Kira's Pov
"Let me go….please, don't do this!"
My voice cracked, but the guards didn't even blink.
I was being dragged down a narrow stairwell, deeper and deeper into the earth, until the air grew damp and cold.
My wrists burned where the silver chains dug in, my knees scraping against the stone floor as the guards dragged me forward. The elders and healers were chanting, their voices rising and falling like they were casting a spell, drowning out the sound of my heart racing in my chest.
I already knew what this was.
I was the chosen sacrifice.
Not because I'd sinned. Not because I'd volunteered. But because I was an omega….lowborn, powerless, disposable.
On the altar ahead, Amara….the High Alpha's daughter…lay pale and gasping, her weak heart failing. The cure? A living heart, stolen from another wolf.
And of course, it had to be mine…I mean ….I was nothing. …No one. Of course my life didn't matter compared to the alphas heir.
"Hold her," a guard snapped, shoving me down. Cold stone pressed against my back as rough hands pinned me in place….it burned…
I wanted to scream, to fight, but what good would it do? I'd been too weak my entire life. Why would today be any different?
A whimper broke from me when I saw the blade catch the torchlight. The healer held it with both hands like it was sacred, when really it was nothing more than a knife to carve me open.
Tears blurred my vision. Why why today?? why me moon goddess??
I had already just found my mate..Leo
My first and only love. We were supposed to seal the bond tonight after being together since forever. For the first time in my life, I thought I belonged to someone. That I mattered. He was only an omega too, but at least what we had was real. He saw me. He loved me.
And now I would never see him again.
The blade touched my skin and a burning pain ripped through me. I gasped, the sound torn from my throat as my body arched against the restraints.
"Don't….don't do this….please" I begged, but my voice was swallowed by the chanting.
The knife sank deeper. Blood filled my mouth. My vision darkened at the edges.
If this was the end, then I had one last wish. One prayer.
'Moon Goddess, if you are cruel enough to take me like this, then grant me just one mercy. Let me be reborn. Let me know what it feels like to live as something more than dirt beneath their boots. Let me come back as a wolf of power, and let me have revenge on all who have wronged me.'
The last thing I heard before everything went black was Amara's sharp intake of breath… , as my heart was lifted from my chest.
And then there was nothing.Only silence.
...…
I woke up gasping..
I expected pain….expected to feel the gaping wound in my chest. But there was nothing. Only smooth skin.
I clutched at my heart….. It was there. Beating strong.
But how?
Could that only have been a nightmare?
I opened my eyes to be met with a ceiling above me that shimmered with gold patterns, too ornate to belong to any omega's dwelling. My body trembled as I pushed myself upright.
Where…Where was I??
For a second, I just sat there, shaking, clutching at myself like I needed proof. The last thing I remembered was the knife splitting me open and my heart being lifted up from my chest . I had died.
Tears slowly trickled down my cheeks as I felt the anger surge…. they'd cut my life short to save that spoiled girl.…..I had been a loyal servant given my all to the pack despite the unfairness I had faced…..but in the end i was slaughtered like a chicken by it's owner ..
"She's awake!" someone shouted."Oh my goddess…call the Alpha. Call Alpha Lucian!"
I flinched at the noise and turned to see a creepy looking old man staring down at me…
Shouldn't I be seeing the Moon Goddess? Not him?
Then quickly,
The chamber doors burst open. Dozens of people walked in eyes directly on me. They pressed close, whispering, staring like they were seeing a ghost.
"Stay back" I warned, my voice so low i almost couldn't hear it
Tears trickled down my eyes…."Please… don't hurt me."
" Luna Jasmine are you okay?" the old man asked
Luna….Jasmine????
The name struck like lightning.
My head throbbed then flashes tore through me…memories that weren't mine. A rope tied around wrists. A girl's broken sobs. A mate stolen. A suicide attempt.
I pressed my palms to my temples. "Stop… stop…" My voice cracked. It didn't feel like my voice.
Jasmine….
The pain was too much i felt myself slipping away again but before it did I felt it…
A presence. Cold, ancient, suffocating. A shadow brushing over my soul like chains tightening.
....
When i opened my eyes again, the darkness of the night sky had turned into warm daylight.
A sweet scent filled the air and the warm glow of the sun filtered in from the huge window, calming my nerves.
Yet, in the next second, i tensed up again….as i realized I was being held
A strong arm tightened around my waist . I was nothing more than a doll in his grasp, like a teddy bear hugged too tightly by a child.
A strong sense of fear spread in my chest as the man snuggled in closer.
I gently tried to get free from his hands..but the arm tightened, locking me in place.
"Still trying to run?" A voice rasped at my ear, deep, low, dangerous.
Every nerve in me screamed. My wolf shrank back, trembling.
Out of my survival instincts, i shook my head…
I still hadn't realized what was happening but I knew I his presence was too terrifying..
Even more terrifying than most Alphas I'd met…
His heavy, hot breath buried in my neck made the hair on my skin rise.
I didn't dare move an inch.
"You're never gonna escape..Luna" his deep raspy voice whispered mockingly in my ear….as he planted small hickeys on my neck and below my ears…sending shivers down my spine..
After what seemed like forever, he finally released me.
And a suprisingly beautiful sight fell into my eyes.
He stood like a shadow given flesh…tall, broad-shouldered, like it was carved from power itself….he was half naked revealing his perfectly toned back..
He moved with the grace of a predator, picking up his shirt and buttoning it with unhurried precision.
Then he turned…
Crimson eyes. His long hair, black as midnight, fell in loose waves, framing a face both cruel and breathtaking…The weight of his aura pressed down on me…suffocating, endless, like the night itself had taken human form.
Who was this devastatingly handsome man?
My pulse quickened. Heat coiled low in my belly.
"Rest," he murmured, voice deep enough to rattle my bones. "You'll need your strength."
And then he left.
Just like that.
No explanation... Nothing.
The silence he left behind was suffocating.
But at least…I could finally breathe. I could finally reflect on my situation.
Where was I? Had I truly been reborn?
A small smile tugged at my lips. From the looks of it…could it be that I'd been reborn as the wife of a powerful, rich, devastatingly handsome Alpha?
Joy surged through me. Oh, thank you, Moon Goddess. Finally…finally, I was no longer the weak omega doomed to be nothing.
I pushed myself up from the bed, laughter bubbling in my throat. My legs shook, but they obeyed. I stretched my arms, ran my fingers through my hair, even pinched my own skin just to feel the new strength pulsing there. It was real.
I twirled, giddy relief spilling out of me like sunlight after a storm.
Until a mirror from the far wall caught my eye.
The blood drained from my face.
The reflection staring back was familiar. Too familiar.
Long platinum blonde hair fell over a face caked in garish makeup.. My breath caught. My hands shook as I reached toward the mirror, praying it was a trick.
But it wasn't.
It was her.
Jasmine. Amara's stepsister. The unwanted child of the Alpha who had stolen my life.
"No…" My voice cracked as the truth slammed into me.
This wasn't a gift.
It was a curse.