CHAPTER 2

Vivian. My adopted sister. Her name was the curse that shadowed me everywhere I went.

She wasn’t just my sister, she was also Rowan’s first love. The woman he lost. The woman I was said to have replaced.

Three years ago, she vanished near the border. After a year of searching for her, everyone finally accepted

that she was dead.

That fateful night, she left only a note for Rowan:

“I’m sorry. I can’t take Aurora’s place. I can’t endure any more blame. Now that she’s back, I have to go.”

After that, all the anger turned on me. Everyone believed that my return had driven her away—that I was the reason she got hurt and disappeared.

But I’d always been kind to her. Quite the opposite—she was the one who kept finding ways to hurt me.

No one listened when I tried to explain. Even my parents and brother Grayson looked at me with disdain.

And yet—I was the one who was Beta William’s blood daughter. Wasn’t I?

I got lost as a child, I survived thanks to the rescue of a witch. Ten years later, I was finally found by my family. Yet what awaited me was not warmth, but disdain…

I still can’t understand why everyone values Vivian, the adopted daughter with no blood relation, more.

My father, Beta William always takes his reputation—especially over the life and happiness of his adopted daughter, Vivian. Ever since my parents found me and brought me back home, I’m not allowed to go to the training grounds because my family is embarrassed by me. They think I’m too wild, not refined like Vivian, who grew up with proper Beta education.

My wolf, Jess, growled inside me.“Let me handle him, Aurora. I’m tired of bowing to him. He dares accuse us of harming that witch?”

I stopped her, 'If he believe I was already pregnant, maybe he would give the bone to me.'

I had to think about my baby. I had to tell Rowan the truth. I opened my mouth to speak,“You might have forgotten Rowan, one night a month ago, you got drunk, and then we—”

“I remember. That night was Vivian’s anniversary, and you seduced me. That’s it. That night was a mistake.”

“What?” My heart shattered. How could he say that?

“Don’t you dare open that mouth of yours to spew nonsense again, I have had enough of your lies and schemes!” he glared at me. “You disgust me!”

I may have disgusted him, but he needed to know the truth, he needed to know I was not lying to him about the pregnancy. “If you don’t believe me then ask the doctor…”

“Shut the fuck up!” his nostrils flaring even more, breathing heavily. “You don’t know when to stop, do you?” he advanced, walking slowly towards me with a deadly look in his eyes. I was trembling like a leaf on the chair; fear gripped me like an iron.

He suddenly stopped, clicked his tongue then turned around and left.

He walked out leaving me sitting there frozen in fear, tears falling freely down my cheeks. I sat there for a long-time crying. For my baby whose father did care about him, for the time I had wasted loving a man who despised me.

For the years I wasted, time and energy I wasted healing him. It was all for thing, he didn’t love me, and he didn’t care about our baby. He didn’t even believe he existed. After a long time, I gathered my strength and stood.

I walked slowly towards my bedroom. I pulled out my suitcase from under the bed and placed it on top of the bed. Opened it then went to my closet, opened and started taking clothes out and stuffing them into the suitcase.

It was time I left, I needed to find my mentor, the witch who saved me before. Maybe she would have something that would save my baby. I didn’t have much time, the doctor said he needed to be saved within a month.

A month was not a long time, I needed to get a move on and stop thinking about a selfish man. I didn’t know who saw me and went to tell Rowan, but he came rushing into my room. “I thought they were telling me lies.”

He crossed the room; I didn’t stop what I was doing. I continued packing. “You are leaving?” he questioned but I kept my mouth shut. He said all that needed to be said between us, I was done.

He grabbed my arm turning me to face him. “Don’t you dare ignore me!” he bellowed but I still said nothing, I just looked at him, my heart aching. “You are not fucking going anywhere!” he chuckled, but he was not amused, he was mad as hell and red in the face.

“You now want to leave here to go find Vivian and do unspeakable things to her? You already made her disappear as soon as you got back, now you want to finish what you started? Over my dead body will I allow that to happen!”

He dragged me towards the bed and that was when I snapped. I struggled with all my might, “Stop fucking struggling!” he raised his voice glaring at me, but I was not scared. I was going to fight him till the end for I had something to protect.

While I was glaring at me, I pulled my arm hard, and I broke free from him. I rushed to the door and ran out. I didn’t care if I had no clothes, I just needed to get the hell out of there. I thought I was free, the front door was right in front of me and all I needed was to open it then run towards those woods.

That was where my hope, my freedom was. Just as I opened the door, I was met with a sea of warriors. “Don’t let the Luna leave, she is sick and needs to be cared for here in the pack.” Came Rowan’s voice from behind.

I shook my head desperately looking at the treeline. “No, I am not sick, I just want to leave. No!” the warriors dragged me back towards the stairs with me kicking and screaming. They were not gentle, far from it.

It was like they were holding an escaped prisoner. “Rowan…” he didn’t even glance at me. I heard him saying to his beta. “Lock her up in the dungeon until we bring Vivian back.”

My heart sank.