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.

Life carried on as it always did-cold, heavy with judgment, and full of whispered scorn from my family and the pack. But something had shifted, something I couldn't ignore.

The entire pack had begun to treat Bianca like she was the Luna.

It was subtle at first-more smiles when she passed, more bows and lowered eyes-but now it had grown into something undeniable. They praised her. Followed her. Worshipped her like she was the true mate of the Alpha. Like she was me.

We had the same face, the same voice, but our cores were different. That was what mattered. My core was what connected me to Mark. My core was the reason we were fated. And though I'd lost it, I was still his mate... wasn't I?

But that wasn't the only change.

Mark had changed too.

He smiled more when Bianca was in the room. His entire energy seemed to brighten with her presence, as if she carried the sun in her hands. And when she wasn't around? He was cold. Distant. Tired.

I tried to reason with myself, telling my heart that they'd known each other since childhood. That we all had. That his closeness to her was nothing more than comfort from an old friend. But I couldn't unsee the way his eyes lingered on her... the softness in his gaze that I hadn't felt in months.

He used to look at me like that.

But now, when his eyes found mine, they were dull. Empty. As if I had become a burden. As if loving me had become a chore.

I told myself it was the core-my missing wolf-that made things difficult for him. Still, hadn't he promised to love me through it all? Hadn't he said he'd never leave me? That I was everything to him?

One morning, I woke with a wave of nausea so strong it forced me out of bed. Mark wasn't beside me-again. My stomach churned, but this time not from pain or fear. Something felt different.

Hope fluttered in my chest.

I'd been feeling off for weeks, and finally, I decided to confirm what my body had been trying to tell me. I retrieved the test kit I'd bought in secret and rushed into the bathroom.

The moment the two lines appeared, my heart soared. I was pregnant.

I stood frozen, hands trembling with joy. For the first time in months, I felt alive. This... this was hope. A new beginning. A reason to smile again.

Without wasting a second, I showered, dressed, and rushed through the hallways of the pack house to find Mark. He had to know. I wanted to see his face light up, to feel his arms wrap around me with joy. This child would bring us closer again-I was sure of it.

When I reached his office, the guards at the door stepped forward, blocking my path.

"I'm sorry, Luna," one said with a slight bow. "The Alpha is in a meeting and cannot be disturbed."

My heart sank. "Please... it's urgent. He'll want to know this."

But they stood firm.

I was about to argue when something made me freeze.

A sound. Faint, but unmistakable.

A moan.

My eyes darted toward the door. The guards exchanged nervous glances, trying to avoid my gaze. Then the sound came again-clearer this time. And it wasn't just any moan. It was familiar.

My stomach dropped.

"Open the door," I said, my voice barely above a whisper.

The guards hesitated. One looked truly pained as he said, "Luna... please. Walk away. Pretend you didn't hear anything. It's better that way."

But I couldn't walk away. I wouldn't.

"Open. The. Door," I repeated, this time with steel in my voice.

He sighed, defeated, and pushed the door open.

What I saw inside shattered me.

Mark-my mate-was on top of my sister, their bodies tangled on the desk as their moans filled the room. I stood frozen at the threshold, unable to breathe, unable to think. My heart cracked in my chest as if it had taken a physical blow.

Then Bianca's eyes met mine.

She didn't flinch. She didn't hide. Instead, she smiled.

My legs went numb.

"Mark!" I screamed, and he stopped abruptly, turning his head toward me.

For a second, I hoped he'd jump up, explain, say it wasn't what it looked like-some pathetic excuse like all cheaters do.

But instead, he snapped, "Are you insane? Barging into my office like this?"

My eyes widened. "But I'm your wife! What are you doing with my sister?!"

He climbed off Bianca and zipped up his pants like nothing had happened. He stepped toward me and... laughed.

"Wife?" he scoffed. "You? You're nothing. A wolfless, useless shell."

His words hit me like knives. I staggered backward, gripping the doorframe for support. Tears spilled down my cheeks. "You... you know what they did to me. You know. Why are you saying this?"

He looked down at me with disgust. "Because I'm tired of pretending. You think I wanted this? You think I was happy the Moon Goddess cursed me with you as a mate? Every time I look at you, I see what I lost. What I could've had."

My eyes flicked to Bianca, who was still lounging on the desk like nothing had happened.

"You don't even look guilty," I whispered.

She stood up, brushing imaginary dust from her clothes, and walked toward me with a smirk. "Why would I feel guilty?" she said sweetly. "I'm finally getting everything I deserve."

"What... what are you talking about?" I choked out.

Mark crossed his arms as Bianca stepped closer, pulling down the neckline of her shirt to reveal her chest. My breath caught.

There were scars.

But they weren't like mine-jagged and rough. Hers were precise. Clean. Surgical.

"I took your core," she said, smiling like it was a badge of honor. "And now... your mate belongs to me."

My vision blurred as the world tilted around me. I couldn't breathe. I couldn't think.

"You... you planned this?" I managed to say through sobs.

Bianca's voice was dripping with mock sympathy. "We didn't want to. But when the Moon Goddess paired him with you, we had no choice. Mark and I have loved each other for years. We were just waiting for fate to catch up. When it didn't, we made our own."

I almost collapsed to my knees, sobbing, my hand instinctively going to my stomach.

There, beneath the crushing weight of betrayal, was the only thing that gave me strength:

The baby.

Our child.

But even that joy was poisoned now.

