2 - All Is Lost

Aurora opened her eyes and she felt the side of her head begin to bang. For a split second, memories of everything that happened crashed down on her, and she wished it was a dream. Some kind of nightmare. But the pain from her head and the dress she was wearing, said otherwise.

Cold sweat broke out all over her body as she relived the dreadful moments and tears filled her eyes.

“Alma, it was a dream… Right? “She questioned her wolf, but she got no reply. The heartbreak had hurt her wolf so badly, that the poor creature was cramped in a corner of her soul as though vanished.

“It was a dream… “Aurora then muttered to herself as she tried to deny everything. However, her throat dried up and her heart sank further as she remembered her father.

That wasn't fake. She could never imagine that, and her mind would never create something so gruesome... So evil about her father…

In the fading light of the setting sun, her world began to crumble and crash all around her, as the weight of her disobedience began to squeeze the life out of her.

She pulled herself off the bed, and her tears kept pouring mercilessly.

 How could she have been so blind? So heedless to the numerous warnings? The realization of everything she had missed in the past year began to hit her like thunderbolts, and she wailed.

Now she realized that Perez was always persistent, always pushy. He wanted her crown, but she was too in love to see it. And now, her actions had led to the doom of her beloved pack.

An overwhelming sense of pain surged through her veins, and she felt out of breath as she pictured what her world was about to become. The mere thought was so crippling, she staggered.

Without a second thought, she dashed out of her chambers to her parent's room with her feet barely touching the ground. With each step, the image of her lifeless father haunted her, and the thought of his absence gnawed at her soul with cruelty beyond measure.

As she burst into her parent's room, her eyes immediately fell on her mother who was on the bed beside her father, with her tears mingling with sweat as she desperately tried to wake her husband.

“Luan, please wake up… “She cried, and Aurora could hardly swallow. There were doctors in the room trying to stop her father's bleeding. There was blood everywhere, and her father's eyes were closed.

“I'm sorry, Your Majesty. But… There's nothing we can do… He's… Gone. Alpha Luan has… Passed away. “One of the doctors said, and Aurora's heart stopped as a deafening silence took over the room. 

She looked at her mother, who turned back to her father and cradled his face in silence.

“Did you hear the nonsense he just said? “She whispered, and Aurora clasped her palm over her mouth as she looked away.

 The sight was unbearable. It tore at the very core of her being. Guilt, disbelief, and hurt were pricking every bit of her, and she couldn't stand it.

“Your majesty? “One of the doctors tried to call but her mother snapped.

“Shut your trap! My husband is not dead! “She screamed, and just then, a strangled cry escaped Aurora's lips. Gaining the attention of everyone else in the room.

“Mom?” She called out with a trembling voice, and when her mother turned to look at her, Aurora's heart skipped a beat. She had never seen so much… Hate in her mother's eyes before. Let alone toward her.

She watched as her mother got off the bed and stood in front of it while glaring at her with her anguish-drenched eyes that were ignited with rage. Deadly rage.

 Her voice cracked as she spoke, and the words that left her mouth went at Aurora's heart like a brutal punch. 

“You disgrace!” she seethed, her voice quivering with fury. Each syllable was packed full with a pain so deeply etched, that it seemed to tear through the air and slam into Aurora.

“You shameless... stubborn girl!! Look what you have done! “She screamed further, and Aurora shut her eyes as she began to weep.

“You defied our counsel, and willfully ignored the warning of your parents! Now look what you've caused, Aurora!!

Your selfishness and stupidity have cost us dearly! Your father… your father is gone! He's dead now, all because you couldn't listen! All because you felt like you knew it all, you couldn't bring your stubborn self to listen!! We warned you!

Now, your father is no longer with us, and you alone will bear the guilt and responsibility of this loss! “Her mother screamed further, and her words pierced Aurora like a thousand blades. 

Each one tormenting her fragile heart.

“Mom… I'm sorry. I… I never meant for this to happen, Mom, I… I" Aurora choked out amidst sobs, with her voice breaking under the weight of her guilt. 

“I… I thought he loved me too… I… I thought I was doing what was best. I... “She wept further, and she watched her mother's face contort with devastation.

“Love? Can you hear yourself, Aurora!? Maybe Perez was right. You were never ready to be crowned Luna! If you were, you would have been wiser!

Love should never blind one to the dangers that lie beneath. You allowed yourself to be deceived by a man who only sought to destroy our very existence. And now because of you, he has succeeded! “She raged, and Aurora moaned in pain. Her mother's words were like poison.

With every word, Aurora's world crumbled further and her heartache amplified.  

“Mom… I'm sorry. I… I'm sorry. “She began to beg afresh, but her mother's words cut her short.

“You are no longer my daughter, Aurora. “She said, and time froze as Aurora stared at her brown eyes and saw the seriousness in them. 

She parted her lips in shock, but no words came out. 

“I disown you. I never want to lay my eyes upon you again. You have ruined this family beyond repair, and every day I see you, I will be forced to remember that I failed as a mother. So, I never want to set eyes on you again. “Her mother continued, and Aurora felt time slow down as she listened to her mother's words. 

Her mother's voice was colder than the winter winds that howled beyond the castle walls, and her eyes were darker than the night that was beginning to fall.

“Perez, our new Alpha thanks to you, has banished you from the kingdom, and now, I'm expelling you from my heart. “Her mother added, and with those final, piercing words, Aurora lost balance and fell against the wall behind her.

First, she was betrayed by the man she loved, then her actions got her father killed, and now she was being cast away by the mother who once held her so previously.

"M... Mom? “she called, but her mother's next words shattered her further.

“Please escort that rouge out of my chambers, and do not let her in no matter what. “

Aurora watched in silence as the guards in the room walked up to her and began to pull her out of the room and she just stared at her mother, who now had her back to her.

“Mom, you can't seriously mean this. Please! I need you. We need each other… Now more than ever!! Mom!! "

However, her screams went unanswered, and she watched in disbelief as the guards shut the door in front of her. 

They then stood in front of the door after letting go of her, to block her from trying to reenter the room.

"Mom, please... You can't do this to me. Please... We're all we have. "Aurora cried, but she got no response.

"Mom, I'm sorry... I swear I didn't mean for any of this to happen! Please forgive me. Don't cut me off. I already lost Dad... I can't lose you too... You're all I have. Mom, please tell them to open the door... Please tell me that you don't mean this... "She cried further, but still no response.

She tried to walk towards the door, but the guards stepped closer to her as a warning. Never before had she been so insulted by guards. 

She crashed to the ground and her tears just kept pouring. Her mother just rejected her. Her mate just rejected her. Her father was dead. Her pack and throne were no longer hers, and she had been exiled from her kingdom. In just one day her whole life has taken a drastic turn. 

The doors to the room opened and she looked up in hope, but it was just the doctors leaving the room. She peeked into it and I saw her mother on the bed crying beside her father and she shut my eyes. 

She had ruined everything. She ruined her life, her family, and her pack...

All was lost. Every single thing she held dear was just... Gone. Out of her grip.

 Because of love... The love she once believed so deeply in.