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AURORA'S POV

"I love you, Atlas," I said with a great deal of excitement etched in my tone.

But no response came from him. He simply smiled. But unlike the man I had always known, this particular smile had something weird about it. The proper thing to have been done was to return the gesture. But he didn't.

I was still sipping wine from my glass when my vision seemed to have turned around. I suddenly started feeling dizzy. I was draining into unconsciousness. What the heck?! But I didn't drink much. The glass was barely the first I was about to empty.

"At..las.. Atlas," I struggled to call his name. Strength had left my voice. "Honey."

I groped and tried to reach out to him. But he was not making a move to receive my hand. I was getting scared. Could he have drugged my wine? No way the one I loved would do that.

I pulled myself together and got up to my feet. But there was no strength to walk.

"Did… you… poison me?" I struggled to speak while staggering towards a wall to find my balance.

Atlas sighed. "Not at all, bitch."

Bitch? He called me bitch. He got up and grabbed his glass of wine.

"With the Alpha blood in you, I just had to take proper measures."

"Proper measures," I repeated. "To do what?"

He dropped the glass and looked steadily at me. Then, a wry smile crossed his lips.

"To do this!"

He sprung towards me with high energy. When I opened my mouth, it was a gasp that escaped. I could feel his claws causing damage to my internal organs.

"Why… At..las, why?" I struggled to speak with a mouthful of blood.

"Even with my claws in you, I can feel your tissues healing faster than normal. You are not getting away."

He drove his claws in and out till I fell into a pool of blood. My name is Aurora, the only child of a dreaded Alpha king. With the Alpha blood coursing through my veins, I shared in the strength my father wielded when he was yet alive. I could feel my body healing. That was how strong I was. But then, my heart was not healing. It felt like it was gradually being torn into shreds. My ears could still pick up the sound of the melody coming from the pack. O

My marital rites with Atlas have just concluded. So, why? Just a while ago, he was showering me with words of love. They were all lies he told me.

"Why?" I muttered again from the ground. "Why…are you doing this?"

He walked to me and squatted beside me. I stared into his eyes. For some reason, it felt really cold. He was not the Atlas that I had always known.

"I have never loved you, Aurora," he said in a husky tone. "I only endured you for a single reason. You know what it is, don't you?"

With tears in my eyes, I had a quick guess. He was only there to take charge of the pack. What had not happened in years of the existence of this pack took place tonight. Not only did I get married to him, but I was equally crowned the Alpha king of the pack. For the first time, a woman was to reign.

He chuckled devilishly at me. "What were you expecting? That I would let you reign as Alpha while I'm what? Your Luna?" He laughed hysterically.

When he got on me, his eyes became even more vile. A fiendish glare left his eyes and was hooked on me. With both hands outstretched, he moved them to my neck and gripped them tightly.

"I… love you.." I said amidst tears.

His muscles locked and he started pressing down. My legs began to stretch on the ground. It was obvious to me. I was dying. The only one I had ever given my heart to was taking my life from me. I struggled to keep my life. But it wasn't working.

Just before my world went black, his lips moved, and said, "I hate you."

*****

A chill breath escaped my mouth as my eyes flung open. I was in a void with no end, floating like I weighed nothing.

Where was I? What had happened to me? The last thing I remembered was the look on the face of Atlas as he said, "I hate you" to me. Was I dead? That had to be the only explanation for this. I was without a body. The thought of it made tears drop from my eyes. Just then, a flash of light came through my face. When I looked, I could see an image lurking around.

"Aurora," a sweet voice called out to me.

The light vanished and I was left with a lady, very ravishing and ecstatically dressed.

"Who.. are you?" I asked in a shaky tone, unsure of what to expect as an answer.

She smiled at me. "I am the moon goddess. And your cries have reached my ears."

"Moon.. goddess?" I said, a bit emotional. "Where am I? Am I dead?"

She grinned again. "What happens at this point will determine if you will die or not."

I felt a surge of hope. "So, I'm not dead."

"Your body is. However, your spirit floats in time. And you have two choices to make."

"Two choices?" I asked. "What are there?"

"You either die completely and cease to exist or you are reborn somewhere else in a different time. The decision is yours."

Why would I want to remain dead? The face of Atlas flashed again. I had to take revenge.

"Let me be reborn. I have to avenge my death!"

She chuckled. "My dear, what you have asked is expected. However, for your revenge to hold, you will pay a great price."

Price? What price would I have to pay?

"I'm ready to pay any price," I replied.

"Then, so be it."

I had a rethink. What price? I never asked her what price I had to pay.

"Wait! What price do I have to—"

Before I could finish the question, she breathed on me. In that instant, my world changed again!