Second Life

Lulu

“Where am I?”

The darkness was absolute. Even the air felt thin as I tried to breathe. The shock of what had happened still clung to me like frost.

I tried to stand, though my legs barely felt real. There was no light. Nothing to tell me where I was, or if I was anywhere at all.

Then, from the far edge of that emptiness, a figure appeared.

A woman dressed in black leather, radiating an aura of raw power. Something inside me trembled—a pulse of energy that felt eerily familiar, though I didn’t trust my own senses. I wasn’t sure if this was real… or just another cruel illusion born from my mind.

Her red hair flowed like fire as she moved closer. With each step, her face became clearer—until I finally recognised her. And my heart split in two.

It was Mum.

My breath caught. I forced myself to stay calm, to remind myself that this had to be a dream. Mum was gone. Dead.

If I was seeing her now… that could only mean one thing. I was dead too.

She reached out a trembling hand. “Hello, Lulu. I’ve missed you.” Her voice was soft, heavy with sorrow, regret… and love.

Mum lifted her palm, conjuring a gentle flame. The light spread just enough for me to see that we stood in a vast, boundless void, nothing around us but silence.

“Where are we, Mum?” I whispered, my voice weak and unsteady.

“In Somnara,” she said quietly. “A realm with no borders. It’s where supernatural souls linger before crossing into the Netherrealm.”

My brows knitted in confusion. Panic began to claw its way up my throat.

“So, does that mean I’m dead?”

“Yes… and no,” she murmured, the words slipping out like mist.

“What happened? Why are you here? You’re supposed to be in the Netherrealm!”

Her sigh was long and heavy, the kind that carried storms within it. When her eyes met mine, I saw the weight of centuries and heartbreak.

“I’m sorry, Lulu. To keep you alive… I had to give you my heart.”

I confused. It felt as though something had hollowed out my chest. My hands shook as I looked down—there was nothing. No beat. No warmth. Just emptiness.

Then everything replayed like a film running backwards—Alpha Scott.

The betrayal. The sorcerer who stole my heart. My death and now… this.

Fear spread through me, cold and fast. My body felt heavy, my thoughts scattered. “Another trial? Seriously, Moon Goddess, haven’t I had enough?” I muttered bitterly.

Mum gave a faint smile. “I know you’re confused. Listen to me.”

She turned towards a dim glow in the distance, and I followed, every step sending a ripple through the still air.

As we walked, she spoke—slowly, carefully—explaining everything.

Her hidden death. The forbidden ritual she performed to save me. The prophecy that foretold I would die at twenty-five, betrayed by someone I trusted.

“I sealed my heart inside the Moonbound Casket,” she said. “Only a descendant of Fontayne Bloodworth—the water sorcerer who forged it—can unlock it again.”

I blinked. “But the Bloodworth line is extinct. It ended with Sapphire Bloodworth.”

Mum nodded. “That’s what everyone believes. Sapphire had two sons—Dylan and Morpheus. Their existence was hidden because their powers were too great. Dylan was a pure sorcerer, cursed by tragedy and isolation. And Morpheus… the Alpha Hybrid—half sorcerer, half wolf.”

Morpheus…

My mind raced. “What’s your connection to them?”

“I made a pact with Morpheus,” she said softly. “The prophecy revealed he would be the second chance for the last elemental fire wolf.”

The pieces began to fall into place—the mysterious voice that had saved me, the warmth that had drawn me back from oblivion. It all started to make sense. And yet… even more questions stirred.

I swallowed hard, my throat dry. “Then what about you, Mum? If I can return, why can’t you?”

She shook her head, her face etched with sorrow. “No, Lulu. Two and a half centuries have taught me not to be greedy. The ritual I used defies life and death. I’m bound to Somnara until I fade.”

A wave of grief hit me so hard it almost knocked the breath from my lungs. “Why?” I whispered. “Why would you sacrifice yourself like that?”

“Because a mother’s love for her daughter has no limits,” she said gently. Then, with a faint laugh, “Besides, I saved two lives at once—yours, and your child’s. Shame I won’t get to brag about that to the other sorcerers.”

I glared at her through tears. “That’s not funny, Mum.”

“Sorry,” she smiled faintly. “I just don’t want you to fall apart. Truth is, I’d rather lose my life than lose you. But there’s something you need to know.”

“What is it?” My voice trembled, desperate for a sliver of hope.

“I’ve disrupted the balance between life and death, Lulu. There’s a price for that, and it’s you who’ll have to pay it. Your time is limited. You have one year to reclaim your heart.”

Her words struck like lightning. My head buzzed, and my hollow chest screamed in disbelief. Tears slipped down my cheeks. “No…” I breathed. The ache in my soul was unbearable.

Before I could say another word, my body began to feel lighter. Her voice faded into the void.

“Your time in Somnara is over, my love.”

I looked at her one last time, wanting to ask about the heart that sorcerer had stolen from me. But before I could, thick smoke rolled in, clouding my vision—until everything faded to white.

**

I woke up.

Every muscle ached, but life pulsed faintly through me. My chest burned—not from pain, but from the impossible truth that I was alive.

I touched the wound over my heart—wet, but slowly healing. Then my hand moved lower, to my belly.

My child… are you still with me? My heart clenched. I needed to know.

The cabin was warm, lit by soft candlelight. The air smelled of earth, sap, and something alive. But my mind was chaos.

The door creaked. A young woman stepped in, carrying a basket of freesia blossoms. Her golden hair shimmered under the light, her eyes kind but nervous.

“You’re awake,” she said quietly.

I raised an eyebrow. “Who are you?”

“My name’s Dalila. Omega of the Sapphire Water Pack. I was ordered to look after you.”

“Ordered by who?”

“Alpha Caspian.”

That name set off every alarm in my head. Alpha Caspian—the notorious leader of the Sapphire Water Pack. Famous for chaos, charm, and bad decisions.

“Why am I here?”

Dalila shook her head quickly. “I don’t know. I was only told to keep you safe.”

I exhaled sharply, frustration bubbling up. “How long was I out?”

“A month,” she murmured.

A month. For Moon Goddess’s sake!

The ground seemed to drop beneath me. Panic clawed at my chest.

“My baby… what happened to my baby?”

“I’m sorry, miss,” Dalila whispered. “Only Alpha Caspian knows.”

I swung my legs off the bed and glanced at the mirror. The reflection staring back didn’t feel like me—my hair darker, my cheeks hollow, my frame fragile.

Fear tightened around me, but beneath it was fire. Determination. I would find answers. I would take my life back.

I pushed past Dalila and stepped outside.

“Wait! Don’t go—Alpha Caspian will be furious!” she cried.

I ignored her. I couldn’t stay here, not when every second mattered. I had to find Morpheus. Now.

By the riverbank, a deer drank quietly. I took a cautious step closer—and it bolted into the trees.

Then a voice snapped from behind the bushes.

“You scared off my prey!”

I turned. A young man stepped out—a wolf shifter, tall and broad-shouldered, silver-grey hair glinting in the light. Definitely younger than me.

“You!” he barked. “I’ve been tracking that deer for hours!”

I crossed my arms. “And? What’s that got to do with me?”

He scowled. “It was my kill!”

“Not my problem,” I said coolly, though my heart pounded in my chest.

The air between us crackled with tension, like lightning waiting to strike. In that strange, charged moment—half fear, half fascination—I realised something.

I had no idea who he was.