Cassandra POV

I stood there frozen on the Mating altar, my eyes wide with horror as the video played on the screen.

Many of the pack members who had their children with them, quickly covered their eyes.

But I was more surprised than they all were. In the video, Vanessa was completely naked and was moaning with ecstasy, eyes half-closed as she humped on a man.

It was clear that the man in the video wasn’t Alpha Caleb.

I never expected that Vanessa would do such a thing. Although we haven’t seen each other for so many years, I never expected she would go this far to cheat on her mate. It was just so unbelievable to me.

As the video continued to play, the pack members in the hall cursed.

“Unbelievable! How could she do this a day before her Mating ceremony? How could she do this behind his back?”

“She’s a disgrace to the pack! No Alpha deserves a mate like that.”

“She’s not fit to be Luna! Alpha Caleb should banish for this. It’s clear that she’s a slut!”

“She’s nothing but a common whore? There’s no difference between her and a prostitute. Thank goddess, he found out on time. If he had gotten married to her, she would do worse.”

“She’s not worthy of Winterfang Pack! She deserves to be beaten more!”

My stomach churned as I listened to all the insults hurled at me. My mind which had gone numb moments ago, suddenly came alive. That was when I realized that they had mistaken me for Belinda!

“You’ve got it all wrong!” I shouted desperately, trying to make myself heard over the growing noise. “I am not Vanessa! I’m her twin, identical sister. My name is Cassandra Lawson Reeves.”

I thought by explaining, everyone would realize their mistake and everything would end. For a moment, some of them who heard me, paused as their gazes darted between me and the screen but before I even had the chance to try to convince them again,

Caleb slapped me again.

“You liar! Do you really think I don’t know whether you’re Vanessa or not? I know every mole on your body, every inch of it is in my memory. Just admit it, there’s proof Vanessa. Why are you trying to deny it? Do you expect me to believe that?”

After speaking, he grabbed my arm and dragged me towards the screen, forcing me to stand next to Vanessa’s face playing in the video on the screen.

“Everyone, look! Isn’t she the person in the video? Doesn’t she look like every bit of this woman here? And now, she’s not brave enough to admit it. What a coward!”

Since Vanessa and I were identical twins, when our faces were put side by side, it would be so difficult for anyone to tell us apart.

One of the biggest marks on our body that could tell us apart was the butterfly bones on our backs. There was a small birthmark on my butterfly bone. Gabriel – my mate had said more than once that he liked it very much because it looked like the wings of a butterfly. Every time we had sex, he would spend hours, lavishing kisses on my back.

The video was still playing and Alpha Caleb had no intention to stop playing it.

In the video, the man who was having sex with Vanessa finally finished and lay beside her, a smile of relish on his face. Suddenly, he turned to her, supporting his head on his hand as he spoke.

“I wish you were not getting bonded to your mate tomorrow,” he sighed “I’d love to spend the rest of today with you, and tomorrow and the day after tomorrow,” he murmured passionately as he pressed tiny kisses on Vanessa’s body.

She giggled like a girl, squirming as he continued. Spent, Vanessa turned to the man and pulled out a gold pendant from the bedside drawer. She let it dangle before them, her eyes were soft as she stared at it wistfully.

“This was the first gift you ever gave me and I’ll wear this to the Mating ceremony tomorrow. When I join hands with my mate, and walk down to the moon priest at the altar, this golden pendant shall remind me of you. It shall feel like you’re close to me and I’ll not be sad.”

The gold pendant in the video was a rare family heirloom that my mother had given us before she separated from my dad. She made us promise to always wear it, something about making our twin bond strong.

I always had it on me, no matter what. I could leave the house without wearing any other jewelry but I could never leave if I was not wearing my gold pendant. To me, it wasn’t just a pendant, it was a connection to my old life before I found Vanessa Gain.

A few of the pack members spotted it on my neck and my blood ran cold. I touched the pendant, as fear crept up my spine at the connections the pack members were already drawing.

“I swear, this isn’t what it looks like,” I pleaded my voice already cracking from repeating one thing over and over again. But even my apologies felt hollow in my ears. The evidence was glaring, there was no way I could explain my way out of this.

At this point, all I could hope was for my mate – Alpha Gabriel to show up, he was the only one who could help me out of this mess. I turned towards the entrance. Where are you, Gabriel? I thought desperately, calling for my mate, my eyes scanning the room for any sign of him. I knew that if anyone could help me now, it would be him.

That was when I realized that I had walked into a trap set by my sister. Vanessa had never wanted any reunion, she didn’t care about recreating our bond or celebrating this day together. She had purposely invited me to her Mating ceremony. With one sole purpose in mind…

She wanted me to take the blame for her cheating.

Cassandra POV

To make matters worse, Caleb marched towards me and in one flick of his wrist, he tore the gold pendant which was around my wrist on a bracelet and held it up for everyone to see.

