2. Second Chance

Yuri’s pov: 

I opened my eyes, half expecting to feel pain, half hoping to meet Goddess Selene and be allowed to be with my little Violet… And yet, I was met with another sight altogether. 

Never in my wildest dreams would I have expected such an outcome. I had burned the villa and burned alongside it, my hands tightly embracing my daughter’s ashes… And yet, here I was, in the pack hall, kneeling in front of the elders, as I was taken back to the day that had to be the beginning of my undoing, 9 years ago. 

Their conversation was too distinct for it to be a memory. My knees hurt because of the shards digging into the skin of my knees, but it was the best grounding feeling ever. This wasn’t a dream or a life flashback. This was real. Too real for it to be a figment of my imagination. 

Heavens, I could not believe my luck... I had not even dared to make such a wish. My reborn was as unexpected as it was welcome.  

This could be my chance. My chance to make everything change. My chance for revenge. My chance for a future where I am not bound to the despicable Alpha Leo. 

I could feel the hatred in the looks that were thrown my way. I could feel the resentment, and the disgust too. And yet, I held my head up proudly, refusing to submit, thinking hard about what I ought to do.  

Let them talk! 

“Quite the scheming and daring omega,” one of the pack members present observed mockingly. “Daring enough to drug the Alpha, all so she could have sex with him…” 

“How dare she try to defile the noble bloodlines?” Another one quipped, his words barely above a growl. 

The photos that had been thrown alongside the tea cup were incriminating to say the least. Yes, they showed Alpha Leo in an intimate position with a woman of my figure. But as far as I could recall, and as far as I could see, the pictures didn’t show my face. 

The elders didn’t have proof that it had been me the day prior, and were planning to make me crack under pressure.   

I had to think fast of something to do, of something to say. I could not allow history to repeat itself. I had suffered in ways that should be illegal, for longer than anyone could have endured… and I wasn’t ready to go through that again. I refused to make another Violet suffer the years of neglect from Leo again.  

I bit my bottom lip as I thought hard about a possible escape route, and just as I made up my mind, the man I burned to destroy made an appearance. 

As always, Leo, handsome to a fault, oozed danger and pure sex appeal. He also radiated power, and his Alpha aura had the knack to make me want to whimper and cower back in fear – only this wasn’t the time to show him I was scared. If I could play my cards right, I might just get out of this whole mess, safe and sound. 

With his arrival, the people ceased their whispers at once. He wasn’t known to tolerate fools after all, much less senseless gossip. 

And even though he didn’t so much as look my way, I couldn’t help but keep my gaze on him. I trembled with the desire to scratch his face off and poke his eyes out. My hatred knew no bounds, and I had to bite on the inside of my cheek to keep myself in check. I couldn’t ruin my second chance in such a way. 

Mom’s hand on my head brought me back to my senses, and I tasted blood in my mouth.  

“Bow and apologize to The Alpha, sweetheart,” mom said in an urgent tone of voice. “I am sure he will be lenient.” 

But I knew that apologizing to the man would mean I was actually admitting to a crime I didn’t commit. 

Sure, I slept with him, but I hadn’t drugged him. When would I ever have such an opportunity? It must have been someone close to him, or even close enough to be kept around, even though they weren’t friends but foes. 

Besides, I knew mom enough to know what she wanted – a doting alpha mate and a happy life. I recalled how she had told me that the Alpha would undoubtedly take responsibility for me in my previous life. And I, like the fool I had been, had agreed with her, thinking this was my chance to shine by his side. My chance to show him that I loved him. 

Well, I would rather drink acid than allow this man within a 3 meter radius of me again. He was what nightmares were made of. I had been through hell once already, and I believed I deserved to live better this time around. 

It took me but a few seconds to steel my resolve. 

When elder Jason bellowed angrily, I was ready for him. “What’s the stubborn look for? You dare to look proud after everything you’ve done? If you refuse to confess, I’ll have Mia take your place and suffer the punishment that should be yours to bear.” 

Mom all but trembled from where she stood behind me. I could feel fear oozing off her in waves. 

I regarded the man levelly, my eyebrow rising ever so slightly in a somewhat taunting manner, “I didn’t drug Alpha Leo.” 

Everyone was silent, and one could almost hear a fly go around if they strained their ears. 

“That's not possible,” he all but growled at me, his eyes darkening in his ire. “What kind of nonsense is this now” 

“I didn’t drug him,” I repeated in much the same deadpan, almost bored tone,   “and I wasn’t the one who slept with him either.” 

Then, under the stunned looks I was receiving, I pointed my finger at Aurora without missing a beat, and declared, “She did.”