed slightly before speaking, as if they were already standing before the woman who ruled the pack.

"Have you checked the eastern decorations?" one of the organizers asked.

"Yes," Marisa replied with a warm smile. "They wanted to place the main altar near the entrance, but I thought it would be better beside the fountain. The goddess statue should be visible when everyone enters."

"Of course, Luna."

I almost laughed at the title.

They called her Luna so naturally that sometimes I wondered if they had forgotten I was the one who carried the title.

Marisa moved from one discussion to another, approving the decorations, checking the food arrangements and making changes to the festival schedule. Everyone listened to her without question. Even the elders sought her opinion before making decisions.

I stood near the entrance, watching her take over the responsibilities that should have belonged to me.

This was why nobody in Capstone truly saw me as their Luna.

Marisa had been raised for this life. She had grown up knowing the pack's traditions, learning how to lead and heal, and preparing herself for the day she would stand beside Shane as his mate and Luna.

I was simply the woman the goddess had unexpectedly placed in his path.

"Karri!" Marisa's voice pulled everyone's attention toward me. Her face immediately brightened as she walked over.

"There you are. I was wondering when you would come." I watched her approach, already knowing what was coming. She reached for my hand with a smile. "I was actually telling everyone that we should wait for you before making the final decisions."

A few people looked at me awkwardly. Right, she never misses a chance to show my standing in the pack.

I gently pulled my hand from hers. "You don't have to wait for me. You already made the decisions."

Her smile remained perfectly in place. "Of course not. You are the Luna." A few people exchanged glances.

The words sounded respectful, but everyone knew what they really meant.

Marisa turned toward the others. "Karri has been trying very hard to learn everything. It isn't her fault she wasn't raised here."

Her voice was so gentle that the tension in the room immediately softened.

I had heard that voice countless times. It was the voice Marisa used whenever she wanted everyone to believe she was the one being hurt.

One of the women organizing the festival looked at the papers in front of her before glancing at me.

"Marisa is doing all the work when she's the supposed Luna. Why steal the position if she can't function there?"

The room fell silent, I didn't look away… I had heard worse than that, and if they expected me to look pitiful they were wrong. I didn't care anymore, I had accepted that I was filling a space that wasn't mine and I would be giving back soon.

Before I could say anything, Marisa lowered her eyes. "Karri never stole anything from me. The goddess simply made a mistake."

The woman immediately looked ashamed.

Another elder sighed. "You have always been too kind, Lady Marisa."

Marisa shook her head slowly. "She is my twin sister. I could never blame her for something she never asked for."

A few people murmured their agreement. "Still, after everything that happened to you… She should at least ask for forgiveness, but she carries herself as though it was all hers to begin with."

Marisa gave a small smile. "There is nothing to forgive."

I watched the sympathy in the room gather around her again. That was Marisa's gift. She could make people feel sorry for her without ever asking for their pity.

"Everyone knows the golden-blooded daughter is meant to become Luna," one of the elders finally said. "The goddess chose Marisa long before Karri ever came here."

My gaze moved toward the golden pendant around Marisa's neck.

The golden blood was a blessing from the goddess, and only one female in every generation was born carrying it. That girl became the goddess's chosen Luna.

The golden blood carried powerful healing abilities and magic. For generations, the pack had depended on its Lunas to heal injuries ordinary wolves could not survive and protect the pack with the magic that came with their blood.

But the golden blood was especially important because of the Brandes.

The Brandes were born Alphas, the sovereign leaders and purest Alpha bloodline of Capstone. Their wolves possessed extraordinary strength and the ability to command every wolf in the pack, but their bloodline carried a curse that had existed for generations.

Every five years after adulthood, the red moon could awaken that curse. When it happened, the Alpha's wolf could lose its humanity and descend into madness.

Only the golden blood of the goddess-chosen Luna could calm it. That was why the Luna had never been just a title.

She was the balance to the Alpha.

The chosen girl was raised knowing that one day she would stand beside the Brandes heir, and her blood would be used to protect him from the curse that came with his power.

Marisa was that girl.

She had been born with the golden blood. Her healing abilities had appeared as she grew, and the pack had celebrated her as the next Luna.

Then I arrived, and the goddess chose me as Shane's mate…contradicting her choice for the golden blood. I didn't have it, Marisa did so why was I chosen as his mate?

Was all of this to further make my life this hell? I've asked that question several times and every time I got no answer.

Three years later, they still hadn't accepted it. Marisa turned back toward me with the same gentle smile.

"Don't worry about the preparations, Karri. I'll handle everything."

"I can handle my responsibilities."

"Of course you can."

Her answer was soft enough to sound supportive, but I caught the look that flashed across her eyes before she turned away.

“Since I have nothing to check here, I'll be leaving the rest to you.” I finally said and gathered the documents assigned to me and left the hall.

I had barely reached the corridor when I heard footsteps behind me.

"Karri." I stopped.

Marisa caught up with me, and the moment we were far enough from the hall that nobody could see us, the smile disappeared from her face.

She stood in front of me without saying anything for a few seconds. The sweet sister everyone had just praised was gone.

Her eyes moved over me with contempt, lingering on my plain dress before returning to my face.

"You really don't understand why they will never accept you, do you?"

Damn! I really don't need this back and forth today, I just want to rest and have some good sleep.

She stepped closer before I could say a word.

"You can carry the Luna title. You can carry Shane's mark. You can even stand beside him in front of the pack." Her lips curved into a small smile. "But none of that will ever make you their Luna."

I kept my expression still. She leaned closer, lowering her voice. "Nobody will ever choose you over the golden-blooded Luna."

For three years, she had said things like this whenever we were alone to put me in my place, and for three years, I had refused to give her the reaction she wanted. But today was different.

I stared at her, a smile slowly creeping onto the corner of my lips. “Marisa, I am the older sister…but you had everything that was meant for both of us. I didn't hate you for that. So how can you look at me with so much disgust because I finally had a taste of the one thing you thought belonged to you? You can't have it all, dear sister. It's the goddess's will, and it's my decision.”

I leaned closer, looking into the face that mirrored mine perfectly. “You know, I can let you have him back if you just beg me and quit trying to prove a point. You can act like the Luna, the one the pack loves, but as long as our bond is connected...” I paused for a moment before straightening myself.

“Shane belongs to me until I decide to let him go.”

I took a step back before walking past her, ignoring the twisted rage on her face and how her hand tightened into a ball at her sides.

It was the first time I had ever talked back to her.