Chapter 1



The doctor's words from three days ago still echoed in my head.

"Six months, Luna. Maybe less if you don't take it easy."

I'd nodded, thanked the doctor, and walked out of her office.

Funny how calm you can be when your know you're about to die.

Now I was standing in the living room, watching my twin sister Delilah curl up on the couch like a wounded bird. Mom fussed over her blanket. Dad hovered nearby with that look—the one that said I was about to disappoint them again.

And Dominic? My fated mate stood there, arms crossed, jaw tight.

"Aurora." His voice was flat. "We need to talk."

I waited.

"Delilah's kidney is failing," he said. "You know that."

I did. Everyone in the Moonveil Pack knew.

"The doctors ran the compatibility tests." He paused. "You're a match."

Of course I was. We were twins. That's how it worked.

Mom's voice cut in, sharp and desperate. "Aurora, you have to do this. She's your sister."

I looked at Delilah. She wasn't crying. She was watching me with those big, glassy eyes—the same ones she'd used to convince our parents I'd stolen her jewelry when we were pups.

I hadn't. But no one believed me then either.

"Say something," Dad snapped. "Your sister's dying, and you're just standing there."

I opened my mouth, but Dominic spoke first.

"There's another option." He pulled a folded paper from his jacket. "If you won't donate, then I need you to sign this."

I didn't have to unfold it to know what it was. A Mate Bond Breaking Agreement.

"You're kidding." The words came out before I could stop them.

"I'm not." His eyes were cold now. "Delilah doesn't have much time. She asked for one thing before…" He stopped, swallowed hard. "She wants to experience the marking ceremony before she dies."

My chest went tight.

"Your parents agreed," he continued. "If you won't save her life, at least let her have this."

Mom was crying now. Dad looked at me like I was a stranger.

And Dominic, my mate, the Alpha of the Moonveil Pack, the man who'd promised to protect me, was asking me to step aside so he could mark my won sister.

I could've told them the truth.

That I only had one kidney left.

That donating meant I'd die within hours instead of months.

But what was the point?

They'd made their choice a long time ago.

"Fine." The word tasted like ash.

Dominic's eyes widened. "You'll do it?"

"I'll donate."

Mom gasped. Dad exhaled like he'd been holding his breath for days. Delilah's face lit up, but not with relief—with victory.

"Aurora, thank you—" Mom started, but I held up a hand.

"I need to sign the consent forms. Let's just get this over with."

Dominic grabbed my hand, relief flooding his face. "I'll take you to the clinic right now."

He practically dragged me out the door before I could change my mind.

An hour later, I was sitting in the Moonveil Pack's clinic while the doctor went over the surgery details.

Mom and Dad showed up just as I was signing the consent form. Once I signed it, my parents finally relaxed.

Dad cleared his throat. "Aurora, you've finally grown up."

I looked up at him.

"You're learning to think about your sister," he continued. "Don't think we've been playing favorites, okay? Delilah's been through so much—she needs us more. But we won't forget about you."

Mom nodded quickly. "You'll still get your share of the inheritance. We made sure of that."

I shook my head slowly. "Just give it all to Delilah. I won't need it."

Mom blinked, caught off guard. Then she patted my shoulder. "Stop talking nonsense. Of course you'll need it. Even if your mate is the Alpha of the Moonveil Pack and can take care of you, you can't just throw away what's yours."

I didn't respond. I just sat there, feeling the weight of her hand on my shoulder.

Slowly, I slipped into a daze.

It had been five years since I missed my father's kidney transplant surgery—the one where Delilah stepped in to donate her kidney. My family hadn't been this kind to me since.

And from that moment on, I owed her.

Everyone said so. Mom. Dad. Even the pack elders.

"Delilah saved your father's life, Aurora. The least you can do is be kinder to her."

So Delilah got the best of everything. The biggest room. The nicest clothes. The undivided attention.

And when she started telling little lies—saying I'd said cruel things to her, that I'd hidden her medication, that I'd ignored her when she was sick—they believed her.

Every. Single. Time.

I used to fight back. Used to defend myself.

Now I just stayed quiet.

When we got back to the house, Delilah was sitting up on the couch. The second we walked in, Mom rushed over and wrapped her arms around her.

"Delilah, sweetheart, you're going to be okay now. You'll get to stay with us forever."

Dad joined them, his hand resting gently on Delilah's head. Dominic stood behind them, his expression soft as he looked at my sister.

