Chapter 2 Chapter 2

Kinslee POV

Forty-Five Minutes to Midnight

“This place is filthy,” Reya scowled.

“What do you expect? We haven’t been here since we were kids.”

The pending promise of the fulfilment of the prophecy was upon us. The entire castle was anxious. Advisors hadn’t stopped coming up with scenarios of what would happen if which twin got the deadly mark.

Even the seemingly calm Alpha and Luna looked nervous about the outcome of tonight. I wish this were the moment where my parents would give us each a hug and tell us nothing would change, but the Alpha and Luna of the De Monte Wolves pack weren’t those types of parents.

As my sister and I sat on opposite ends of our childhood tower, there were hundreds of shifters, seers, and whatever else was there plotting our futures.

I just hoped they did a good job of it.

“So many memories up here,” Reya said, a hint of amusement in her voice.

A tingling sensation spread on my back. I reached behind me and scratched.

Was it happening already?

We still have time until midnight, the marks can’t manifest yet.

“Even back then, you were still the favourite,” Reya said.

“Will you stop that?” I sulked.

“I’m just saying it as it was. I didn’t lie.”

“You were still better at everything,” I replied.

She shrugged. “True. I am perfect.”

I let her believe whatever she wanted. Her sour mood was because of my arrangement.

Reya immediately opened the window to let out the dust bunnies. The furniture was covered with white sheets and old, stained tablecloths.

She stood and stared out of the window, letting out the breath that had been weighing her shoulders down. The window was as tall as she was. It had the perfect view of the rear side of the castle.

“The night of prophecy. There is something magical in the air tonight. I can feel it.”

A shiver ran down my spine.

I wished this prophecy would go away.

Reya turned to me and chuckled. “Don’t look so glum. If what Leilani says is true, then you’ll be very… favoured. Even if you don’t get the good mark, being Raiden’s Luna is good enough. He’ll be here in the morning.”

“How did you know that?” I asked, narrowing my eyes at her.

“I have my ways,” she grinned.

“He’s coming to get his packaged bride.”

I clenched my jaw. “If you were wrapped up nicely for him, you wouldn’t be complaining.”

A challenging glint appeared in her eyes. “You do have claws after all.”

“Enough, Reya. I don’t want to talk about Alpha Raiden.”

There was no spark between us. Fate had determined he was not destined to be my fated mate. However, his eyes always pooled with defiant hunger when he saw me.

A hard knock came on the wooden door.

Reya yawned. “Ignore it.”

No one knew we were up here.

Three more knocks came. I got up to answer it and was surprised when I saw Alpha Raiden standing on the other end.

The tingling occurred on my shoulder and moved to my arm.

“Alpha Raiden? How did you find us?”

He looked over my shoulder, and his eyes widened a bit. “I didn’t know you were here with your sister!”

Heat rushed to my cheeks. What did he want?

He grinned. “I followed your scent. Your delicious scent that belongs to me. I needed to see my future bride urgently. I couldn’t wait until tomorrow.”

My breath caught in my throat.

Did he know what was happening tonight? Would he still look at me like a wolf about to pounce on a deer if I ended up becoming the bringer of death?

I cleared my throat. “I-I can’t chat tonight, Raiden. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

He stood straighter and blinked a few times. He wasn’t used to being rebuffed. The word no wasn’t in his dictionary.

“What?” He asked.

“Reya and I are… busy.”

“Surely, your fiancé is more important than your sister!” He snapped.

He was such a spoiled brat.

“Like I said, Reya and I are busy. I’ll see you tomorrow. Goodnight, Alpha Raiden.”

I gently closed the door between us and breathed a heavy sigh of relief.

Reya chuckled.

I glared at her. “I don’t want to hear a word.”

She shrugged.

“I wonder…” my sister started.

“What’s that?” I asked.

Reya moved from the window and focused her gaze on the aged walls of the tower.

“Who is the powerful Alpha the prophecy talks about? Is it Raiden? He’s got a mean streak which could turn ruthless. When he marries into our family, it will enlarge his territory.”

“The prophecy has so many grey areas. The truth is, we don’t know. We need to know more before we jump to conclusions.”

“It’s fifteen minutes to midnight. The council’s going to be looking for us.”

“We’ll tell them after the marks appear, Reya. If they appear.”

I was a little sceptical about this. My sister and I had lived sheltered lives up until this point. We weren’t allowed to travel to other packs when our parents travelled for pack meetings and treaty hearings. However, we knew all our father’s enemies.

He subconsciously trained us to be ready to take his position.

The werewolf world could be an unstable place. However, Alpha Dillion had managed to destroy anyone who came to our doorstep uninvited.

“The marks will appear,” Reya whispered.

The tingling sensation from earlier turned into a subtle burn on my arm.

“We have five minutes until the marks appear,” Reya said. Her breathing got heavier.

I nibbled on my bottom lip. “Whatever happens, it doesn’t change anything between us.”

She threw her head back and laughed. “That’s a lie, and you know it.”

My stomach churned as the clouds in the sky moved at an unnaturally fast speed. Darting across the bright blue moon.

“What do you think they’ll do to me if I turn out to have the bad mark? Do you think they’ll just let me live while I bring famine, disease and destruction to the werewolf world? You’re not that naïve, Kinslee.”

“There’s always another way—” My vision blurred, and my head felt heavy.

Reya buckled forward and cried out. She clutched her arm. “It’s happening.”

She stumbled to the tower door and locked it.

“What are you doing—”

A burning sensation grew on my arm. It was like a hot pen drew something on my flesh.

I clawed at my shirt to remove it.

“It burns!” I cried.

“Just a little longer,” Reya said.

I ripped my sleeve off just as the blue circle tattoo finished drawing itself. A blue moon with the eyes of a wolf inside it.

The scent of burning flesh reached my nostrils and nearly made me faint.

I didn’t know what this meant. I had no idea what the marks looked like. Reya had ripped off her sleeve too to see her mark.

The marks had manifested on our right arms, on the exact spot. As twins, we shared everything, but our destinies had just been divided.

My heart hammered in my chest as I waited for Reya to speak and my wolf to tell me what was going on.

“The mark of Mayari,” my wolf said. “You’re the bringer of life!”

Which means my sister is the bringer of death.

Reya chuckled maliciously. “Just like the old bat foretold. I am the bringer of death!”

“We can have the marks removed. There are always loopholes,” I said, almost pleading.

“I know,” Reya said. She panted and wiped sweat off her forehead.

She pulled out a violet stone from her pocket and aimed it at me.

“Danger,” my wolf warned.

She growled, and her warning howl filled my mind. She clawed at me from within to fight for safety.

“I found a loophole, Kinslee.”