CHAPTER FOUR

(Aya’s POV)

The moment my feet hit the forest floor, I let out a sob so broken it didn't sound human. My wedding dress—once a dream, now a cruel joke—dragged on the damp earth as I ran, my vision blurred with tears. The trees stretched endlessly before me, their towering shadows swaying as if they were mourning with me. Mourning what exactly? Was it my relationship with Malakai or my life as a whole?

How had everything gone so wrong?

I clutched at my chest, gasping for air, but the pain wouldn’t reduce. It was as if Malakai had reached inside me and torn out my soul.

My mate. My love.

Had I been a fool all along?

I collapsed against the rough bark of a tree, sinking to my knees. My fingers dug into the dirt, the cold sinking through my skin. A sob ripped from my throat, raw and desperate.

“I hate you,” I whispered, tilting my face to the dark sky. “Moon Goddess, I hate you.”

My voice broke on the last word. I had done everything right. I had endured. I had obeyed. I had suffered, all with the hope that someday, I would have something—someone—who was mine. And now?

Now, I was nothing.

A discarded omega. An unwanted mate.

No one would defend me. No one would look for me.

“Pathetic,” a voice sneered behind me.

I stiffened, my body trembling.

I knew that voice.

Slowly, I turned, my tear-streaked face lifting to meet Jolene’s cold, triumphant gaze.

She stood with her arms crossed, her white silk dress untouched by the dirt and chaos of the night. Even in the moonlight, her beauty was undeniable—golden curls, bright green eyes, a smile so sweet it could rot souls. I was jealous. No, the better words were, bitter and envious. 

The smile widened.

“Finally,” she sighed. “I thought you’d never stop crying.”

I stared at her, chest rising and falling in small breaths.

She took a step forward. “You have no idea how long I’ve waited for this moment.”

A chill crawled down my spine.

Jolene crouched before me, tilting her head. “You actually believed he wanted you?” she asked, voice laced with mock pity. “Oh, Aya, you truly are a simple creature.”

I swallowed, my throat raw. “Why?” My voice was hoarse. “Why did you do this?”

She laughed. A soft, musical sound that made my stomach churn.

“Because I could,” she said simply.

I clenched my fists. “You stole him from me.”

She scoffed. “Please. I didn’t steal anything. Malakai was never yours to begin with. He was mine the moment I decided he would be.”

I wanted to deny it. I wanted to tell her she was wrong. But the truth was staring me in the face.

Three and a half months.

Malakai had never been mine.

Jolene leaned in, her lips brushing my ear. “You were so easy to ruin,” she whispered.

Her words sent a shiver down my spine.

Then, before I could react, pain—sharp and blinding—exploded through my side.

I gasped.

Jolene’s claws had pierced through my skin.

My body arched in agony as blood widened against the white lace of my dress. The scent of its metallic filled the air. My breath hitched, my limbs growing weak.

Jolene held me close, her lips still curled in that cruel smile. “You don’t belong in our world, Aya.” She twisted her claws deeper, making me cry out. “You never have.”

Tears slipped down my cheeks, my body convulsing. My vision wavered.

I was dying.

Jolene pulled back, wiping my blood from her fingers onto my gown. She sighed, as if the whole thing had been tedious.

“Goodbye, dear sister,” she murmured.

I collapsed onto the cold ground, my breath ragged. My fingers twitched, reaching for something—anything. But there was nothing.

I had nothing.

The darkness came in, swallowing me whole. 

And in my final moments, I did the only thing I could.

I begged.

“Moon Goddess…” My voice trembled, weak. “Please… give me a second chance.”

The world faded.

Then, suddenly—

Light.

Warm, golden light surrounded me. The scent of wildflowers and fresh earth filled me in an instant. I was no longer in the forest. I was… somewhere else.

A garden.

I blinked, my wounds forgotten. The pain was gone. The despair, the humiliation—it was as if they had never existed.

And before me stood a woman.

She was radiant, with silver hair cascading down her back and eyes the color of the stars. She smiled, soft and simple, and in her hands, she held a basket of fruit.

“Eat,” she said, her voice like a song, something I'd like to play all day.

I hesitated. “Who are you?”

She stepped closer, pressing the basket into my hands.

“The one who has heard your plea.”

I looked down at the fruit, my heart pounding.

What was this? A dream? A trick?

Or…

A second chance?

I reached for the fruit—

And then—

I gasped.

My eyes snapped open.

Gone was the garden. Gone was the Moon Goddess.

Instead, I found myself lying beneath the canopy of a grand, unfamiliar bed, the silk sheets cool against my skin.

My breath hitched.

This… this wasn’t the forest. This wasn’t the Blue Moon Pack.

Where was I?

The door swung open. A young woman entered, her expression urgent. She gasped when she saw me, her eyes widening in relief.

“You’re awake!” she exclaimed.

I opened my mouth, but no words came out. My throat felt dry, my mind blurry. What was happening?

The woman rushed to the wardrobe, throwing it open. “Hurry, miss! You must get dressed at once!”

I blinked at her, confused. “Dressed?” My voice sounded strange.

She turned to me, exasperated. “Yes! The King will be here soon, and if you’re not ready, he’ll be furious.”

My blood ran cold.

King?

I slowly swung my legs over the bed, my heart hammering. My body felt… different. Lighter. Stronger.

Something was wrong.

I turned my head—and froze.

A mirror stood across the room.

I rose to my feet, my breaths small as I stepped toward it.

Then, I saw her.

A stranger.

A woman with flawless porcelain skin, raven-black hair cascading over her shoulders, and piercing silver eyes that were not my own.

I lifted a trembling hand.

The reflection did the same.

No.

No, this wasn’t possible.

I wasn’t looking at myself.

I was looking at—

“Miss Marie-Anne,” the woman called, snapping me from my shock.

I turned to her, my heart pounding. “Who…” My voice cracked. “Who is my fiancé?”

The woman frowned. “Miss, are you feeling unwell?”

She stepped closer, lowering her voice.

“King Asher will not take kindly to delays.”

King Asher.

The ruthless Lycan King.

The room spun.

I wasn’t Aya Johnson anymore.

I was Marie-Anne Rose Crown. And, the ruthless Lycan King, one the whole wolf world had heard about, one that had a history of ending 50 Alphas and wiping off 30 wolf packs, was my fiancé.