Chapter 297

Amara stared back at me with wide eyes. “This is impossible.” She backpedaled, trying to create space between us, her dark hair flying back as she stumbled, but I followed her.

“No… but do you want to know what is possible?” I finally released her throat, but grabbed her hand before she could pull away. “You being here.”

She furrowed her brow. “What?”

“I let it slide the last time I saw you because I was confused and more focused on getting the spell attacking me broken, but this time, I’m going to figure this out.” I pulled her closer to me.

“What are you talking about?”

“You, Amara, you are dead.” I watched her eyes widen. Then there was a soft ripple that ran over her face. It was subtle, and if I hadn’t known the real Amara, or if I was farther away, I would have missed it.

“No, I’m not.” She laughed, deflecting my words.

“You are. My father executed you, your mate, and your witch grandmother himself.” I got in her face.

“You’re lying.” Her face paled, and she tripped over her feet, slamming down to the ground. I crouched, following her to the ground.

“I’m not. At all. But this proves that you are out of the loop… so who are you?” I sent a pulse through her, and the ripples grew more turbulent, like I threw a rock into a puddle and the water danced with the impact. “Who are you?” I yelled again and sent more power through her. She screamed, slapping at my hands, trying to pull away, but I tightened my grip.

“No!” She screamed again as the disguise started to slip away. The dark hair turned golden, but the face stayed the same. Aurora trembled in front of me now, but even this felt wrong. “You killed my sister.”

“Try again.” I glared at her, pushing more power into her. Do you think I am stupid enough to believe that Aurora wouldn’t know that her sister, her twin, was gone? They were close. Very close. "So, do you want to try again?” I watched her fight, but even in Toya’s mind, I could feel her strength. She was a high gamma or low-level beta, and the twins were unranked.

“I am Aurora,” she shrieked.

“No, you’re not. You might know of them, you might even be related to them, but you are not them.” I shook my head slowly as I watched her. She held this disguise better than the last, but I wasn’t believing it.

“How the fuck do you know anything?” She snarled.

“You forget I met both of the twins. Both annoying, overreaching, and bitter. Also, both were unranked. Even Amara, mating the first gamma, stayed unranked as the mating wasn’t completed.” Her eyes flashed. “You didn’t know that?” I smirked, and I could see the hatred in her eyes. “She came into my hospital room with Beck, her mate, and her grandmother. I stopped the cleaving she was trying to do. And then the three of them were executed, like I said. Aurora ran away, leaving them to take the hit. She is alive still, hiding, but I’ll find her and I’ll kill her too.”

“Shut up.” She shook her hair and pulled her hand out of my grip to cover her ears.

I laughed as I grabbed her blonde hair. “What’s wrong? You don’t like the truth? Or do you still think I’m lying?” A new ripple started, soft at first, in her hair. I knew I was getting close.

“I know you’re lying. My grandmother was too powerful for a nobody like you to take her down,” she snarled, and I could see the truth in her words.

“So you are related to the twins? Interesting.” I pulled her hair back, forcing her to meet my eyes.

“I’m Aurora,” she screamed, but her eyes shifted from their bright blue to a soft brown, then back.

“We both know that’s a lie, but I’ll leave that be for a second. Your grandmother was powerful, but your family has become too dependent on one thing.” I pulled her head back farther and wrapped my hand around the necklace at her throat. “Talismans are an easy fallback to someone who doesn’t remember their spells. A surefire sign that you are weak of mind and weak of magic.”

She snarled again, but I laughed. “Shut up. My grandmother is the strongest witch I know.”

“Was… she was the strongest witch you used to know. But she is dead. I ripped the necklaces from her neck, shattering her spells and her power.”

“No,” she whispered, a soft horror growing on her face. A face I knew wasn’t hers.

“Yes.” I smiled as I leaned in. “Now. Who are you?” I tightened my fingers on her necklace, and she pulled back but froze when she realized I held her necklace.

“I’m Aurora,” she panted softly, but the panic was in her eyes, eyes that had settled a soft brown.

“Aurora had blue eyes, and you have brown,” I whispered, watching her eyes widen in panic. “There is a peaceful solution.” And I ripped the necklace from her throat.