Chapter two.

~Aurora.

It was already two weeks since my sister's and boyfriend's betrayal and another two weeks since I got confined into a corner of the palace maids' room to work as a personal maid to my sister, Isadora.

I had formerly refused to serve her and ran back to our house, only to be greeted by strangers with news that my sister sold our house; Isadora sold the only place I called home. Having no other option, I hung my head between my shoulders and assumed my position as her personal maid, while being fully aware that I would be sharing the same space with Ethan.

And speaking of Ethan?

Isadora did all she could to rub him and his affection to my face, ever ready to invite me to their private time, she was always inviting me to their room whenever Ethan was around in a disguise of wanting to have a conversation with her sister. The sister she was too quick to betray!

I was no sister to Isadora, perhaps, a competition and a quest to conquer, but a sister? That was the least thing she saw me as. I blamed my parents these past few days for leaving me in this cruel, wicked world. If they had been here, I wouldn't have been in the palace working as a maid, I was certain. If I had known them, perhaps, I would have been in a corner of the world living my best life, if I had known them…

I sniffled and Jessie groaned as she turned to me.

“Ugh, not again, Aurora, I am beginning to grow tired of your tears.” she nudged me playfully with a sigh.

“I'm sorry,” I said as I wiped my tears and turned my face to the wall. The cross was mine to bear, I didn't need to disturb others with my pain, especially Jessie who was doing her every best to see that I was okay.

“Oh, come on, Aurora, you know I didn't mean it like that, I just hate seeing you crying over these people. Nobody should be the reason for your tears, especially not your sister and her husband.” Jessie was a friend I made during my times as Ethan's girlfriend and has been the only person who stuck with me since Ethan's betrayal. “God, Aurora, you're burning up.” I winced as I felt Jessie's palm against my neck.

“I'm fine, Jessie.” My fever started about four days ago, and it only got worse with each passing day, the headache that came with it was severe. The body pains and the nausea, they were all strange and frightening and the last thing I wanted was to report to Isadora because I knew she would see that as a reason to punish me more.

“I will take the aspirin and I will be fine.” Which was a lie because I have been taking the aspirin for the last four days without any improvement, but how could I be better when all my sister does was to make me stressed?

The morning was quick to come, and I woke up feeling rather light headed than usual, my stomach churned from the scent of the soap the maids had used in bathing and later, gave in to throwing up to the scent of my soap. Once I was done cleaning up, I made for Isadora's room to find her still asleep with a pile of clothes in the corner of the room.

With a weak sigh, I picked the clothes and left to resume my duties for the day, and Isadora's laundry was the core chore of each day. While sorting the clothes out, the room began to spin, I leaned against the wall and rubbed my thumbs against my temples but the exercise did nothing to stop both the lightheadedness and the headache. I closed my eyes and tried to take in deep breaths, but it did nothing to ease my pains.

“Jessie!” I yelled, gripping the washing machine to steady myself. Receiving no feedback from Jessie, I started on the clothes to avoid Isadora's wrath because I knew Isadora wouldn't take my sickness for an excuse.

A gasp escaped my lips as my head spun again. My head turned heavy and my vision, hazy.

“Jessie!” I screamed again at the top of my lungs. I could hear the terror in my voice this time. I wasn't sure she heard me, so I pushed myself off the washing machine and made for the door. Perhaps, I thought, I would be better if I made it back to the maids' quarters.

“Aurora,” Jessie called with a gasp as she rushed into the room, and the fear in her eyes was the last thing I saw before I felt my body against the floor.

****

The smell of disinfectant wafted through my nostrils as a bright light attacked my eyes as I peeled them open. I pressed my elbows into the bed and propped myself up on the bed just in time for Jessie and the doctor to walk into the ward. I was in the royal clinic. I could recognize Dr. Kings and that smell of disinfectant anytime.

“Thank God you're awake, Aurora,” Jessie said, rushing to my side, "I was worried something had happened to you when you passed out in front of me.”

“Yeah, she was ready to snap me into two on your behalf.” Dr. Kings added while watching us from a distance.

