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Chapter 1
CARINA
A shadow That’s who I was. It’s who I’ve always been.
My earliest memory of this truth began with our names.
When my sister and I were born, our parents were overjoyed. Twins–what a blessing! My mother loved to tell the story of how, for a brief moment, everything felt perfect. Until, of course, I entered the picture.
Natalia Honoria Vale came first, a name that was meant for the books. Honoria meant honor, after all. And then there was me. Carina. Simple, unremarkable Carina.
Still, that seemed to be a mouthful for them, so they settled with ‘Kina‘ I didn’t mind at all, of course. It was a pretty name. However, it was a reminder that I stood behind my sister in all aspects.
From the very beginning. Natalia outshone me. We both had dark hair when we were born, but as we grew, mine turned blonde–a rare trait, my parents said, passed down from our great–grandmother.
It should have made me special, but instead, it made me strange. Natalia, with her dark brown hair and sparkling blue eyes, was the picture of beauty. I had honey–brown eyes, warm but plain.
When we were young, everyone would comment on how pretty Natalia was. “She’s going to break hearts someday,” they’d say, ruffling her hair. I’d stand there awkwardly, knowing they had nothing to say about me.
Eventually, someone would glance at me and say, “Oh, but Carina has such unique blonde hair.” It was the only thing I had going for me.
Until eighth grade, Natalia decided she wanted blonde hair, too. She begged and pleaded until our parents finally agreed. I watched as her dark hair turned golden, and suddenly, my one distinguishing feature wasn’t so special anymore.
It didn’t help that I was sickly as a child, always in my parent’s office to get treated for various illnesses–a cough for this day, a rash for another. In the end, I had to drink various supplements in order to keep me alive, or at least that was what my parents had told me.
Our parents, Naomi and Clayton Vale were respected pack doctors. They were dedicated and highly skilled–everything I admired and wanted to emulate.
I loved the idea of healing and helping others. I was good at it, too, in my own small way. I could patch up scrapes and cuts, calm crying pups, and instinctively know what would help someone feel better. But that was nothing, of course. At the end of the day, Natalia excelled at everything.
She had a natural talent for academics, breezing through school with top marks. I, on the other hand, struggled to keep up. I was average, Natalia wanted to follow in our parents‘ footsteps and become a doctor like them. She had a clear vision of her future. I didn’t.
The gap between us only widened when we turned thirteen.
It was the day of Natalia’s first shift–a rare feat, as most wolves didn’t shift until they were fifteen. Our pack gathered to celebrate, and I stood in the crowd, watching as my sister transformed into a powerful wolf.
She was radiant, her fur shimmering in the moonlight. Everyone cheered and clapped.
Meanwhile, I remained wolfless.
Up until this day.
It was then that my parents started treating me more like a black hole than a shadow. It was something I had gotten used to,
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but of course, it didn’t mean that it didn’t hurt at all.
By the time we were sixteen, our dynamic became established.
Natalia was the golden child, the future of our family, while I was the quiet shadow trailing behind her. I had accepted my place, or so I thought.
Then, he arrived.
Falco Lark.
The morning mist clung to the air as I walked through the borders, the scent of pine filling my senses. My shoes crunched against the undergrowth, the only sound within the silence of the forest.
The forest was where I found my peace whenever I felt unseen. Anything was better than the cold expanse of our house, where I was invisible to everyone within it.
That was when I saw him.
I almost missed him, a shadow slumped against the roots of a gnarled oak tree. His dark hair was matted with dirt, and his chest rose and fell unevenly.
His scent hit me first–wild and foreign.
A rogue.
I should have called for help, but something about him stopped me. Maybe it was the vulnerability in his unconscious form, or perhaps it was the way his hand twitched like he was searching for someone.
When his eyes fluttered open, they locked onto mine, making me forget how to breathe. His lips parted, and the words he spoke shattered something within me.
“My love.”
The words weren’t loud but they echoed in my chest like thunder.
My love? I didn’t even know this man!
Yet, no one had ever looked at me like that. As if I were the sun breaking through a storm. My heart raced, and for the first time in years, I felt seen.
“Are you all right?” I asked, kneeling beside him before I could stop himself.
His gaze softened. He lifted a hand, trembling, and brushed his fingers near my face. I froze, unsure of what to do or say.
But then his brows furrowed, and his hand paused mid–air. His eyes darted to my hair, the pale strands catching the early morning light.
“Is this…your natural hair color?” he asked, voice raspy.
The question startled me. I nodded slowly, unsure where this was leading.
“It’s…different,” he murmured. His hand fell, the effort clearly too much for him, and he slumped back against the tree, unconscious again.
I stayed with him until help arrived, and it was then that I noticed how handsome he was. When we brought him to the estate, I couldn’t stop replaying those words–my love.
The next morning, I found him standing in the training grounds, speaking with our Alpha right after he was accepted into
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the pack. His black hair was a mess of waves, and his broad shoulders were something a 16–year–old shouldn’t have,
I was mesmerized once more.
“Who’s that?” asked one of the girls.
“Some rogue,” another replied dismissively. “Alpha’s taking him in. Probably just feels sorry for him. He looks handsome. though.”
It was then that Falco’s gaze snapped toward where we were. I pursed my lips, my heart racing once more,
For a brief, fleeting moment, I allowed myself to hope. Maybe just maybe–Falco would see something in toe. But it didn’t take long to see the truth.
He wasn’t looking at me.
He was looking at Natalia. My twin.
I turned around, not noticing that she was even there. He passed by me like I was a shadow, and he stopped right in from f her. I saw the look in her eyes. She was interested in him.
With that, she flashed him a bright, beautiful smile.
“Your name,” Falco muttered, his voice barely audible.
“Natalia,” she responded, her smile widening even more.
“Natalia,” he said, his voice dripping with relief. “It’s you.”
My chest tightened painfully, a dull ache spreading through me. I wanted to scream, to demand he look at me the way the had just hours ago. But the way his eyes shone for her was undeniable.
He didn’t even glance in my direction.
I wanted to look away, but I couldn’t. Maybe I was a masochist, or maybe I was forcing myself to accept the reality of my
situation.
Falco was drawn to Natalia, just like everyone else. And once again, I was left in the shadows, watching from the sidelines as the world moved on without me.
It wasn’t fair, but then again, life rarely was.
I will always be in the shadows of my sister, even when it came to Falco Lark.
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