My sister's mate became mine after they stole my core

"Please... let us go. We'll give you anything you want," I begged, my voice trembling with desperation as I looked up at the werewolves surrounding us. My twin sister and I had been kidnapped, dragged from the safety of our home, and brought to this dark, unfamiliar place. Tears blurred my vision as I pleaded, but instead of compassion, only cruel laughter met my words.

Their mocking voices echoed through the cold, empty space, bouncing off the stone walls like a twisted melody. I couldn't understand it. What had we done to deserve this? My heart pounded with fear and confusion. I was supposed to be preparing for my mating ceremony next week, not trapped here like prey. My mate and I had waited so long for our union, and now it felt like my whole world was shattering.

I turned my head frantically. "Bianca?" I called out for my sister, but there was no response. Panic surged through me like wildfire. Why couldn't I hear her? Why wasn't she answering?

My blood turned to ice as a horrifying thought crossed my mind-what if they had already harmed her? What if I was alone now?

I tried to shift, to call on my wolf, but nothing happened. It was as if the connection between us had been severed. I felt weak... helpless. Without my wolf, I was nothing but a shell. And I hated that feeling.

Suddenly, a hand gripped my chin-cold, firm, and cruel. I gasped as one of the men tilted my head up to meet his eyes, his expression twisted in a smirk. "You have something we want," he said, his voice low and chilling.

"I-I don't understand. Please... I don't have anything to give," I whispered, my voice cracking with fear.

But they just laughed again. The one holding my face-clearly the leader-leaned in closer and said in a tone that made my stomach churn, "Your core."

I froze, every muscle in my body stiffening as my heart dropped.

No. Not that. Anything but that.

The core wasn't just a part of us-it was us. For a werewolf, the core was our very essence. To remove it was to destroy everything we were. You'd still live, but you'd never feel whole again. Your bond with your mate would weaken or disappear entirely. Your wolf would go silent... maybe even forever.

It was a fate worse than death.

Tears streamed down my cheeks as I pleaded with them, my hands trembling. "Please... I'm begging you. Don't do this. I just found out my first love is my mate. We're supposed to get married. I can't lose this now... I can't lose myself..."

But they showed no mercy.

They held me down, and I screamed until my voice cracked as the knife pierced my chest. I felt everything-the sharpness, the fire, the unbearable pain that tore through me like lightning. I thrashed and cried out, begging for them to stop, but they didn't. They took what they came for.

And then... darkness.

I don't remember much after that. Everything faded. My mind went blank, swallowed by a black void.

When I woke again, the pain was still there-sharp, raw, and endless. I cried out, and a warm hand wrapped around mine. A soft voice whispered beside me, "You'll be okay now. Please bear it, baby..."

My heart skipped.

That was Mark-my mate.

Before I could say anything, the pain consumed me again, and I passed out.

Days blurred together. I would wake in agony, hear Mark's voice trying to comfort me, then fade away again. Again and again.

Two months passed like that.

Two months since they took my core.

I couldn't feel my wolf anymore. She was completely silent inside me, as though she had been buried beneath layers of pain and loss. A part of me had died that day. But through it all, Mark never left me. He stayed by my side, whispering that I'd be okay-even when I no longer believed it myself.

One day, I finally gathered the strength to speak. My voice was hoarse as I asked, "What happened to Bianca?"

Mark flinched. His Adam's apple bobbed as he swallowed. The reaction sent another wave of fear through me. Had she suffered the same fate?

"She's... she's fine," he said carefully. "But it happened to both of you. She's recovering now. Don't worry about her, love-just focus on healing, okay?"

He kissed my forehead gently, but I couldn't ignore the way his eyes shifted, as if he was hiding something.

A month later, despite everything, my mating ceremony finally arrived.

Even without my wolf, Mark insisted we go through with it. That meant everything to me. In a world that now felt so cold and cruel, his love was the one thing I could still cling to.

The ceremony was simple but beautiful. My parents smiled and congratulated us, but I saw the disappointment in their eyes. They hadn't expected this fate for me, and neither had I. Whispers filled the air that day-some people even dared to say I wasn't fit to be Luna anymore.

It hurt more than I could say, but I tried to ignore it.

Mark was my anchor, my only light. That should have been enough.

But Bianca didn't attend the ceremony.

When I asked about her, Mark's expression changed for the first time. His jaw tightened, his smile faltered. I saw something flicker in his eyes-something dark.

"She doesn't need any disturbances right now," he said smoothly. "She needs time."

I wanted to believe him.

But doubt had started to creep in.

Two months into our marriage, the whispers and judgment from the pack hadn't died down. If anything, they'd grown louder. The people no longer hid their disdain for me. I was the Luna with no wolf, the broken shell of what I used to be.

And worst of all?

Mark didn't defend me.

He stood there, silent, as others ridiculed me to my face. When I confronted him, he brushed it off. "Don't worry about what they think," he'd say. "I love you. That's all that matters."

But his love no longer felt like enough. Not when I felt like I was fighting alone.

One quiet afternoon, I sat on the patio with a book in my hands, trying to lose myself in the pages. The sun was warm on my skin, but my heart felt cold.

Then I heard a voice.

Familiar. Sweet. Hopeful.

"Sis!"

I turned around sharply-and there she was.

Bianca.

She stood there, smiling brightly like nothing had happened. Her eyes sparkled with warmth, and my heart swelled with relief. I dropped my book and ran to her, wrapping my arms around her tightly.

"I'm so happy you're alive," I whispered through my tears.

She held me just as tightly, her hand gently stroking my hair. "Thank you so much, sister," she said softly.

I thought she was thanking me because I was glad she was safe.

But I was wrong.

She was thanking me for something else entirely.

Something that would shatter me all over again.