Chapter 2: Who is Zara?

REIKA**

A humming began softly, sending vibrations and tingles through me.

My eyes cracked open, expecting to see darkness but what greeted my eyes was a forest, filled with colorful variations of flowers and lush plants.

I sat up, my eyes taking in my surroundings, the sound of a waterfall drumming pleasantly in my ears.

Where was I?

Instinctively, my hand reached for my stomach as I looked down and shrank back in shock.

My body…my body was gone.

All that was left of me was a transparent entity that looked like it was about to evaporate.

At that moment, the memory of all that happened rushed back like a distant waterfall.

Kaid, Lyra. My baby.

After all the years I have waited to have my child, just for it to be cruelly snatched away alongside my life, my pack.h

A rustle among the leaves caught my attention.

I turned to the side to behold the most splendid creature I have ever seen.

Her skin was luminous, the same as mine but hers was glowing like she was made with glitter.

She was dressed in a golden floor-length robe and as she walked, flowers lined up the pathway.

Her black hair tumbled down her back, interwoven with crystals, and on her head was a golden star crown.

She stopped some yards away from me, her eyes kind and warm.

“Who are you?” I croaked, my voice coming out as a whisper.

“I go by many names, my child, but you might know me as the moon goddess.”

My pupils widened and I bowed my head in reverence.

“Why am I here? Is this the afterlife?” I asked.

Her fingers hooked around my chin to lift my head.

“This is the boundary between life and death. You summoned me here as you were dying,” she answered.

“But I'm still dead. You couldn't help me either way. So what's the use of coming now? Where's my baby?” I hissed.

“ Your child is in a better place.”

I shook her finger off my face and crumbled to the ground, tears sneaking out of my eyes and evaporating into the wind.

“What do you want with me? Can you bring my body back to life? Can you help me get revenge?”

She came closer to me, conjuring up a vine throne interwoven with flowers before taking a seat opposite me.

“ I can't bring your body back to life, my child. But revenge, I can help you get revenge,” she responded.

My ears perked up at her words and I moved closer to her.

“How will you do that? You said you can't bring my body to life!”

“ I can't tamper with your body since it was already mutilated and is presently buried, but I can put your soul in another body,”

The thought of my body already buried gripped my heart with so much sadness I felt the air around me stifling.

How did Bella take the news of my death? What lie did they cook up for my death?

“Do I get to pick the body?”

“No. I will put your soul into the body of a sinner and you have the chance to take your revenge within six months.” She answered solemnly.

“Six months? When the time is up, whether I succeed or not, I'll die again?”

“Yes.”

“Th—that’s not fair. My life was taken away from me when I finally found something worth living for and now after I get my revenge it'll be taken away again.

I won't ever get a wolf nor rule my pack,” I sniffed.

Although I still very much liked the offer I couldn't help but feel I was getting the short end of the stick.

The moon goddess remained silent, her eyes closed in contemplation.

“Alright. During six months you have to take your revenge, if you can find your fated mate and get him to mark you, you'll live in the body for as long as nature allows.” She pronounced.

My eyebrows scrunched up, my lips twisted in a sneer at the thought of another mate.

“I just got killed because I loved a man and now you want me to love another one?”

“It is necessary. As long as you have a mate, his life force will naturally flow into you giving you life for as long as he lives.

If you are unable to find one, you'll be dead after six months.”

I tapped my transparent finger against a leaf, going over her words.

This was the best offer I was going to get if I wanted to get my pack back and crush those cheating pair.

“Alright, I'll do it. What happens to the previous soul in the body you are going to place me in? Am I going to get a wolf this time?”

“The soul will be locked. If you succeed in your task, it'll disappear permanently, but if you fail, it'll take over and you shall die. I can’t predict whether you’ll have a wolf or not. You may be reborn with a wolf, or with something else. Time will tell.

Now sleep, child. Remember you have six months to succeed!”

My eyes closed on their own as I fell back, feeling a soft padding against my back.

My body tingled as the moon goddess's warning reverberated in my ears, her voice distant.

My skin felt ablaze, my mouth parted in a silent scream and it suddenly felt like I was falling from a cliff.

Abruptly it stopped. I felt a hard surface once more, and not just hard externally but internally also.

A hand gripped my waist as my core was suddenly thrust into. My eyes remained closed as a shiver ran through my body.

This feeling felt more right than ever like this was supposed to be happening.

The thrusting increased as I grounded my hips against the hard length, matching its pace and intensity, I felt my legs buckle, and a blinding light flashed through my consciousness as the man gripped my waist tightly and spilled hot seed inside me.

My eyes parted, narrowed into slits as I gradually came to myself and looked down at the most beautiful brown eyes I have ever seen in my life.

“AHH!” I screamed as I leaped from the bed, pushing the man away in the process.

In my haste my back crashed into the wall, making me whimper as the man turned to face me.

“Zara, what's gotten into you?” He thundered a tinge of red flashing through his brown eyes.

Wait—Zara?

Who is Zara?