“You can keep denying it, bitch! Look at the gold pendant. You said it yourself that it was the first gift he ever gave and that you’d cherish it and you had the guts to come here with it today for our Mating ceremony. How shameless can you be, Vanessa? Tell me! Have you no shame at all?”

After saying that, he dropped the pendant on the ground, then with force, he stepped on it, the pieces of it flying everywhere, all over the room. That gold pendant alone was worth $50,000

“How dare you!” I spat my body shaking with anger. “That gold pendant is worth $50,000; you’ll have to pay every single cent back to me.”

The corners of his lips twisted into a sneer as his eyes flashed with amusement at me. “Really? You’ve got some nerves, Vanessa. Do you think this is over? Listen bitch, this is just the beginning. By the time, I’m done with you, you’d regret ever crossing paths with me.”

His words caused the hair at the back of my neck to rise and instantly, I became frightened. Worse still, his eyes glinted with murderous intent as if he would jump on me anytime soon and tear me apart.

“What will you do?” I questioned. “I’ve told you that I am not Vanessa. My ID card is in my bag, you can check it by yourself. You’ll see after you check it that I am not Vanessa” I shouted in desperation.

But Alpha Caleb didn’t believe me at all, instead, he rifled through my bag. I watched helplessly as he tossed my belongings onto the floor – my phone, my wallet and finally, a small velvet box. He held it up, his expression darkening, when he realized what it contained.

It was the Jade necklace I had prepared for Vanessa. He flipped open the box, revealing a stunning jade necklace. The green stones caught the morning light and glowed softly.

“Bitch, who gave you this?” he screeched. “You sold your body for this just because I couldn’t afford it?”

“No… No!” I shrieked reaching out to take it but he took a step backwards.

“Why?”

“Just give that back to me, that’s for Vanessa. I brought it as a gift for her today,” I said lunging forward but Caleb raised it higher, making it impossible for me to reach it since he was taller.

He sneered, holding the necklace up for everyone to see. “You brought this here? A gift for yourself? How pathetic, Vanessa.”

“No, it’s not…” my voice cracked as I fought to explain. “That necklace is for Vanessa! My twin – your mate, the woman you’ll be mating with today. I bought it to give her today. Please, don’t….”

“If I remember correctly,” he interrupted me “This necklace is worth $160,000, right? And I can’t afford, it, yeah? But you like it, don’t you? Alright then…” he walked towards me, “Watch this!”

He yanked the necklace in two, the pieces scattering across the floor like broken promises. The sound of the stone cracking echoed through the hall and my heart sank as I watched my carefully chosen gift reduced to shards.

“You think you’re so wise, don’t you?” he growled, closing the distance between us. “Well, today, you’re going to pay for all the shame you’ve brought upon me and my pack!”

With a swift motion, he shoved me backwards. I stumbled, my feet catching on the shards of the jade necklace. The broken pieces dug into my skin as I fell, slicing through the thin fabric of my dress and sending a sharp, searing pain through my side. I let out a cry, my body collapsing onto the jagged remains.

“You monster!” I whispered, tears welling in my eyes as I stared at the remains of the necklace in his hand. “You don’t even know what you have done.”

Caleb’s lips curled in disdain. “You dare speak to me after what you’ve done? You think a few tears will change anything?”

I pulled myself together, my eyes burning with defiance. “Why don’t you want to believe that I’m not Vanessa? You’ve dated her for a long time, how can’t you tell us apart? Look at me closely. I have a mark on my neck – Vanessa doesn’t. It’s proof that I’m Cassandra.”

I titled my head, revealing a small, distinctive birthmark just below my collarbone. The make was unmistakably something only I had, yet Caleb barely glanced at it, dismissing my pleas as another ploy.

“Nice try,” Caleb snapped, his voice dripping with sarcasm. “But marks or no marks, you can’t trick your way out of this one. You’re Vanessa, and you’re going to pay for what you did.”

The pack members rushed forward, holding my hands and legs so that I would not try to fight. Alpha Caleb grabbed my hair and pushed me down onto the shards.

“You want emeralds, right? Then you can lie in it!” he said and pinned me down. I cried out in pain as more of the glass pierced through my skin.

The pack members all had a satisfied looks on their faces as they cheered him.

“She deserves to bleed and die for what she’d done! She loves jade, right? She’ll have enough of it today!”

Since she won’t stop at nothing to get money, she deserves to be taught a lesson. This will serve as a warning to others!”

“That’s a befitting treatment for a traitorous Luna. Let her feel the pain she caused all of us and die!”

When they finally let go of me, I tried to stand up and walk away from the shards. I managed to reach for a few of them still pierced on my skin and tried to remove them. I could see blood spilling from my skin onto the floor now.

I looked up, my vision blurry with tears, but my voice rang clear.

“My mate owns his Grand gathering hall. When he comes, he won’t let any of you walk away from this.”