CHAPTER 7

AURORA

It had been three days since Rowan locked me up.

He hadn’t come to see me once. He’d heard that I wasn’t well, yet he didn’t bother to check on me. He must have thought I was pretending again — as usual.

I didn’t even know when Rowan had started believing I was a liar.

What was I saying? Of course, it was because of her — Vivian.

That damned woman ruined my life; I couldn’t wait for the day Rowan found out that she was alive. That she left him.

Maybe then my name would be cleared but I didn’t know what would become of my baby then. I suddenly felt lightheaded, black dots started dancing in my vision and before I knew it, I was coughing up blood.

I couldn’t stop it. It just kept coming. “Oh, dear Goddess! Call the alpha!” I could hear one of the warriors guarding me panicking and yelling at the other one. This whole thing started with me feeling my body growing heavier and heavier. I thought it was because she was pregnant. “This is bad. The poison inside you has erupted!”

My wolf said and my hands shook. it was indeed bad, i could die if i didnt take the medicine to surpress it soon. 

When I was ten, I had been poisoned by a rare snake in the forest. After my parents took me back home, they never believed I was poisoned when I told them. They thought I was faking illness just to steal their attention from Vivian.

In truth, just one herb could suppress it. Every year, I would go into the forest around this time to gather it. But this year, I had been delayed becuase my dear mate locked me up in the dungeon. Now, the poison was acting up again. My chest and throat throbbed from all the vomiting.

My whole body ached, and cold sweat drenched my forehead. I could feel my energy depleting, I could tell I wasn’t going to be conscious for long.

 For the first time, I didn’t want to go on living. Maybe it’s better to just die, I thought. What was the point of living anyway.

Rowan refused to save our baby, he refused to believe he even existed, and he was going to die in a month without that wolf mothers bone. It was better I left this world together with my baby, it was time to stop the suffering.

I froze when I heard footsteps. That voice… I would recognize it anywhere.

My brother, Grayson.

 “Stop pretending,” he said coldly, "You brought this on yourself."

I smiled weakly. When I was little, he was my family. I wished I could go back to the time before I was kidnapped. The time when my brother and I were close.

Ever since I went back home, I had become nothing more than a shadow in his eyes, the unwanted sister who had hurt his precious “little Vivian.”

To him, my very existence was a reminder of her pain, and he made sure I never forgot it.

Sometimes, I wondered if I had truly lost a brother that day — or if I’d simply never had one at all.

“Every year around Vivian’s death anniversary, you do this to get attention.” he sneered.

I used to always explain herself, but now I was tired, and I didn’t want to argue. It was no use anyway instead I said, "You’re right. I just want to stir up trouble on her death anniversary, to make you all unhappy."

"Too bad someone as wicked as me is still alive, while your sweet little sister Vivian is dead." I smirked, they thought I was evil anyway, I might as well give them what they wanted.

"How dare you!" A slap landed across my cheek.

My smirked grew wide, he didn’t disappoint. I knew he was either going to yell and curse or walk away.

But this time, he did the unthinkable, something he had never done before. He slapped me.

To my surprise, Grayson seemed shocked by his actions maybe he didn’t expect or mean to lose control.

“Why do you always have to push people to their limits, you deserved the slap for provoking me with Vivian."

Without another word, he hurriedly left.

I closed my eyes, tears streaming down my face. Finally, he left. Once upon a time Grayson had been a loving brother. When I first got back home, he had been kind to me then as well, and I had done my best to be good to him, helping him heal injuries after he came back from the wars. I wanted to get back the connection we had lost when I was taken.

But it didn’t last. Under Vivian’s repeated provocations, Grayson grew annoyed with me, eventually, my brother refused to speak to me.

Yet when Vivian died, my brother went insane, shouting, "Why? Why didn’t death take to you!"

I didn’t understand. What was so special about Vivian that made so many men go mad for her?

My brother’s allergic to many foods, and I had spent countless days and nights preparing meals and searching for herbs for him. But it seemed my brother like Rowan had forgotten all that…

My wolf, sensing my grief, spoke “Ugh, these people are despicable. Aurora, you have to get the treasure, or even my power won’t protect you."

I smiled weakly, "Maybe death isn’t so bad… I really am tired."

At that moment, just when my eyes grew heavy and I was finding it difficult to keep them open. My husband Rowan entered.

“Your face…” he seemed genuinely surprised to see me like this, then sighed, "You provoked Grayson with Vivian, didn’t you?”

Again, about Vivian, couldn’t he see that I was not well, why concern himself with someone who was not there? “You will continue getting slapped if you don’t stop this nonsense of yours."

I snorted coldly, avoiding Rowan’s gaze. Rowan continued, "Tomorrow, during soldier training, I’ll make sure to warn him not to do that again."

I sneered, "No need to pretend to be the good guy in front of me."

Rowan said, “Then tell me, what would it take for you to stop being upset with me?”

I looked at him, he looked sincere and so I asked, "Sure. I’ll ask you one last time. If this treasure is the only thing that can save my life, would you give it to me?" a faint hope still lingering in my heart.

Rowan sighted shoving his hands in his pockets. "Stop joking! That treasure is only for reviving Vivian. You lied enough times, and no one will believe you even if you were dying! "

All the hope I had was once again crushed. "I really want to see… if you knew that Vivian…" I wanted to reveal that Vivian wasn’t dead, but he didn’t deserve it, the truth was going to be revealed soon, I wanted to see what he was going to say or do then.

Rowan frowned and came closer to me; he shook me slightly. "What about Vivian? What do you know?"

Anything concerning Vivian drew his intense attention. I sneered inwardly; I couldn’t take it anymore. My vision was becoming blurry. “Aurora, what do you know?” he questioned once more but it was like he was talking for afar.

Suddenly, I felt dizzy and the nauseous came back. I stumbled and Rowan moved to support me. Anger rose from the pit my stomach, why was he acting as if he cared? slapped his hand away and said, "LEAVE ME ALONE!"

He seemed taken back by my outburst but then I couldn’t keep my eyes open anymore. My vision went dark, and I lost consciousness.