Chapter 18

Leona's POV I stared at the glass of milk Aunt Elise had placed before me, its delicate aroma of vanilla and cream filling the air. My thoughts were still in turmoil, struggling to comprehend everything she had just told me. The twins' family—the entire town seemed to revere them. They weren't just popular and influential; they were unshakeable, a family with immense power and influence I could never have imagined. And somehow, I was now caught up in it. I opened my mouth, wanting to ask more. Countless questions, like restless little animals, crowded my throat. Why was their family so important? What secrets did this town hold? Why did the people here worship strength and speed? Why was I involved? But Aunt Elise was always Aunt Elise. I never had the right to know the whole truth from her. She told me about the town's witch and werewolf legends, about how every fifty years a resident of the town was chosen, but she never told me why I was the one caught up in it. “When you turn eight