"Elena!" Aria gasped, stumbling backward. Her sister stood before her like a ghost made real, beautiful and frightening in the moonlight.
"Surprised?" Elena's voice was silk and poison. "You should be. After all, you thought you killed me."
"I never meant to hurt you," Aria whispered, tears running down her face. "I tried to save you that day at the lake. I jumped in after you—"
"Liar!" Elena's eyes flashed with rage. "You pushed me under. You wanted me gone so you could be Daddy's favorite."
The words hit Aria like physical blows. This wasn't her sweet little sister. This Elena was cold, angry, dangerous.
"That's not true," Aria said desperately. "Elena, please listen to me. Someone has been lying to you. I found letters"
"Letters?" Elena laughed, the sound sharp as breaking glass. "You mean the ones Mara showed me? The ones where you planned my death?"
Aria's heart sank. More lies. More manipulation.
"She's waiting for you," Elena continued, circling Aria like an animal. "My savior wants to meet the sister who tried to murder me."
"Where is she?" Aria demanded, finding her confidence. If Mara wanted to play games, she'd give her a fight.
Elena's smile was evil. "Follow me, murderer."
She turned and walked into the trees. Aria had no choice but to follow, even though every sense screamed danger.
The deeper they went, the stranger things became. The trees bent into unnatural shapes. Flowers grew black petals that crumbled to ash when touched. The air itself felt thick with dark magic.
Purple sparks danced between the trees like evil fireflies. They whispered secrets in languages Aria didn't understand. The ground beneath her feet sparked with power that made her skin crawl.
"Beautiful, isn't it?" Elena said without looking back. "Mara taught me to see the world's true face. Not the pretty lies everyone else believes."
They walked for what felt like hours. The magic grew stronger with each step, making Aria's teeth ache. Strange symbols glowed on tree stems. Shadows moved when no one cast them.
Finally, they reached a clearing where an old house squatted like a wounded beast. Dead vines covered every surface, their black limbs reaching toward the sky like grasping fingers. Windows stared down at them like hollow eyes.
"Home sweet home," Elena said happily. "Mara's been waiting so long to meet you."
The front door opened by itself with a groan that sounded like screaming. Elena skipped inside as if visiting a friend. Aria followed slowly, her every nerve on high alert.
The inside was worse than the outside. Candles floated in space, their flames burning green and blue. Books flew around the room like birds, their pages waving. A crystal ball sat on a table, showing images of people Aria didn't know.
And there, in the center of it all, stood Mara Lune.
The witch was exactly as Marcus had described in his frightened whispers. Silver hair ran down her back like liquid moonlight. Her skin was pale as bone, stretched tight over sharp cheekbones. But her eyes were the worst part - bright purple orbs that seemed to see straight through to Aria's soul.
"At last," Mara said, her voice like honey over broken glass. "The famous Aria Thorn. I've heard so much about you."
"Let my sister go," Aria said, stepping forward despite her fear.
Mara laughed, the sound echoing weirdly in the room. "Let her go? My dear child, Elena came to me freely. Didn't you, sweetheart?"
Elena nodded eagerly. "She saved me from drowning. From you."
"I did save her," Mara agreed, moving closer to Aria with catlike ease. "Poor little Elena was so cold, so scared when I pulled her from that lake. She told me everything - how her jealous sister pushed her into the water."
"That's not what happened!" Aria shouted.
"Isn't it?" Mara's purple eyes sparkled with venom. "Elena remembers it perfectly. Don't you, dear?"
"I remember you holding me under," Elena said, her voice small and hurt. "I remember you watching me drown."
Aria's heart broke all over again. The images were so real to Elena, so painful. How could she fight against that?
"You planted those memories," Aria charged, turning back to Mara. "You twisted her mind."
"I gave her truth," Mara said easily. "The truth about what kind of person you really are. A jealous, murderous girl who destroys everything she touches."
The witch began circling Aria, her clothes flowing behind her like smoke. "Tell me, how did it feel when Rowan denied you? When he picked another woman over his fated mate?"
