AURORA“The day I ended our friendship… walking away from you was the hardest thing I’ve ever done. It felt like my heart split in two.” I said, as my hand reached up to touch my chest.“As I walked home, I kept thinking of what my father would do to me. But I didn’t care anymore. I had to see you one last time… to tell you goodbye… face to face.”“Rora… it hurt; gods, it hurt so bad; when you said those words to me. I wanted to grab you, lock you away and throw away the key so you’d never leave me.” he said, his voice low, broken.“But you shattered me, when you said you weren’t happy with me, that I should stay away from you.” he rested his forehead on mine.“I lied, Damon, I had to. I needed you to hate me so it would end completely. I whispered.“I’m so sorry, Damon. For hurting you so bad,” I sobbed.Damon leaned in and kissed my lips. “What happened next?” he asked, holding my hands.“Two men stopped me on my way home. They had been following me. I tried to run… but they caugh
AURORAThat night, Damon made do with his threat. I had just laid my head on the pillow, my body begging for rest, when a sharp, jarring bell rang just outside the door.Clang!The sound tore through the stillness like a blade, harsh and unrelenting. My eyes flew open, my heart racing. It didn’t stop.The bell rang again the next night. And the next. And the next. Each time I drifted close to sleep, it would sound again; loud, metallic, merciless.Even during the day, the fear of the sound haunted me, keeping me on edge, my mind frying.My eyes were sunken now, circled by deep black bags. My thoughts tangled together in a haze of exhaustion. I could hardly keep my balance when I stood to use the bathroom.Damon stepped in, “ How are you?” he asked.I didn’t open my eyes fully. My body curled tighter under the covers, trembling.“Please… my king,,, stop. I need to sleep.” my voice hoarse as I whispered.“Only if you tell me everything,” he said.I blinked slowly, mind hazy, head rolli
AURORA“Hey, little one, where are you going?” A male voice called from behind me. I turned and saw two men standing behind me, looking at me with a look that gave me chills.“I’m going home.” I said as fear gripped me. I looked around and we were the only ones around. They stepped closer and I stepped back.“We should have fun with her.” One of them said,“Leave me alone,” I said, my voice getting loud.“We should have fun with her, after all she gives it freely to the Alpha’s son.” the other one said with a smirk.I wondered why they were saying such things. These are my pack people. They know me, I grew up here, even if I’m human.“I’m not like that, Damon and I are just friends.” I said defensively.They both laughed; it sounded evil and a scary chill was on my spine. One of them stepped forward and touched a strand of my hair.“I guess he’s attracted to you, because of your blonde hair.” he sniffed my hair and dropped it in disgust.I turned to leave but he quickly grabbed me.“R
AURORAI held my breath as the strong hands plunged my head into the ice cold water. The shock tore through my skin like needles, slicing my senses apart.My body twisted in resistance, but the guards held me firm. No mercy. No escape.I thrashed once… twice… then stopped. Let it end. Let death take me. Maybe that was the only freedom left. Just as my mind slipped into silence, my head was yanked violently from the tank. I gasped and collapsed into Damon’s arms, coughing and shaking.“Tell me why you left me! Tell me now and I will stop!” his voice thundered through my ears, but his arms held me like I was precious. Like he was breaking too.My mind screamed for me to speak, and to end this torment. “M-my…f..” I stammered, my lips blue, my teeth clattering from the cold. Damon cradled my face, brushing the wet strands of hair away gently.“Yes… tell me, my love.” His voice softened as he leaned in close, his thumb trembling against my cheek.I shook my head, I couldn’t, not yet. His
AURORAAfter days in the king’s infirmary, I was taken back to the cell. The bandages were gone, but the scars had taken their place, reminding me of what Damon had done to me.Before I was taken back to the cell, Damon had been kind enough to let me have my bath, and a change of clothes. But he had stopped visiting, and I wondered the reason as I sat in silence, my back pressed to the wall.I jumped in surprise as the heavy door to the cell creaked open, my heart slamming against my ribcage, and Alpha Eden stepped in.My eyes widened instantly. I scrambled to my knees, bowing my head low in submission. The cold floor stung against my skin, but I didn’t move. Why was Eden here? Alone? Where is Damon?Maybe he’s here to punish me for hurting his friend’s heart. I braced myself for the harsh words, or worse.His warm hand touched my arm gently. I looked up in confusion as Eden bent down and slowly, carefully, helped me to my feet.“A queen never kneels.” he said, his voice a whisper of
AURORAI lowered my gaze, unable to meet Eden’s eyes. I didn’t feel worthy of looking at them. I was just a slave now. No title. No dignity. Just Damon’s.“Yes, she’s the one.” Damon replied Eden’s question without hesitation.Eden narrowed his eyes slightly as he studied me. “You said she had blonde hair. Why is it black?”“She dyed it.” Damon replied, there was a bitter edge to his reply.I swallowed hard, guilt rising in my chest. I had regretted it the moment the dye touched my hair; but I had no choice. I needed to vanish, to hide from the life that haunted me. Still, it hadn’t worked. I was still found.Eden took a step forward. I was tense. He then reached out; his fingers brushing softly against my cheek. I froze. My breath caught in my throat, my muscles stiff.Did he not know what I was? A slave. Damon’s slave. No alpha was supposed to touch someone like me. I wanted to speak, to say something, to pull away.But my voice failed me, tangled with fear and confusion. Instead,