Chapter 4

ALEXEI’S POV

And then, there was Brandon.

His betrayal hurt the most. To think that he had never loved me even for a second caused angry tears to spring to my eyes.

The tears blurred my vision as I ran.

A moment later, strong arms wrapped around my waist, zapping me off the ground.

It was Brandon. I could smell him, even though I couldn’t see him.

I didn’t think I wanted to see him. I was afraid that if I got to look him in the eye right now, I would cry so much, I would never be able to stop.

“Let go of me!” I screamed, thrashing against his hold. In response, Brandon covered my mouth with his arm, blocking my voice.

He pulled me back into the garden – back to where Freida was waiting for me.

She was still holding up the vial of wolfsbane. There was a murderous glint in her eyes as she appraised me closely.

“Well, well, well. Look who we have here.”

Brandon lowered me down to my knees, stepping behind me.

Tears rolled down my cheeks. My shoulders trembled with the effort it took for me to keep my sobs at bay.

“I am surprised you of all people would go for a late night stroll in the gardens,” she mused, lowering down to the ground. I tried to lean away from her but there was no where to go.

“If only you hadn’t eavesdropped, I wouldn’t have to kill you right here, right now. But maybe this is the moon goddess’s will after all – to remove you from my path sooner than expected.”

With every word that Freida spoke, she ran her fingers along the curve of my neckline, tracing the shape of it.

I tried to scream but my voice was muffled by Brandon’s steely grip. All I could do was watch helplessly as Freida pulled the vial open and gestured for Brandon to tilted my head upwards.

NO.

It was all happening way too fast. There was no way I was going to die right now. It felt wrong, like I was watching this horror scene happening to someone else.

Unfortunately, this wasn’t a scene out of a horror movie. This was my life. And I was fucked.

I had no way of yelling out for help. There was no way for me to escape.

No one was coming to save me.

It was all over.

Brandon’s hands were warm on the back of my neck as he forced my lips apart.

I spluttered, making incoherent sounds. My eyes twitched with fear as I watched Freida tilt the vial.

“Say hi to the old man for me, sister,” she said, right as the wolfsbane began to trickle down my throat.

The burn of it was immediate. It was deathly painful and unlike anything I had ever experienced. Within seconds, I could feel my insides burning up and melting off.

It felt like being locked in a room full of fire, with no way to get out.

The pain may have lasted a few minutes. It may have been an hour. But by the time Brandon let go of me, I could no longer feel my insides.

My eyes were empty as I crashed to the ground.

Dead.

***

I felt a pair of cold hands on my cheeks. The sharp iciness of the smooth flesh forced my eyes open, bringing me in contact with a pair of haunting black eyes. They seemed endless, like staring into a dark orbit. At the same time, those eyes, they were easily the most beautiful pair of eyes I had ever seen.

“Hello child,” she spoke in a cool voice that was as ethereal as it was soothing. The more I stared into her eyes, the more I felt like I knew her. There was this otherworldly sense of recognition I felt. It took me a few moments more before I finally succeeded in connecting the dots.

“Moon goddess!” I exclaimed. My voice was hoarse and heavy with unshed tears. Mostly, I was heartbroken, overwhelmed by the depths of betrayal I had suffered from the people I trusted the most.

I kept hoping that it was all a bad dream. Unfortunately, it wasn’t.

I was dead. Murdered by my sister and my mate.

The worse part of it all was how I never even saw it coming.

One minute, Brandon had been all over me, professing his love. The next moment, he was holding me down with an alien cruelty, watching as the vial of wolfsbane killed me from the inside out.

Why had he been so hellbent to kill me? What did I do wrong?

The moon goddess wiped the tears away from my eyes, holding me with a fondness that made me cry harder.

“None of this is fair, moon goddess,” I wept. “I don’t deserve to die this way.”

“I understand the way you feel. You feel betrayed and cheated out of a great life. I am sorry Alexei but this is how it ends for some of my children. They show up at my door either poisoned or mangled.”

I shook my head fiercely. “No. I refuse for things to end this way. This can’t be it. I want answers. I want a chance to avenge my father’s death. I want a chance to make my so-called family pay for killing him. I wish above all to protect his legacy. Please goddess, give me another chance. I vow to do everything in my power to make you proud. Please.”

I pleaded and wept at her feet, desperate for her mercy.

“Child,” the moon goddess raised my chin, so I could get a good look at her. She was smiling and staring at me with fondness. “Let it be unto you according to the desires of your heart.”

With that said, she reached out and pushed me backwards.

***

I woke up with a start. Gripped with a mind-numbing sense of fear, I jerked upwards, hellbent to hide – to save myself from the garden and the wolfsbane.

It took me a full ten seconds to realize that I was no longer in the garden. I actually happened to be in my bedroom. In my bed.

I wrapped my hands around my throat, waiting to feel the deadly burn of wolfsbane.

It never came.

The only thing that came was a loud knock on my door.

A moment later, the door burst open and Freida came racing in. She was in her night dress. But that wasn’t what caught my attention.

It was the huge grin on her face.

She looked sweet and innocent and for a crazy moment, I wondered if I had imagined everything that had happened between us in the garden.

“Oh finally, you’re awake,” Freida gushed, jumping on my bed and taking me by surprise. “You should get ready. Father is already in the throne room. He’s got an important announcement to make.”

“What?” I hissed, holding my breath.

It couldn’t be. There was no way any of this was possible. There was no way the moon goddess had actually granted my request.

“Don’t tell me you forgot all about the important announcement today. Father is going to be pissed.”

“What announcement?” I asked her, doing everything in my power to hide the disgust I felt at the sight of her face.

“Father will be announcing his heir today. I can’t believe you forgot all about that.”

Freida huffed, finally getting off my bed. “I know you’re used to breaking the rules and getting away with it, but not today Alexei. Get ready and come down to the throne room.”

With that, she sauntered out of my room, closing the door behind her.

My heart was racing as I reached for the calendar on my dresser, confirming my suspicions.

I had indeed travelled back three months into the past.

The moon goddess had taken pity upon me and granted me a second chance to live and exert revenge on the two people, who had broken my trust.

It all began now.

I could hardly wait.