Chapter 3

Phoebe

My head is hurting. It feels like I’ve been pulled from a sleep that has lasted a hundred years. My eyes flutter open, and I’m surrounded by white, blinding hospital walls that make me feel even more disoriented and confused.

“Fucking hell. I thought you would never wake up...”

Who is speaking to me?

It feels like I’m being held, and I freeze when I realize strong, tanned arms are hugging me. Someone large is treating me like their personal teddy bear.

Is this a dream?

“Aurora?”

Aurora? Who is that?

I’m beyond confused and slowly turn around in the hospital bed, and that’s when I see him. He is the most good-looking man that I’ve ever seen. Not beautiful and soft like Adrian, but rougher around the edges. He has black hair, a square jaw, and the most mesmerizing set of blue eyes that I’ve ever seen, but he is...frowning at me?

And wait - why the hell is he hugging me?!

Panic kicks in, and I kick the man between his legs. “Release me, you pervert!”

The man falls out of the bed, his face twisted in pain and anger as I stare down at him.

“What the fuck, Aurora? You don’t remember me?” He hisses, clutching his crotch.

Remember him? I’ve never seen him in my entire life, and my name isn’t Aurora - it’s Phoebe!

“I don’t even know who you are! Get away from me!” I scream, pushing myself as far as I can from him on the bed.

The man stands up, rubbing his sore manhood. “I’m your boyfriend, Liam. We have been together for an entire year, Aurora. How can you not remember me?” He looks at me, his eyes darkening with hurt and anger.

I shake my head, trying to make sense of the situation. “I’m sorry, Liam, I...” My words falter as I see the hurt in his eyes. I don’t know this man, but he seems to know me intimately.

He takes a deep breath, trying to contain his emotions. “You got into an accident, Aurora. You hit your head, and you’ve been in a coma for six months.” He hesitates, his eyes searching mine for any sign of recognition. “Do you remember anything, Aurora? Anything at all?”

I fall silent. Truthfully, I remember everything from my life - Adrian, Courtney, my job, being the Omega of my pack - nothing is lost on me. But this man keeps calling me Aurora, which is very confusing.

“I’m sorry, but did you mix me up with someone else—” The words die in my throat when I see myself in the mirror across the room.

What the actual hell...

I no longer see my own flawed face looking back at me but the face of someone else - someone way more beautiful. My hair is long, shiny, and black, and my eyes - oh my god, my eyes! They are purple!

“Maybe it will take time for you to remember me,” Liam mutters and peers down at me. He is even taller than Adrian and bigger, too - he must be into sports. And wait, is that the scent of a freaking werewolf clinging to his skin?!

“Are you a werewolf?” I ask.

“I’m the Alpha of the Twilight pack. Did you forget that too?” a cocky smirk curves his lips, and he folds his big arms over his black t-shirt that barely fits him. “I’m also the Field Angel’s quarterback - if that gives me any bonus points,” he is back to looking grumpy again. “I’m not sure if you find athletes sexy anymore...”

“Oh, that’s not it... you’re very beautiful, but it’s just that—” I’m in love with someone else, and I’m pretty sure this is a weird dream - I can’t tell him that, but Liam is already glaring at me.

He is a frightening man. The accusation in his eyes sends shivers down my spine. He looks at me like I’m guilty of a crime that I haven’t committed yet. It shakes me.

“But what?” he demands and sits down on the edge of the hospital bed without permission. It creaks underneath his weight, and I gulp.

This dude is big and scary... It makes it harder to answer him. I don’t like being put on the spot like this. Adrian always took my shyness into consideration, but not this man. I’ve known him for less than five minutes, and he is already challenging everything that I am.

I’m honestly afraid of Liam, yet also attracted to him. His clothes sit like glue, and his pecs are outlined. Liam is built like a Greek god, and he is sitting so close to me that I could touch him with my toes if I curled them.

Despite my fear, my eyes keep taking him in. Can anyone blame me? I’m not dead, and any woman would look at his man if they saw him. With that in mind, I keep looking at Liam until he notices. Once he does, he cocks his head, and for a hot moment, I think he is going to scold me for staring, but to my surprise, he smiles as if I’ve given him a compliment.

“I take it you still find me attractive,” he sounds very proud of this and smirks. “Do you want to cuddle? You might remember something if you’re close to me...”

