Isabelle POV
Chelsea emerged proudly from the shadows, her eyes gleaming with a sinister satisfaction, and we stopped in our tracks. Behind her, the towering presence of the Destroyer loomed, cloaked in darkness, his evil gaze, felt not seen, exuding profound malevolence.
"Welcome, Xander, and Isabelle." She looked behind us. "And all of you warriors. How fitting that you are all here to witness the dawn of a new era."
"Chelsea, what is going on?" Xander's voice could not hide his confusion. "Why would you betray your own people?"
Chelsea laughed, a chilling sound that sent shivers down my spine, making me reach out my hand to Xander. "You still don't understand, do you?" Her gaze flickered over me with dark amusement. "This isn't about betrayal. This is about claiming what's rightfully mine."
The Destroyer's shadow loomed even closer and darker. His voice, a booming voice in our minds, unheard by ears. "Chelsea decided to accept her destiny. You are welcome to live it with your sister." His voice, filled with ancient power, enters my mind alone.
"What destiny? Chelsea, what is he talking about?" I asked Chelsea loudly in my shaky, confused voice.
Chelsea's smile widened, a twisted triumph gleaming in her eyes. "Our mother never told you, did she? The truth about our lineage, about the power that flows through our veins."
I felt my heart skip a beat, a cold dread settling over me. "Our mother? What do you mean?"
Chelsea's gaze fixed on mine, a cruel satisfaction dancing in her eyes. "Isabelle, you and I—we're sisters. Twins, separated at birth to hide us from the legacy we were born into. Our mother tried to keep us away from what we are meant to be, but she couldn't hide us forever."
I could only whisper in horror of what she meant. "No... that can't be true. You're lying."
Chelsea's laughter echoed through the trees, a harsh, mocking sound. "Oh, but it is true. Our mother was the High Priestess of a coven who ran away and hid in the human world where our father was in search for a human to bear his heir." She laughed gleefully. "She already had us when she discovered who she got pregnant for. She tried to hide us from our destiny, but the power within us is too strong to be denied. You have been living it, now it's my time to claim what is rightfully mine."
I glanced at Xander, his face mirrored my disbelief and horror. The revelation hung heavy in the air, making me grip his arm even tighter. Chelsea's eyes gleamed with a malevolent light as she looked at our connected hands. "Just like you, the power of Vesper flows within me, and his soldiers are mine to claim; and with the Destroyer by my side, I will rise as the new ruler of the dark realm. Every supernatural realm will bow to me, or they will perish."
My voice trembled in fear of what her revelation implied. "You don't have to do this, Chelsea. If we are your family. You do not need the dark powers to be happy."
Chelsea's smile twisted into a snarl, her eyes blazing with a fierce intensity. "Family? You know nothing of family. I was abandoned by our mother. Left without a second thought while she kept you to her side. No more. I will claim what is mine, and nothing will stand in my way."
Chelsea raised her hands, proudly showing off dark tendrils of energy swirling around her fingers. "This is just the beginning. Watch as I ascend and know that you are powerless to stop me."
My fear and anger at Chelsea made me grip Xander's arm in warning. How could she do this to her own people? The people who loved and cherished her ever since she was a baby. The people who took care of her, watched her grow to the beautiful lady she is now. The people who worried about her when she was defenseless. The people who protected her from harm.
Heartless. The beginning of her mission with the Destroyer showed me how heartless she can be. The poisoning of all pack members if it weren't for the vision I had, would have killed everyone in the meeting hall.
It was a mystery to everyone how I knew the drinks on the refreshment table has been poisoned. Everyone's eyes had big question marks on top of the horror they felt upon seeing their loved ones falling to the marble floors or being carried to the pack hospital. Now I know, this connection with Chelsea is real. This must be why I had a vision of what she did to the drinks. The problem is, after the drinks, what's next on her agenda?
Chelsea smirked evilly as she moved forward. "Wondering what happens next, dear sister?" She bent nearer to my ear and whispered in hard tones. "I am taking everything you stole from me. And there is nothing you can do about it." She moved away, eyes daring me to refute what she said. Her lips in a cruel smile, certain of her success.
I felt a surge of fear and anger, the reality of Chelsea's motivation and intentions crashing down on my heart. "I did not steal anything from you. Everyone loves you just the way they did. I am just an addition to the beautiful family you have. You won't succeed with your evil plans. We won't let you." I said, my voice steady despite the turmoil inside me. "We will protect our pack, our family- your family, no matter what."
Chelsea's eyes narrowed, something dark and dangerous flashing in their depths. "Then prepare to face the full force of the dark power. You cannot win, Isabelle. Even with Xander by your side."
My voice came out strong and unwavering despite the turmoil inside me. I want to fight for her, even if unsure that she really is my sister. And I want to fight for my pack, my new family. "I am fighting for my family. I will win this. For you and for them. For our mother and her sacrifices. We will have you back with us my dear sister."
Chelsea's gaze hardened, her eyes gleaming with a dark intensity. "Goodbye, Isabelle."
With a swift motion, Chelsea raised her hands, and the dark tendrils of energy around her fingers erupted into a swirling vortex of shadows. The forest seemed to tremble, the ground quaking beneath the force of her power intensified by the dark shadow around her.
We braced ourselves as the vortex of shadows surged toward us, a storm of darkness and malevolent energy. I could feel the power of the Destroyer pulsing in the air, a tangible force that threatened to overwhelm us.
But I couldn't let fear consume me. I reached deep within myself, drawing on the strength of my wolf, the bond I shared with Xander, and the determination to protect our pack. Reaching out to the support of the warriors behind us. Ready to attack. Ready to give their lives.
The storm of shadows surged forward, a whirlwind of dark energy crashing towards us. I felt Xander's grip tighten on my hand, his strength a steady anchor in the midst of the chaos.
"Get ready!" Xander's voice was hoarse with fear and determination. Commanding his warriors as Vesper's minions moved behind Chelsea towards us. Shadows clashed with light just as warriors clashed with minions. A whirlwind of growls, howls and painful; moans follow. In the midst of the chaos, I locked eyes with Chelsea, a silent plea for understanding passing between us. For a fleeting moment, I saw the sister I never knew, the bond we could have shared.
But the darkness was relentless, the Destroyer's malevolent presence stopping the silent communication between us. As the storm of shadows reached its peak, blinding flash of light erupted from my whole being, a searing burst of energy that shattered the darkness with a force that left me and Chelsea reeling.
The world seemed to explode in a blinding cacophony of light and sound, and as the chaos engulfed us, I felt a sense of both fear and hope—fear of the darkness that loomed before us, and hope that together, we could find a way to overcome it.
As the light and darkness swirled together in a final, cataclysmic clash, the future hung in the balance, the weight of our choices heavy in the air. The fight for our survival had begun, and as the storm raged on, the chilling realization settled over me—this was only the beginning of the true battle that lay ahead.