Chapter 3

~ ELENA’S POV ~

I ran through the chaos in the courtyard, my heart racing with fear. The once silent and peaceful night was now in disarray, screams of anguish and pain coming from all sides. The night was lit with fire burning down houses and werewolves.

The scent of blood hung thick in the air, deepening the sense of dread which filled the atmosphere. I placed my hand on my stomach, desperate to find Vernon. He needs to know about the child before something bad happens. 

I could feel it in my guts that this night was going to go down a bad lane. The doctor and I burst out in the garden which was already set ablaze. The sharp clang of swords of the warriors rang in the air, sending cold chills down my spine.

As we made a turn for the green house just outside the gates of the garden, I saw Vernon. I froze dead in my tracks as I saw him fighting off the Lycans who charged at him. It wasn’t his loyalty to the pack that made my blood run cold.

It was the way he shielded Viola. His body serving as a shield and barrier between the Lycans and Viola. The remaining pieces of my heart crumbled.

I wanted to call out to him. To tell him I needed to be protected and defended because I was carrying his child in my stomach. But a man that loves you would do that for you even without you asking for it. It became clear to me. Vernon had picked his side.

Now I had to protect myself until the chaos was over. 

“Luna, hurry,” Doctor Tancredi called my out of my thoughts. I forced myself to turn away. I couldn’t stay here. The pack was crumbling right before my eyes and Vernon had made his choice. Maybe laying low for a while would do. I thought.

The doctor grabbed my wrist and began racing towards the greenhouse. The greenhouse had a secret door leading out Reverie. It was used mostly by the werewolf warriors. 

It was a path that led to the blue river, a place I had mostly heard about than seen. I followed the doctor in and she locked the door. We found the secret door in due time and made our way through the dark tunnel. 

We burst out in the woods, continuo with our escape. My legs ached as I sprinted through the trees, but I dared not slow down. I thought we were running away from the battle. But from what i saw ahead of us, we were running into a second phase. 

There was more coming our direction. 

Something felt wrong about this invasion. It was rare to have this number of Lycans invade Sizzle pack. For this to be possible, then there must be someone working on the inside. 

“Argh!!” I heard the doctor scream. By the time I got to where she was, she was lying in the grass, holding onto her stomach. I looked at the figure towering above her. He wasn’t familiar, but his aura was.

The lycan king. 

He’d led his army into Riverie for reasons I couldn’t quite understand. Yes we had a deep rooted rivalry with the Lycans. But there must always an element to trigger one of us into acting in such manner. 

I thought I was running away from the battle, but here I was, standing before the lycan king wife eyes were blazing under the moon light with an unnatural red hue. 

Before I could make a move, he charged at me with a swift, terrifying speed. His claws slashed through the air, and a sharp, searing pain shot through my body. I gasped, losing control of my body as I collapsed on the cold earth.

The world around me spun as blood gushed out of the cut on my neck. My vision blurred and I felt the warmth of my blood soaking the earth. I lay on my back, applying pressure to the cut as more blood splattered from my mouth.

My life force was ebbing away, and I knew this was the end. I would die without Vernon knowing I was carrying his child. Maybe death was my only escape from this world. Maybe it was the only way not to feel pain again.

The last thing I saw before the darkness swallowed me was the moon, glowing in its full strength. It felt like it was calling out to me in cold whispers. Like it was telling me this was it. This was the end for me. 

With the darkness swallowing me, I saw the blurry figure of the lycan king walk over me, leaving me to die.

Or so I thought…

******

My eyes fluttered open, leaving my vision blurred for what felt like a minute. When I was finally able to get a view of my environment, I discovered I was in a different place. 

I was lying in a large bed, its sheer drenched in something warm and sticky. My heart skipped a beat as I looked down and saw the blood. A blood that didn’t belong to me. 

Where am I? I muttered. I scrambled to my feet, staggering to a wall as my head spun. The room was large, grandly adorned with velvet curtains and rich scenting candles. 

Sunlight streamed through the tall windows , caring a golden glow over the chamber. I made my way to the window and pulled the transparent curtains aside. At just one glance, I recognized it. I jerked away from the window, holding my chest.

The lycan castle. 

How?

I ran my hands through my hair. It was different in color. A milky shade of white. My fingers were longer and my skin was brighter. I spotted a mirror hanging on the wall close to the bed and I hurried to it. I gasped.

The woman staring back at me was nothing like me. She was prettier, fairer and taller. The hair gave an ethereal glow to her skin, notwithstanding the blood in her palms. Her eyes were green, a brighter shade of Vernon’s. 

“Who…how?” I stuttered, feeling the texture of her skin. The door creaked open and a girl walked in. I wasn’t sure she saw until she locked the door. 

“Excuse me…I…” I didn’t complete my sentence when she panicked. The tray in her hand fell, clanging as it made contact with the tiled floor. She ran out of the room, leaving me confused. “What’s going on?” I muttered.

Was this an after life? 

The door opened again and another lady walked in. Her eyes were fixed on me, and I saw no trace if fear. Instead, her eyes were filled with compassion and love. Like she was looking at someone who left her and returned after years. 

Then she did the most unexpected. She bowed. 

“Luna Rhoda. We thought we lost you,” she said.

Luna Rhoda? I thought. 

“I…” those were the only words that escaped my mouth. The heavy footsteps of the Lycans drew my attention back to the window. They were returning from war. The same war where I thought I was killed. 

The first girl who encountered me and panicked returned to the room and bowed. “Luna Rhoda, the lycan king is on his way,” she announced.

My heart hammered as her words sank in. The lycan king? The same one who killed me? But I if I was dead, how was I standing here, in the Lycans castle? 

The door flung open after her and I saw him. The king. His dark hair tousled from battle, his ash eyes intense as they locked into mine. He crossed the room with swift, long strides. The air around him charged with danger. 

I froze, anticipating the worst again. But this time, it was different. He pulled me into a hug and broke down in tears. 

Why was he crying?

“Rhoda,” he breathed, pulling away gently. His voice soft and broken. “You’re alive,” he said, letting his head fall on my neck as his hands massaged my arms. He was in tears. 

“I though I lost you. I thought I lost my mate,” he wept, pulling me back into his arms. 

Did he just say…Mate?!

*****