“I have to go back to my duties, but I'll be back soon and don't worry, I will try my best to cover for you.” I gave her a smile and a small nod before watching her leave the room and Dr. Kings walk up to me.

“I come bearing news, Ms-,” he pulled out an envelope from the pocket of his hospital coat and read out, "Ms. Aldrich.”

I raised a brow at his cheerful tone because I knew there was nothing going on in my life that warranted such cheerfulness.

“What news is that doctor?”

“Good news,” he quipped and held out the envelope, "you are three weeks pregnant, Ms. Aldrich.”

“Wha- what do you mean?” I snatched the envelope from Dr. Kings and pulled out the test results to see the 'positive' and 'twenty-one days pregnant' staring back at me. “ This can't be possible, I can't be pregnant.”

“But that is your name written on the result, isn't it?” I looked down at the paper and my name, Aurora Aldrich, was clearly written on the paper.

My lungs contracted and refused to release, I looked up at the doctor with tears in my eyes and saw he was still speaking. I held the paper in my hands and rose from the bed, uninterested in any other word he had to say, but not without catching a few words about strong foetus and weak womb, but I couldn't care less.

The streets were empty and lonely when I stepped into the starless and moonless night. The moon also has refused to shine its lights upon the earth or, maybe, upon me. The chirping of the crickets and the hooting of the owls were my only escorts as I staggered back to the palace.

I knew whom I was pregnant for because he was the only man I knew, but, what was I to say to him? With my sister by his side as his wife? Would he even entertain the topic after he had already made a choice to be with Isadora? Heck! How was I supposed to tell him I was pregnant?

My legs gave out, causing me to crash against the rough ground. Scraped hands and knees evidence of my fall.

'You are not weak, Aurora." Zoey, my wolf said as I blinked back the tears that were threatening to escape my eyes. 'Talk to him about this and he would accept you. You are with his child, Aurora, he would never refuse you.”

“I am with his child,” I whispered into the cold night as I rubbed my stomach, my tears finally finding their way down my cheeks.

“I am with his child," I repeated and pulled myself off the ground, determined to share the news with him.

I decided to write a letter to Ethan knowing he was not going to reply to my messages just as he has been doing since he was crowned king. I attached the result to the letter and slid into his study and placed the letter in the middle of the book I was certain he was currently reading, knowing he was coming back to the study to round off before retiring for the night.

I hurried back to the maids’ quarter and waited for Ethan to send for me or, rather, come to look for me.

Nearly three hours later, there was a knock on my door. I jumped down from my bed even with little strength and rushed to the door. To my disappointment, a guard from the palace stood in front of my door with an envelope bound by the royal seal.

My heart hammered against the walls of my chest as I took the letter from him.

'Why didn't he send for me?' I wondered, 'didn't this deserve proper deliberation?'

I snatched the letter from the guard before closing the door and pressed my back against it. With shaky hands, I tore the letter and quickly skimmed through the content written in black ink.

My heart sank, and my shoulders fell with every paragraph I read.

"You dare to play games with me, Aurora. But games or no games, I, your Alpha King, Ethan Balor, deny your claims and whatever it is you claim to carry. I, Ethan Balor, deny having made any actions that resulted in whatever claims you seem to have.

And if your claim happens to be true, I advise that you do away with it. If you want to live to see another day, take care of it and never speak of it to anyone.

Do away with it and never play such games again, Aurora. But if you try to keep it or try to play such games with me again, I promise you, my face will be the last thing you see on earth before your painful transition to the other world. I promise you that, Aurora, I promise you.

My knees failed me and I crumbled to the ground with tears in my eyes.

Once again, Ethan had succeeded in breaking my heart, but this was the last time it would ever happen.

I was never going to do anything to harm my child. It has been my everything from the moment I discovered it, so nothing was going to make me harm it, not Ethan and certainly not his threat.

Wiping my tears, I decided to run, to pack my things and leave the palace and its environment or even, Sturgeon moon back and its environment and never to return to it.

NEVER!