I blink. “I...I don’t think that’s how it works.” Not that I would say no to cuddling with him. I might like Adrian, but Liam? His muscles are honestly turning me on…

“Really?” he frowns again. “Because isn’t that what they do in movies? They kiss to remember shit. Haven’t you seen Cinderella?”

“Uhh...” Is he for real? “I’m pretty sure that isn’t the plot of Cinderella...”

“Fuck, you’re right! It’s Sleeping Beauty that I’m thinking about, not Cinderella. I’m so stupid.”

My lips twitch. What movie has this dude been watching? I’m pretty sure none of his guesses are right.

I try not to laugh, but it’s hard to suppress when he grins at me, his pearly white teeth glinting in the light. For being so huge and scary, he is pretty cute...

“You’re not stupid,” I say softly. “And I don’t think that’s how it works, but thank you for the offer.”

He laughs in amusement. “Thank you? Since when did you become so polite, Aurora?”

I roll my eyes. “Okay, I want to wake up now. This is getting a bit creepy. I don’t like being called Aurora.”

“But that’s your name?” 

“No, I’m Phoebe.”

“Phoebe?” Liam looks at me like I’m insane. “Wow, you really must have hit your head before you woke up…”

“That’s rude…”

“Just stating the truth.”

“You’re not - I am the one stating the truth,” I gesture at myself. “This isn’t me. This is just me waking up in the wrong body because this isn’t my life. I’m not pretty, and I don’t have a sexy football-playing Alpha as my boyfriend - surely this is a dream. A very realistic one, albeit still a dream.”

Liam stares at me, but it’s an amused stare. It looks like he has a million questions he wishes to ask me. His lips move as if he is about to say something, but that’s when we are interrupted by the doors to the room opening.

“LUNA AURORA, YOU’RE FINALLY AWAKE!”

Liam and I turn to see a group of people entering the room. They are all werewolves, and as they see me sitting up on the bed, they all begin to cheer and clap. I feel a pit in my stomach, not recognizing any of them.

I look up at Liam for help, shocked to find him watching me with curious eyes. When I glare at him, he tries not to laugh and gives me a cheeky look, “Did I tell you that you’re also the Luna of my pack? We made it official right before your accident.”

I laugh. “Okay, this dream is getting so weird right now...”

“It’s not a dream,” Liam says. “This is reality, Aurora.”

My eyes narrow, and I hiss, “My name is Phoebe...”

He sighs. “You must be confused. The doctor said that can easily happen after an accident like this. That’s why you should stay in bed.”

“Stay in bed?” I snort, and all the werewolves look at me like I’m mentally ill when I stand up from the bed, including Liam. 

He places a hand on my shoulder. “What are you doing? You shouldn’t be up and running right now.”

I look up at him - damn, he is tall. “I have to leave this place. My mother is ill, and I have to go and see her. I also have a pack to return to -  the Eclipse pack. Not the Twilight pack.”

Liam looks at me funny, which irritates me. 

“What?” I bark. 

“It will be a long walk to see that pack, and you don’t have a car.”

“I don’t need a car.”

“The Eclipse pack is in another city.”

I snort. “Impossible.”

“No, it’s very possible,” Liam fishes up his phone from his pocket and hands it over to me. “Check your location. You’re in Cherry Hills, not in Deluga City.”

I gasp when I see his phone screen, not because of the location but because of how new and alien it looks. And then, when I look at the date, I realize that it’s the year of 2023 - not 2018 - I’m five years into the freaking future!

I almost pass out and fall forward, but Liam is there to steady me by gripping my shoulders. 

“Careful, Duchess,” he says, holding me still, “I wouldn’t want you to hurt something. Are you okay? Do you want to sit in my lap?” 

I shriek, and he laughs at the look of horror on my face.

“Most girls would be excited by that prospect, you know?”

“I’m not most girls...” I mutter, too shaken by the dream to be charmed by the handsome Alpha. 

Liam grins. “I’m beginning to see that... you’re very different. But that’s what makes you so interesting,” his eyes roam over my face. “You’re very disoriented from the coma, but I find one thing very curious.”

At this point, I don’t even care to be polite, nor do I care that we are surrounded by other people when I growl, “And what is that?” 

Liam’s grin widens. “You claim that your name is Phoebe - the exact name of the werewolf the Eclipse pack accused us of murdering five years ago.”