Rejected

Aurora’s POV

Seven years of marriage and seven years of torture.

“Sign the papers,” his voice was cold as he threw the document and pen at me, watching me with nothing but hatred and disgust, a familiar emotion I knew too well.

 I stared into the distance with a blank expression. I felt nothing.

“Oh my Goddess, what did I tell you? She’s crazy,” I heard the voice of my sister-in-law whisper behind me and the angry curses of the Luna seemed to fade into the background.

“Look at her, after killing her son, she dares act pitiful.”

Why me?

“I told you she is a heartless witch. Poor Caleb. He died because he couldn’t stand her being his mother, after all.”

Why me? What did I do to deserve this?

I closed my eyes, and a single tear fell. Regret and self-blame washed over me. The voices in my head seemed to want to tear me apart.

“Yes, you deserved this. He died because of you, you!”

“I, Kieran, the next in line Alpha to the Emberfang Nation, reject Aurora as my mate.”

“Ahh,” I clutched my chest in pain and my vision blurred as I gasped for air. 

My hand weakly gripped the piece of Caleb’s clothing tightly, the familiar, comforting scent of earth filled my nose, sending me relief for a brief moment before I slowly succumbed to the darkness that welcomed me into its sanity.

“I don’t want to see you in this house again. You better sign the papers, pack your bags and leave before I get home if you still want to live.” 

The angry voice and the mocking snickers were all I heard before the pain finally stopped and everything went dark.

***

My hand trembled as I raised it to knock on the door. It seemed I had been standing right there without moving for a while now. Everything in me screamed to turn back, and that everything was just in my head. It wasn’t real. My mind was playing tricks on me.

Yet the black shoes might have been an illusion, but the voice could never be fake, right?

“Aria, baby. It isn’t your fault. Don’t feel bad,” I heard him clearly, and the blood drained from my face as I stood at my best friend Aria’s room door.

Aria had been my best friend since we were kids and that was why I had come to her house when I had nowhere else to go, so how? How could she do this?

“I shouldn’t have done that. I know it was a mistake, but I feel bad for Aurora,” the female voice undeniably belonged to her. 

The world seemed to spin as I sucked in a breath to control my nerves.

Feeling sick in my stomach, I turned around. The only person I thought would be there for me was there with the person I loved, the person who had just rejected me.

“I didn’t mean to push him. I only wanted to grab Caleb, I swear. You believe me, right?” I paused immediately and stood there with widened eyes.

“No,” I whispered, barely audible as my breath hitched. I am hearing things. I must be hearing things.

“It isn’t your fault. She didn’t watch her son well,” Kieran scoffed. “That bastard child actually wanted to call for his mother when he saw us together.”

My hand reached out to cover my mouth and tears that I had been fighting against all day came rushing down my cheeks.

I was in the kitchen when my son fell down the stairs. Everyone blamed me for his death but they killed him, they caused his death, they pushed my son down the stairs.

I had never asked for anything, not even for my mate’s love. The only thing that was finally mine, someone that I could call my own, they took him away from me.

My feet found its way to the room and my hand reached to slam the door open and it broke under the strength I never knew I had.

Aria pulled away from Kieran immediately and she turned to look at me with shocked eyes, but Kieran didn’t flinch at the slightest as he watched me with such coldness that sent chills through me.

“T-tell me the truth,” my voice cracked as I held Aria’s stare. My body shook and my knuckles turned white from their tightened grip. 

“Tell me what you just said isn’t true!” I yelled.

“Aurora…”

“Don’t call my name and tell me!” I seemed to be screaming now as I walked closer. With each step I took, my heart shattered into pieces. Please say something, anything.

“Stop fucking screaming,” Kieran sneered, rolling his eyes at me. “You are being dramatic”.

I sucked in a breath when I heard his words and a strangled cry escaped from my lips. The man I once exchanged vows with was now replaced by a total stranger.

“She killed Caleb, our child, and… and I’m being dramatic?” 

The thumping of my rapid heartbeat seemed to echo in my ears and the walls started closing in. I couldn’t breathe.

“But you knew, didn’t you? You were right beside her when he was bleeding to death, but how…why?”

“My child?” he scoffed with a dangerous glint. 

“Anyway, it was your fault for not keeping that brat in check and what happened to him was a mistake, we can’t change the past so stop being a whining bitch,” the casual tone of his voice seemed to make me forget I was supposed to be breathing.

“I’m sorry, Aurora. I… I was only trying to stop him, but he just fell.” Aria brought my attention back to her, the corner of her lips tilted upward into a smirk. It was just a brief moment before it was gone, but I saw it clearly.

My cries turned into a chuckle. The loud chuckle seemed to surprise them both and before anyone could react. I rushed towards her, gripping her neck tightly.

“Die with him, you will die with my son that you murdered!” her eyes widened, and she tried to pry my hands from her neck, but I was stronger.

“Are you mad? Let her go,” Kieran yelled as he tried to pull me away, but I didn’t know where I got the strength from. I refused to let go until she died for what she did.

“You will listen to my orders!” Now with his Alpha’s voice and his wolf resurfacing, he pushed me off Aria and I went flying through the window.

I stared ahead and watched my own tears as they fell, floating away from my face like carved diamonds as I tumbled down.

The world blurred, time seemed to slow, and my life flashed before my eyes. Seven years after getting married to him, this was the outcome of my fate. The death of my son, the betrayal of my best friend and getting killed by my mate.

Ah, I didn’t live a good life.

“If there is a Moon Goddess watching… no, if there were any gods out there, anyone that can heed to my call, then please… please give me a second chance.”

I whispered the words desperately before closing my eyes, bravely accepting the impending fall as my body collided with the pavement and the darkness once again welcomed me home, but this time, permanently, and then everything went silent.

“Aurora!” a deep voice called out to me and I inhaled sharply, my eyes snapping open to see crystal blue water ahead of me.