They huddled together—Mom, Dad, Dominic, Delilah.

A perfect picture of a family.

Warm. Close. Complete.

I stood by the doorway, my coat still on, my hands hanging uselessly at my sides.

No one turned to look at me.

No one asked if I was okay.

I was right there, but I might as well have been invisible.

An outsider looking in on someone else's life.

Chapter 2



My hands were shaking.

I shoved them in my pockets and turned to leave, but Dominic blocked the doorway.

"Delilah's stuck at the hospital for treatment," he said. "She won't be able to finish her Werewolf Studies thesis on time."

"You're working on the Moonshade Toxin project, right? Same topic as hers." He paused. "Just let her use yours as a reference."

Reference.

Right.

That's what they always called it. A reference. Help. Sharing.

Never plagiarism.

Delilah had been "referencing" my work. Homework. Essays. Exams. I'd even sat next to her during finals so she could copy my answers.

And every time, she'd come out on top. Honors. Awards. The Werewolf Academy's star student.

Meanwhile, I kept my head down and stayed quiet.

Because that's what good sisters did.

"Aurora?" Mom's voice was soft, careful. "You know how brilliant Delilah is. It's just her health that holds her back. You understand, don't you?"

I'd heard this speech a thousand times. And every time, it felt like swallowing glass.

I forced a smile. "Yeah. I'll grab it for you."

This was the last time. I wondered if Delilah could still graduate after I was gone. Who would she copy from then?

"I knew you'd say yes!" Dominic grinned, relief flooding his face. "So I grabbed it from your place before I came here."

He pulled a stapled stack of papers from his bag and handed it to Delilah.

She smirked at me. Just a flicker. But I saw it.

Dominic crouched beside her, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. He whispered something. She giggled and swatted his arm.

I stood there, watching them.

If my wolf hadn't been poisoned by wolfsbane years ago, she would've been tearing at the walls of my chest right now.

But she was gone.

So I felt nothing.

I turned and walked out.

Behind me, I heard laughter. Warm. Easy.

No one called after me.

No one even noticed I'd left.

Back at the house, I stood in the middle of my room and stared at everything I owned.

My clothes. My books. The picture frames I'd carefully arranged on the shelf.

The gifts I'd bought for birthdays and holidays—still wrapped, still waiting for the right moment to give them.

There wasn't going to be a right moment.

I grabbed a trash bag.

One by one, I packed everything. Clothes. Notebooks. The necklace I'd planned to give Mom for her birthday. The jacket I'd saved up to buy Dad. The watch I'd gotten Dominic when we first bonded.

All of it went into the bag.

By the time I was done, the room looked like a stranger's. Empty. Clean. Erased.

I dragged the bags outside and dumped them in the trash.

My chest ached with every breath. The wolfsbane had spread too far. Every movement felt like broken glass scraping against bone.

God, I was really dying.

It took hours before I could move again. I crawled into bed, pulled the blanket over my head, and closed my eyes.

Sleep didn't come.

Instead, I heard the front door slam open.

Footsteps. Voices.

I sat up just as my bedroom door flew open.

Dominic stood there, his face dark with anger.

Mom and Dad were right behind him. And between them, Delilah—tears streaming down her face.

"Aurora." Dominic's voice was cold. "You promised to give Delilah your thesis. How could you turn around and accuse her of plagiarism?"

I blinked. "What?"

"Don't play dumb." He stepped closer. "You contacted your professor. You told him Delilah stole your work. He posted about it online. Now she's getting torn apart in the comments."

Delilah sobbed louder. "Aurora, I—I know you're upset that I had to use your thesis. But I didn't think you'd try to ruin me like this. How could you?"

"Zora, we're family," Mom said sharply. "How could you do this to your own sister?"

She turned to Delilah, her voice instantly softening. "Shh, sweetheart. Don't cry. You'll make yourself sick. I'll make her apologize."

I stared at them.

They didn't ask. They didn't wait for an explanation.

They just assumed. Like always.

Chapter 3



Turns out, Delilah couldn't keep her mouth shut.

The second she got my thesis, she posted it on the Academy's online forum. Showed it off like a trophy.

Big mistake.

Professor Hayes, my advisor, saw it within an hour.

He'd been working with me on that project for months. He knew every word, every argument, every footnote.

So when Delilah's post went live, he knew something was wrong.

He commented publicly and asked her to explain a key section of the research.

