The Crippled Wife They Tried to Erase - Chapter 12: Chapter 12

We circled each other, chests heaving, sweat slicking our skin. She lunged first, fingers tangling in my hair and yanking hard. Pain exploded across my scalp, but I barely registered it. I drove my elbow into her gut, knocking the breath from her lungs, then shoved her backward into a table. "You've hated me since the day we met!" I snarled. "Why? Because the pack saw you for what you really are? Because deep down, you knew you'd never measure up?"
Her eyes burned like wildfire. "Measure up? I was always ten steps ahead of you! You were just too stupid to see it! The Luna title was mine—not yours!"
A bitter laugh tore from my throat. "Luna? You're a fraud. A killer. You'll never be anything but a jealous, worthless excuse for a sister."
Rage twisted her face, and she came at me again. We crashed to the ground in a tangle of limbs, fists flying, nails raking skin.
The shop echoed with the sound of shattering glass and our ragged breaths, but I didn't care. All that mattered was making her hurt the way she'd hurt me. Making her pay.
But even as we fought, I knew—no amount of blood spilled would fill the hole she'd carved into my life. Zephyr and Lilith were gone, and nothing I did would bring them back.
I pinned her, my hands locking around her wrists as she writhed beneath me, spewing venom. My pulse roared in my ears, my vision tinged red. I wanted to finish it. End her. For Zephyr. For Lilith. For every damn thing she'd stolen from me.
Then—pain.
A searing sting ripped through my neck. My grip faltered as fire flooded my veins. My limbs turned to lead, and I collapsed beside her, the world tilting sideways.
The last thing I saw was Celeste's smirk as she loomed over me, an empty syringe glinting in her hand.
Cold. Dark. Chains biting into my wrists.
I groaned, my head throbbing, my body sluggish. My arms and legs refused to obey—bound, trapped.
Then—light.
Blinding, brutal. I flinched, my eyes burning as they struggled to adjust.
Celeste stood over me, arms crossed, victory already etched into her smirk.
"Awake at last," she crooned.
Behind her, a shadow shifted into the light, and my stomach dropped.
The old woman from the train. The one who'd sold me the scent-masking necklace.
"You," I rasped, throat raw. "What the hell are you doing here?"
The woman grinned, all teeth and cunning. "Business, darling. Just business."
I whipped my head toward Celeste, heart hammering. "You—you paid her?"
Celeste tilted her head, mock sympathy dripping from her voice. "Gold. Gems. A fortune. People will do anything for the right price."
My mind reeled. That harmless old peddler? A lie. She was a dark witch, her loyalty sold to the highest bidder.
"What do you want, Celeste?" I spat, fury trembling in my voice.
She crouched, malice glinting in her eyes. "Isn't it obvious, Lyra? Your power. That precious healing gift that makes everyone adore you. I want it."
I clenched my fists, even as weakness dragged at my limbs. "You can't take it. It's mine."
The witch cackled, the sound like nails on stone. "Oh, but she can. A spell here, a ritual there... and poof."
Celeste leaned in, her breath hot on my face. "But why stop at your power? Why not take everything? Your body. Your life. You've had your happy ending. Now it's my turn."
Ice flooded my veins. "You're insane," I hissed, yanking uselessly against the chains.
She straightened, looking down at me like I was already dead. "Maybe. But who'll care? When this is over, I'll be you. And you? You'll just... vanish."
The witch began chanting, her hands weaving through the air. The room thickened with dark energy, pressing down on me like a weight.
I thrashed, panic clawing up my throat. "You won't get away with this!"
Celeste smirked. "Oh, Lyra. Haven't you figured it out yet?" She spread her arms. "I already have."
The witch's voice rose, the words guttural, unnatural. Cold slithered under my skin, stealing my breath. My vision blurred, my heartbeat a deafening drum.
"NO!" I screamed, fighting the chains with everything I had. "STOP!"