Aria flinched. The memory of seeing Rowan kiss Lyra still burned.
"Ah, I see it did hurt," Mara purred. "Good. Pain makes you stronger. And I'm going to need you very strong for what comes next."
"What do you want?" Aria demanded.
Mara stopped in front of her, those terrible purple eyes boring into hers. "Want? Oh, my dear, I don't want anything from you. I'm going to take it."
She raised her hand, and Aria felt something inside her chest answer. A pulling feeling, like someone was trying to yank her heart out through her ribs.
"You have such interesting power," Mara continued conversationally. "A spirit wolf, asleep for so long. Your pain has been feeding it, making it grow stronger. Soon it will be ready to harvest."
"Harvest?" Aria gasped, fighting against the strange pull.
"For the ritual, of course," Mara said. "Your power mixed with your sister's hatred will give me everything I need to reshape the werewolf world. No more Alphas. No more packs. Just me, ruling over all."
Elena clapped her hands together happily. "And I get to watch Aria pay for what she did to me."
"Indeed," Mara smiled coldly. "Your sister wants payback on you, dear Aria. She's been thinking about it for years. Haven't you, Elena?"
"Every night," Elena said, her eyes sparkling. "I dream about making you hurt the way you hurt me."
The magical pull grew stronger. Aria fell to her knees, holding her chest. Something was definitely wrong. She could feel her wolf stirring inside her, answering to Mara's call.
"Fight it," she told herself. "Don't let her win."
But it was hard. So hard. The witch's power was overwhelming, and Elena's hate pressed against her like a physical weight.
"Don't fight it," Mara cooed. "Let your dog come out to play. Let me see what ten years of guilt and pain have made."
Aria's view blurred. She could feel something growing inside her, something wild and powerful and dangerous. Her wolf was waking up, and it was angry.
"That's it," Mara whispered. "Show me your spirit dog, little Aria. Show me the power you've been hiding."
The pulling feeling became unbearable. Aria screamed as something inside her chest cracked open. Light poured out of her, silver and bright and beautiful.
Mara's eyes widened with greed. "Magnificent," she breathed. "Even better than I hoped."
Elena stepped forward, her face twisted with pleasure. "Now you know how it feels to be helpless," she said. "Now you understand what you put me through."
But as the light grew brighter, something unexpected happened. Images flashed through the air - real memories, not the fake ones Mara had placed. Elena as a baby, laughing as Aria pushed her on a swing. Elena running to Aria for comfort after a nightmare. Elena saying "I love you, sissy" on the day she supposedly died.
For just a moment, confusion flickered across Elena's face.
"What—" she started to say.
"Silence!" Mara snapped, her focus breaking. The magical pull stopped suddenly, and Aria collapsed to the floor, gasping.
But the damage was done. Elena had seen something that didn't match her fixed memories. A crack had formed in Mara's perfect spell.
The witch's purple eyes blazed with anger as she realized what had happened. "You little fool," she growled at Aria. "You're stronger than I thought. But it won't matter. Tomorrow night is the new moon. The right time for the ritual."
She waved her hand, and unseen bonds wrapped around Aria, pinning her to the floor.
"Elena will help me drain every drop of power from your pathetic body," Mara continued. "And then I'll use it to make a new world order. One where I'm the only one who matters."
Elena nodded quickly, but Aria could see doubt in her eyes now. The real memories had shaken her.
"Sleep well, little wolf," Mara said mockingly. "Tomorrow, you die."
The witch disappeared in a swirl of purple smoke, leaving Aria alone with her sister. Elena stared down at her for a long moment, her face unreadable.
"Elena," Aria whispered. "Those memories you saw - they were real. I never hurt you. I love you."
Elena's face hardened again. "Liar," she said, but her voice lacked force.
She turned and walked away, leaving Aria bound and helpless on the cold floor. But as the sounds faded, Aria heard something that gave her hope.
Elena was crying.