Chapter 3: Again?

MYRA / SELENE

"Where am I?"

Sharp breath tore from my lips as my eyes snapped open while my body jerked up instinctively, my fingers curling into the damp earth beneath me.

My chest heaved, and for a moment, all I could hear was the pounding of my heart in my ears.

Where am I?

I pushed myself upright, my muscles trembling, and looked around. The air was thick with mist, swirling around me like ghostly tendrils.

This place; it felt ancient. Sacred.

Yet utterly foreign.

I had never been this deep in the forest before. I was sure of it.

But I also knew that this was a part of the forest and the only confusing thing was how the hell I got here.

A creeping sense of unease settled over me. How did I get here? My mind clawed at the fog clouding my thoughts, trying to grasp onto something, anything that made sense. But all I found was a blur of hazy memories, shattered fragments slipping through my fingers like sand.

And then it hit me.

A blade plunging into my back and the sickening warmth of blood pooling all over me.

Jace’s face, cold, indifferent as he let me fall.

I shuddered, wondering how I wasn't dead or if I was indeed dead and my spirit was just hovering. I sucked in a deep breath, my throat tightening. I should be dead.

So why am I still here?

"You're in the center of your realm and the underworld," a voice echoed through the stillness, smooth as silk yet laced with authority.

I spun around, my breath hitching.

A woman stepped forward, her presence seeming to command the very air around her.

She was ethereal, too striking, too luminous to be anything mortal. Her flowing silver hair shimmered as though woven from moonlight itself, cascading down her back in waves.

Her skin glowed with an almost celestial radiance, and her eyes unearthly, glowing with an ancient wisdo—pierced through me as if she could see straight into my soul.

She didn’t belong to this world.

I barely found my voice when she spoke again, her tone laced with intrigue.

"Care to explain what you're doing here?" She tilted her head, studying me like a puzzle that didn’t quite fit. "Because according to the scrolls, your time of death isn’t now."

A cold dread washed over me.

"Who are you?" She raised a brow and I gulped. It was as though she was ordering me to shut up.

"That wasn't my question."

"I was killed. My fiance killed me… " She flickered her hands and I pursed my lips together in fright.

"Skip the details, I already know them, but your time to come here isn't close, even a long distance, so you're going back." My head is splitting into two as I found it hard to comprehend what she was saying.

"You have a mission to complete, so do it before you think of coming here again." She rolled her eyes and flicked a finger, and it felt like I was being pushed from a high building.

I jolted awake, my eyes snapping open with a sudden rush of adrenaline as I took sharp heavy breaths.

I gasped, taking more deep breaths, trying to calm the racing of my heart as I turned to take a quick survey of my surroundings.

Hold on!

What is this?

I realized with a jolt of terror that I wasn't in my bed, or even in a familiar place.

I was... What the fuck is this?

Dear goddess, no. Tears pulled up in my eyes as I tried to stand up but failed woefully at it.

My head was enclosed in a cold space, with wooden slats pressing against my cheeks.

I struggled to move, but my body was pinned in place while murmurs were the only sound I could make.

Panic set in as I realized I was inside a gallow, my head stuck through the noose.

Again? In this life?

"Myra. Following the status quo of the rules for rogues, you are hereby sentenced to death by hanging for unauthorized entry into the pack."

"No...no wait." I yelled as the noose tightened around my neck, making it hard to breathe. I strained my eyes, trying to see the face of the person condemning me to death, but my efforts were futile.

I can't die in this life. Not after I just got given another chance to get my revenge.

"You will be hanged by the neck until dead. May the goddess have mercy on your soul."

I screamed, the sound muffled by the wooden slats.

I was going to die. I was actually going to die. The thought sent a wave of desperation crashing over me, as I blinked repeatedly.

"Please, please spare my life. I'd do anything to prove that I am worthy of a chance of living. Please." I screamed as I felt the trap door opening slowly and my heart skipped some beats.

I'm absolutely sure that I have the worst fate ever. If the goddess knew she'd make me come back just to die again, why did she even bother?

I seethed in pain as my whole neck was sore.

"What could a rogue possibly offer?" I heard a voice, and I'm not sure if it was a good thing, but it felt familiar.

"I beseech one last word with the Alpha." I stated and everyone gasped. You could literally hear a pin drop amidst the crowd as I held my tongue hoping that I would at least be given a chance.

"Now wouldn't it be unfair not to grant a last wish? As long as it helps your soul pass on peacefully," I heard heavy footsteps come in my direction before his face came into view and, for a tiny second, time paused.

Alpha Gray Steele.

Surely, if he knew I was the one, he would save me.

"Alpha Gray, I am..." I trailed off with the realization that I couldn't just say I was Luna Selene and expect anybody to believe me.

I was in another body and rebirth had long ago been forgotten. I had to think of the next productive statement, an offer he was most likely not to decline.

"Alpha Gray, if you spare my life, I promise to be a trusted servant and serve you with loyalty for as long as I live." He stared at me for a few seconds and I could swear I saw a little bit of pity in his eyes before his dark and cold aura returned.

"Go ahead, sire." He motioned to the guards and I shook violently against the chains as he walked back to his feet.

"If you spare my life, I'll help you acquire and capture the Silver Claw pack," I stated as the guards came up to me and when I saw him stop in his tracks, I knew I had made positive progress this time.

He turned slowly yet magnificently before walking up the platform to stare at me.

"How do I believe that?" He questioned and I gulped.

"Spare my life first and I'll give you every bit of information I know for now."

*From here onward, Luna Selene would be addressed as Myra following the rebirth*