Because the man I had loved... the man I had trusted... had never been mine at all.

I couldn't move.

The joy I carried in my heart-my baby, the life growing inside of me-was shattered in an instant. I clutched my stomach protectively, as though shielding my unborn child from the cruelty that surrounded us. My voice trembled with grief.

"How could you?" I asked softly, choking on the pain. "You're my sister. I loved you."

Bianca laughed cruelly. Mark joined her.

Their laughter echoed through the room like a cruel chorus, mocking my shattered soul.

I turned to look at him, my mate-the man who once promised forever. The man I believed would stand by me even when my wolf was stripped away. Betrayal settled in my bones like frost.

And then-slap.

The sting burned across my cheek. I gasped.

Bianca had slapped me.

"How dare you look at another woman's man?" she spat.

I stumbled backward. Another woman's man? But he was mine-wasn't he?

"That's enough," Mark said casually, adjusting his shirt. "She's already crushed. That's more than enough."

I dropped to the floor, broken. My tears wouldn't stop, spilling like endless rain. My lungs heaved but couldn't fill with air. My thoughts spiraled.

Why me?

Why did this have to happen?

In that moment, a dark thought crossed my mind-it would be better to just die. To disappear.

But then my hand found my belly again, and I remembered.

My baby.

My precious baby who didn't ask for any of this.

No. I had to live-for us.

I stood up slowly, silently. My pain was too deep for words. I walked out without another look at them. Behind me, the guards stood at attention. I saw it then-in their eyes.

They knew.

They all knew.

The maids stared as I passed. Whispers followed me. I wasn't just betrayed by Mark and Bianca-I had been mocked and pitied by the entire pack.

When I reached my room, I tried to close the door behind me, but a maid arrived moments later.

"This will no longer be your room," she said coldly. "Follow me."

I followed her without resistance, numb, as though I were sleepwalking.

She led me to a small, dim room at the far end of the pack grounds-worse than even a servant's quarters. Damp walls. A thin mattress. No window. No comfort.

I collapsed into the silence.

I cried until there were no tears left. Until I became a ghost of myself. I didn't eat. I didn't move. I simply existed.

Days turned into weeks.

And then one day, there was a knock. I didn't answer. I didn't care. The door creaked open, and suddenly warm arms wrapped around me.

"Becca, please..." a voice begged.

My eyes widened.

"Mama?"

It was my mother.

Tears rolled down her cheeks as she held me. "Please, baby, don't do this to yourself. I'm so sorry. I failed you. We all did. But you have to live. Please... leave this place. Go far away and start over. I've convinced Mark to give you Bianca's core. Please take it and run. Forget us. Forget the Bright Light Pack. Let it all go."

I stared at her, hollow, then gave a dry chuckle.

"Do one good thing for me, Mama," I whispered.

She nodded quickly, hopeful.

"When the core is inside me... give me something that makes it seem like I died. please mom, do this for me. Let them all believe I'm gone."

Her eyes widened in horror. But after a long pause, she nodded again. "This will be the last good I do for you."

The procedure was scheduled. My mother made the arrangements with a trusted doctor. As the core was placed into me, she slipped something into the anesthesia.

Mark wasn't there. Of course he wasn't. He didn't care.

The operation went well-at first. But then my heart began to slow. Machines beeped frantically. Nurses screamed. The doctor worked to bring me back...

But it was no use.

Becca-the wolfless Luna-was dead.

News of my death reached the Alpha by nightfall.

"What did you just say?" Mark whispered. "No... that's not possible. She's one of the strongest girls I know."

But the doctor only shook his head.

Mark clutched his chest. Panic, guilt, and something else clawed at his insides. He didn't want me dead. He only wanted my core... so he could finally be with the twin he truly desired.

But it was too late.

I was buried with honors-a Luna's grave. The pack gathered in black. Mark stood in silence, unreadable. But Bianca... she sensed something. A flicker of unease settled in her stomach.

That night, my mother returned with the doctor she'd bribed. They dug up the grave, their hands shaking with urgency.

She injected me.

And suddenly-gasp.

I breathed again.

I was alive.

Pain stabbed through my chest as I coughed and gasped for air. My mother held me tightly, sobbing.

"You're okay, baby... you're okay."

They took me to a secluded hut where the doctor continued my treatment. I slowly regained my strength.

But then... came the worst news.

I had lost the baby.

I screamed. I cried. I broke all over again.

They had taken everything from me-my core, my place, my dignity... and now my child.

As I lay there, silent and scarred, a fire began to burn in me.

I vowed.

I vowed to return stronger. To make them pay.

I would give Mark and Bianca pain twice what they gave me.

They would suffer for what they did. For my baby. For my broken soul.

When I was strong enough, my mother handed me an envelope of money. I hugged her one last time. I thanked the doctor with a broken smile.

And then I left.

Disguised by a scarf and glasses, I boarded a bus heading... anywhere. As long as it was far from the Bright Light Pack.

I didn't know what the future held.

But I was free.

When the bus stopped and I stepped out, I felt the unfamiliar breeze on my face. A small restaurant sat by the roadside, and my stomach growled for the first time in weeks.

I walked in, ready to begin again.

But before I could speak, a voice called from behind.

"Mate."

I froze.

Gasps echoed through the restaurant.

Slowly, I turned.

And there he stood-a stranger, tall and intense, staring straight at me.

But I knew, without a doubt, he wasn't my mate.

He was Bianca's.

Because I carried her core.