Chapter 2

Sophia's POV

"Yes, Luna, it's me," Lila mocked as a smug smile crept across her face.

Her appearance had changed drastically from her innocent, pitiful appearance at the banquet as she looked down at me with malice dancing in her eyes.

Her hair was no longer a pretty chestnut color, but in this moment it had changed inexplicably to a brash shade of red.

Fuck! Was Lila actually a witch?! The red wine! She must have poisoned me with the red wine just now.

"What are you doing? What do you want from me?" I asked weakly as I tried desperately to reach Zyra.

Clearly, the poison had affected her too because I couldn't seem to get through to her.

As much as I hated to admit it, there was nothing I could do. I was completely at Lila's mercy.

"Pathetic Luna, I bet you never thought that something like this would happen to you, did you?" Lila sneered as she pulled a dagger from its holster at her side and gestured at me with it.

"Don't do this, Lila. If you kill me, Marcus will never forgive you."

Lila laughed, tilting her head back as she shook with laughter.

"Ah, you're too funny. Perhaps you should have been a comedian instead of Marcus's Luna." she said as she wiped a tear away from the corner of her eye and sneered down at me once more, the hatred burning in her eyes, "I am Marcus's fated mate, not you. Everything that you had, now belongs to me."

She hissed as she pressed the tip of the dagger to my face, allowing it to pierce the skin on my face.

I could feel the skin split painfully under the pressure and the gradual trickle of blood as it slid down my face, but I was so weak that I couldn't even raise my arms to push her away.

"I'll tell you another thing, Miss Sophia Brown, this relationship between me and Marcus... everyone knew," She smiled cruelly as I felt my heart shatter, "His Beta, all the members of the pack... they have known for such a long time. It was only you that had no idea."

The poisonous smirk and venom in her words pierced my heart at the exact moment that she raised the dagger above her head with a wicked glint in her eye.

A wave of cold dread washed over me as I realized what she intended to do and I looked up at her with wide eyes and disbelief written all over my face as she plunged the dagger down, slicing through the skin of my chest and shattering my breast bone as the cold metal pierced through my heart.

"Everyone you ever loved and cared about abandoned you for me, Sophia.”

The unbelievable image in front of me seemed to fade away and I was left numb.

I had never imagined that I would meet my end in such a way.

The fury burned brightly inside of me at the injustice of it all and I swore that if the Moon Goddess would just give me one more chance, I would make sure that both Marcus and Lila would pay for their betrayal with their lives.

I had found myself walking aimlessly in a forest shrouded in mist, with no clue which direction I should be heading.

Without warning a blinding light filled the forest in front of me, piercing through the fog and chasing it away as its gentle rays danced across my face.

Was I dead? Was this the afterlife?

I walked towards the light with my arm outstretched, straining to touch it but suddenly, a loud noise seemed to explode in my ears.

"Luna! Please, it's time to wake up!"

"What?" I yelled in surprise as I sat bolt upright in my bed in an all too familiar room. I looked at Omega Amy in front of me in disbelief, whilst I tried to wrap my head around what was happening.

"I'm so pleased you're finally awake, you were sleeping like a log!" she chuckled., "There's still a lot to do today in preparation for your third wedding anniversary tomorrow with Marcus, not to mention the preparations that need to be made for the banquet."

"Wait... what? Are you telling me the banquet isn't until tomorrow?"

"Well, yes, don't you remember?"

I reached up and placed my palm over the area on my chest that the dagger had penetrated so violently, but there was no sign of any injury.

Could it be that everything that had happened had all been a dream?

I jumped out of bed quickly and headed straight to my desk, picking my diary up out of the drawer.

This diary was invaluable in managing my day-to-day life. I recorded my mood daily and a summary of the events of the day, I also kept track of official functions and pack-related affairs in there so I didn't forget a single thing. Every morning I wrote a list of the things that I needed to do that day.

I turned to the page that should have held the list that I clearly remembered writing as soon as I woke up on the eve of my anniversary, but the page was blank.

Confused, I flipped back through the previous day's entries but they were exactly as I remembered.

Could it be that the Moon Goddess had actually granted my wish?

Ignorantly, expecting things to be different this time, I followed Amy to the banquet preparations as the scene of Lila and Marcus embracing played constantly in my memories. Her final parting words to me echoed painfully in my ears.

"Everyone that you ever loved and cared about abandoned you for me,"

Had it just been a dream or had it actually happened? If it was just a dream, then why did the pain in my heart feel so real?

"My honorable pack members, I welcome you all here today and wanted to thank you for coming at such short notice. It is with great pleasure that I can officially announce today that my fated mate, Lila, will be joining our pack. I sincerely hope that both Lila and Luna Sophia will be treated with equal respect."

The banquet proceeded exactly as it had in my dream and Marcus repeated his speech word for word.

Could it really be that the Moon Goddess had heard my cry for justice and really given me a new life?

"Sophia! Sophia!"

"Yes... is that you Zyra?"

"Oh thank the goddess that I can finally talk with you again!"

" Zyra, what the hell is going on? We..." I stammered in complete disbelief.

"Listen my dear, I'm just as confused as you are, but the one thing that I am sure of is that we did die before. You weren't dreaming."

"Then why didn't you answer me when I called for you?"

"Because of that whore! We need to be very careful, Sophia"

Before I could organize my thoughts, Marcus took the initiative to push Lila towards me this time.

"Sophia, this is Lila. I feel terrible, but I have to confess... I found my true mate."

I watched Lila carefully as she picked up the glass of wine on the table and walked over to me in a dignified manner, whilst holding herself respectfully.

"My Luna, please take pity on me and allow me to live under your roof. Please, let me show you my appreciation with this glass of red wine."

I peered into the glass in front of me as I took it carefully, squinting and scrutinizing the liquid within, but it looked just like ordinary red wine.

There was no obvious signs of it having been tampered with and if it wasn't for the fact that she had already killed me with this trick previously, I would never have suspected that there was such a potent poison contained within.

I shook my head and pushed the glass back into her hand.

"No. You already dirtied this glass with your disgusting hands, I won't drink it."

Lila seemed to freeze for a moment as if she was stunned at my refusal, and for the briefest second, a flicker of anger crossed her face. In the next second, the anger was gone, replaced by that innocent, pitiful look that she faked so well, complete with tear-filled eyes.

"You are right, Luna. My status is far below yours, I should not have…”

"That's enough Lila. There's no need for you to apologize," Marcus said gently before turning to me with a furious expression, "Watch your words, Sophia!"

I couldn't believe this two-faced little whore! If I hadn't already seen her for what she was, I would have been completely taken in by this kind, gentle, and vulnerable facade that she was portraying right now.

I scowled at Marcus and was about to retort with a sarcastic reply, but Lila suddenly raised the glass to her lips as she stared at me with the barest hint of a smirk on her lips and drained the glass of red wine that she had offered to me only seconds before.

I blinked at her in shock.

Did she not poison the wine this time?

In a matter of seconds Lila crumpled to the floor coughing up blood and I stepped back in horror as shocked gasps rose from around me.

Marcus was by her side in an instant with a panic stricken expression etched onto his handsome features.

"Lila! What happened?!"

As Lila sank into Marcus's arms, she looked at me with the perfect imitation of misery written all over her, her bottom lip trembling as she spoke.

"Luna, I really didn't want to destroy your marriage... why would you do this to me?!"

Marcus's head whipped round to face me

and his eyes held my gaze in an icy fury. He pulled Lila closer into the shelter of his arms as his eyes narrowed menacingly.

"Guards! Detain Luna and take her to the dungeon!"

"Marcus?!”