Mated in the Shadow of My Sister

Six years ago, on her 14th birthday, Lily endured the dual tragedy of her sister Stephanie’s sudden death and her own painful first shift into a werewolf. Blamed by her family and pack for Stephanie’s demise, Lily has lived under a suffocating cloud of grief and accusation. Now, on the eve of her 20th birthday, a fated encounter promises to shatter her world further. Can Lily find peace and acceptance, or is she destined to remain trapped in Stephanie's haunting shadow?

Mated in the Shadow of My Sister

Six years ago, on her 14th birthday, Lily endured the dual tragedy of her sister Stephanie’s sudden death and her own painful first shift into a werewolf. Blamed by her family and pack for Stephanie’s demise, Lily has lived under a suffocating cloud of grief and accusation. Now, on the eve of her 20th birthday, a fated encounter promises to shatter her world further. Can Lily find peace and acceptance, or is she destined to remain trapped in Stephanie's haunting shadow?

The air hung heavy and cold, thick with the scent of damp earth and stale grief. Today was my 14th birthday, a day that, in any other werewolf's life, would be marked by joyful celebration and the exhilarating first shift. But for me, the only ceremony on the calendar was a funeral.

My sister, Stephanie, was gone. Her casket, adorned with muted fall flowers originally chosen for my party, was being carried through the solemn crowd. Every face was a mask of sorrow, every whisper a lament for the pack's lost future Luna. I stood beside my mother, a silent, invisible figure in a sea of mourners, the raw pain of my family a palpable weight.