A Face That Was Mine

Audrey's POV 

I walked back to the dressing room, though I couldn’t remember putting one foot in front of the other.

Every step felt heavier than the last. The other girls would ask how the night had gone.

What was I supposed to tell them?

That the most feared Alpha in the kingdom was my mate… and he hadn’t recognized me?

The dressing room buzzed with laughter when I stepped inside.

I slipped my porcelain mask onto the vanity and rubbed my face with trembling hands. 

My skin felt strangely warm, and no matter how deeply I breathed, I couldn’t seem to draw enough air into my lungs.

Mate.

The word still echoed inside my head and I squeezed my eyes shut.

No. It had to be a mistake.

The Moon Goddess couldn’t possibly have paired me with Kairos Thornheart.

Could she?

“Audrey’s back!” Dalia’s excited squeal snapped me from my thoughts.

Before I could react, the girls surrounded me, each trying to ask a different question at once.

“What was he like?”

“Did he really come alone?”

“Was he as handsome as people say?”

I forced a smile onto my face. If they noticed my hands shaking, no one mentioned it.

“Slow down,” I laughed softly. “I can only answer one question at a time.”

“So?” Lily bounced impatiently. “Tell us!”

I swallowed the truth before it could reach my lips. “He’s… handsome.”

That much wasn’t a lie. A chorus of whistles filled the room.

“And?”

I shrugged. “He tipped well.”

That earned a louder cheer.

I told them about the conversation and his sense of humor. I carefully avoided mentioning everything else that happened. 

Half of them were jealous and the other half were fascinated. Bella was watching me closely, her brow furrowing ever so slightly.

She knew me too well.

"You should have seen his face when I saw him," Lilly was saying to someone behind me. "He looks like some sort of Greek god.”

"Did he try anything?" someone asked me.

I batted my eyes and drawled. “Nothing I couldn't handle.”

Everyone burst into laughter except for Bella. 

I excused myself and walked over to my vanity, getting ready to wipe off the makeup on my face. 

“You don't look fine.” Belle pointed out, leaning against my chair. “What happened there?”

I turned to her and force a smile on my face. “Nothing. Didn't you hear me? Everything went fine.”

She didn't look like she believed me but thankfully, she didn't push it either. 

Madame Bertha came in and distributed our tips in cash, she stopped in front of me and patted my shoulder. 

“The Alpha loved you tonight,” she whispered, pressing a heavy envelope into my hand. “Keep doing what you're doing.” 

I forced another smile on my face, although my heart skipped a beat. 

Once she was distributing the tips, she addressed all of us seriously. “Make sure you get your beauty sleep, tomorrow is another big day.”

“Yes, Madame!” We all called out in unison and one by one, each of the girls started to step out of the room.

Bella squeezed my arm on her way out. “I'll text you when I get home.” I whispered and she smiled. 

I followed the girls out but took my usual shortcut, eager to walk and clear my head.

Most of the girls refused to walk alone at night, but I had done it enough times that I knew the road too well.

However, my mind kept turning it over and over in my head. 

My thoughts refused to leave Kairos. Why couldn’t he feel the bond?

I pulled out my phone and typed his name into the search bar.

The page loaded immediately and there were just the usual news of his achievements and plans towards the pack. 

I kept scrolling until my eyes caught the headline. 

“The Thornheart Curse: Myth or Something More?”

“Curse?” I muttered under my breath. 

I remembered hearing something about a curse sometime back but waved it off as a rumor. 

With Kairos Thornheart, no one knew what was real and what wasn't. 

As I read, my steps gradually slowed. According to the article, every generation of the Thornheart bloodline carried the same curse.

The Alpha would never recognize his fated mate. Some claimed it began after the mysterious death of the Luna. 

Others insisted the Moon Goddess herself had turned her face from their family.

But I was here, how did that make any sense? Did the curse only affect him and not vice versa? 

I groaned softly and dragged a hand through my hair. “What am I supposed to do now?”

I had no idea what to do or what it meant. What if he kept coming to the club? How was I going to pretend to be normal? 

“What am I going to-” A loud scream cut off the rest of my words and my entire body went rigid. 

I knew I should keep walking but the scream echoed again. I closed my eyes for the briefest moment.

“Damn it.”

Before my brain could change its mind, my feet were already moving. I ran towards where I heard the sound. 

The alley smelled of damp concrete and garbage. A young woman stood trapped against the brick wall while two men closed in around her.

They were shoving her and I caught the glint of a knife even from where I stood. 

I already had the pepper spray out of my coat pocket. "Hey!” I yelled.

The three of them turned to look at me and I rushed forward. 

“Let go of her.” Before any of them could even respond, I sprayed the canister all over their faces.

One of them lunged toward me and I sidestepped and slammed my elbow into the side of his head. 

The other one was in pain, clawing at his face and screaming. 

I turned to the girl and grabbed her arm. “Run!” 

We raced out of the alley but the men had already recovered, closing behind us while they yelled. 

The girl was fast, I would give her that. We took a sharp turn but then my phone slipped out of my hand.

“Dammit! My phone!” I swore under my breath and stopped without thinking.

She tripped at the same moment and screamed as she landed hard on the ground. 

Forgetting the phone, I rushed to her side and pulled her up. I looked over my shoulder and luckily, the men still hadn't gained on us. 

“Thank you,” the girl whispered. I turned to look at her for the first time. 

And I stopped breathing. 

“Heavens,” she whispered, looking as horrified as I felt and I staggered back. 

This wasn't just a resemblance. It was like looking into a mirror. 

Her eye colour, lip shape, even her hair… everything was exactly like mine. 

“What…” Her voice trembled. “…who are you?”

I couldn’t answer. Because I had the exact same question.

“Stop there!” The men yelled, already advancing towards us. 

She grabbed my hand and we were moving into the forest path. 

Her fingers were locked around mine, and I was still half in shock when I realized where we were going.

"No," I said. "No, not that way!"

It was too late.

We came out of the trees where the cliff started. I had come here often enough to know that it was a forty-foot fall to the river below. 

“Come on,” I grabbed her hand again, pushing away the shock. “We have to get out of here-”

When we turned around, the men came up behind us and for a moment nobody moved.

One of them laughed.

"End of the road," he said. He was the one I had sprayed and his eyes were still red-rimmed. “You should have kept walking, sweetheart."

I scowled at him. “You should be fucking ashamed of attacking a girl like that!”

“This has nothing to do with you.” The first man growled, his eyes flashing. 

I raised my middle finger and cocked my head. The two of them snarled and rushed forward. 

I stepped in front of the girl before thinking and threw a punch back that landed on one of the men.

He yowled but the other one slammed a blow to the back of my head and then something sharp stabbed into my stomach. 

“Stupid bitch.” He growled and I looked down to see him pulling a bloody knife away from my side. 

The pain was like fire and blood pooled underneath my hands.

“NO!” The girl screamed but I could barely hear her as I staggered back. 

My eyes blurred with tears as I struggled to breathe but it was almost impossible. 

I was heading towards the cliff edge but there was nothing I could do to stop it. 

“I won't let you die!” She yelled and rushed forward but I already missed my footing. 

I slipped backward just as her hand wrapped around my wrist. 

For one impossible second, our eyes locked. Identical faces of terror staring at each other. 

The two of us went over the cliffs edge, her scream piercing the night air and the only thought that flashed in my mind was…

I really should have minded my business.