She couldn't. Not a single word.

The forum exploded.

[How does someone not understand their OWN thesis?]

[This smells like plagiarism.]

[Wait—didn't Aurora Ravencroft work on this topic too?]

And just like that, Delilah's perfect reputation started cracking.

That's when they showed up.

Dominic didn't knock. He just stormed in, dragging a sobbing Delilah behind him.

Mom and Dad followed close behind, their faces tight with fury.

"Aurora." Dominic's voice was ice. "Delilah fainted. Twice. Because of YOU."

I sat up slowly, my head spinning.

"Delilah's been crying for hours," Mom added, her voice trembling. "How could you do this to her? She's your sister!"

"I didn't—"

"You gave her the thesis!" Dominic cut me off. "You agreed to let her use it! And then you turned around and made her look like a thief!"

"I didn't say anything to anyone," I said quietly.

But no one was listening.

Dominic grabbed my arm and yanked me out of bed.

I stumbled, my legs barely holding me up. The wolfsbane had drained everything.

He shoved me in front of Delilah.

"Apologize," he demanded.

I stared at her.

She looked up at me through her tears, her lip trembling, her eyes wide and wounded.

And for a second I saw the truth underneath.

She wasn't hurt.

She was thrilled.

My thoughts drifted.

I used to think Dominic hated her.

Five years ago, when my family kicked me out, I'd walked through a storm in the middle of the night. Rain soaked through my clothes.

And then Dominic found me.

The bond between us had snapped into place the moment our eyes met. Fated Mates.

He brought me to his place, gave me dry clothes. Made me tea. Sat with me while I cried and told him everything.

He'd been so angry on my behalf.

"Your family doesn't deserve you," he'd said. "I'll take care of you. I promise."

Back then, he couldn't stand Delilah. He'd never even met her, but he hated her for what she'd done to me.

But somewhere along the way, things changed.

Maybe it started when she began showing up at his office. Bringing him coffee. Smiling sweetly. Asking for help with "pack business."

Or maybe it was when she started texting him late at night. Innocent questions at first. Then longer conversations.

Or maybe it was when she started joining us on dates. "Just for a little while," she'd say. And Dominic never told her no.

Little by little, she wormed her way in.

And now here we were.

My mate. Defending her.

It still hurt.

Even now—even knowing I was dying—it still hurt.

Since I was about to die anyway, I figured I might as well let them take whatever they wanted. What did it matter now?

I took a breath.

"I'll post a statement," I said quietly. "I'll tell everyone the thesis was Delilah's. That I was the one who plagiarized."

They stared at me like I'd just spoken a foreign language.

"You… you will?" Mom's voice wavered.

"Yeah."

Mom's expression softened. Just a little. "Aurora… you're finally starting to care about your sister. I'm proud of you."

Dominic's shoulders relaxed. Guilt flickered across his face. "Look, I know this is hard. But you're doing the right thing. Even if you can't finish at the Academy, you'll be fine. I'll take care of you, you're my mate."

I tried to smile.

But the future he was talking about didn't exist.

Not for me.

Delilah pulled out her phone.

"I'll record it," she said softly. "So people know you're telling the truth."

She opened the camera. Hit record.

Her voice wobbled as she spoke. "I wrote this thesis at home… while I was recovering. I didn't think my sister would try to take credit for it."

She turned the camera toward me.

Mom, Dad, and Dominic all leaned in, watching me like hawks.

I forced a smile. "Delilah's right," I said. "I plagiarized her work. I told Professor Hayes it was mine. I'm sorry."

Everyone exhaled.

Delilah ended the recording and uploaded it immediately.

Within minutes, the comments rolled in.

[Wow. Aurora Ravencroft is a fraud.]

[Can't believe she tried to steal her sister's work.]

[What a disgrace.]

Delilah scrolled through them, her face carefully neutral. Then she posted a follow-up comment:

[Please don't be too hard on her. She's my sister. I've already forgiven her.]

She set her phone down and glanced at me.

No one else was looking.

Just me and her.

Her expression shifted.

The tears dried up. The trembling lip went still.

She leaned in, her voice barely a whisper.

"You? Compete with me? Don't make me laugh. Mom, Dad, Dominic—they're all mine. You don't deserve a shred of their love."

Then she straightened, her face instantly soft and sweet again.

"Thank you, Aurora," she said loudly. "I knew you'd do the right thing."