Chapter 2: "She Didn't Want to Take My Place Either"
Elara's POV
The first week after Serena arrives, I start noticing small changes.
It's Wednesday evening when I come downstairs, dressed for the Pack family meeting. We're supposed to discuss the fall hunting plans. I've attended every single one since I turned eighteen.
Derek intercepts me in the living room.
"Elara, you should skip tonight."
I blink. "Why?"
"Serena wants to go, but she's nervous about being alone with strangers. If you're there, she'll feel worse. Like she's taking your spot."
"I could go with her. Keep her company."
"Let her adjust at her own pace." Derek squeezes my shoulder. "You understand, right?"
I nod because what else can I do? I watch Derek leave with Serena, then sit alone in the empty living room. The silence feels heavier than it should.
That's just the first time.
Over the next few days, it keeps happening. Father asks me to skip dinner because Serena needs space to bond with the family. The weekly Pack gathering? Serena's still adjusting, better if I stay home. Even my usual morning runs get interrupted because Marcus is now tasked with showing Serena around the territory.
Marcus. My promised mate.
Father assigned him to protect Serena while she gets familiar with the Pack. Every morning, he picks her up. Every evening, he walks her home.
"Just for a few days," Marcus tells me one morning when I mention joining them. "Once she's comfortable, things will go back to normal."
One week passes. Then two. Then three.
They're spending more time together than we are.
When I finally suggest the three of us go somewhere together, Serena's eyes immediately fill with tears.
"I'm causing problems for you, aren't I?" Her voice is small, fragile. "I shouldn't have come back..."
"Hey, no." Marcus moves to comfort her instantly, then turns to me. "Come on, Elara. Don't be like that. Serena's still settling in. Can't you be a little more understanding?"
The words sting. Don't be like that. Like I'm the one being unreasonable.
I swallow the hurt and tell myself to be patient. She's my sister. She needs support.
Thursday afternoon, the choir director asks me to stay after practice.
I've been the lead vocalist for three years. It's the one thing I earned entirely on my own. Not because I'm the Alpha's daughter, not because of my family name. Just me, my voice, and three years of relentless practice. From backup singer to second lead to first. Every note, every harmony, every performance.
The director looks uncomfortable. "Elara, there's something I need to tell you. Starting next week, Serena will take over as lead vocalist."
The words don't register at first. "What?"
"Alpha's orders."
My chest tightens. "Did I do something wrong?"
"No, nothing like that." He sighs. "Serena wants to sing too. The Alpha said she suffered enough in Nightshade. Now it's time to let her live her dreams."
I stand there in the empty practice room long after everyone else has left. The piano sits silent in the corner. The sheet music for next month's performance is still on the stand. My name is written at the top.
Was written.
That evening, I go to Serena's room. My old room. She's standing by the window, staring out at the Pack grounds below.
"Serena, about the choir..."
She turns, and tears are already sliding down her cheeks. "I just wanted to try singing. I've loved music my whole life, but in Nightshade, I never had the chance to learn. I didn't know I'd be replacing you. Maybe I shouldn't do it."
She moves toward the door like she's about to leave.
"Serena, wait."
I catch her arm. She looks so devastated, so guilty. I think about the stories she told us. The basement. The hunger. The cold.
She just wants to sing. How can I take that away from her?
"It's okay," I say. "You'll be great. Better than me, probably."
Derek appears in the hallway just in time to hear us. He steps into the room and pulls Serena into a hug. "See? I told you Elara wouldn't mind. You're too kind for that, right? You understand how important this is to Serena."
Serena's face brightens immediately. She hugs Derek tight. "You're so good to me."
I watch them embrace. The position I spent three years earning, gone with a single conversation.
But the ache in my chest, the protest rising in my throat, I swallow it all down.
The worst part comes a few days later.
Finn arrives.
My biological brother. The boy who grew up with Serena in Nightshade, who came back to Silvercrest with her. I've been waiting to meet him, imagining what it would be like to finally have a sibling by blood.
I find him in the living room one afternoon. He's sixteen, with dark hair and wary eyes that remind me of a cornered animal.
"Finn!" I hurry forward, arms open. "I'm Elara. Your sister."
He steps back, avoiding my embrace entirely.
The rejection is physical. Like a slap.
"I don't know you," he says. His voice is flat, cold.
"But we're family. We share the same blood—"
"My sister is Serena." Each word is deliberate, cutting. "She's the one who took care of me. Protected me. You're just the fake who took her place."
The words hit like a blade. Tears burn behind my eyes, but I can't seem to make them fall. I can't seem to move at all.
Serena materializes beside us. "Finn, don't say that. Elara didn't mean to... She didn't want to take my place either. It's not her fault. It's just how things happened."
But the way she says it, the careful emphasis on certain words, makes it sound like I stole everything from her. Like I'm the villain in this story.
Finn walks away without another word.
I stand there, frozen.
That night, I'm alone in the guest room. The walls are bare. The furniture is plain. It's temporary housing, meant for visitors who don't stay long.
I cry quietly into my pillow, trying to understand.
Why does it feel like I'm the one who did something wrong? I've given up my room, my position in the choir, my time with Marcus. I've been patient and kind and understanding.
So why does everyone still look at me like I'm the problem?
Why do I feel like an intruder in my own home?
Maybe Finn is right. Maybe I am the fake. Maybe I don't belong here at all.
The thought settles in my chest like a stone, cold and heavy.
Am I the one who shouldn't be here?
