CHAPTER 2: GLIMPSE AT HOPE

Celine's POV

"Alpha, I am sorry." I pleaded, tears running down my face from the impact of the slaps. My cheeks sting in pain and I was certain they would be bruised, when I checked them.

"Zica, Oma." He yelled out and in a matter of minutes, two of the pack soldiers stepped in. He wasn't going to let it slide. "I want you to whip her so hard till I am satisfied." Alpha Adrian's instructed and this made me realize that it could be today I join my parents in their astral plane.

I was made to lay down on the cold floor. I stared at the foot of the first soldier, who had a long whip on his left hand. The whip was made of leather and it's length sent fear across my body.

"Begin." He ordered.

I screamed my lungs out the moment the first whip came in contact with my skin.

The impact was definitely going to leave a scar. All I could think of at that moment was death. I needed death to embrace me and take my soul away from the pain and agony.

The next few minutes of my life was the most traumatic one; the whip kept coming down on my back simultaneously and even though I could not see him, I was certain the Alpha was enjoying every bit of it. I had stopped screaming and crying, my body was completely numb. My vision was slowly becoming blurry. Alas, my wish was coming through, death was here and I will gladly welcome it.

The world became dark and empty. It almost felt as being in a lucid dream, as I could still have my senses, but I could see nothing.

"You are the one that holds the key to greatness Celine!" The words were feminine and they kept on ringing through my ears, till a bright light exploded, forcing me to close my eyes at that moment.

"Celine." My ears perked up a voice as still as gentle as the wind. A figure dressed in white, whose body was like the rays of the sun stood before me. Her beauty was angelic and her aura screamed so much power.

"You will be fine, your fate has been determined and this is just the rough patch to what awaits." Her statement and reassuring smile was comforting and the moment she placed her hands on my forehead, I felt at peace and a sense of renewed hope filled my body. "Go now." She declared.

The light that once shined so bright as the sun, began to dim slowly, till it completely faded away into oblivion. Again, I was left in emptiness.

"Celine." A voice called my name. "Celine please wake up." I felt a touch across my forehead and in that moment, my eyes shut open to a figure standing before me.

"Welcome back Celine." My blurry vision cleared away, causing me to identify the figure to be the pack doctor standing before me.

"You made me really worried. Your Wolf was not responding and for a moment I thought you had died." He revealed a slight sigh of relief engulfing his face. I looked around and realized I was not in the mansion.

"What time is it?" I asked, trying to get up.

"You have to rest Celine, you are still recovering." He said. I felt sharp pain at my back as he held onto my left wrist.

"You were lucky I had stepped into the chambers, the Alpha meant to kill you." He explained, placing my head carefully on the bed. Death was what I wished for, but being saved was what I never expected.

"Why? Why am I still here? For a moment, when I thought of myself moving through worlds, I was glad and hopeful that I was finally going away from the harsh reality and pain that the world has caused me." I explained, feeling terrible, while the tears began to drop down my eyes as the sound of the whip kept replaying in my ears.

"You have your whole life ahead of you Celine. I understand that everyone hates you, but for some reason, I see great potentials in you." He assured, placing his hands on my chin, forcing me to face him.

"While you were unconscious, I examined the scars on your body and on the moon goddess! There had all disappeared." His revelation pulled a stare of disbelief from me.

"What do you mean they are all gone?" I asked believing Jedah, my wolf, wouldn't have healed the wounds, I thought to myself. She was weak from all the pain that she had lost her healing touch.

"I was surprised myself. It shows one thing..." He said standing up from the mat and going to grab a cup. "...it shows you are special. Here take this, it's one of the few herbs I gathered, I believe it would be of great help to you." He handed the herbs over to me and although the taste was sour, I still needed to take everything.

"The Alpha demanded that you be fixed before the next three days. I had informed him that you would be staying in my place for the night, in order to get you in the best of shape, so you don't have to worry about anything." He reassured me once again.

A day without having to go through torment was the happiest thing I have heard in a long time.

"What is happening three days from now?" I asked, racking through my brain to remember. The pack doctor smiled, seeing my confused look.

"The festival of the moon goddess is just days away and I believe Alpha Adrian would want you to be available to make food for the pack." He explained.

Ofcourse, I had seen the moon circle almost reaching it's full stage; a clear indication of the festival.

"The day happens to be my birthday as well, but just like every other one that came, it would be of no difference." I said rather much to myself. I believed if the celebration hadn't been in existence, I would have totally ignored that day; a day when my pain and agony had commenced.

Thinking through the previous years, I realized every one of my birthdays had a peculiar tragic event. The last one, saw the demise of my parents, who had died at the hands of a rogue.

"You don't have to put your mind to that. I believe something great will happen this year." The pack doctor assured me. I could only hope on the moon goddess herself, that things have to be different this time.