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The Sister I Lost

stephfavour44
35
chs / week
The average realized release rate over the past 30 days is 35 chs / week.
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Synopsis
Maya thought that ten years ago, she killed her little sister by accident. When she is 18, she finds out that the Alpha who is meant to be her mate is in love with someone else. When Maya sees the woman her mate chose, her whole world falls apart. Maya thought her sister was dead, but now she's alive, beautiful, and has taken the only love she might ever have. You know what Maya has to do? Either fight for a mate who doesn't want her, or find out what really happened that terrible day by the banned river.
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Chapter 1 - The Garbage Alley

Aria's POV

The rat was bigger than my hand.

I froze behind the trash, watching it tear into a moldy sandwich. My stomach growled so loud I was sure the disgusting thing would hear me. But I needed that food. Even if it meant fighting a rat for garbage.

"Come on," I whispered to myself. "You've done worse things to survive."

I grabbed a broken bottle from the ground and threw it at the metal trash can. The rat squeaked and ran away into the dark. Finally, something went right today.

I dove into the trash, my hands shaking as I searched through the mess. A half-eaten apple. Some bread with only a little mold. A jar of soup that smelled okay. This was better than most days.

Today was my eighteenth birthday, and I was celebrating by eating garbage behind a diner. How far I had fallen.

Ten years ago, I lived in a house. I had maids, fancy clothes, and more food than I could ever eat. I was the Alpha's daughter - Aria Nightwood, future head of the Crescent Moon Pack. Everyone bowed when they saw me.

Now look at me. Dirty clothes, tangled hair, and skinny from not eating enough. I was nothing. Less than nothing. I was a rogue - a wolf without a pack. The lowest thing you could be.

And it was all my fault.

The memory hit me like a punch to the stomach. It always did. Ten years later, and I could still see every detail of that terrible day.

Rose's bright green eyes, so excited to see the forbidden river. "Please, Aria! Just for a few minutes! I want to see the pretty flowers!"

She was only seven years old. My baby sister, with her blonde hair in pigtails and her favorite pink dress. She trusted me completely. She thought her big sister could protect her from anything.

I was wrong.

"We can't go there, Rose," I had said, but not very seriously. "Father said it's dangerous."

"But you're eight! You're nearly grown up! Nothing bad will happen if you're with me!"

I should have said no. I should have taken her back to the house. Instead, I wanted to show off. I wanted to show I was brave and grown-up.

"Okay," I said. "But just for five minutes."

The banned river was beautiful. Clear blue water running over smooth rocks, with wildflowers growing along the banks. Rose squealed with joy and ran to pick flowers while I sat on a big rock, feeling very important.

Then Rose slipped.

One second she was laughing and reaching for a yellow flower. The next second, she was in the water, screaming my name.

"ARIA! HELP ME!"

I jumped in after her, but the current was too strong. I wasn't a good swimmer yet. The water was freezing cold and moving so fast. I could barely keep my own head above water.

"ROSE!" I screamed, swimming as hard as I could. "GRAB MY HAND!"

I could see her blonde hair going under the dark water. Her little hand reached for mine, but the river pulled her away. I swam and swam until my lungs burned, but I couldn't reach her.

The last thing I saw was her pink dress floating on top of the water before the current took her around the bend.

I dragged myself out of the river, choking and crying. I ran home as fast as I could, leaving a trail of water and tears.

"FATHER! FATHER! ROSE FELL IN THE RIVER!"

He organized search parties quickly. Hundreds of wolves looked for her. They looked for three days and three nights, but they never found her body.

On the third night, Father came into my room. His eyes were empty and cold. He looked at me like I was a stranger.

"Why did she die but not you?" he asked. His voice was so quiet, but it felt like screaming.

Those seven words crushed me.

I tried to explain. I tried to tell him how I jumped in after her, how I tried to save her. But he just stared at me with those empty eyes.

"She was seven years old, Aria. Seven. And you let her die."

He walked out of my room and never really talked to me again. Oh, he gave me orders and told me what to do. But he never looked at me the same way. Never hugged me or called me his little princess.

I became unnoticeable in my own home.

Two months later, on my eighth birthday, I ran away. I couldn't stand living with his sadness anymore. I couldn't stand the way everyone whispered when they saw me. "That's the girl who let her sister drown."

For ten years, I lived as a rogue. I worked for cruel wolves who treated me like dirt. I ate trash and slept in alleys. I told myself I deserved it.

Because Rose was dead, and it was my fault.

A sharp pain in my chest made me gasp. I dropped the jar of soup and grabbed my shirt. What was happening? It felt like someone was pulling me somewhere with an unseen rope.

The pain got stronger, and suddenly I could smell something amazing. Pine trees after rain. Lightning during clouds. Wild and strong and... perfect.

My wolf side, quiet for so long, suddenly woke up and went crazy with joy.

"Mate," she whispered in my mind. "Our mate is close."

I shook my head. That was impossible. I was a rogue. Nobody wanted rogues as mates, especially not someone who smelled that incredible.

But the pull in my chest got stronger, pulling me toward the street. My feet started moving without permission, following the smell that made my heart race.

I walked through the city like I was in a dream, leaving my sad birthday dinner behind. The smell got stronger with every step, pulling me toward the fancy part of town where I definitely didn't belong.

And then I saw the hotel.

It was big and beautiful, with bright lights and expensive cars out front. Through the giant windows, I could see a party going inside. Wolves in fancy clothes were dancing and laughing.

And there, in the middle of it all, stood the most beautiful man I had ever seen.

He was tall with dark hair and the kind of face that belonged in movies. Even from outside, I could feel power coming from him like heat from a fire. This wasn't just any dog - this was someone important. Someone dangerous.

Someone who would never want anything to do with a dirty rogue like me.

But my wolf didn't care about logic. She was howling in my mind, trying to get closer to him.

"That's him," she whispered. "That's our mate."

The man suddenly stopped talking to the people around him. His head turned toward the window, and for one frightening second, I thought he might see me.

I ducked behind a stopped car, my heart pounding so hard I was sure everyone could hear it.

This couldn't be happening. Not today. Not when I was covered in garbage and looked like I hadn't washed in weeks.

But the mate bond didn't care about timing or looks. It was real, and it was pulling me toward a man who was clearly way out of my league.

I peeked over the car again, and this time, his ice-blue eyes were looking right at me.

The world stopped.

Time froze.

And then someone grabbed my arm from behind.

"Hey!" What are you doing here, rogue?"