Chapter Three—A Tale Of The Wrong Sister
**NIKOLAI**
I blinked for the tenth time, hoping the glimpse of the person in front of me was just an after effect of the red moon. Perhaps it was also a test, an illusion of the sort as father once said he had hallucinations after bonding with his mate, my mother.
It just couldn't be.
The beautiful but excruciatingly painful sensation from the awakening couldn't have led to such a disastrous outcome—Anna, my lover's twin sister and a pathetic Omega who spends her time rubbing in the dirt with other men.
I turned towards the crowd of murmurs, my glimpse catching the sight of Aria's gobsmacked and petrified face. My heart thumped loud and hard. It wasn't an after effect, neither a wicked hallucination. My woman was standing right in the crowd and I—I had bonded with another, her twin sister.
"Preposterous!!!" Sir Grayson yelled as he stepped out of the crowd and towards us.
I opened my mouth to speak, shut it right back as the words locked itself in a Pandora's box, unwilling to come out to the chaos of the night. I couldn't look at her in the eye, Anna, I just couldn't bear the sight of what had just happened.
"What did you do?!!" Sir Grayson yelled at his daughter, his eyes brimming with tears as he pointed a daring finger at her, "You witch!! You have bonded with the Alpha!! What have you done you wicked child?!"
The red moon had disappeared. Its overwhelming power faded into oblivion and only to return another decade later. The deed had already taken its duly course, souls had been tied and fates sealed together—-I, the alpha and leader of the pack was blessed with an unrepentant curse.
**ANNA**
"Me?!!" I cried out to father whose eyes filled with nothing but anger and disdain, "I have done nothing!!!"
My eyes darted to Nikolai, transfixed on the spot with his arms folded tightly. His face bore no expression but I could see the doubt in his eyes, the sheer disappointment and most of all…I could feel his pain.
My legs were all wobbly from the after effect of the bonding. My body, frail and weak. My eyes still carrying a red haze and my ears could hear all the gasps and murmurs from the crowd.
I still couldn't believe it.
I had bonded with the Alpha and worse, I had bonded with my sisters lover.
"You must have done something!!" Aria screeched as she ran out from the crowd, grabbing onto the collar of my dress, her eyes widened like a manic predator about to kill its prey, "What gave you done?! You witch!"
I could feel the tears brimming in my eyes. I was also as confused as the rest of them. After all I was an omega, it was impossible for me for me to bond with anyone, talk less of an Alpha like Nikolai himself. My eyes darted upwards towards the moon as my mouth remained silent from my sister's ballistic tirade, I almost cursed at it's wicked fate upon me.
My life was hard already. I was an outcast, a weakling, Mis-born twin and yet, fate decided to play its dirty game with me by bonding me with a mate….one I hated no doubt.
I slowly started to walk away, disregarding my sister and her manic tantrums, tired from the effect of the red moon and the awakening. The crowd gave way to me, like I was cursed with a ghastly plague, they moved out of the way with their casting eyes showing nothing short of confusion and disgust.
I could hear it, their whispers, the conspiracies, claiming me the twin who stole the Luna's destiny. It didn't matter, I was too tired to think, too thirsty to make sense of what happened tonight. All I wanted was the sweet comfort of my bed.
"Ann…Anna," Kaleb rushed to my side as I ventured into the trees, making my way towards home, "Anna are you alright??"
I was out of breath as my heart drawled to him by my side, I couldn't help but smile. Kaleb, my one true friend in Moonlight grove unafraid to show me kindness, "Ka—Kaleb?"
"Yes?"
"Ta…take me home please?"
He nodded and my eyes closed as I felt his arms around my leg, my consciousness slowly drifting into oblivion as I felt myself being carried off in the bane of the night.
~~~~~~~~~
Nikolai Ashford's silky black hair, that shone under the sunlight with tones of auburn, his beautiful brown eyes with a golden hue around it, his lanky frame with powerful hands. I wriggled in my bed as I heard his voice, grainy and yet charming with a tint of authority that carried him as a leader. He called out my name,
"Anna…..Anna….Anna"
I gasped for air as I finally opened my eyes to see it was morning. My hands roamed through my body frantically, as my mind scrambled to put back in the pieces of last night and the events that happened.
I rose to my feet, still panting and gasping for air. The morning haze finally cleared as I realized I was back in my room. Then it dawned on me—I had a vision, a vision of Nikolai Ashford!! He was in my dreams!!
Disgusted beyond remorse, I scrambled for a change of clothes and a bath. Almost bursting into tears as I dipped myself into the bath already prepared for me, probably by the new housekeeper father had hired. After a minute or two, I stepped out and slipped into a pair of fresh cotton pants and a worn white blouse.
Father hated it when I wore men's clothing. I found them comfortable, being as I planned on sparring with Kaleb and the others today, desperate to push the bonding ceremony out of my mind.
I could hear it now, father's oncoming footsteps which meant he was angry. I gulped hard, and quickly rushed to the bed, ready for the inevitable as the door to my room barged open,
"Good morn—-
"Get ready."
"What?"
"Alpha Nikolai is coming to take you away"