Sherelle’s POV
Lorien’s red eyes gleamed. “And pity is a poisonous thing.”
I smirked. “Precisely.”
“Once, I loved Kamrynn. I thought of her as my sister, my only family, and for a while, that was enough.”
I exhaled slowly, the bitterness rapidly creeping in.
“But then… I started to notice the differences.”
Lorien leaned forward slightly, intrigued. “Go on.”
“Kamrynn was smarter. Kamrynn was prettier. Kamrynn was lovable-effortlessly so.”
I clenched my fists.
“While I was always watching from the sidelines, she was out there shining, drawing people in like moths to a flame.”
A low chuckle escaped Lorien’s lips. “Even Calvin.”
I narrowed my eyes. “Especially Calvin.”
“The future Alpha of our pack-our closest childhood friend-gravitated toward her like she was the center of his universe.”
I let out a bitter laugh.
“While I? I was drowning.”
Lorien tilted his head. “And your so-called parents?”
I scoffed. “Oh, they treated us equally in the eyes of others. But I saw it.”
I leaned closer, my voice sharp.
“I saw it in the way their smiles shone just a little brighter whenever Kamrynn excelled. I saw it in the way they rushed to her first when we both scraped our knees playing outside. I saw it in the extra desserts she got.”
My nails dug into my palm.
“The little things. The tiny, insignificant details that no one else noticed-but I did.”
Lorien nodded, a knowing smirk playing on his lips. “And it built up, didn’t it?”
“It piled up.”
“It piled up until the weight of them crushed me, suffocated me, turned me into something ugly and desperate.”
I let out a slow breath. “It wasn’t fair. No matter how hard I tried, I would never be enough.”
Lorien chuckled. “So you did what any self-respecting villain would do.”
I smirked. “Exactly. I stopped trying. If I couldn’t compete with Kamrynn, I would break her instead.”
His gaze darkened with amusement. “How poetic.”
“Every day, I whispered poison into her ears.”
I mimicked my own voice, a mockingly sweet lilt.
“I’m the better twin, Kamrynn. I’m the prettiest. I’m the luckiest.”
I laughed, shaking my head.
“And poor, stupid Kamrynn-so soft-hearted, so eager to please-believed every word.”
Lorien grinned. “You made her doubt herself.”
“She let me trample over her, let me plant the seeds of self-doubt in her mind, let me take and take and take.”
I sneered. “And still-she remained graceful. She remained strong. She remained unbreakable.”
Lorien smirked. “That must have driven you mad.”
I clenched my jaw. “I hated her for that.”
“But nothing-nothing-infuriated me more than Calvin’s devotion to her.”
Lorien sighed, mockingly. “The boy was a fool, wasn’t he?”
“She was the only one he ever smiled at like that. The only one he ever let himself be vulnerable with. And that disgusted me.”
“Because the idiot didn’t even realize what he felt for Kamrynn was more than just friendship.”
I rolled my eyes. “He was in love with her. But he was too blind to see it.”
Lorien raised a brow. “And you?”
I smirked. “I wasn’t about to let her have everything.”
“So when I found out that Kamrynn was going to confess her feelings to him, I did what I had to do.”
Lorien leaned in. “And what was that?”
“I went to the witch in Silver Pines.”
I exhaled. “And she told me the truth.”
Lorien’s expression turned sharp. “Truth?”
I smiled. “Calvin and Kamrynn were fated mates. Together, they would have been unstoppable-a force so powerful, even the Moon Goddess herself would have taken notice.”
Lorien let out a low whistle. “And you refused to let that happen.”
I leaned forward, my voice a low purr. “I didn’t just steal him. I ripped him away from her.”
Lorien’s smirk widened. “Do tell.”
I tilted my head. “The witch manipulated the mate bond. She shifted it-redirected it. Calvin’s instincts were tricked, made to believe that I was his mate instead of Kamrynn. I took him away just to spite her, to watch her fall, crumble.”
Lorien chuckled. “Clever.”
“Of course.” I preened under his attention.
“And yet-even after I took everything from her… she refused to cry, she kept smiling. She still stood tall. She still wished me happiness.”
Lorien’s brows lifted. “How infuriating.”
I let out a sharp breath. “It baffled me. It infuriated me. It made me sick, I couldn’t endure it much longer.”
“Because I didn’t want Calvin. I never did. I just wanted to win.”
I clenched my fists. “But being with him? It was miserable.”
Lorien leaned back. “And so?”
I smirked. “I planned the final act of my masterpiece.”
Lorien’s eyes gleamed. “Framed Kamrynn for your murder?”
I grinned. “Exactly.”
He let out a low chuckle. “That was deliciously diabolical.”
I shivered in satisfaction. “It wasn’t easy.”
“An innocent woman had to die for it. So did the guard who followed us.”
Lorien waved a hand. “Loose ends.”
I nodded. “He knew too much. I couldn’t risk him running his mouth, so I silenced him permanently.”
“And every single detail worked out perfectly.”
Lorien grinned. “Calvin fell for it?”
“Hook, line, and sinker.”
“The pack turned on her. She was punished by her mate, the very man she had loved all her life. It was the most satisfying irony ever.”
I smiled darkly. “And it was absolutely glorious. Everything was going smoothly until Kamrynn decided to grow a backbone and escape.” I paused and rubbed my temple, my nerves already flaring up from all the trouble that caused.
I sighed. “She thrived. She found favor with the Moon Goddess.”
Lorien clicked his tongue. “That should have ruined everything.”
I grinned. “It would have but you see, I’m a genius but I managed to turn a bad situation into a blessing, an opportunity to plunder, destroy and revel in the ruins of what’s left of her perfect little world.”
Lorien’s smirk returned. “Remind me never to trust you with anything, even the air I breathe.”
I couldn’t help but laugh at that, genuinely amused. He wasn’t half bad when wasn’t trying to get on my nerves.
I leaned in, my voice dripping with malice. “Now I have much bigger plans for her.”
Lorien tilted his head. “Indeed. It’s exactly why I’m in the picture, people only ever hold value to you when they can be used in one way or another.”
A slow, sinister smile curled across my lips.
“I like that you get me, I don’t have to pretend around you. Wearing a mask all day long can be exhausting.”
Lorien chuckled, shaking his head. “You are truly twisted.”
I sighed dramatically. “And yet, here you are, playing along.”
His lips twitched and I could tell he was biting back a retort. “This world would be no fun if we were all saints, would it?”
I grinned. “Exactly. So I suggest you get comfortable. Because Kamrynn is walking right into the grand finale.”