TEN YEARS AGO.
CELESTE'S POV
Ten years ago, the world as I knew it shattered. My name is Celeste, and back then, I was a young, naive girl with dreams as vibrant as the sunrise. My sister Nichole was my everything—my light in the darkness, my companion, and my anchor.
We lived a simple life within the kingdom, where power and politics dictated the fates of everyone, from the lowest omega to the grandest Alpha. But our bond was unshakeable, or so I thought.
That fateful evening, I returned home from a day of work in the nearby village. The streets were bustling as usual, and the air carried the scent of freshly baked bread from the baker’s shop down the road. It should have been an ordinary evening, but the moment I stepped through the front door, I felt it—the oppressive weight of silence.
“Nichole?” I called out, my voice echoing through the empty house.
There was no response. My heart sank. If she wasn’t here, she was likely with Magnus. The two of them had grown up together, their bond inseparable, or so it had seemed. Magnus had been like a brother to us both, his presence a constant in our lives.
I brushed the thought aside and set about my tasks. Nichole would return soon enough, I told myself. But as the hours dragged on, unease began to settle over me. I couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong.